Just bought a rare '92 es300 5 speed!!! (Rebuild Project)

[BeauR]

Hey everybody!
I just became the proud new owner of a rare 1992 Es300 5 speed. I've been looking for a long time and finally tracked one down. Its in pretty good shape, I got lucky and found one with only 1 previous owner and she had it what work was done on it performed at a local toyota dealership. But it isn't perfect by any means...
It has 398.000 miles on it for starters. There aren't any leaks fortunately and the transmission still seems to have life in it but obviously it isn't going to last too much longer without my divine intervention (and hopefully LexusOwnersClub.com too). Not too many cosmetic issues. I bought it in the Sacramento area so the front seats leather is dry and have split a few seams on the drivers side and the leather on the door panel surrounding the door lever has dried and shrunk to the point of needing replacement. The rear Passenger window came out of place and both mirrors are loose at the pivot point that attaches to the car body. Also the power antenna and motor is broken and the passenger side speaker doesn't work. Otherwise its in very good shape. I plan on rebuilding or replacing as much as possible on it or at least whats reasonable and when I do that I would like to upgrade as much as possible. Basically I'm going for a build based on the Midship Runabout guide  ( http://midshiprunabout.org/mk2/why-the-3vz-fe-is-the-best-toyota-v6/ ) and the Toysrme 3vz-fe tuning guide ( http://www.mr2.com/forums/threads/1899-Toysrme-s-N-A-3vz-fe-Tuning-Guide-(Applies-to-all-N-A-v6-s) ).  I have a motor with 180,000 miles on it that I plan on doing a complete tear down and rebuild and I want to try to install an E153 transmission and use a LSD from a MR2.  I haven't been able to find any useful info on a good clutch setup yet but perhaps someone here has some insight. 
So basically I'm on here to get whatever this forum has to offer. Tips, tricks, advice, warnings, parts for sale or sources for parts would be greatly appreciated!!! Also since there is alot of knowledge and experience buried in this site I figured that my project would be a good opportunity to consolidate all of the significant information into one solid thread. I will be posting pics of what I'm starting with and will document my progress on the way. I will also post links to anything that I find useful as I come across it. I've read up on alot but I haven't had the opportunity to pursue anything major yet. I'm not incapable but feel free to explain things to me like I'm incompetent I'm sure it will make things easier in the long run.
My goal is to build a "brand new" and improved 1992 Lexus ES300 and I would a greatly appreciate any insight or guidance.
Thanks to all

[gbhrps]

BeauR,

Congrats!

 

There aren't many wrenchers on this forum like some other sites, so you may have to look else where at times when you don't get a response here.

That said, know that the Camry is the sister platform for the ES of every year, except 2018, when the ES jumped ship to share the Avalon platform. That means most parts for engine, tranny, brakes, switches, etc., are the same for the same generation ES and Camry. That makes parts much easier to find in wrecking yards. Trim parts, dash, door panel, fender are different for sure. So check carefully when searching out parts, and be aware that the Lexus part is often the cheaper Camry part with a Lexus part number label put on top of the Toyota label. Been there, done that.

Good Luck on your restoration project!