Looking to spool up some ponies for a decent price. What's out there for a solid kit that doesn't cost more than the car.

Looking for suggestions that are bang for buck lists.

Plug and play kits.

Headstuds, Head gasket, and fuel will be added along with the kit. Internals will remain stock.

Looking to make 400+HP RELIABLY.

Any Product Suggestions?

 

Um... it's the "doesn't cost more than the car" part that gives me pause. Just how much did you pay for your SC300?

Turbo setups done right and reliably cost what they cost regardless of what the SC300 cost to buy and regardless of what KBB claims it's worth to them.

--Check your compression and do a leak down test anyway.
--ARP Head studs
--OEM 2JZ-GTE head gasket
--440cc JDM Aristo/Supra GTE injectors
--OEM Supra TT Denso fuel pump w/ 30A/40A relay direct from the battery with a 10GA wire from a marine supply store and wired to trigger off your stock GE Fuel ECU
--an Aristo 2JZ-GTE JDM ECU following Ali SC3's "TT ECU Mod" instructions
--pull the instrument cluster (battery disconnected!), open carefully and solder a 14GA wire onto the R180 resistor's ends to bypass it and make your tach gauge work with a GTE ECU. Only later 95-97 SC's it may be the R173 resistor.
--coil pack conversion w/distributor delete plate using it solely now as a cam position sensor
--1996+ GE oil pump swap if a crank sensor is needed (it mounts onto 1996+ GE oil pumps and all 2JZ-GTE oil pumps but you want a GE oil pump only if staying GE)
--Pull engine with a 2-ton crane or drop crossmember on a lift, remove the oil pan and drill out, make smooth and then tap the stock oil drain location. Fully clean and reinstall with FIPG and TRSM torque specs. Driftmotion 2JZ oil pan drain adaptor.
--IS300 "Union Bolt" to replace the stock one on the housing that holds the oil filter assembly. Get a BSPT to standard fitting adaptor. Run your turbo oil feed line from there and your oil pressure gauge.
--Supra TT or Aristo GTE A340E automatic transmission swap
--Koyo or Mishimoto Supra MKIV TT radiator swap (I have posted a detailed DIY with pictures on how to fit one of these into an SC)
--Aftermarket transmission cooler
--Optional: Mishimoto auxiliary electric cooling fan + Mishimoto electric fan controller/relay kit (sensor goes into the MKIV style radiator in a "stock" location with an Earls adaptor and an override wire is also possible to wire up via manual switch or ECU)
--SC400 3.92:1 differential swap
--Yellr YellowBox V5 speedo corrector to make your speedo accurate again with a gear ratio or tire rolling diameter change
--Treadstone IS300 2JZ-GE exhaust manifold + ARP exhaust studs
--Turbocharger...? So many options but a anything between 57mm-67mm that is a modern quick spooling design should do
--17" + rims
--good tires that have good rain traction ratings in powerful RWD cars
--1995-2000 Lexus LS400 front brake caliper swap
--K&N cone filter

Add to that, do any engine maintenance and freshening that is required like a new water pump, new thermostat, new timing belt job, new tensioner, any needed sensors like an ECU temp sensor, etc. Whatever is needed while the engine is out.

That is what I would consider a "reliable" 400hp or up to 400whp GE NA-T setup. Everything done right. Not much in the way of extras like an LSD rear end, manual transmission swap, exotic fuel system or pricey high horsepower engine work.

 

Thanks for your time, that was very in depth and sounds like it would be very solid with all of that. What do you think that would price out at just for parts, I would be installing it all myself and then getting it professionally tuned after. Minus the wheels and tires. 7-10K?

 

You're welcome. Honestly I'm not entirely sure what it would all cost in total. Your estimate might be close.

I did a GTE swap that incorporated many of the little things I mentioned above but I haven't tallied how much that cost. An NA-T conversion should be significantly less expensive than what I did though. Ali SC3 or Gerrb could give you a better average ballpark round number. It will vary depending on where you buy your parts and how thorough you make the conversion.

However that list would get you a VERY reliable 400whp NA-T SC300, assuming you already have an existing engine with good compression and leak down numbers. I am pretty sure I covered all the little details, not just the big ones. Not everyone does and I feel giving you a solid idea of all the minimum stuff to be "done with it" would be best.

That's the thing about any NA-T conversion or GTE swap: it is not so much the main parts or main "kit" items that get you but all the little things that you need to factor in to get the car into a finished state.

Doing the bulk of the work yourself does make a big difference, even if you need to contract out some minor machine shop work or stripping/painting of valve covers.

Most of the things listed in my previous post above we have DIYs and build threads that cover many aspects of to help you out.

I think the main thing to focus on is your stated goal. You don't even need tuning to reach that 400hp or even 400whp figure. The stock JDM Aristo 2JZGTE ECU can handle that. The engine should be good to 500whp with the stock rod bolts but if you were to send your block to a machine shop to have ARP rod bolts installed you can safely go to 600-700whp on the engine (with the thicker OEM GTE head gasket of course) with proper tuning. Now I do think that getting power into those upper limits it is still better to go with a build engine... but for only 400whp or so? Totally well within the stock strength capabilities of the engine for longevity.

But to keep things simple, just leave the bottom end alone (other than temporarily removing the pan to prepare the turbo oil drain port). You'll more than achieve the power you want, so long as you aren't expecting/wanting WAY more reliable power from a non-built 2JZ.

 

would anything have to change with this setup if i am going to do a manual swap? i’m thinking w58, r154, or cd009

 

Nothing would change as far as the engine conversion itself, no. Converting a 2JZ-GE Non-VVT engine to NA-T is the same all around.

All that would be changed or added is:

Deduct:

—the Supra/Aristo/Soarer/Chaser GTE-spec A340E 4-speed automatic transmission
—the automatic transmission oil cooler

Add:

—R154 5-speed early type or tripod type with the OEM 1JZ-GTE bellhousing... or all the kit parts and trans for a CD009 6-speed swap... or all the kit parts and trans for a Solstice AR5 5-speed swap

—Note the type of OEM or aftermarket transmission crossmember that you will need for the given trans type

—since you will be going for boost right away, skip the W58 transmission entirely. Great transmission.... but it’s just not suited to live for long under the shock loading of boost.

—3.92 SC400 rear diff or Supra/Aristo 3.769 diff for the R154 or AR5. I’m not sure what rear end ratio is ideal for a CD009.

—For an R154 you can use a Supra MKIII-R154 front driveshaft or rare Soarer R154 front driveshaft (make sure you verify the correct length of a Soarer R154 front driveshaft before buying so that you are not scammed with a too short SC300 Auto front driveshaft with the same front splines— this happened to me once)

—For an AR5 and CD009 you will need a custom full driveshaft

—Yellowbox speedo corrector will work on any early type R154 with only a mechanical speedo drive and a Marlin Crawler Toyota 3-wire VSS adapter screwed on. Not sure how the speed sensor setup works for an AR5. For a CD009 you have to use a GPS-based speedo signal driver.

—choose your clutch for turbo wisely. Single disc clutches can do well but they can be harsh and their lifespans entirely depend on the driver. Depends on what you’d like. I have come around on OS Giken twin disc clutches for street/daily and I haven’t looked back.

—For an R154 or any pull-type transmission you should jumper the Neutral Safety Switch and learn to start the car in neutral with no clutch pedal depression. Especially with heavy aftermarket pressure plates. This is to protect the rear crank thrust bearing since it has no oil flowing onto it at startup. Over the very long term crankwalk is the concern unless this countermeasure is employed.

Not an issue with the NA suited W58 or W55.

Also for R154’s, OS Giken twin disc clutches with the movement change kit also help alleviate this issue in conjunction with the NSS bypass mod. Some super heavy puller-type single disc clutches on a 1JZ or 2JZ engine can be a concern.

Check threads on Supraforums talking about this. Nothing to be afraid of— just plan ahead accordingly and it will never ever be your concern

—shifter bezel: find an OEM used SC300 manual shift bezel or buy the one from CornCarbon.

—with very old early type R154’s your shifter options are: stock 1992-1994 SC300 5-speed “swan” shifter, discontinued/used Suprasport V2 or V3 W58/R154 short shifter, or the currently in-production Cube short shifter for early W58/R154’s.

Driftmotion, XCessive Manufacturing, MVP Motorsports, RHDJapan, Collins Adaptors and a couple of other shops with an online presence carry the rest of the parts needed for any of these beefy manual transmission swaps.