SCdriver

You probably want to check with member JIBBBY who has lot of experience with engine mods. Also lextreme.com and planetsoarer.com might be helpful. Getting a BFI and dragon torque converter and headers and a performance chip might get you to near 300HP if you have the 250-260HP V8 without adding forced induction.

You might want to check out planetsoar.com, lextreme.com and the posts by Jibbby before you modify your car. The sites have a lot of good information and Jibbby has a lot of experience with modifications. Better tires and brakes are a must if you substantially increase your HP. Good luck with your project!

You might want to check planetsoarer.com the Australian Lexus high performance web site. I believe they suggest using Supra LCA's but also have a member which makes and sells OEM type rubber bushings for the control arms (as I don't think they like the feel of the polyurethane bushings found in other kits). If you buy the bushings make sure they will fit your american model year SC400 and if you go that route, you'll probably find it easier to get an auto shop to switch the bushings out as you will need a press.

The SC400 is more of a grand touring automobile. It will be very expensive to change it into a hot rod/road racer. The later 1998-2000 cars are faster (290hp) and have a 5 speed auto. In order to get that kind of performance from an older 250-260HP SC400 you will need to spend a lot of time and money (torque converter/headers/exhaust/engine management chips), For those mods ask JIBBBY and brouse planetsoarer.com. I would suggest changing the fluids & filters: 1)synthetic mobil one oil and synthetic mobil one rear differential fluid. 2)slow change over to toyota T4 automatic transmission fluid (drop the pan and drain 3-4 times over a year or two with oil changes; don't flush high mile cars~!) 3)flush and replace brake fluid and install SS braided brake lines. 4)new motor mounts and transmission mounts if necessary (cures vibration) 5)Goodyear Eagle F1 GS D3 tires for warm weather only driving (best in rain) or check tirerack.com for all weather choices. 6)Try the forum for inexpensive fixes for yellow headlight lenses. Meguires make a good plastic polish and Flitz should also work. 7)If you don't want to spend for HID replacement headlamps, try toshiba HIR bulbs from candlelight.com Again, if you want more speed and quickness, you should look for a 1998-2000 SC400 as it probably is cheaper to buy than upgrading an older SC400 to get the same performance. However, I like the older more rounded body style.

There are many threads on oil and filters. I personally use mobile 1 5W30 synthetic and lexus or other oil filters that have an anti drain valve. I expect that for most routine driving any good 5W30 synthetic oil would be fine as long as you change it & the filter every 5,000 miles. Many people swear by amsoil oil and others like another brands. Unless you really stress your car I believe it is more important to change your oil every 3-5,000 miles than what brand you choose to use. If you use regular oil, I'd change it every 3,000 miles. Enjoy a great car!!!

Your mileage doesn't seem too far off normal. However, You mentioned you had low profile tires. If the replacement tires have a different circumference than the OE tires you might be throwing off your speedometer and odometer readings. I expect tirerack.com might have the information as to whether your low profile tires might be lowering your readings. Just a thought...............

If your car still hesitates and pings on premium I'd try: 1) Run large 20OZ techreon complete fuel system cleaner through your system. First run the tank near empty and then put in the techron and fill to 3/4 tank and run near empty again. Don't go near dry just down to 1/8 of a tank. 2)If the problem persists, you can change your plugs to NGK or Denso iridium plugs for $6-9/each +/- new wires. 3)If that doesn't help check with Lexus service department and see if perhaps the ERG valve or O2 sensors might need to be replaced. I believe the 1996 SC400 got an 10 HP increase and a bit more torque than the 1992-1995 models following the 1995 upgrades to the LS400. I believe the 1996 SC400 body is the same as prior years and then changed a bit in 1997. I personally think the early SC400's look better than the later models. Check prices on ebay yahoo, partsbin.com, thebestsourceautoparts.com etc for spark plugs, wire sets, oil filters etc.

The original 12 CD changer was mounted in the trunk and had a cassette mechanism that took 12 disks. You describe a slot and perhaps it is the tape slot in the head unit you are referring to that spits out your tape. If so, you can get replacement head units on Ebay also (either the nakamichi or the pioneer unit which aren't interchangeable as they use a different wire harness according to my lexus dealer). If you have a CD that loads into the head unit you probably have a different or later model stereo than than I have or an after market unit.

You can run your car on intermediate grade gas for a while as long as it doesn't knock. You can buy octane boosters at any Autozone or Strauss auto store and add it to each tank if you get pinging. As for the 12 CD changer, if you want to keep it simple, just buy a used replacement 12 CD changer off of a parts car on Ebay. If you search their auto parts section under SC400 you'll eventually find one or you can go the 6 CD changer route.

It is very hard to find low mile SC400's so if it checks out (get a service history from the owner's Lexus dealer or get a $120 certification check up)) you did well. The exterior damage is minor and doesn't appear to involve the structural soundness of the car. See what routine services were done and consider changing the oil (mobil 1 or amsoil 5W30), flushing the brake fluid and checking the brake pads and/or rotors. You might want to change the coolant (toyota red I believe) if it hasn't been done recently and begin to swap out the transmission fluid 2-4 qts at a time from the old T2 to newer T4 toyota ATF. If you live in a cold climate I'd switch the rear differential oil to Mobil 1 synthetic 75W90. I use NGK iridium spark plugs ($6-8ch/each) which should last 100,000mi. Check the tires for tire rot and you should be good to go. I've got 31,000mi on my 1994 and it is the best all around touring car I've driven including several BMWs, Mercedes and a new Porsche.

Check Ebay Motors under the parts section and enter SC400 for your search. There are plenty of parts and Sc400 and SC300 cars being parted out and you should be able to find a replacement mirror. You may find one immediately or you may have to search for a couple of weeks but they do come up.

It is time to search for a Lexus nakamichi replacement unit on Ebay. CC should refund your money and hopefully they have not destroyed the wire harness for the nakamichi system which I'm told is different than the pioneer system. There are plenty of parts cars on ebay. Hopefully you kept your working nakamichi amplifier. If you get the correct parts, go to a custom installation shop or one that the Lexus dealer uses and stay away from the mass market shops that seldom work on high end cars. It might have been cheaper to fix your own head unit's tape player. The nakamichi CD unit held 12 cd's in the trunk so it should be plenty for even long rides.

There are many threads on this forum to check on how to clean the inside and outside of the headlight units. First, try cleaning the outside with Meguairs plastic cleaner or Flitz metal polish and fiberglass cleaner. If too much of the problem is inside, you will need to open the units up, clean them and re-seal them and drill moisture draining holes. Or, you can check ebay for used light units and SC400 parts cars. I've seen good condition used units go for a little as $27 and as high as $125. It all depends on how much time you want to spend trying to fix the light units you have.

I have put about 10,000mi on my Goodyear Eagle F1 GS D3 tires and they are great in the rain and excellent in dry conditions as well. As for noise, they are as quiet or more so than the OEM tires with much more performance. When compared to the all season Bridgestone RE960 AS tires on my lexus LS 430, the Bridgestones are about as good in the wet and dry and even more quiet but are softer and don't quite connect you to the road as much as the Goodyears. The Goodyears are a bit sportier; firmer, with quicker turn in while the Bridgestones are more of a performance luxury ride. I like the Goodyears for the coupe and the Bridgestones ofor the sedan.

The Dealer price at $14,000 is at least $4,000-5,000 too much for a car with nearly 100,000miles on it. You need to check if the timing belt and water pump have been replaced, if not expect to put in another $1,500. Recently a 2000 model SC400 was on sale at a NJ dealership for about $12,000 (mint with about 22,000mi on it). I just missed it as someone in the dealership took it for themselves. If you are not in a rush......wait. The 1998 SC400 car you are looking at is way overpriced IMHO.