Hey guys just wanted to introduce myself

Back in 2018 I had an SC400 that I really loved, even with no A/C in SWFL - unfortunately someone totalled it texting and driving in a parking lot. I had a lot of plans for that car and I was pretty upset when it happened. And thus begins my villain origin story, or something like that….

I’ve had a lot of cars and trucks since then but I’ve missed the Lexus life. So when I spotted this on marketplace I had to have it.




It’s a 95 5 speed manual SC300. It has some small things done to it like wheels (Aodhan’s but it’ll do for now at least), Rev9 coilovers which I’m actually impressed with. They ride just as nice if not nicer than the BC DS coilovers I had on my LS swapped E36 which I sold earlier this year.

and it also came with a big turbo VVTi 1jz which was apparently in an OBS Chevy truck before the P.O. bought it to put in the SC before his plans changed haha




the car is not perfect, interior needs some love, but I’m super excited for it.

I’m actually going to do the opposite that I’ve done with all my previous cars, and do visual stuff first - engine stuff later. Having just bought the car I don’t want it to be down for a long time during the engine swap. Just want to drive it and make it my own while slowly collecting 1JZ parts and then I’ll do it when I’m ready.

I just sold my truck yesterday and need to transfer the plate to the SC so I really haven’t driven the car yet. Going to the DMV tomorrow and then it’ll be on the road 👍🏻

I did get the bigger cupholder upgrade and a carbon shift bezel to replace my stock one that was falling apart





it has a Cube short shifter on it, but the W58 is in desperate need of solid bushings for the tripod as it moves quite a bit. Should feel much better after that.

Does anyone else’s clutch engage very high? I basically have to let the clutch 95% of the way out before it actually does anything. Not sure if that’s a W58 thing or if the pedal needs to be adjusted somehow?

 

Also i figured I’d post a picture of my previous build! Planning for the SC to turn out even better than the E36 did. I actually work at a small BMW shop now so I have access to a ton more tools, lifts, etc. The E36 was built in my garage from start to finish

 

Cole,
Just wanted to say hello to a former BMW fan. You are very fortunate to find a manual 300 which I have only seen one in my neck of the woods, and it was in a fast race car and the owner being a member here. Your 300 appears to be a great place to start. We will all be cheering for you. Also you can find a lot of helpful information here.
The e36 is a beautiful car and surprised to see the 1jz. I have seen pictures of several 2jz engines in e30's. Are you in the panhandle by chance?
Bill

 

Welcome! Awesome to see such a badass E36 - I've owned an M3 and I loved that car. I also have a red 5-speed SC now and I love that thing too, ha! You've got good taste my friend. Welcome to the club - can't wait to see more!

 

Hey Bill, thanks for the kind words. I'm actually down in Ft Myers!

Thank you! I'm very excited to post progress on the SC as I make it. I will definitely be asking for advice as well.

 

One of the things I noticed when test driving this car was how odd the clutch felt. It engages at the very top of the pedal travel and seems to have a delay when you let off before it grabs. Long story short, I'm convinced the clutch is going bad so I'm just going to replace it, probably this weekend. RockAuto had a Sachs clutch kit and flywheel for $238 shipped which is amazing considering the BMW prices I'm used to here at the shop haha

So I will be replacing the clutch before anything else. I also wanted to teach my girlfriend to drive stick in this car so I'll definitely be doing that before the new one goes in LOL

 

There is adjustment in the pedal under the dash - it may be worth a shot to see if you can bring that engagement point back down to earth before replacing. However, doing a clutch in these cars on the lift is cake - especially if you have a quick second hand.

 

Car started sputtering and running really poorly today on the way home from work. Opened up the ECU and found two capacitors leaking. Luckily I have a buddy who fixes them so hopefully I’ll have this resolved soon.

 

Wow! The exterior looks great. Thats an excellent start___(from the Purple Bullet to the Red Rocket) Welcome

BTW, any relations to Mr. sax. John Coltrane?
a little humor here "very little"

 

Excited to see this car! Love the 1jz vvt-i. Also nice find with the capacitors!

 

Thanks guys! So I had my buddy fix several capacitors in the ECU last night which didn't seem to help at first and I went to bed pretty defeated last night. Started the car this morning and it was running the same, bucking and cutting out at lower RPMs but seemed okayish at higher RPMs. But then about halfway through my drive to work (which is only 10mins) the car cleared up and ran perfectly, better than it has since I bought it a whopping week ago.

I'm inclined to believe it's maybe moisture in the distributor cap or spark plug tubes that was probably steamed off by the hot engine.

Partially because the previous owner just did a full tune up including spark plugs, plug wires, cap and rotor, coil, timing belt etc so I wouldn't think it's a failed part, which is what leads me to believe it was moisture in it. The issue had started two days ago after it rained heavily at work as well. Drove the car on my lunch break and it was fine, then it rained, then when I started it to leave work it ran terribly. So that's my current hypothesis.





The car also has headers and a full Vibrant exhaust system

 

Definitely a nice ride.. Looking forward to the slow build.

 

Got my ECU fixed, car still ran poorly, BUT it cleared up on the way to work today - after two hot days in a row with no rain, the car drove perfect not breaking up, not sputtering at all. Guessing whatever moisture was in there got burnt off by the hot engine on the way to work.

Definitely an issue with moisture getting somewhere it shouldn’t.

Reason why I believe so is because I test drove the car two weekends ago, ran great so I bought it, hauled it home with my truck and we hit heavy heavy rain on the way back, car sputtered coming off the trailer. Sat for 5 days before I started it again and it ran perfect. Rained two days ago while it was sitting at work and it ran very poorly on the way home. I’m thinking water in the spark plug tubes somehow or in the distributor cap.

At least it looks nice, I need to drop the rear down some though lol

 

I am suuuuuper excited! I just received and paid the invoice this morning for my Origin Stylish body kit. Will be here in September or October. I have yet to decide whether the car will be wrapped or painting the body kit to match. At this point I’m leaning towards wrapping the car gloss black or a red with crazy flake in it, but I’m open to other ideas.

this is the body kit:

 

It's fun to see guys make these cars look pretty! I love the meister style wheels you have now and the kit will be fun to get installed, fitted, and painted or wrapped. My car has been all "go" from day one without too much attention to the outside. Some days I'd love to pick up another one just to kit, slam, and cruise lol! Have fun with this bad boy my friend!