New To Me SC3, Royal Jade Pearl....Some Questions
01-14-08, 07:32 AM
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New To Me SC3, Royal Jade Pearl....Some Questions
Well yesterday I made the 3 hour drive up to Dallas from Austin and picked up this very well taken care of 1992 Royal Jade Pearl SC3 5spd. Aside from a few dents and a few interior cosmetic issues, it's in fantastic shape for its age. Doesn't leak a drop of anything, feels very strong, Even had a few mods with it as well (resonator delete and mufflers added, intake, electric fans) and also has a set of 1998 SC400 seats in it. So no rips 
I have lurked around this forum for about 4 months now doing as much research as I could and searching as much as I can, but I sitll have a few questions, especially now that I am driving this one.
1. Do you sit up really high in your SC3/4? My head is just about to hit the roof when I'm driving even with the seat adjusted all the way down. I also am getting some bad lower back problems after driving it for only a half hour or so. I adjusted the lumbar as much as I could but that doesn't seem to help. I have to lean in towards the sunroof so that my head doesn't bump the ceiling, so maybe that has something to do with it. Any ideas?
2. I need to send the gauges and climate control off to LexTech. Has anyone done any business with them recently? How long do they usually take? Can they repair a climate control that the lower half of the display is already blacked out or do I need a new one? I emailed them about this on Thursday but haven't got a response yet, so I thought I'd ask.
3. What are the majority of the retailers you guys are going to for your parts? I used to work for MVP Motorsports, but seeing as how I'm about to drop about 4-5k on work on this car, I'd prefer not to pay tax and like to find someone good that I can deal with.
Thanks in advance for the help and here are a few pictures
I have lurked around this forum for about 4 months now doing as much research as I could and searching as much as I can, but I sitll have a few questions, especially now that I am driving this one.
1. Do you sit up really high in your SC3/4? My head is just about to hit the roof when I'm driving even with the seat adjusted all the way down. I also am getting some bad lower back problems after driving it for only a half hour or so. I adjusted the lumbar as much as I could but that doesn't seem to help. I have to lean in towards the sunroof so that my head doesn't bump the ceiling, so maybe that has something to do with it. Any ideas?
2. I need to send the gauges and climate control off to LexTech. Has anyone done any business with them recently? How long do they usually take? Can they repair a climate control that the lower half of the display is already blacked out or do I need a new one? I emailed them about this on Thursday but haven't got a response yet, so I thought I'd ask.
3. What are the majority of the retailers you guys are going to for your parts? I used to work for MVP Motorsports, but seeing as how I'm about to drop about 4-5k on work on this car, I'd prefer not to pay tax and like to find someone good that I can deal with.
Thanks in advance for the help and here are a few pictures
01-14-08, 07:46 AM
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01-14-08, 07:47 AM
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Nice pickup, how many miles on it? As for seating high or low, how tall are you? You might have to get used to having your seat all the way back and reclined a bit. Also, you said they changed the seats, check if they modified the height by adding spacers or anything. For parts, we try to get used parts if we can thru the buy and sell section of this forum, otherwise it's wherever we can find it cheap. Lextech can fix your climate control. Goodluck and enjoy the car.
01-14-08, 07:54 AM
#5
get some bucket seats for your car. or at least the driver seat. i replaced my seat with a JIC bucket and it a day/night difference. its also a lot lover. with my stock seat all the way down wearing a helmet for drift days my head would be just at the ceiling. now with the IC seat i have about 3 inches to spare...even with the helmet on
nice find. i dont know about the electric fan deal though. some people have been having issues with the cars running hot and going back to clutch fans. make sure it runs good when you beat on it. once it passes the test you're in the clear.
love the LS400 wheels too. look like the 97-98 ones. if you get the LS400 front brakes you dont even need to upgrade the wheels
nice find. i dont know about the electric fan deal though. some people have been having issues with the cars running hot and going back to clutch fans. make sure it runs good when you beat on it. once it passes the test you're in the clear.
love the LS400 wheels too. look like the 97-98 ones. if you get the LS400 front brakes you dont even need to upgrade the wheels
01-14-08, 08:03 AM
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get some bucket seats for your car. or at least the driver seat. i replaced my seat with a JIC bucket and it a day/night difference. its also a lot lover. with my stock seat all the way down wearing a helmet for drift days my head would be just at the ceiling. now with the IC seat i have about 3 inches to spare...even with the helmet on
nice find. i dont know about the electric fan deal though. some people have been having issues with the cars running hot and going back to clutch fans. make sure it runs good when you beat on it. once it passes the test you're in the clear.
love the LS400 wheels too. look like the 97-98 ones. if you get the LS400 front brakes you dont even need to upgrade the wheels
nice find. i dont know about the electric fan deal though. some people have been having issues with the cars running hot and going back to clutch fans. make sure it runs good when you beat on it. once it passes the test you're in the clear.
love the LS400 wheels too. look like the 97-98 ones. if you get the LS400 front brakes you dont even need to upgrade the wheels
I used to have a Supra and they have the same electric fan issue. I always had better luck with the stock fan but I'm keeping a close eye on it and I'm sure the TX summer will put it to the test!
Are they LS400 wheels? I was trying to figure out what they were and the previous owner didn't know. Good to know! But they won't stay on long
ALready looking at CCW and Volk now 
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01-14-08, 10:28 AM
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How tall are you? I'm 6'2" and pretty much recline way back in the seat. I can see it being uncomfortable if you have back problems. Maybe get Supra seats? They bolt right up and also sit a bit lower.
LexTech does good work, however, I don't think they replace the LCD screen AFAIK. They do wonders with the backlighting, however. If you are a hands on kind of guy, there is someone on ebay that sells the LCD screen. I got one from them and replaced mine and it works great. But you need to be able to use a soldering iron... Then send in the items to get the back lighting done.
Parts? There are a coupe of guys on the forum. I do most of my business with Gazi (sn aliga). Upstanding seller and forum member. One way to avoid tax and get used, but good, parts. For new parts, I have several sites I go to. Carson Toyota is one of them. Shoot me a PM and I can send you links to others. But they are expensive...
LexTech does good work, however, I don't think they replace the LCD screen AFAIK. They do wonders with the backlighting, however. If you are a hands on kind of guy, there is someone on ebay that sells the LCD screen. I got one from them and replaced mine and it works great. But you need to be able to use a soldering iron... Then send in the items to get the back lighting done.
Parts? There are a coupe of guys on the forum. I do most of my business with Gazi (sn aliga). Upstanding seller and forum member. One way to avoid tax and get used, but good, parts. For new parts, I have several sites I go to. Carson Toyota is one of them. Shoot me a PM and I can send you links to others. But they are expensive...
01-14-08, 01:47 PM
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yes nice find, those pics are a lot better than what the guy had up on his for sale ad. i buy my parts new/used through snap performance. they are awesome and no taxes unless they put it in the price they give me. they also do great custom work and would be worth the drive back up towards dallas to have things done. you can pm me if you have any more quesions.
01-14-08, 02:46 PM
#12
Nice ride. I would say do Lextech if you want hassle free.
If your looking for cost effective you can just order the screen off ebay for 125 or so and solder it yourself. Its not hard to do, just a bit time consuming. You can also change out whatever lights you want while your in there!! (don't get the ls400 one, make sure it says SC)
I Like the austin to dallas drive, except where 35 goes down to one lane outside of dallas. so much debris, watch teh semis. (cracked 3 windshields there)
Welcome to the club and lets see some interior pics!!
If your looking for cost effective you can just order the screen off ebay for 125 or so and solder it yourself. Its not hard to do, just a bit time consuming. You can also change out whatever lights you want while your in there!! (don't get the ls400 one, make sure it says SC)
I Like the austin to dallas drive, except where 35 goes down to one lane outside of dallas. so much debris, watch teh semis. (cracked 3 windshields there)
Welcome to the club and lets see some interior pics!!
01-14-08, 02:48 PM
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Looks like an honest car. IMO, Supra seats are the way to go. They are pretty much plug 'n play. I bought a set on E-Bay and installed pleather seat covers so the front and the rear seats match.
Have a look on E-Bay for second hand climate control panels, they are quite easy to swap out. I understand you can even use the JDM ones, providing you are OK with celcius as opposed to farenheit, so you could look ebay.com.au for example, this opens up more parts sourcing options.
You may want to check out soarercentral.com too, there are a number of 'handy' Aussies who are into DIY and can offer constructive advice.
Have a look on E-Bay for second hand climate control panels, they are quite easy to swap out. I understand you can even use the JDM ones, providing you are OK with celcius as opposed to farenheit, so you could look ebay.com.au for example, this opens up more parts sourcing options.
You may want to check out soarercentral.com too, there are a number of 'handy' Aussies who are into DIY and can offer constructive advice.
01-14-08, 02:51 PM
#14
Oh Yeah, while on the dallas subject if you guys ever need any exhaust or welding work seriously go to PRONTO MUFFLERS on 75. They are the best.
When no one else will make your ridiculously routed exhaust, these guys laugh at the challenge and do awesome work. The least ive ever paid for a full cat back. and if you ever have a leak or need your heatshield welded off theyll do it for free even if you didnt get ur stuff from them. 2 thumbs up!!
When no one else will make your ridiculously routed exhaust, these guys laugh at the challenge and do awesome work. The least ive ever paid for a full cat back. and if you ever have a leak or need your heatshield welded off theyll do it for free even if you didnt get ur stuff from them. 2 thumbs up!!