Riff

so i got my 92 sc400 in feb for a deal i couldnt refuse ...

-Color: " raver at the fish market- Green"
-Mileage: 226k
-Body: straight
-Cosmetics: 8/10 aside from a giant shark bite taken out of the front passenger side
-Ride: smooth/ STRONG and with a set of new shift solenoids like new
-Project plans: 2jzde/ w58
-interior: SCAGG NITTY

in the first week i managed to get a bumper for 60 bucks... and i stole some over priced used shift solenoids from a junkyard so that i could actually get the car to 80mph under 60 seconds.


fixed shark bit... and most of the other flaws i can live with for now........ BUT THIS INTERIOR.... MY GOD.

this car was obviously a hot box in nana's back yard. after 2 days of shampoo scrubbing and wipe downs i got the color back to beige and the smell to just below "5 days a hobo". but the seat rips flap in the wind, the panels split and door handles busted..... and i cant find and sort of reasonable replacements for any of it ANY WHERE on planet earth.

in a few months i will have my is250 paid off and i will have a decent sized credit limit.... but i estimate mt swap alone costing 4-5k. so ill do all that work and still look and smell like i just... FAILED! so what i need is a reason other then spending a couple extra grand "not" to just sell it and go get a 350z.

i WANT to finish my sc and live the wonder that is the 2jz, this car has set me back next to nothing and with a clean title i can go nuts with no chip on my shoulder....... but from one tunner to another, is this dream of mine even practical?


-if this is a wack question then let me know

Biddles

iTrader: (2)

Definitely practical, but it's going to cost. The interior...you can find decent interior in the used parts forum on here. One big benefit is you're in Cali where all the SC's seemingly migrate to so it shouldn't be too difficult to pick up quality pieces. As far as seats go, you might want to dish out the $600 or so to get them redone. Show us some pictures!

ZeRoSe7en

Do you plan to mod the 350z? If you do, stick with this platform, its cheaper and more reliable to make power out of these cars than the 350z, strust me, I have 6 speed G35 as a daily and have looked into this as well.

oldManTan

what manual swap do you plan on doing? cz i can't think of any that would cost that much? a W58 swap is about 1.2k and the other ones just go up slightly from there besides a V160.

Riff

Yea, but I figure the kit, the tranny, the motor and the lid will be around there...

I've been looking for interior everyday since I got it... i thought you cant get "those" kind of seats redone.... really it just the carpets, seats, and the smell...

Well it's good to know it's practical. Iv been really tore about that

Riff

I do plan to mod it but just not much maybe exhaust, lower it and throw some ccw's and nice tires on it...

ZeRoSe7en

If thats the case, your better off with the 350z, newer car, less problems.

Riff

That's where my mind... that's where practicality comes into play. Put 6-7k into my sc and be a champion. .. or drop 3-5 into a Z and be nice, simple, and clean...

But i KNOW! What a bit of hard foot work can do with my sc... sigh... is it worth the head ache

Photon440

iTrader: (3)

Hey, welcome! I gotta see a picture of how bad that interior is. For your broken handles, do a search on here and you'll find articles on putting in used LS400 chrome metal interior handles. Ebay has new leather seat skins for under $600, just search for sc400 + Full Genuine Leather Seat Covers.

Sounds like you got a good deal because of the condition and you're already getting it taken care of.

ZeRoSe7en

Oh yea plus the 350z is only a two seater, thats important of you need tp give people rides or have kids

Riff

Yea iv been searching for a while. Iv seen the seat covers and I found one door handle... i just feel like seat covers aren't "genuine" looking... but I've seen all sorts of high end one types... if push comes to shove I'll go that route.

Yea i got my IS for the future little ones... This one is my coupe slash side car... The one I'll be driving most of the time...

Another thing is the whole gas factor...my ultimate goal is to have a nice clean 5-6 speed coupe. The reason I'm not just throwing a manual on what I have is because of v8 will kill me on gas. My IS is alright on Gas I guess... As alright as can be. But for the hassle of the swap I'd want my car to be super clean and I noticed a LOT of people with clean Sc's have 40% interior as if there is just no hope. Like I mean $3000 on the exterior clean... it just seems like it's all for nothing but the power you get. But is the terrible look on the inside really worth the work? When you can just say AAAA screw it i can just get something newer and just as fast...

Riff

thanx for all your input. I don't mean drag on a shallow topic but I'm really kicking my own *** about this... it's just so much money and something I'll have to live with for another 3 years or so, and it's mixed no matter where I go... accept for on the nissan fourms... nismo will side with nismo no matter what...

with Hondas it's easy to get teary replace with immaculate replacements or knock offs... and iv never had this much trouble befor

Bottom line I know I have a diamond in the rough. .. but in the long run will "this" diamond be worth it??

Nojoi

It's hard to know if it will be worth it until you identify what you ultimately want to end up with.

I personally have a 92 with a 2jzgte/r154/aem v2/Ls brakes, and on and on and on..... looking back two years I wish I had figured out what I wanted to do with the car other than build a great base to do something else with, because thats what it feels like to me.

For me, there is always something else to do, something to tweak or some other thing to buy. I thought thats what I wanted to do with my time and energy.

That's not how I feel two years into it. Looking back I would have probably bought something newer. Now I drive my LS430, and the SC just sits most of the time.

That said, its unique enough these days to tap into nostalgia. I find it fun to drive. Hell, I enjoy staring at it in my garage, drinking a beer and thinking about the future. But for the ~20k I have into the thing, I don't think it was the wisest of investments.

In the end, your passion for it will carry you as far as you will go. Maybe you will build something epic. Only time will tell.

Riff

you are perfect example of who I was hoping to hear from. I'm not necessarily planning to do any major drag but i want power to have and not need like 300-310hp tops. Wide body kit and a clean paint job... typical project.

well let's put it this way. If you had 10k... and you had a SC, a FC rx7, a 350z, or a mr2... what would you pic as the prospect for a second as your CLEAN mild project/ daily driver?

Nojoi

I'm reading that in two different ways. If those are your choices, sell the SC you have and buy one thats already done with the 10k + what you sell your current SC for. That would be the least painful route in my opinion. You are on this site for a reason and I suspect that it's because you favor the SC platform. Which is understandable as it is pretty remarkable.

Now if you are asking about what daily driver I would buy with 10k had I already purchased one of those cars, I would by a pristine low mile 2000 black/black LS. But I will always go for the LS. I've learned not to wander.