JIBBBY

A 600 watt sub is too much power for the stock amp. I recommend half that power at most for the best sound results.

Check Ebay for a 300watt kicker subwoofer for around $50 or less and it will sound better then stock!!!!! I think an 8 inch sub would work and fit nice. Although, I have a ten inch sub in my 92 sc400 with a stronger amp. Also, any stereo shop shouldn't charge you more then $50 to install if you cannot do it yourself... There are even cheaper subs you can get but the Kicker, Sony, etc.. are the better subs...

Sk-Curious does your Uncle tell you if his car breaks down alot? I have a friend that worked at the Mercedes dealership and say's all the AMG's and top end Mercedes have problems, he say's they are always in for repairs under the warranty......said the newer mercedes are not built as well as the older ones. Anyway, I am fine with my Lexus as it has only broken down once since owned and that was because of my stupidity. This happen a year ago when I added 500 pounds of sand bags in my trunk to help with traction when I first got the nos system installed. What happen is I hit the nos and gripped real well and the next thing I hear is the rear spindle studs and lug nuts on my driver side wheel breaking off and then the rear wheel went flying off the car and into somebodies front yard. I thought my transmission fell out or something for a second, anyway what happen next is the back end of the sc400 drops while I was going around 40mph or so and then road my brake rotor on the ground creating a spark show like none other you will ever see, until I came to a full stop. I was running rear 1/4 inch wheel spacers at the time which I know added to that failure. Anyway, all was ok, no one got hurt with the flying wheel, thank god and got rid of the sand bags. That is the only break down in two years on my sc. Not bad wouldn't you say?... In all this forum posting and stuff I figured out my eventual goal with this car of mine and that is too make it look something like this car in this picture below and have it sport about 650 horse power. That will suit my needs just fine. I have the plan and money to do it, but the time needed to put into it maybe the problem. I think...Ouch$$$$ Just trying to figure out what to do with the stock transmission that cannot take more the 450hp or so....Story over see ya....

That SL 65 doesn't count, I have never seen one on the road. However, I did see one close up at the LA auto show some time ago, and the specs were sick as I remember.. though it was not any nicer looking then the E55 in my opinion. I also noticed a huge price tag on the window that was like over $100,000 or something. Yes, the SL 65 should not be messed with...and if you want one you may have to morgage or sell the house to afford one.

Sk - nothing like running a true sleeper. That could be fun, but definetly hard to get a true race.. My car is loud at high rpm's and has a low deep rumble at idle, I have the car lowered one inch, tinted, racing rims so they notice me all the time....if that doesn't work then I can always blast the 450 kicker amp to get their attention.. Either way I am noticed if I pull up to a hotrod, whether I get the race or not is a different story... Acually I get to race alot where I live, lots of fancy new sports cars roaming around the Marina Del Rey area in LA, California...There is a good double one lane empty street that runs next to the freeway and many fancy cars drive on it to avoid traffic to get to their fancy homes in the Marina, No police, No tickets, no danger, just a smoothe straight for two miles and only one light. These yuppies can't resist racing their leased porsche's, M beemers etc..Finding the race is not the problem but always winning them against the big boys is (Vipers,vettes,AMG,porsche's etc...) I have backed down a few times to say the least. Just for the record, the stock new vette's still take all the AMG's. Vette's are 0-60 in 4.3 and 12.7 in the Q.M. The AMG E55 is 4.5 and 12.8 so it's close but no cigar. Also some Aussies are running their stock lexus/soarer trannies 12.7 in the quarter with the help of a built engine and strong turbo, just not the 4.5 0-60mph.. There is hope, I will take a come from behind victory any day of the week.

Yeah I hear you Sk - I will bow down with the best of them for now. However with a build or swap of my tranny and some forged pistons and rods I may just up the nos shot to 200hp, until supercharging at later date which I plan to do anyway....Just hate bowing down after all this work I am putting into the car... All I can say too him for now is "how much did you spend on this dream car of yours" when I really want to say let's go mouth, let's see what your 80K Amg that is ready to break down any minute can do.. Anyway I must be honest, I too have seen these E55 AMG cars in and out and they look real awesome......and that I cannot deny.....

My Webpage My best friends older brother is boasting again and bragging about his AMG E55 and say's today to me to go to "google search" type "amg e55 engine" go scroll two down where it says "insideline...kicked" so, I am thinking my friends older brother is just pointing me towards another good write up on his AMG E55. Anyway I read paragraphs 6 and 7 of this artical and my blood starts to boil.. Just public bashing on the Lex SC... See I backed out of racing him for Laker tickets two months ago because I knew I would lose. This AMG E55 does........0-60 4.5sec and the quarter in 12.8 sec. My freind has driven his brothers car and hammered the E55 and says it is just simply smoothe and fast with no let off in all gears and just pulls rediculously. He has also been in my sc400 riding nos and hammered before my latest mods were installed. (Fat rear tires, headers, fan, Ecu piggyback tunning, etc...) He says my car is roudy and rude 0-50 which it is, but he also said I will get spanked in the end because of the lack of off the line traction and let offs in between the transmission shifts. This is crap and I may have to give it a go to try to shut him up, if it is close which it should be I will maybe get some damn respect..... this is bull I really need to shut him down. This guy is an all right guy and is just poking fun at me after spending 80k on jis E55, so it's all good but I hate getting no respect in these sc's....and now this... http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Followup/articleId=100647 Just click my web page at the top and you will see the artical...

I opened the hydraulic pump by removing the bolts directly behind the pulley, just note "when removing the pulley the holding nut is reverse threading" if torqued the wrong way it will strip as shown in one of the pics with the funny looking nut splitter tool. I then opened the pump and removed the two star shaped vains that just slide right out of the hydraulic pump. I then closed and sealed the pump. Now there is no load coming from the pump and no strain on the engine, it just free spins and splashes oil around inside the pump. All I needed to do after that was run two hose lines from the pump to the fan tank resevoir and fill and that was it. Then mounted the fan tank and now the pump will always stay lubricated and filled with ATP fluid. Job complete. Here is a few more pics. The secnd to last pic is of the front of my engine with all the plastic crap removed, I then changed the timing belts and distributer cap, rotor while it was opened, a piece of cake. The last picture I am wiring up the fan.

Army- I am very pro USA, and I will say this about American cars pound for pound they put out the most horsepower over the years, and the trucks are legendary. The newer Chevy and Ford trucks are built very well and enjoyable to drive. My older brother has a brand new Chevy Tahoe and it is a beauty, it's got the Vortec engine in it and has good power, comfortable and is a pleasure to drive. Those older Cadilac Northstar engines are very solid engines and very comparible to the IUZ..'s. I think Amercan Car manufactures suffered in the 80's and early 90's, however I do think the cars are built much better today and are as good as most. SO BIG THUMBS UP FOR AMERICAN MOTORS.... On a parting note I still love my IUZ... "And make no mistake about it" as our President would say...

Army - Oh yes, the notorous Chevy Cavalier was the worst car ever..... There was a three cylinder car that came out that was just as bad around that time, I can't remember the name. a short lived car....It wasn't an American made car either I don't think... Anyway, I like your attitude as to when the car blows apart I don't get upset I just build it back together better and stronger... that is how I think too and it is a great way to think as long as you have a bank account to support that way of thinking... I too expect something to break on my sc400 any day now, running nos and at 400hp + on the stock tranny, pistons and rods. This is to be expected as you take the climb up the horsepower latter and if you don't take the preventive steps to support the power increases...So far so good on my ride but these headers that I am about to install next week, in combination with the fatter rear tires could very well could spell my destruction. So Blow and Build is the thinking? Maybe we should consider pre-build and not blow, that may just be a better way of thinking...See ya-

Good points made all the around fellas! Like I said before, I used to own a car dealership and had seen first hand what cars lasted and which did not and I must say unfornately the Ford trannies all stunk in the FWD department. The cars I had the most problems with were the V6 Ford Tauras, Mercery Sable's, etc... Those Transmissions would fail so often, and just leave you hanging in traffic while you would be trying to shift into to Drive and reverse and the motor would just rev and you would go nowhere, while the traffic behind you would be honking like crazy. On top of that to rebuild or replace the tranny it would cost as much or more then the car was actually worth. This became so frequent on these cars I had to stop selling American FWD cars period.. On a reverse side the V6 and 4 cylinder Toyota Camry's, Corola's, etc.. were much better made and more reliable.. I honestly don't remember having to rebuild one transmission on all the Toyota's I bought and sold which were many. Now whether or not a front wheel drive Toyota transmittion could handle a 50hp increase, I honestly don't know, my guess would be yes. In addition to my experiences with these cars, I also had a few Escorts and Escort GT's, all I can say is junk, junk, junk... Sorry Army of One, I am not trying to disrespect your ride but based on my experiences, I don't think there is a more poorly made car out there today then the Escort, maybe some other older 4 cylinder FWD American cars, I can't think of any off hand, I know Chevy, Dodge and others also made some lemons years ago in that 4 cylinder FWD department.... Junk, Junk, Junk...

You don't think if you overpowered and hotrodded a Toyota transmission the same thing wouldn't have happened? SW03ES.....I think a Toyota manual tranny can take a heck of alot of horsepower so to speak, infact the V160 Supra TT tranny has a member on another forum pushing four digit horsepower out of it, and it's stock!!!! I know this because I am considering the swap myself on my sc... as my stock sc400 tranny could blow apart any day now, with my added traction and recent upgrades... I even bought the adapter plate for the swap just incase it goes. So Army I can relate.... Bottom line some of these Toyota tranny are build as solid as they come. I had owned a 1974 Toyota Landcruiser years back with a 283, 327 and 350 Small block engines in it, all were putting out over 300hp almost double the stock power, tranny was fine for years. My Lexus sc400 is handling almost double the hp output from when I first started building it up and it's still hanging barely. So Toyota can make some of the most solid transmissions out their....I know the Chevy TH400 is a monster tranny as well.

That's the goal, just don't know how much more hp this stock tranny can take with the new traction setup and all. Could have a Supra V160 tranny swap coming soon on this car or may just try and build up the stock tranny. Next mods currently underway- Supra big brakes, EGR blocker, and Headers. I am not trying to brag just sharing my mods with all plus, I love my digital camera as you can see...

I ended up using the thermo stick heat sensor that came with the dual flex-a-lite fan that can be purchased at just about at any high performance shop, or summitracing.com and it all works and looks just fine. The car runs at the same temp as stock, I forsee no problems what so ever. As far as testing for horsepower gains I have not road tested the car yet, as I am working on other mods. Ran it for a long time at a stand still and all is ok. I can post later for power results. I do think it will free up horse power maybe 10hp is my guess. I am currently trying to mount these fat rear tires for added off the line traction on my car and was having trouble fitting them into the wheel wells had to curl the fender lip and use wheel adapters to just sqeeze these monsters in the wells. I am also installing these S&S headers. Here are some pics. I am hoping with all these mods this car will run 0-60 in mid four second range and not blow up the stock tranny, hopefully!! Should be hard to beat.

Army- Sorry to hear about your troubles, remember that is a Ford you are working with and that kind of stuff should be expected. Just curious what does a 200hp Ford Escort run 0-60 and in the quarter mile?... I know really light cars can motor well at 200hp. Just wondering if you can edge out my sc400. I would be upset if I got abused by a Ford Escort on the open road... Anyway, wish you the best of luck with your fix.....my car is disabled for now also, and that stinks being that is the weekend and all...

The dual fan works fantastic, no problems and cools just fine... Here is a pic of the before and after finished product..

Depends on your taste, get the one with lower miles if it's super clean, and make sure it was dealer maintained with records and no accidents.. If the after market rims lexo with higher miles was maintained perfect and is simply a cleaner car and looks way better then buy that... The mile difference should not matter if the cars were maintained properly.. Good luck

What is tps? I am guessing (Throttle Position Sensor) If so your check engine light should not have gone on. Check that you put all the connections back the right way on the TPS change and make sure all vacume hoses were reconnected. I changed that sensor and had no problems what so ever. To reset your ecu readings disconnect the battery cables wait then reconnect, I don't know if your fuse did the trick... Good luck

Check out this website for ideas - intellexual.net This website offers insight on all the mods for SC's. I can tell you that your stock exhaust system is very restrictive, also a torque converter upgrade along with a limited slip differental will do wonders for your off line excelleration and 0-60 mph times. You can also get 20-30 extra horsepower with a good piggy-back ECU. Note, A basic intake upgrade will not make a noticeable difference in power like the other mods I mentioned...Good luck....

Here is a few other tips for the SC owners that may want a new look on that worn out looking inside. I re-did my complete leather interior- I paid $700 for all the replacement leather covers which I purchased on Ebay and $300 for the installation. The job came out like new. In addition I also found this woodgrain dash kit for around $100 that anyone can install also on Ebay. It really made my car look nice on the inside. More pics....Thought this illustration may be more helpful and practical for the majority of readers on this forum that are not interested in hotroding...

Fan is done and works just fine, thanks for asking. I am now working on the off setting fitment of my newly altered rear rims. I did find out yesterday that the absolute widest tire you can fit in the rear stock SC400 wheel wells is my "275"/35/18. I needed these custom 3/4' inch wheel adaptors made today and had to curl the outer lip of the fender to squeeze these fat tires on my sc... Headers and Supra big brakes next... Hear are some more pic's..

Try Lextech Lighting they may have a solution. Could be lextech.com or search google and you will find...Good luck...

I altered my 18" rear rims to be alot wider and they look awesome...here are some before and after pics, can you say "TRACTION" fellas.......

Bartkat- thanks for the advise, but I do maintain the gun with a cleaning kit from time to time, etc.. and I assure you it will function properly if needed. As far as my skills are concerned I lived on a farm in Colorado for entire year and had to shoot gophers and or ground hogs daily. These little guys would create or dig holes in the ground and the horses would get injured from the holes. These little gophers would peek out from their holes not often but like fishing you must be patient and eventualy you see one at a distance and bang head gone....Let's just say I became a very good shot with a 22 hand, rifles, shot guns, etc... This was over ten years ago but I am sure I would be able to aim and fire very accurately with this 357 if needed. I also keep the loaded gun in a lower drawer next to my bed for easy access, I do not have children in the house or anyone around who could assess it, so need not worry about trouble... This advise should be for all others and it is good advise... I also had to take a gun class to get the gun registered in my name. Thanks....

Much better! What is that, a cap pistol?? J/K That's a really nice looking revolver! B) Yeah, those hollow points will do some damage. Here's my Steyr M40. It's a great little gun; I LOVE the triangular sight. I've never seen any other gun manufacture with them. Blake911- nice gun, and just to let you know at the time I purchased my 357 revolver I was actually considering a semi automatic, like a 9 millimeter Glock, 45 caliber, Desert Eagle, etc.. But I was talked out of the more powerful handguns, and semi-automatics like yours. Why? I was told with a clip you can possibly get a jam, and with a revovler your gun is almost 100% reliable. Also anything more powerful then my gun would not only go threw your target but go to the next house and so forth and so on. I did not want to take out my neighbor after taking out the robber with the same bullet. So I went with my gun which I was told is ideal for home protection. Although I did want the 45 cal. ..via Clint Eastwood style... See ya