gt500tony

Hello all I'm new member Tony nguyen. Ive been studying lexus forums for a while and just recently joined. I have semi knowledge and am simply grouping together what i know and what others have said well before this asian boy even had a lexus. I chose to become a part of clublexus as you have active members. Lextreme is pretty much a ghost town full of australian who have a much better 1uz-fe after market and as such cater to the 1uz-fe. Clublexus is thriving and i would love to become a part of this community. Ive read many of your posts and there are some mind blowing soarers on here.

Thought I'd start a small BPU list i was brand specific only for the sake of cheapness. As you may know a supra 3.0 tt swap, or soarer 2.5 swap can be pricey. It is hands down the best performance you'll get with a sc400. And if i had the funds i'd do it in a heart beat.

However all is Not lost on a sc400 lead sled. Coming at this from a performance view only. Realizing that many mods not for everyone. But are still basic performance upgrades and are cheaper than what you'd think. I am not affiliated with any of these companies

1.Transgo HD shift kit for a340e 99$ ebay. 3-4 hours tops to install. This will really help shifts depending on the hole size you choose to drill. Has a sport/drag/truck option. Go with sport if youd like a crisper shifting valve body for daily use. Level Ten also has a 700$ valvebody if you have the cash and can't/won't install Transgo HD shift kit yourself.

2. Level Ten high stall TQ 400$ send yours in. This is by far the cheapest TQ for the sc400(last I heard John at Lextreme no longer selling on a regular) . Level Ten makes some sweet stuff for the SC. I would choose a 2800 stall if wanting to daily drive though a 3200 stall would almost be worth it from a performance view.

3.B&M tranny cooler. This wil help that autotragic not overheat with your TQ. Highly recommended.

4. Any Exhaust upgrade. Pick and choose. The stock exhaust is fairly restrictive stock. Survey says keep your front y pipe. Prices will vary depending on what you choose.

5. OBX headers for 1uz-fe. 400$ Ebay. Requires custom exhaust and knowledge of welding. Obviously 850$ PPE headers are much more desirable. But the logs on the sc400 are some of the worst. Even the OBX clones will be better if strapped for cash. Expect 600-1200$ in labor for exhaus/header upgrade. Expect 20-30 whp. Jesus thats a ineffective stock exhaust system!!!

6. Big *****i%g Intake. Make your own with info on here. Or 150$ ebay bfi kit 3.3/3.4. Can easily do yourself. Highly recommended as this setup will give you cold ram air. WS6? Not quite but better than warm air pods to be sure imo. Feel free to use a Injen air intake if your all about the bling or are convinced otherwise.

7. 4.27 rear end from a automatic sc300. The 3.92 ratio is good. But a 4.27 is sweet. Thats nissan r32 and 240sx ratio's right there. Not quite but close. 150$ or less in junkyards. Swaps right in. No fuss. Will mess up your speedometer so be wary. Also will have your rpm higher at highway speeds. This will compliment a high stall TQ. But not a bpu. And not a upgrade for everyone.

8.255lph Walboro fuel pump with12v upgrade(120$ebay), Supra 315cc injectors(170$ ebay), Aeromotive Fpr (120$ebay), Safc(160-300$ ebay), wbo2(150-200$ ebay), Dynotuning (depends 1-4 hours) . Not a bpu but should be . Highly recommended to tune your fuel system good for minimum 10whp. Fyi the stock fuel system is good up to 350whp-400whp supposedly. Many have run nos with simply a 255lph pump for safety.

9. Kelford cams. Most definitely not bpu. But if you have extra 1200-1500$ laying around I'd recommend the drop in cams on stock springs. Should be good for extra 15-20 crank hp. Will compliment other mods immensely.Will give you a stronger rpm range Expect 4 hours at a shop if there compotent 7 hours if they are not used to 1uz-fe at all.

10. Delete trunk interior. I wanted to keep my car intact in the cabin. Delete 50-60 pounds by removing everything from trunk. Besides gutting a sc400 (which is pointless imo its a luxury grand tourer not a vtakk honduh) this is one of the few ways to lighten this fat pig. Well carbon fiber body kits and hoods can drop weight as well Just bring your wallet. Lighter rims can help as well.

11. Espelir springs or coilovers or supra shocks struts take your pick. lower control arms from supra other suspension parts from supra. Club lexus has these areas covered 1000X over. One of the few areas sc400 can bask in supra light wee-hoo. prices vary from 425$ for espelir 2''ish drop to 1800$ supra race coilovers. Its all good in this bpu area. Theres also front and rear strut braces and various suspension upgrades, i.e bushings, etc... If you want to spend money on aftermarket suspension parts theres definitely a market for the sc400.

12. Nos. Thanks to guys like jibby we see that 125 dry shot will and can work reliably. Over estimating 1100$ installed will give you quite a jolt of power. Plenty of info on lexus forums for nos info on a sc400. Highly recommend do everything from 8. to really see sc400 on Nos potential.

And thats some of what I learned reading through various lexus forums. Only a small sample of info but everything is here for most part.

Of course the best upgrade to be had is selling the sc400 for sc300. But if your stuck with your sc400 like I am then heres a nice starter list. If your rich a twin turbo 1uz-fe might not be a bad idea. But I would personally go usdm supra 2jzgte. There is also other block options for the 1uz-fe from the 2uz and 3uz. That takes time knowledge and a little money but is a extremely viable and desirable option.

With all the mods listed with exception of nos and a block swapexpect conservatively a low 14 to high 13 second 1/4 mile on street tires and stock suspension for years 1992-1995 sc400. much better than the 15.6-16.0 stock most turn out today. New they were 15.1-15.4. Keep in mind 1992-1995 were really churning out 225hp. And the 1998 sc400 was accurately rated at 290. Thus the 1998 sc400's 0 60 in 6.2 and 14.1-14.3 1/4 mile. Make your 1992 sc400 as fast a 1998 woo-hoo.

Biddles

iTrader: (2)

Pretty good stuff for your third post. Good info in here all in one thread for stock 400 guys like myself.

1JZPWRD

iTrader: (59)

The motor swap can be expensive but after you buy all those parts for the 1uz you will be better off with the swap. I never looked back on the swapping it out, even the 2.5 liter. Turbo slight laggy but when it comes on it comes on.. I love my car... goal accomplished. Sleeper...

Good luck on your goal and your build of whichever route you choose.

scENFORCER

I have some of these mods done to my '99. BFI, PPE headers with full custom exhaust, LSD. So I'm laughing
Hoping to add an R154 this year which should free up even more hp, and a standalone down the road to sync everything up and have it all run smoothly.

Good list though, there isint enough mod info on SC400's. Even though a few members have done remarkable things with the 1UZ

INTIMAZY

iTrader: (5)

Nice list, kind of all over the place as you get toward the end but ya really did nail some of the more popular mods specific and non-specific to 400's

My only issue:
Dry systems are fine. They work well. When properly set up.

I would 99% of the time recommend a wet kit over a dry. Just more reliable. They both get you where you need to be power-wise but the wet kit just does it with a wider safety margin IMO. The last thing you want is a dry kit to not richen up quickly enough. That's not an issue with a wet kit as long as you have adequate fuel pressure. Also, you can pull off a pretty basic wet kit for under $700 if you do your own install. I don't think dry kits are any cheaper installed on these cars if you factor in tuning on a dry kit (vs a set-it and forget-it fuel mixture with the wet kits)

INTIMAZY

iTrader: (5)

No SC ever came from the factory with an LSD.

myLEXsc400

So I have been browsing old threads recently, and came across this: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc-...afc-sc400.html

Which brings me to the question, is it worth it for me to buy an SAFC and tune my sc400? Mechanically its mostly stock, except for full exhaust and BFI. Has anyone recently done this? What was your experience?

scENFORCER

Not too much info on ECU tuning SC400's for some reason. I'm considering this (or standalone) for when I do my manual swap. Anytime I need info on this I look over in the GS section. For some reason those guys have done more with tuning the 1UZ than us SC guys have.

myLEXsc400

Yeah, its a shame, really. The 1UZ has a lot of potential. I just want to know if it will make any difference to my car with very light mods. However, my friend built a twin turbo sc400 for a customer a while back. Its a monster. He told me to do the same to my car, but i was weary because i havent seen many people on forums do it.

gt500tony

ended up selling the sc400 wrecked. stage 1 kelford cam, ppe headers, custom exhaust, safc2, weight reduction, new shocks, espelir springs,

put down 244 rwhp ( up until 1995 sc400 only had 225hp really) i think the safc2 was useless.

But fun for such a heavy *** coupe i guess.

Wrecked it in the rain going up hill.


Picked up a 2007 is350 with 38,594 miles for 13500$. Was literally grandma driven one owner (ask me how i know).

2007 is350 0-60 in 4.9 and 13.5 1/4

will be looking for used joez true dual, ppe headers, f sport intake. light weight 17's on ps2's. f sport springs. new oem shocks. WEIGHT REDUCTION.

0-60 4.5 or under easy
but never much faster..... bolt on's are pretty much where is350 performance ends, and reground cams plus tuning with stand alone or forced ind. big$$$$$


my thoughts?

After mod the sc400..... wish i hadn't. Any sc400 should be just kept nice. They are not fast by todays standards. though the 1998-2000 are ''quick''.


Want a fast lexus? Get a 2nd gen is350- isf - rcf - etc...

or swap in 2j to sc300/sc400.... which sucks the 1uzfe will never see it's turbo potential. THAT 1992-1995 sc400 has a built stock bottom begging for head work and TURBO


i wouldn't mind a 1998-2000 sc400 for cruising though. Love the interior and exterior looks
of a clean sc400. The is350 is plain

when i first got my 2007 lexus is350 last month i ended up getting confused one night after a movie in the parking lot and ended trying to get into a new-ish KIA. was like 'dayum why won't you open' pulling on the drivers handle all befuddled and *****!!!! Could sworn it was my is350 in the dark.............. just saying

Mike1JZ

Adding to this, I not so long ago picked up a Mine's ECU for my UZZ31 tuned for an exhaust, intake & RPM increase. Already having a BFI & full custom exhaust from the headers-back fitted to it, in conjunction with the Mine's ECU installed midrange/top end power output has increased noticeably. It's still a tank from standstill when it wants to be, however I still have the stock V8 diff & without a shift kit yet, so tying it all together eventually should reap good results. Good enough for the daily driving duties anyway.