brodpphish

Attachment 366323I've the 1993 for almost 20 years and the1992 for 9 years. Both are in nice condition. My wife still uses the 1992 as a daily driver and it is stock except for 1 repaint. The 1993 I used as a daily driver until 2004 when I had all the performance mods done to it. I've reached a point where I need to decide whether to keep these cars or move on to other things. Part of that decision will be finding a source for reasonable interior parts as both could use a freshening or possibly a complete interior re-do although both cars still look nice inside. If I sell them to sell them I'd like to see them go to the right home. So:

1. Any ideas for sourcing interior parts? Also both cars need the power antennae mechanism replaced. Where to get decent replacements? The dealer wants $300 each last time I checked. Otherwise both cars are excellent mechanically except:

2. The 1993 just got it's second re-paint and my cousin had it for 9 months, the first time the car has sat for an extended period in my 20 years of ownership. The clutch slips, I am thinking it just may need fluid as it is not that old and was fine when I left it with him.

3. The automatic steering wheel function does not adjust up and down, the on/off button is stuck "in". I have not been able to free it.

4. If I keep the cars I plan to have the 1992 engine re-built this winter. WHat are the best non-turbo performance mods to do?

Sorry for the long post, I am deciding whether to start a new leg of the journey with these cars or sell them to the right person.

Thanks for reading this far.

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

Nice cars you both have! TWO 5-speeds between you both

Interior: Carson Toyota, Pembroke Pines Lexus, eBay, forum member Aliga (salvage yard), and the ClubLexus SC300/400 classified sub-forum. All of those combined. There are also some minor fixes available for some cosmetic parts.

I would check the availability of used parts first before buying some interior/cosmetic parts brand new. Some things like replacement windshields and seals are available aftermarket while some other types of rubber track seals are Toyota/Lexus only.

For interior leather on the front and rear seats, I recommend aftermarket leather all the way. For the door arm rests and center console lid I recommend an aftermarket upholstery shop. Steering wheels can also be done at an upholstery shop unless you prefer to change to another compatible Toyota/Lexus steering wheel.

You can go with the factory Toyota unit or an upgraded clutch if you wish. There are many available. I personally do not feel stock 5-speed SC's benefit from lightweight aftermarket flywheels. I would continue to use a factory flywheel. Remember that you can buy the same clutch parts for a 93-97 Toyota Supra 5-speed manual for cheaper than Lexus will sell you the same exact things.

Shifter bushings often also can do with replacing every 3-5 years in 92-94 5-speed SC's. Very cheap any easy to do yourself.

The broken button might require replacing that little switch assembly with a used part (ebay, etc).

The tilt wheel function issue is common and is usually repairable in your driveway very inexpensively:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc-...ng-repair.html

How much mileage does the 1992 have? Are you noticing any problems that common service and seal replacement cannot address or do you suspect excessive valvetrain wear? These engines are VERY tough and overbuilt and tend to last a very long time in most cases. We're talking high mileage Mercedes territory with regular oil, timing belt, water pump and gasket changes.

That said, there are no non-turbo performance modifications I can recommend other than regular maintenance and an aftermarket bolt-on rear exhaust for a change in sound only (ie: imperceptible/nonexistent increase in power).

If you want more power, I highly recommend an turbo kit build for a healthy factory engine (the lower 1992-1997 blocks are as overbuilt and strong as a Supra Turbo block)... or a JDM 1JZ-GTE or 2JZGTE engine swap.

Additionally, if a turbocharged engine is part of your equation, please upgrade to 1995-2000 LS400 front brakes for safety.

At that point also, a limited slip differential and lower rear end ratio (easiest/cheapest is a 92-97 SC400 3.92:1 rear differential swap) will help match the turbo powerband and give better highway cruising rpm.

Lastly, since you both have 5-speed manuals, you can use the W58 5-speed factory transmissions conservatively but an R154 or alternative stronger manual transmission swap would be more ideal. Converting an R154 from a 1986-1992 Toyota Supra MKIII Turbo 5-speed would be the easiest bolt-in solution with a few conversion pieces. That or an "early" 1991-1993 JDM Toyota Soarer transmission which is the same thing but made for the SC300/400 chassis.

Not at all! It sounds like you and your wife have had many years of enjoyment from these cars already. Other than cosmetic restoration you've both barely scratched the surface of what these cars can do with performance.

Plenty of existing thread topics cover a lot of what I've touched on in greater detail. We're here to help if you have more questions and specifics. Good luck!

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

I forgot to mention:

You had asked about your factory antenna. First off, buy your parts online from Carson Toyota, Pembroke Pines or any other Toyota/Lexus dealer with similarly competitive pricing. Most Lexus dealers will charge you quite a lot.

Second, if the antenna motor assemblies themselves still turn on (and at least try to operate), chances are you can buy just a new factory mast/cord part and not the entire assembly. It is a bit of a chore to take the old one out and install the new one correctly but it's worth it if you want to stay with the factory system... and if your motor assembly is otherwise in good condition.

If you have a bad mast AND bad motor, replacing the whole unit is up to you but I'm sure you can beat $300 per unit by buying elsewhere.

Alternatively, you can also do the popular Honda S2000 stubby fixed antenna conversion which I don't have bookmarked here (sorry) but which will come up if you search for it.

Which solution is best is really up to you. Personally I preferred to repair mine and stay original but that's just because I just like old style retracting antennas.

brodpphish

Wow Kahn thank you for taking the time to respond to my questions. This is exactly the type of information I need to begin pricing/budgeting an interior re-do for both cars. On each car some parts are fine and others need to be replace - each car is different. So I'll be pricing a lot of parts from the online sources you mention here.

The antennae motors work, I was told by the dealer you cannot replace the mast and cord independently as they are not sold that way, as a unit only. I'll have to check into this further.

The 1992 has about 140,000 miles on it. All the routine maintenence gets done - water pump, timing belt, oil changes etc. The re-build would be for power upgrade only but my wife does not like the turbo power !!!??? I'll just leave the motor alone as it runs great. So the 1992 will be interior cosmetic only, plus the antennae.

The 1993 also looks great after the repaint. I have to determine why the clutch is slipping and fix the antennae and steering wheel tilt function.

Both cars have given us a ton of enjoyment for 28 years combined (19 + 9). With the information you provided I'll get started on the interior re-dos and then relieve the 1992 of daily driver status. They've been great drivers and fun fun fun to own.

Thank you again Kahn. BTW I love the look of your car!

brodpphish

PS I'll make some progress posts along the way

Biddles

iTrader: (2)

If you have cracked interior panels, an upholstery/customization shop can fix that stuff for you as well as redo the entire leather in the car. I was quoted $1200 to redo the front seats, rear seats, center console arm rest, both door arm rests, and the auto shifter. I don't think the steering wheel was included though I can't remember. He also quoted me at $160 to fix the cracked door panels, and he said it would usually be cheaper but he knew the common crack by the window would be difficult to fix.

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

Happy to help!

Either he isn't aware that the antenna/cord is also sold separately and CAN be installed or he would prefer you to buy the entire assembly from him instead. I can confirm to you that it is indeed possible and I've done it myself but it is a bit of a PITA. I believe there is a guide here or elsewhere online.

It is also possible that the separate antenna mast/cord part is no longer in stock in any national warehouses but even if so there should be more than one identical aftermarket factory style antenna available.

The thing is, you don't really need to rebuild 2JZ rotating (lower) assemblies that often. They really are built like tanks. Valvetrains may get tired when well into 250k+ miles but even then they last quite a while. All the regular maintenance, oil changes and healthy sensors are what keep them happy. In naturally aspirated form they were never that powerful to begin with.

It's understandable if your wife does not prefer how a turbocharged engine delivers its power. It is not for everyone and the JZ's are revvy engines with or without turbos.

However I would suggest you both look into how a stock turbo (reconditioned due to the age) stock 2JZGTE (USDM or JDM type) with the factory sequential twin turbos deliver their power before completely writing it off as an option. That or the 1JZGTE VVT-i engine with the stock CT15B single turbocharger. Both of those engine designs provide fairly linear power and torque beginning at low revs. Either one might still not be your spouse's preference at the end of the day but neither are doughy or peaky engines.

Welcome! Sounds like a good plan! And I completely agree that they are very fun to drive every day Thanks for the compliment! I try to keep a mostly original looking car other than the 97+ front bumper and Supra rims. Much like yours.

^^ That's a pretty good package deal actually. I think for mine the front Katzkin front seat skins only and installation (ordered in Supra fitting but Lexus tan) was about $1k. Then my arm rests and center console lid was about $400-$450. Since I'm manual I bought a new shift **** from Toyota but I wouldn't do that again over having the **** recovered given the cost ($96 at the time). I haven't even gotten to my rear seats yet which have so far held up. Door panel repair cost for you sounds infinitely better than what I paid for new ones

Yeah... you got VERY good deals on those

brodpphish

Biddles - thanks for the tips in repairing the panel cracks. This seems to make a more more sense than replacing at $400 + / - each.

I check the clutch fluid and it was at Min. Filled it to Max and the clutch is gabbing.

Going to the speed shop Friday to get the brake line fixed and the steering wheel retract if I don't get to it today. Going to have then up the boost, it's now at 11 lbs I believe. Any recommendations for a new setting?

Going to check into the stubby S2000 antennaes for a solution there.

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

broadpphish,

In case you haven't tackled the antenna repair yet, I believe this is the guide I used a few years ago to replace my mast with a new one from Toyota. A couple of aftermarket masts are available too. Don't worry that this is a guide for an LS400. The internal mechanisms are extremely similar if not 99.9% identical between the two cars.

http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/audio/powerantenna.html

Also, this thread may be of help as well:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc-...a-problem.html

ThatSCguy

Just chipping in a piece of my mind but I've learned that there's not many performance mods to do within the 2JZGE i have headers and intake and a muffler delete w/ baffled tips, not much of a difference in performance. It is slightly noticeable but not considerably enough to think your car has made powerful gains. I mean if it you figured out a way for weight reduction without making it look like you shaved off everything out of this beaut then that would be one of the best mods you can do that'll help you. Now if we had a manual sc400 NA mods would easily be worth the time and money! Learning from what I've read in these forums in the past months, and being a 5 speed w/ a 2JZGE owner myself its either NA-T or 2JZGTE that will make nice power.

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

This is true, although the one thing that does make a small but noticeable difference is to swap out the 4.08 rear end for a 4.27 auto rear end. You shift a bit more and the car will still by no means be "fast" but it's just a tad quicker and the overall power band is more useable than before. Toyota already used the same final drive ratio against the same engine and transmission in 93-96 Supra NA 5-speeds so it's not going to over stress anything to do this. A speedo corrector finishes it. Highway cruising with a stock 5-speed in 5th @ 70mph should be about 2,800rpm. With a 4.27 (and a correctly adjusted VSS speedo corrector) it's only up to 3,000rpm @70mph. Though by 80mph you'll be turning 3,500rpm. Have to weigh how this affects how you actually use the car. It's good for some driving styles/preferences but not all.

However, if you have few if any smog or nil-budget limitations on you, yes, an NA-T build or GTE swap is going to be the best bang for your buck. And you'd need at least an SC400 3.92 ratio for either of those options anyway (though *stock* 1JZ's in all 1991-2000 5-speed manual Toyota Soarers did come with the same 4.08 ratios our 5-speed SC's came with).

Suspension and braking modifications, good tires and new OEM or aftermarket bushings do a lot more for the overall performance of an NA 5-speed if one is not getting into the turbo game.

ThatSCguy

Couldn't agreee more! Overall braking modifications would be a great adjustment for any car!

LS400 Brake kit = 350-500+
MK4 TT Brake kit = 900+
How many rear endings could have been avoided if we all had better breaks ? = Priceless

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

^^ Completely agree. Personally I feel that ALL SC's should have had the LS400 front calipers. But especially the 92-97 SC300's since their front and rear calipers are smaller than all SC400's, MKIV Supra Non-Turbos and 98-00 SC300's. This was one of the first things I changed on my car, mostly because the stockers felt very unsafe to me. To each his own.

The only major advantage of the Supra calipers is much wider pad selection if you happen to go to the track a lot. And the OEM TT pads are great for daily duty. But there should be more choices for the LS400 calipers now as well.

Either caliper upgrade is a huge night and day difference though.