JIBBBY

Let's see, what have I done to my car. Briefly- Intake Exhaust ECU piggy Supra limited slip differential Dragon Torque Converter Electrical stuff Nos 1" drop Springs and Shocks 10.5 tires and rims Then I basically restored the cars looks in and out..it's a very clean ride and fun to drive.. Lastly that was not a Boxter I raced.....trust me on that one. It was as fast or faster then a new corvette with 400hp. That little Porsche could really move off the line. I guess because of the engine being in the back of the car and all the weight just sitting on those rears really helps with traction. I even had a great takeoff and it was already out ahead. Anyway, it was a fun all out race that I enjoyed.....that is why I posted it..

OK this is for those Lexus extremists.....I have to share this one with you all.....After having my car disabled for close to three weeks due to recent mods I have been doing to it I finally got my 1992 SC400 running strong and ready to go for this weekend. So this is what happens - I was out cruising last night around 9:00pm before going out for the night. I thought to myself let's see if I can find a quick race and test out the cars new hp gains. I was hoping to find something that would be a close match... but was not looking to race a power house... Anyway went cruising on my favorite race street which runs along the Marina Del Rey freeway in LA, California, it is a safe two lane one way straight for about two miles with only two lights, no cops, no cross traffic, very smoothe and about as safe as street racing can be...Alot of nice new sports cars ride this road to get to their expensive homes or condo's in Marina Del Rey. Now I normally don't go looking for races they usually come to me on this road... Anyway I cruised back and forth on this road and on the third time around, bingo A Porchse 911 "S" turbo pulls up to me at the first red. I cannot see what Porchse model it was and I was just hoping it was not a Turbo, but I noticed it was not a boxster and that car was brand new. I said what the heck if I lose I lose so playfully I tap the gas while braking, and right then I knew it was on, he edged forward. This is along red light so you can mess around abit. I shut down everything the cooling fans, radio, etc.. and arm the 125hp NOS system with a newly charged and heated NOS bottle (showing 1000psi) My car was as ready as it could be. The light turns green and we bolt off the line, I hit the gas and press the throttle/pedal to about 85% just for a split second which is just enough to keep the rears from spinning out of control, I then notice the Porsche blasts off and is already a car length ahead of me, I then immediately floor the pedal the rears break loose a bit as the nos kicks in fully, I then get a little sideways for a split second, I am now in second gear rear wheels are still just spinning abit and I am catching and just about even now with this Porsche and then I hit the 3rd gear and the Porshce slowly pulls away....and that is when I realised it was a brand new Porshce "S" turbo... We get to the next red and I give him the thumbs up and he did the same back to me... I get home and do a google search and find that that Porshce does 0-60 in 4.1 seconds. So I was impressed that I was able to stay close to that little beast...End of story. I should probably post race stories that I win, but this was such a good one, and we were both ripping down the road pressed back against the seat, very exhilirating.... I did get a little wheel hop with the new fatter rear tires which really stinks. Anyway, I hope I did not bore you all with this story....See ya

I would say pick one up from the yards with the lowest miles as possible, you not only save money but problably end up with a better operating transmission.

Ebay $400 for the REBUILT calipers a while back, pads and holding springs $50, rotors Ebay $150 - Total $600 big ones.... You can go to the local junkyards and find a 1993 and up Supra Twin turbo brake assembly complete with rotors, calipers, springs and used pads even and just slap them on for a couple of hundred dollar or less. That is if you want to save and go the cheapest rought, but they will be used like the ones you have on you car now. You can also clean, paint and even rebuild yourself if you have some skills with a rebuild kit....I went the costly route... Also note: Make sure when buy the supra rotors that they have several more holes around the hub area then just the 5 stud/lug nut holes shown on mine. My rotors are not the right ones to use on the SC's. The pic shown above are the wrong ones with no addition holes and will vibrate a little... I got those on Ebay, and made alterations to make those rotors work.. So you can use stock TT rotors, or the ones on Ebay with extra holes...Good luck, it is an vantastic improvement in braking power and looks...

Don't feel bad, they are still great cars. Just a little slow off the line that is all. Higher rpm's with the ECT button pushed they have a little pep, very little pep. Just don't race ever from a dead stop, not even an 18 wheeler big rig..(just kidding). I remember a little over a year ago when my car was stock, I was thinking this car can motor a little bit, and then I decided to race my friends 4.6L 1995 Mustang GT stock and lost so bad from the start it was embarrassing. I then thought to myself I have a V8 motor that puts out just about the same horsepower stock as the 4.6L mustang so why does this SC400 not have power like a V8 with dual overhead cams should? That's is when the building started. That is when I visited websites like intellexual.net and Lextreme.com forum and got a complete education on how to get the most out of these cars without sacrificing the reliability and driveability of the car. Before with my car I would be pressed to beat a V6 camery 0-60mph, now I am beating new M3 BMW's and keeping up with New 400hp Corvette's and it's a blast. I get a little respect in this car finally... The car is still very nice and confortable, but just a bit louder with a deep rumble sound and alot faster. I even get better gas mileage now and can still pass smog checks. It is like a whole different car but the same.... Enough hype - Build away fella's it's not as hard and costly as you may think unless you get carried away like me..and lastly I will just say to you all you really don't know what you have under the hoods of those sleeping little giants.......See ya...

Oh I am not offended at all, infact thanks for informing me....

Dirty Dan, yes your 98 SC400 would be equiped with the VVTI system and that would give you a clear advantage over all the older pre 97 sc400's except mine.... Curious, do the 98 Sc400's pull hard from the dead stop or is Lexus still making the 1998 SC400's sluggish from a dig? The torque converters are pathetic in the earlier stock sc400's.... I think those T.C.'s ruins and limits the cars true performance V8 feel. Instead when you hammer the stock SC's and the cars feels like a 4 cylinder off the line and it's a damn shame. If you have ever driven a Camaro V8, or Ford mustang V8 automatic transmission you will know what I am talking about. They are peppy from the start because of the stonger Torque converter setup and not because of there larger more powerful engines. It is my understanding Lexus built these SC converters with older folks in mind so they wouldn't jerk back their heads from a dead start if they accidently punched it, and that might just give the old folk a heart attack...I hope they corrected that which I don't think they did even in SC430's....

IZZ30- I guess let's just say I updated that tutorial..... Thought the info might help someone out if they decide that they may want to do the swap...I can always delete the thread just say the word and it is done...

Thought I might post and share a little mod I did today for you guys and girls out there in high performance land. I Upgraded my braking system on my 1992 SC400 with newly rebuilt Supra Twin Turbo 4 piston front brake calipers and Supra rotors. Everything just bolts right up. There is a few issues that came up, rim clearance on the caliper and cutting down the back rotor guard sheild that is it. Go picture by picture and you can see what I did. The original SC calipers are only two pistions, and I should get close to twice the braking power with the new 4 piston Supra TT brakes. The first pic is of my stock SC400 rotor and caliper, I also used 5/8 inch wheel adapter/spacer to offset the clearance of my 18" rims.... I think these pictures will speak louder then words, check this-

17's are to small, go atleast 18's on hopefully a 9.5 rim, that will look nicer....Some people have 20's but have rubbing issues. I have 18's and they look like this...$800 for the set of all four....

My rims are 18/10.5 or and tires 275/35/18z. The lip needs to be rolled with 285's just for the record...I squeezed these 275's without curling the lip...Also I too have the one inch Eibach spring drop...I needed to use these 3/4 inch rear wheel adaptor spacers to get the offset just right to fit these tires and rims. Here are the pics and these are the fattest rims and tires you can mount on the sc's without doing any alterations of the wheel wells and fender lips... Oh and I think 18/7,8, and even 9 size rims are two skinny and you will have regrets later on down the road, I know I did....

It won't blow......if it runs fine, isn't overheating, misfiring, etc... it will not blow from an engine light, very, very unlikely....

Update on the fan swap - The main pump stud bearing on the hydraulic pump overheated and the seals blew. Removing the vanes is not going to work....I did come up with an even better and easier alternative which I should have done in the first place. Using the pre-drilled hole on the right side of the pump face, I bought a cheap small universal bearing idler pulley at the auto parts store for $20 and a 3/8 drill bit and tap and then installed as shown in the pictures. Washers can be used as needed to get the pulley belt offset in the correct position. Unscrew the front main sensor to the pump that will disable it. This permenantly disable the pump. Now that the pump does not function at all, the fan tank and oil lines were then removed... The engine is even more bare and spacious, and this took me about 20 minutes to complete. Drilling out the smaller threaded hole to a larger size was like drilling thru butter, the thread tapping was also very simple. The threads run deep in the pump and there is alot of metal to work with so this is a perfect location for the new idler pulley. The new belt was fitted and a small 1/8 inch grind of the corner pf the pump was needed for belt clearance as shown in the last picture. I suggest using thread locker and a locking washer for final bolt tightening of the pulley.. I will also make a thin cover plate to cover and dress up the front of the hydro pump. I think this will finally complete this fan job, I hope.. The picture with the shorter belt was what some people have done, I didn't not like it because it reduces the belt grab on the crank pulley by 50% from stock, did not want to experience slippage during nos boost...

No haven't done my pistons or rods yet, it will happen soon. You want a step by step info on mods go visit lextreme.com forum... That's where I learned everything....

Forced air will come when the forged pistons and rods are in my engine and when the transmission is upgraded and figured out. Or I may just quit this car at 450-475hp after the headers and high performance cams are in...I think this sc will be up running with the big boys after these next two upgrades or either on a flat bed truck being hauled to the shop...ha ha...... we will see.....

Jibby, I have to say, Huge props on the mods. The car is turning into a monster, Keep up the good work. DCfish - Thanks for the hype...I don't know about a monster maybe a disaster is the right word.....Just kidding, the cars actually runs fantastic, and I am actually getting suprised at how fast this car is becoming, and it's a fun hobby for me. This problem is really no biggie just hated spending that much time on something that didn't work out. Need to move on and this is the route I should have gone with from the start, total deletion of the hydraulic pump....my bad...

FAILURE ON THE FAN SWAP!!!!! Today the bypassed free spinning hydraulic fan pump and pulley bearing over heated with the still ATP inside the pump. The seals blew out fluid shot everywhere under my hood and made a mess. I was lucky to make it home today with a slipping serp belt and squeeling hydro pulley bearing from Down Town LA to the beach. THE HYDRAULIC PUMP CANNOT BE BYPASSED!!! Removing the vains will not work.. Now I must delete the pump completely, fan tank, hoses, etc.. and then run a shorter serp belt or find a fast replacement idler pulley to stand in place of the hydro pump pulley... On a brighter note the fan works better then expected, I was in 90 degree heat in Down Town Los Angeles with the A/C on in traffic ran cooler then stock... A minor set back that will be corrected...

Wow, you know your changer. I thought both rollers were powered, I will try manually rolling the bottom to try and free it up. It is stuck in place, no free spinning action.

The problem with my changer is the bottom roller does not roll. The upper one rolls fine so cleaning is not going to fix my problem....I need that bottom roller to roll and it is just dead.....

A bigger concern I would have would be why the alterator went kaput to begin with? Did you know that when the powersteering pumps fail and begin to leak they just so happen to always leak directly down onto the alternator. For some reason the alternator and power steering fluid do not play well together.. These alternators don't die out often on their own in these Lexus's and this is a common well known problem with the earlier model lexus SC/LS's. I am not sure about the Es's. Something to think about and consider before putting a new alternator in and having it go bad again in a couple of weeks..

Don't be affraid to floor it, it's only a tiny light, the engine won't blow I promise.... If the light continues to go on run a check test on it. Most likely it is a bad sensor or connection....I would venture to say as long as your oil light, and radiator lights don't come on you shouldn't even worry about it. If you notice that car runs any different or idling poorly when stoppend then you may have a problem with the check engine light on....

My changer doesn't load either and doesn't that just stink when the stereo say's "ERROR" and I am on my second changer. I just use the mp3 player for now... CD's are becoming obsolete anyway......

Yes I would be an idiot if I compared a stock 1992 or newer SC400 Lexus to the almighty AMG E55. I would also be an idiot for comparing the stock gs430 to the E55 AMG!!!!....Right back at you pal... My car is not stock and is rated and putting out over 400hp and is geared real nicely. It is also just about completely restored in and out, so I don't think my car is dead by any meens. Infact, I get compliments on it all the time, asking if that is a new kind of lexus I own.. In regards to your above post, I don't think I would lose the race by that much to the E55 because my car rips..... I have raced a new BMW M3, a New V8 mustang, etc..(and pulled away, smoked the gs430, ls430, sc430, the new 330 lexus sedan, and it wasn't even close none of the races, however the M3 race was a close race but I pulled away slowly... What else I almost hung with a new corvette but got wasted off the line... So this is why I posted this thread to begin with....Oh and I will beat the AMG 55 with this SC you just need to give me a few months to work it out... See ya (she's old but she will still hold) These are not good pics of the car either, I need to update... PS. If you were talking about the guy writting the article being an idiot and not me then I am sorry for the come back cracks towards you.... ;)

Start with the stock mufflers and catalytic converter, those are very restrictive, headers maybe last....

Sk- I hear you and that is too bad the newer Mercedes look so nice now and use to be the solid car to buy years back, now they are like the older 12 cylinder Jags or Land Rovers....just wanting to break down.... izz30- I have the supra lsd now which I believe is a slightly different gearing ratio then the sc stock, and it seems to be working out just fine in combination with the dragon torque converter. Lowend torque is real strong in this car, top end is suspect... reducing or altering the diff gearing yes while it does make the car shift faster between gears and may make the car faster 0-60 or so, it also reduces the top speed of the car. The change will make the car ride at a higher rpm then normally on the freeway (wasting gas) and the speedo will be off ten miles or so. The miles also on the cars OD will start racking up faster then what would be normally.. Just a few things to think about...I still enjoy my car for it's luxury and performance, drivability, reliability and endurance (like the long road trips sometimes)...don't want to mess with a good thing.