Hi, I was just trying to figure out how to change the bulb in my 97' LS 400 when I saw your post. I was just wondering if you had finished restoring yours? My dream my hope is to completely restore mine but everyone keeps telling me that its way too big of a job and I can't find a mechanic willing to take on the project...... Was it worth it?

 

The OP hasn't logged in since 7-2019. There were a few aftermarket ones though I don't know the availability these days. Depo would be the ones I would suggest to look for.

 

You'd be better off finding one in the kind of shape you want and buying that one. They can get expensive but to pay to have a car restored will be crazy. If you are doing it yourself you can get something going but to bring it back to factory is impossible.

 

Are you talking about restoring the headlights or the whole car? If headlights then you're best off just finding a good set in the junkyard.
If the whole car then NO, it's not worth it. You'll put way too much money into restoring a 23 year old LS400, especially at your age. It'll take all your time and money. I saw the pics of your's and it doesn't look too bad, although that was 6 months ago. How many miles on it?

 

My head must be elsewhere as I focused on the first post. . Yours looks in decent shape, what areas need to be restored-worked on? That may be a pretty significant project depending what will be done.

 

ohh restore only the headlights? No, dont do that, try to find ones in good shape at the junkyard like the other guys said.

 

If you're talking about restoring the whole car, it depends on your skill set and funding. The best way to take on this project is if you can keep the costs low and do a lot of the work yourself or with minimal help. Otherwise, finding a well-maintained car is much easier.

How is the cosmetic and mechanical condition of your car? Does the car look good, but has mechanical issues?

Here are some threads worth looking at. There are a few more here and there:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...new-owner.html

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...-overhaul.html

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...-belt-diy.html

I'm assuming that by "restoration," you mean restoring the entire car, not just the headlights.

 

Her car doesn't look bad, pics are in post 7792 of the pics thread. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...-ls400s-3.html , so maybe a "restoration" wouldn't be much.

 

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...l#post10660658

Oh, that looks pretty good overall, aside from a few paint blemishes.

The post indicates the car needs an engine rebuild though... Would probably be cheaper to put a used engine in the car, especially if the work cannot be done independently.

OP, how many miles were on the car before the engine went out? If it's a low mileage car, a replacement engine would very likely have higher miles, but it all comes down to opportunity cost.