sc_toy

A couple things.... 1) Tire choice is 17" sizes isn't limited at all, in fact 17" probably has the widest selection of tires that will conform to our stock overall height. Everything from 335 mm wide Yokohamas to some thin 225s... 2) I wouldn't go up in size to improve handling. Anyone thinking it's going to help your handling needs to look at F1 and at sanctioned race events. F1 rims are 12.5" up front, and 12" in the back. The sidewalls are close to 6" on either side of the rim and those are the best handling cars on the planet. Also true race rubber tends to only come in 13-14" sizes, coincidence??? :D 3) I personally like the look of the 17x7" GS400 rims I've got on my SC400. They're shod with 235/45R17 Kumho Ecsta Supra 712's, but when I replace these tires I will go back to Yokohamas (likely the AVS ES100). These tires are shorter than stock though, I will likely go to a 265/40 rear and a 245/45 front.... Just my $.02 of course,

You're so right buddy, I have never been a big street racer, the odd little old guy stoplight thing (only up to the speedlimit) but that's about it. It's such a different atmosphere at the track. I went to St. Thomas a couple years back with my MR2 and had a blast, and just went to Cayuga the other day with the SC. People actually drive around the water box properly, there's a certain respect between the drivers and the track workers... it's just such a different environment. Every time I go to the strip I feel so satisfied that I drive like a granny for months afterwards, I love getting my aggressions out at the track. I'd love to find an old 1st gen celica chassis to toss a 1UZ-FE or chevy 350 into and set it up for drag racing. There's so much more you can do with a 2000 lb car! Aaron

Forced induction cars like copper NGK-Rs (the MR2SC and Supra guys), for our engines I would use the factory Densos... there's no power gain or fuel economy gain from any of the fancy plugs. The stock ones ignite the mixture just fine as long as the rest of the ignition is in good order.

axis: Have you got the stock caliper brackets with the sliders in them? My sliders are shot but I don't want to buy new brackets from the dealer. If you'd be willing to seperate them from the calipers (or a good deal on the whole set) maybe we could work something out. matti_matrix@hotmail.com Thanks,

Yeah I had the mid pipe section off to change the gaskets behind the cats, the car was LOUD.... :o The previous owner got rid of the nak amps ($#@%@^$) so my amps are mounted to my sub box right now, its easy to unhook the whole thing, just damn heavy to lift out. The spare and all the tools were out of it when I dragged it last time. I might take out the back seat lower portion because it's so easy, but it really is damn light. The subs are HEAVY 75+ pounds right there. The passenger seat must be over 50 pounds. The A/C system including lines, condensor, evaporator, etc. on most Toyotas weighs in around 50 pounds. The mufflers feel like they're around 15 pounds each, but the mid pipe section with the cat and two resonators must weight 30-40 pounds. Realistically I could shave 150+ pounds from the way it ran last time, + the BFI (not expecting much but every bit helps). When working out the numbers, on a cold night I might be able to get a 15.0 flat.

I'm rebuilding the pumps in my SC and LS this weekend. I got the new bearings today (asked for NTN6303, got equivalent SKF 6303-2RSH, sealed). To anyone that's done this, how large was the bearing??? OD on this bearing is almost 2", ID is about 3/4". Also were yours sealed or open? I've got a list of things to pickup before I do this so here's my list if anyone wants to change anything... - seal kit Toyota part #04446-24012 (same for both cars???) - 2 x 6303 bearings (1 for each) - about 16 litres of Dex III - brake and parts cleaner to clean pumps during rebuild - clear PVC tube for flushing - return and high pressure lines??? - SS screw type clamps to replace stock 1 time use clamps Here's the order I'm going to do it in... 1) R&R the pump, remove as much of the old fluid as possible 2) reinstall pump, fill reservoir with DEX III and flush until clean 3) remove solenoid and clean screen (possibly more than once) 4) put tires in air and get as much air purged as possible Can anyone point me in a better direction? I'll report back after their done, both cars have slow leaks and spongy/heavy steering at times, and the typical whine. The LS gets dry steered and hits the bump stops all the time (mothers car) so it'll be a good test of my rebuild ability!!! LOL

Yeah it was really noticeable in my 60 foot times. I did about 7 passes that night trying out different things and comparing speeds all the way down the track. Anyway, tires are 50% worn 235/45R17 Kumho Ecsta Supra 712's @ 32 psi or so. TRAC off, normal trans mode. Brand new toyota air filter. 1/4 tank of gas. 100+ pounds of stereo stuff and a couple work laptops in the back. :) I'm going to make a BFI, remove the subs/amps, and possibly remove the passenger seat and A/C components and see if I can't get it down to a 15.0 flat on the stock engine. Might remove the rear mufflers too, not for sound or power, but for weight savings. I'll have to bring a couple sockets with me to the strip.

^^^ AMEN! I used to drive faster than I do now (not worse, faster) but I got a few speeding tickets so I had to slow down. Now I prefer to go to the strip to do my racing, there's something comforting about knowing the cops aren't going to be waiting for me at the other end, and if I DO crash and burn, there's an ambulance only 15 seconds away ready to help my sorry !Removed!. :D Though on a winding central ontario road the other day a newer Cadillac CTS came up behind me and was riding my bumper (I was doing 93 km/h in an 80 zone), so I proceeded to round a corner and mash the gas. :D

- O/D switch only allows the tranny to use 4th gear, won't affect a stoplight drag - PWR/NORM tranny switch doesn't apply to WOT as far as I know, so again no effect on a stoplight drag - what the guy above me said is right, I went to the drags a couple weeks back and ran two 15.4s by holding the brakes as hard as I can, and pushing the gas so that the car almost is pushing the front tires, then when the last light lit I hammered it and released the brake. I tried a couple runs by just hammering the gas off the line and I ran 15.6-15.7. - cheap mods that should increase acceleration: shift kit, BFI.... Aaron

Okay I just took another look at it. From the crankpulley heading up and to the right, my belt goes around the water pump (I think), then directly 'right' around the A/C, then up to the idler that's at the top centre of the engine. I don't see anything in the way if I just went straight from the water pump to the idler. Now I'll be reducing the belt:pulley contact on the water pump from about 70% to about 35% (give or take), but I didn't think the water pump used very much power to turn, and it's a large pulley as it is so it'll still have 3-4 square inches of grip surface. I dunno I might measure it up and try out a generic belt and if it works okay then I'll remove the compressor. The other thing is I could fab up a bracket and an idler to go where the A/C is now, but I'd rather not. :D Aaron

Hey, Yeah sorry I should have been more clear, I will drag my car fairly regularily but I want it setup for the street. I just want to do well when I go to the strip as well. I may just upgrade the valve body, torque convertor, and trans cooler and leave the stock tranny in place.

I'm also in the LS+SC club. ;) The LS has much lighter steering... Did you buy a new pump or just have yours rebuilt. I'm going to rebuild mine as soon as I get the parts...

Hey all, does anyone know of the generic part number for a non-AC belt for the 1UZ-FE??? I will be removing my AC system entirely and I will of course need a much shorter belt. I could measure it and try things but why re-invent the wheel? FWIW, I'm removing it for weight reasons. Thanks,

1) There's an australian company that makes bellhousings to mate the 1UZ-FE to any tranny you want (almost). 2) You will likely have to have a new cross member fabricated (not a big deal for a machine shop) 3) You will need the clutch master cylinder, pedal assembly, and shifter console from an SC300 4) I hear the 3S-GTE flywheel and clutches will fit with some drilling required on the flywheel. 5) You may need to shorten/lengthen the driveshaft or use one from an SC300 depending on what tranny you use. That's about all I can think of, I'd like to hear more on this subject as I'd really like to do it to my SC. I just don't like a slushbox. I'd much prefer a W58 behind this beast!!! :) For those that have done it, how does the ECU react to it? Did you need to fake any kind of signals or anything to keep the factory TRAC? I'm setting up my SC400 for drag racing and want to keep the traction control (although I will be getting rid of the ABS, and drilling holes in the traction control butterfly valve so that it only limits HP instead of stopping it).... Just throwing ideas out...

AMEN.... lexus' are automatically pimp without having to pimp them out. :D If you own a lexus you have to realize you're the example that all others want to follow. Mod your cars with taste if you have to change them at all. Maybe it's just me but I'm very happy with the way my 17" GS400 rims look on my '92 SC400.

Congrads on the car!!! I get a few compliments every day on my car so I can imagine how many comments you must get on the 430!!! Aaron

A cat-back simply is refering to an aftermarket exhaust system that replaces everything after your catalytic convertor. This would include new pipes, new mufflers, possibly new resonators. A proper cat back system will bolt up to your factory catalytic convertors, and should use the factory hangers as well. For what it's worth, the stock SC400 mufflers are a straight through design and flow decently. I am going to get a replacement mid-pipe section to go from the stock cats to the stock mufflers (with an H-pipe in the middle). I want to eliminate the 3rd cat, and the two resonators. I understand this might be really loud, but that's okay cause it's going to be mainly for track use. I can bolt in this section for going to the strip and maybe to wasaga beach, but use the stock section for daily driving. Hope this helps,

you don't need a code reader with a pre '96 Toyota/lexus The diagnostics port on top of your engine is where you will use a paper clip to jump pins E1 and T1 (I think). you then get in the drivers seat and turn the key to on (but not start). The check engine light will flash, and pause. Count the flashes and pauses and report back here.... a code 23 will be.... Flash.....flash.....flash.......pause.........then 8 flashes. To reset the codes, open the fusebox in the engine bay, and remove the EFI fuse for a few minutes. In many cases the SC400 will throw an O2 sensor code if you've been heavy on the gas or had a little bad gas run through it...

Personally I would only buy factory stuff. If you can cross reference you might find stuff cheaper at the Toyota dealership. I got an airfilter for my '92 SC400, just walked in and asked for an air filter for a '93 Supra... :) Stock parts last sometimes over 300,000 km.... you think aftermarket is that good??? I trust Toyota engineers way more than any aftermarket company. Aaron

True, for a few hundred bones I could get another 100 HP... although I'm planning on setting this car up for lapping days. I guess the money that I would have invested in forced induction would be better spent on suspension and most importantly brakes... hell I could improve my acceleration/braking/handling all in one shot by taking out the stock (heavy) seats and installing some carbon fibre or aluminium seats. Dunno if I'm really to go that hardcore though. :whistles: Weight reduction and better rubber have to be the two most important things for the track. Unfortunately I have a lot of speeding tickets from my past life, so I've got to get my aggressions out at the track where it's safe... I'd love to import one of the Toyota 5.0L V12's..... now that would be a one of a kind car! Damn thing would probably fit too, might need electric fans instead of the hydraulic but it would fit, probably the same length as a 2JZ... some nice SS extractors, a slightly higher lift set of cams, and a small shot of N20 and I could be getting into the mid 12's :chairshot:

Thanks! :D At least I know my engine is still running the way it's supposed to. I haven't had a chance to do a compression test yet, but that's first on the list before I do anything for more power. From what I've read a shift kit really helps to keep the power to the ground while shifting, so that might be second on my list. I'm still contemplating whether to look at a single turbo (in front of the engine), or one of the roots blowers out there, or just leaving it NA w/ mild mods. Anyway thanks for the comments, Aaron

Okay now I'm getting older and wiser and I don't speed much anymore, but last night at a couple lights before I was getting onto the highway this Honda S2000 pulls up next to me. He was an older guy, and wasn't revvin the *BLEEP* out of it like some people. Anyway about half way through my first (slow roll on) I gave it a little stab to see if he wanted to play. :D Well I heard his intake do that typical honda wail I planted it (I was about half a car length ahead when we both hit it). Anyway all I could hear was this intake in my ear. LOL We were dead even about half way into 2nd, but had to slow for the light ahead. I was kinda wondering if he was gonna try again off the light, so both of us paused when the light turned.... I was pretty stoked cause a few years back I played with one in my old MR2 Supercharged and after half way into second (around 4500 rpm) he started to pull on me hard. So we both took off at the same time, as soon as I heard his intake go flying open I hit it. Got a decent jump on him when he had to shift to 2nd, and then he started slightly pulling back up next to be, then he did a nice quick shift into third and again stayed just off my back bumper. I gave him the thumbs up as I turned onto the highway and he went straight, it one one of those cool non-race kinda races. LOL I was surprised!!! I thought my Lexus was a little slower than that. I know from the seat of the pants it feels a bit faster than my MR2SC which ran a 15.6 @ 90 mph three times in a row at St. Thomas. I've been trying to go to the strip to get a baseline from the SC400 but it's rained the last two fridays. I might go this monday or wednesday whenever it's open again. I'm curious now. I would guess at a low 15 but we'll see. Aaron

Hey, I measured the old fluid before I added the new stuff, it was just under 4 litres. I read about unhooking the line and doing a flush and fill at home, but for the life of me couldn't find lines coming off the tranny (and I've been working on cars for about 7 years now!) I'm probably going to install a shift kit one of these days, and at that point I'll do a full flush and fill. *BLEEP* from the dealership I bet they want $200 CDN to flush and fill with Toyota type-IV.... I hate paying $75 an hour for something I can do myself. I'd still rather get a custom bellhousing to mate the W58 to the 1UZ-FE..... Aaron

Hey all, I just wanted to share a little experience I just had. My '92 SC400 has been shifting poorly under WOT, basically it's been lagging at shifts instead of giving a push in the back that my moms LS400 gives. Well after checking out planetsoarer.com, I came to the conclusion that somebody may have put dexron tranny fluid in my car. Anyway, I just drained the pan and filled with 4 litres of Toyota Type T-IV ATF. I understand this is only about half the fluid in the car but I wasn't prepared to flush and fill. ANYWAY, the results are astounding. I was hoping it would clean up my shifts a bit over time. It was immediate. It was blatantly noticeable. Now it doesn't seem to sit there revving but not going anywhere while shifting. Now it gives me that continuous push in the back that I was expecting when I first bought this car!!! I should have done this right away! =) It's expensive fluid but I know why now, I'm going to make it part of my routine, maybe every second oil change I'm going to change the tranny fluid. The stuff that came out looked like 10 year old brake fluid and had the same consistency. Hope this helps, Aaron

Sorry I'm sure this has been brought up 100 times before, but I didn't see anything about it yet. BTW, I just bought a '92 SC400, this is my 8th Toyota, after two old RWD celicas, an '85 MR2, an '89 MR2SC (for sale), an '87 Camry beater, and my current daily driver, a '92 Camry (with 409,000 km, for sale). Just out of curiosity, what are the best bang for your buck initial upgrades? It's already got kumho ecsta supras on 17" GS400 rims, but i'm looking at the first couple performance mods. Is the torque converter really worth upgrading? I've read it's one of the first real upgrades.... One more question, I'm a previous W58 owner and lover, and since the 2JZ uses the same auto tranny as the 1UZ, could the W58 not bolt up to the 1UZ??? I know I'd likely need the driveshaft from the SC300, but still it'd really wake up the car methinks. Thanks for the help! Been a long time old celica club member, and mr2 supercharged club member, now I'm new here. Cheers, Aaron