olc crazy

i have always wondered if a sc400( v8 with close you 300 hp ) could be converted into 5 spd... or better yet.. a supra 6 spd (if the 5 spd cant hold the v8).

is this possible?
would labor be crazy?

reamemiya

iTrader: (1)

simple answer is yes it's possible, but probably not worth it with.

question is why?

/Aerostar\

iTrader: (2)

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=145013

Wish him luck...

VSsc400

iTrader: (1)

why would you say that it's not worth it?

reamemiya

iTrader: (1)

why don't you save yourself the time, money, and hassle.

i mean if you have the skills and experience to do it yourself ( like yourself) by all means go for it.

even still i don't understand this craze where they think they're a "man" because they have

automatic ( i swear that's usually the only reason they want 6 or 5 speed. auto is great for the

street and daily driving, but also great for the strip. as agreed by ebanks "auto wins races!"

i must be the only idiot with a 5 speed that wants auto


but then again...i kind of take back some of the stuff i said as to why. forgot to realize the the

sc400 only came with the option of auto.


i'd leave it auto or if anything get a built auto.

olc crazy

your tellin me its not worth it? why?

Lextreme

Its very complex. You have to get many parts. The price tag for parts alone will run at least 4-5k plus labor i would say around 2-3k and you also need specialist on the ecu...... I would say by the time u finish and the system run PROPERLY... would be about 8-9k.

reamemiya

iTrader: (1)

because you can just get a built auto for a fraction of the price, fraction of the time, fraction of the headache, fraction of down time for the car, and be more happy than with the auto. unless this is what you really want and you have knowledgeable people with experience helping you out without charging you, then i would go for it.

plus to get yourself a getrag it will take A LOT of SEARCHING and A LOT of money. those things aren't selling cheap and you'll be lucky if you find what you want without someone jumping on it before you.

you'll probably need housing, tanny, driveshaft, rear end, and maybe even axles + misc parts (which could be like 50 more things).

goodluck if you decide to go this route.

/Aerostar\

iTrader: (2)

Auto is boring. Done.

reamemiya

iTrader: (1)

sure auto isn't fun, but you tell that to -9 second street cars out there.

at 150+ mph you will be having plenty of fun with both hands on the wheel.

dont' get me wrong i have a 97 5 speed although sometime i wish it were auto, but

it would not be worth the money. is around 8k-10K really worth that little ounce of more fun?

plus...it's not whether it's a auto or 5 speed that makes your car fun. it's what car it is and

what power it's making.

i know plenty of people who have as much fun with auto as manual guys.

VSsc400

iTrader: (1)

as for the ECU issue. Has anyone simply disconnected the plugs to the sensors on the transmission and turned the car on? You try it and tell me what happens (yes I know what the answer is)

the last time I went 150mph+ was never. The SC has a speed limiter at 149mph and I have a 4.27 rear so my top is just about 137mph.

People keep on telling me that it's going to cost 8-9 grand. Show me your parts list with prices and I'll show you my list..... down to every washer, every bolt, every nut with part numbers. Believe me it's not 5grand. It's more like 1/2 that price.
Who's charging 4-5grand for labor for this? A BMW M3 auto to manual labor charge is $1500 all day at every shop. Go to an MKIII specialty shop and the going price is $1000 for the auto to manual swap for labor only. You should me a shop charging 4-5grand in labor only for auto to manual and I'll show you a shop that's going to go out of business in 3 weeks.

A340 transmission has 29% drivetrain loss
R154 transmission has 18% drivetrain loss
on a 92SC400 power gained from this swap = 180rwhp to 205rwhp = 25rwhp gain. Show me a mod that you gain 25rwhp on an SC400 for just about 3500 and I'll show you my checkbook.

I want to see someone who's done this and for them to tell me how much it's going to cost or what problems I'm going to run into or how I should configure the ECU. Don't just tell me you know.... show me to proof.


Oh yeah.... I was told by the shop that did a R154 swap and W58 shop in japan for their 4.0GT in japan. Labor was $1500USD for W58 and $1800USD for R154. (used to be cheaper but the current exchange rate sucks for USD) This included prices for hacking up a bellhousing in half and welding it back together. (this would make it cheaper for parts but more expensive for labor)
I have receipts to show that all the parts... including shipping has not cost me more than 2500USD and I have a ton of extra parts left over.

So to review $2500 in parts and the $1000 I was quoted for the labor (just in case I can't do it) from a supra specialty shop (yeah that's what they charge in labor for an MKIV auto to W58 labor only)

so I'm looking at $3500 bucks... even if something goes terribly wrong and I have to get a Tec3 standalone it'll cost me $6500 with standalone. That takes care of the "properly" done swap right?

Let's see a set of 19" iForged with tires go for $4000 + some coilovers = $5500

you guys tell me what's worth it and what' not worth it

Koma

iTrader: (3)

VS, calm down... No one's losing faith in you...

Lextreme

I think you have just answered your question. The reason is that no one have done it. 99% of mechanics are dummies and no one going to touch that project unless those speciality shops. Special shops charge alot. Secondly they havent done it. You have more knowledge then them about this conversion.

If you take your auto sc to a regular shop and ask for a change for another oem lexus tranny, 99% of shops can do it and the cost would be around $250-$350. However, if you ask them to do the conversion, most would say " No, we dont do that here" Therefore you dont have much choice.

I am very encourage with your vision and dream. Please dont get me wrong. I just want to give people the real answer. If you can find cheaper price, more power to you. I am giving you the price from my experience and where i live.

The only person ever have done this successfully was Neil Griffiths from Rushimports. However, that is a J-spec Soarer and it different. RHD and LHD are different. It worked on their version doesnt mean it will work on our version. Either way you looking at it, it will be expensive.

The reality is parts cost less money then the labor and expertise. For example, rebuild performance torque converter cost only 179, plus 25 shipping and core charge. However, it would cost you another 300-350 to replace it. When we buy parts, parts just dont get to your house automatically, parts dont just jump into our car automatically. For the price you are paying for the conversion is simple not worth it. You need to think twice about spending 6k for the computer. You can buy a SC400 for that price.


Good luck

VSsc400

iTrader: (1)

I didn't ask any questions.

The shop that I may take this to is a supra specialty shop. They quoted me $1000 for the labor and they agreed to take the job. Price is fair and not expensive. Many supra have gone there with great results.

and I have never rained on your dreams and visions. Don't get me wrong but how are you giving people the real answer when you have never done the conversion? How can you say that you speak from experience when you've not held all the parts in your arms? What I have found is the median price of what specialty shops are charging in my region. I know for a fact Signal Auto in california wanted 1800 for labor and 2 weeks lead time and 2 weeks completion time and they said they would take the job.

Yes I know Neil Griffiths did it. Damian owns that car and he has a W58 tranny. I am well aware of this conversion.

of course RHD and LHD are different. JDM engined get dropped into USDM cars all the time. JDM trannies get dropped into USDM cars all the time. It takes a little work perhaps but they work. Either way the price different of the swap will be minimal from the AU guys and US guys.

I don't know where I said that parts get installed into my automactically. I adressed the costs of installtaion well in my responses. Also for price of 179 you don't get a "performance" torque converter. You get a re-manned torque converter with different stall speed.

If you don't think $3500 is not worth the money to have a manual tranny swapped into an SC400 then I don't know if we've got anything else to talk about.

who's spending 6k on a computer? I'm not. I know I am not going to need it because I already know how the factory ECU responds to the absence of signals from the transmission.
AEM installed and tuned is about $3500 on an SC300
TEC3 installed and tuned is about $3000 on an SC400

what in the world am I going to do with 2 stock SC400?

reamemiya

iTrader: (1)

i think lextreme and i are talking about the getrag swap because we have power in mind

big difference in w58 and v160 in power handling and in price

w58 you can find for $500 while v160 you can find in same condition as the w58 for $3000 (basically the cost of your w58 swap).

and depending what shop you go to the will charge you around $2000 or tell you it's a lot of work and try to suck you dry and tell you $3000 mechanics and auto companys are not the most honest people (not talking about every shop, but the majority because frankly they need to money to stay open and if they see a chance to get extra cash they'll jump on it.)

i'm typing to much i'm going to stop. Vssc400 stop typing so much i just came back from class and my head's starting to hurt.