Driveshaft Options for R154
09-21-15, 06:40 AM
#1
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Driveshaft Options for R154
My apologies if this has been asked before but I'm getting mixed information in all the searches.
Is there any already-made driveshaft or driveshaft segment that will fit an R154 on an SC300? I currently run the stock A340E slip-yoke shaft. From what I understand, the R154 uses the same splines, but requires an extra inch or two on the front-half of the shaft.
I have read of some people using the front half from a MK3's R154 shaft and attaching it to the rear half of the stock auto driveshaft on the SC300. Is this a valid combination for using an R154 on the SC3?
Is there any already-made driveshaft or driveshaft segment that will fit an R154 on an SC300? I currently run the stock A340E slip-yoke shaft. From what I understand, the R154 uses the same splines, but requires an extra inch or two on the front-half of the shaft.
I have read of some people using the front half from a MK3's R154 shaft and attaching it to the rear half of the stock auto driveshaft on the SC300. Is this a valid combination for using an R154 on the SC3?
09-22-15, 02:30 AM
#3
GISguy, you can use the more common 86-92 MKIII Supra R154 front driveshaft which does work although from experience isn't absolutely perfect at first. You need to swap over your driveshaft center carrier bearing for this (or buy a new one from Lexus for the swap-over). Many owners run this combination and it works just fine. This is the case with my SC.
Alternatively you can try to locate an imported JZZ30 Soarer R154 front driveshaft. Much harder to come by but it was specifically designed for the chassis. Caution: They tend to look VERY similar to the SC300 Automatic front driveshaft and in fact the SC3 Auto shaft splines do fit the R154 but it's so short there is less than 1" of engagement and you'd immediately have transmission oil spilling everywhere, not to mention you'd tear up the end of the R154 splines VERY quickly under boost. Don't be fooled.
The MKIII R154 front driveshaft has a "fat" section in its middle. The Soarer R154 front shaft looks smooth in the middle and very similar to the SC3 5-speed front shaft at a glance (until you compare the splines which are totally different). Lengths of each driveshaft are slightly different for each transmission application.
Either of these options bolt onto ALL the rear SC driveshaft sections: SC300 Auto, SC300 5-speed and SC400's.
Alternatively you can try to locate an imported JZZ30 Soarer R154 front driveshaft. Much harder to come by but it was specifically designed for the chassis. Caution: They tend to look VERY similar to the SC300 Automatic front driveshaft and in fact the SC3 Auto shaft splines do fit the R154 but it's so short there is less than 1" of engagement and you'd immediately have transmission oil spilling everywhere, not to mention you'd tear up the end of the R154 splines VERY quickly under boost. Don't be fooled.
The MKIII R154 front driveshaft has a "fat" section in its middle. The Soarer R154 front shaft looks smooth in the middle and very similar to the SC3 5-speed front shaft at a glance (until you compare the splines which are totally different). Lengths of each driveshaft are slightly different for each transmission application.
Either of these options bolt onto ALL the rear SC driveshaft sections: SC300 Auto, SC300 5-speed and SC400's.
Last edited by KahnBB6; 09-22-15 at 09:33 PM. Reason: Grammatical correction
09-22-15, 09:40 PM
#7
USA got:
Lexus SC300 w/extension W58 and later tripod W58. No R154 offered in any SC.
Toyota Supra MKIV w/ONLY tripod W58's and V160's. No R154 offered in any MKIV.
Toyota Supra MKIII w/non-extended non-tripod W58's... and non-extended (early style) R154's.
Japan got:
JDM Soarer (SC) w/ONLY early and tripod R154's. No W58 from the factory in any Z30 Soarer. But the trans tunnels are identical revision for model year revision between SC3 5-speeds and Soarer 2.5GT 5-speeds. This means if you have an "early" 5-speed SC you can bolt in any "early W58/R154" directly, so long as you have the 1JZ bellhousing and Soarer shift extension. If you have a "later/tripod" 5-speed SC you can bolt in any "tripod W58/R154" directly.
JDM Mark II / Chaser w/ early and tripod R154's. Again, no W58's from the factory.
JDM Supra MKIV -- same transmission options as in the USA
Last edited by KahnBB6; 09-23-15 at 01:56 PM.
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09-23-15, 09:04 AM
#8
What's up Kahn? Did you get your dshaft installed yet??
And how is it going?
And how is it going?
Close
USA got:
Lexus SC300 w/extension W58 and later tripod W58. No R154 offered in any SC.
Toyota Supra MKIV w/ONLY tripod W58's and V160's.
Toyota Supra MKIII w/non-extended non-tripod W58's... and non-extended (early style) R154's.
Japan got:
JDM Soarer (SC) w/ONLY early and tripod R154's. No W58 from the factory in any Z30 Soarer. But the trans tunnels are identical revision for model year revision between SC3 5-speeds and Soarer 2.5GT 5-speeds. This means if you have an "early" 5-speed SC you can bolt in any "early W58/R154" directly, so long as you have the 1JZ bellhousing and Soarer shift extension. If you have a "later/tripod" 5-speed SC you can bolt in any "tripod W58/R154" directly.
JDM Mark II / Chaser w/ early and tripod R154's. Again, no W58's from the factory.
JDM Supra MKIV -- same transmission options as in the USA
USA got:
Lexus SC300 w/extension W58 and later tripod W58. No R154 offered in any SC.
Toyota Supra MKIV w/ONLY tripod W58's and V160's.
Toyota Supra MKIII w/non-extended non-tripod W58's... and non-extended (early style) R154's.
Japan got:
JDM Soarer (SC) w/ONLY early and tripod R154's. No W58 from the factory in any Z30 Soarer. But the trans tunnels are identical revision for model year revision between SC3 5-speeds and Soarer 2.5GT 5-speeds. This means if you have an "early" 5-speed SC you can bolt in any "early W58/R154" directly, so long as you have the 1JZ bellhousing and Soarer shift extension. If you have a "later/tripod" 5-speed SC you can bolt in any "tripod W58/R154" directly.
JDM Mark II / Chaser w/ early and tripod R154's. Again, no W58's from the factory.
JDM Supra MKIV -- same transmission options as in the USA
09-23-15, 02:04 PM
#9
^^
GISguy, I should note that not everyone has that issue with the MKIII R154 front driveshaft. I just got unlucky. The solution in my case was to remove the R154 rear output shaft dust cover. Some people encounter that issue and others don't. It's a VERY minute fore-aft clearance difference that causes this which is odd to think about considering an MKIII R154 and MKIII R154 driveshaft were designed for each other in the first place. A Soarer front driveshaft shouldn't have any chance of doing this but since they are difficult to find in the USA the MKIII driveshaft is just much more common on SC R-series swaps. Perhaps it has something to do with the change to the SC driveshaft center bearing. I can't say for certain, not being a driveline expert.
Last edited by KahnBB6; 09-23-15 at 02:12 PM. Reason: Addition
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DJDGTE (07-20-22)
11-01-18, 02:25 PM
#10
sc300
GISguy, you can use the more common 86-92 MKIII Supra R154 front driveshaft which does work although from experience isn't absolutely perfect at first. You need to swap over your driveshaft center carrier bearing for this (or buy a new one from Lexus for the swap-over). Many owners run this combination and it works just fine. This is the case with my SC.
Alternatively you can try to locate an imported JZZ30 Soarer R154 front driveshaft. Much harder to come by but it was specifically designed for the chassis. Caution: They tend to look VERY similar to the SC300 Automatic front driveshaft and in fact the SC3 Auto shaft splines do fit the R154 but it's so short there is less than 1" of engagement and you'd immediately have transmission oil spilling everywhere, not to mention you'd tear up the end of the R154 splines VERY quickly under boost. Don't be fooled.
The MKIII R154 front driveshaft has a "fat" section in its middle. The Soarer R154 front shaft looks smooth in the middle and very similar to the SC3 5-speed front shaft at a glance (until you compare the splines which are totally different). Lengths of each driveshaft are slightly different for each transmission application.
Either of these options bolt onto ALL the rear SC driveshaft sections: SC300 Auto, SC300 5-speed and SC400's.
Alternatively you can try to locate an imported JZZ30 Soarer R154 front driveshaft. Much harder to come by but it was specifically designed for the chassis. Caution: They tend to look VERY similar to the SC300 Automatic front driveshaft and in fact the SC3 Auto shaft splines do fit the R154 but it's so short there is less than 1" of engagement and you'd immediately have transmission oil spilling everywhere, not to mention you'd tear up the end of the R154 splines VERY quickly under boost. Don't be fooled.
The MKIII R154 front driveshaft has a "fat" section in its middle. The Soarer R154 front shaft looks smooth in the middle and very similar to the SC3 5-speed front shaft at a glance (until you compare the splines which are totally different). Lengths of each driveshaft are slightly different for each transmission application.
Either of these options bolt onto ALL the rear SC driveshaft sections: SC300 Auto, SC300 5-speed and SC400's.
Ive got a 93 sc300 with a mkiii r154. I need a drive shaft, Can i just use a Soarer complete drive shaft? Since its a Japanese Sc300 that already came with the r154 and a turbo'd motor
11-02-18, 01:51 AM
#11
^^ scsexy, yes you absolutely can. You are exactly right: they are the same cars other than the driving position and some differences in equipment. A genuine Z30 Soarer R154 front driveshaft is the most ideal OEM solution for our cars with R154 swaps and it bolts right in. The MKIII front driveshaft is just a very convenient 2nd best solution that has had great availability over the years.
There is also no need to swap over your SC's center bearing since the Z30 Soarer and SC both use the same OEM center bearing. Only replace it if it's worn out.
Just be sure you have a genuine Z30 Soarer R154 front driveshaft and not an SC300 Auto front driveshaft. Both will fit the R154's output splines but the SC3 Auto's shaft will give you less than 1" of contact with those splines. Not good.
Back in post #3 of this thread I touch on this briefly. It did happen to me after someone scammed me with a claimed "Soarer R154" front driveshaft that was actually just a junk SC300 Auto front driveshaft, albeit in very clean condition. Until you compare their lengths side by side they do look nearly identical. Sorry but I do not have measurements on me for length but it would be the same as an MKIII Supra R154 front driveshaft.
There is also no need to swap over your SC's center bearing since the Z30 Soarer and SC both use the same OEM center bearing. Only replace it if it's worn out.
Just be sure you have a genuine Z30 Soarer R154 front driveshaft and not an SC300 Auto front driveshaft. Both will fit the R154's output splines but the SC3 Auto's shaft will give you less than 1" of contact with those splines. Not good.
Back in post #3 of this thread I touch on this briefly. It did happen to me after someone scammed me with a claimed "Soarer R154" front driveshaft that was actually just a junk SC300 Auto front driveshaft, albeit in very clean condition. Until you compare their lengths side by side they do look nearly identical. Sorry but I do not have measurements on me for length but it would be the same as an MKIII Supra R154 front driveshaft.
01-06-21, 10:16 PM
#12
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GISguy, you can use the more common 86-92 MKIII Supra R154 front driveshaft which does work although from experience isn't absolutely perfect at first. You need to swap over your driveshaft center carrier bearing for this (or buy a new one from Lexus for the swap-over). Many owners run this combination and it works just fine. This is the case with my SC.
Alternatively you can try to locate an imported JZZ30 Soarer R154 front driveshaft. Much harder to come by but it was specifically designed for the chassis. Caution: They tend to look VERY similar to the SC300 Automatic front driveshaft and in fact the SC3 Auto shaft splines do fit the R154 but it's so short there is less than 1" of engagement and you'd immediately have transmission oil spilling everywhere, not to mention you'd tear up the end of the R154 splines VERY quickly under boost. Don't be fooled.
The MKIII R154 front driveshaft has a "fat" section in its middle. The Soarer R154 front shaft looks smooth in the middle and very similar to the SC3 5-speed front shaft at a glance (until you compare the splines which are totally different). Lengths of each driveshaft are slightly different for each transmission application.
Either of these options bolt onto ALL the rear SC driveshaft sections: SC300 Auto, SC300 5-speed and SC400's.
Alternatively you can try to locate an imported JZZ30 Soarer R154 front driveshaft. Much harder to come by but it was specifically designed for the chassis. Caution: They tend to look VERY similar to the SC300 Automatic front driveshaft and in fact the SC3 Auto shaft splines do fit the R154 but it's so short there is less than 1" of engagement and you'd immediately have transmission oil spilling everywhere, not to mention you'd tear up the end of the R154 splines VERY quickly under boost. Don't be fooled.
The MKIII R154 front driveshaft has a "fat" section in its middle. The Soarer R154 front shaft looks smooth in the middle and very similar to the SC3 5-speed front shaft at a glance (until you compare the splines which are totally different). Lengths of each driveshaft are slightly different for each transmission application.
Either of these options bolt onto ALL the rear SC driveshaft sections: SC300 Auto, SC300 5-speed and SC400's.
01-07-21, 01:50 AM
#13
Racer
Yes you would use your stock SC300 rear half driveshaft, center carrier bearing with the R154 mk3 front driveshaft. But doing this isn't the correct length and needs to be modified to fit like intended with the dust shields. It appears from my research in this topic you would have to remove the dust shield from the transmission and potentially trim the dust shield on the front half driveshaft to prevent contact
01-07-21, 02:13 AM
#14
Yes you would use your stock SC300 rear half driveshaft, center carrier bearing with the R154 mk3 front driveshaft. But doing this isn't the correct length and needs to be modified to fit like intended with the dust shields. It appears from my research in this topic you would have to remove the dust shield from the transmission and potentially trim the dust shield on the front half driveshaft to prevent contact
I finally ordered a brand new R154 dust shield and had my MKIII R154 front driveshaft shortened by 1/2 inch. My measurements of the SC300, Soarer 5-speed and Supra MKIII Turbo front driveshafts led me to concluding that the MKIII R154 front driveshaft had to be made 3/4 inch shorter to be perfectly like the length of a Soarer 1JZ 5-speed (R154) front driveshaft. But 1/2 inch has worked for me.
When I had this done I brought the driveline shop the front and rear driveshafts with SC center bearing on to have them fully re-balance the R154 front driveshaft with the SC rear on a two-piece driveshaft balance dyno.
Now there is an alternative that can be tried:
When I first got my R154 installed I bought a used "Soarer R154 front driveshaft" from someone. I was scammed but I did not realize it because it turns out that the input shaft and splines on an SC300 Auto front driveshaft fit perfectly into an R154 transmission. It also looks at a glance like a Soarer 1JZ-R154 front driveshaft. There's just one problem: it's far too short by 50mm / 1.96 inches. I installed it and was spewing transmission oil all over the underside of the car.
So now what I would say is that since Supra MKIII-R154 an Soarer 1JZ-R154 front driveshafts don't grow on trees there is the option of obtaining an SC300 Auto front driveshaft and taking THAT to a driveline shop and have them lengthen it with new tubing by approximately 50mm / 1.96 inches. And then have it re-balanced while bolted to the SC300 rear driveshaft on a professional driveshaft shop's two-piece balancing dyno.
Not every driveshaft shop will do this or is capable of doing this but a good one can. And to make things easier the SC300 Auto front driveshaft and Soarer R154 front driveshaft use the same style uniform diameter tubing unlike the tapered style tubing of the MKIII Supra R154 front driveshaft.
...
No matter which option you pursue the only one that requires no modification at all is a genuine Soarer R154 front driveshaft and those are very pricey and rare now. It's easier to font an MKIII Turbo front shaft to modify slightly or modify a more common SC300 Auto front shaft a little more to create the same thing.
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joewitafro (01-07-21)
01-07-21, 05:30 AM
#15
Racer
Another great alternative is having a one piece made. Purchase a differential flange adapter to 1350 flange; and with the transmission installed measure the distance of your transmissions output spline to the adapter. Then you only need to give them the front half auto (sounds like its' the same spline as the R154); they will chop the tube and make it the length you want with a rebuildable 1350 u joint in the back. You could go one step further and purchase an R154 slip yolk from driftmotion in either 1310 u-joint or a billet yolk accepting the stronger 1350 u-joint upfront. I think this is the easier; stronger option for the long run, but is more expensive.