I've been around the toyotanation forum for a long time I just never registered until now. I used to have a 1992 V6 Camry LE. I don't have it anymore (long story). Anyways I'm stuck with a Ford Ranger...I wanna get a SC400 maybe by the end of the year or so. I've been looking up info ever since I kinda got serious about getting one. I see the 1998 SC400 has like 290hp. That's the one I want. So basically I just wanna gather info and find out mods I can do and stuff like that until I finally get one. I'm in washington state but willing to go as far as California for one. I imagine they'd be cheaper there then here in Washington but I'm not sure.
So first off, what would be a reasonable price for a SC400? And also go ahead and start bombarding me with mod ideas . I've been thinking maybe twin turbo's with a supra 6 speed cos I heard they fit and would help. I won't pretend I'm some car genious though. I'm a beyond a novice when it comes to working on cars I almost have my 2 year degree in welding though I know that'll help if I ever need to weld anything.
First off, welcome.
Secondly, I think you're confused. The '98-00 SC400 comes with the 1UZ-FE VVTi motor and I think you're confusing that with the supra's 2JZGTE. Good thing about the '98 SC400 is that you're getting good power right off the bat, but can't do much to increase power because there's very little aftermarket support for those engines. On the other hand, the SC300 has the 2JZGE motor which is the same as the NA Supra. You can work with the stock engine and make very good power opposed to the SC400. or you can swap in the GTE motor or even go 1JZ in both the 300/400. You choice. Bottom line is if you want ready power that's there from the factory, get the 400. If you want to build a monster get the 300.
About the price, i would check autotrader or other sources and get an average price and go from there...
Last edited by 2000-Avalon; 06-30-2007 at 08:31 PM.
The reason I was thinking of putting twin turbos and stuff on the 98 sc400 is because I have a friend in my welding classes at college who does custom turbo work and stuff and he said he'd work on it for me for free, all I'd have to pay for is parts. I've seen videos on youtube.com where they have a turbo and stuff in a sc400. I've also seen one where they had a super charger on one. If it wasn't possible to put a turbo in for some reason then I'd stick to the sc300 like you recomended.
In the end the reason I picked the sc400 is partially cos I don't see people building up sc400's it's usually sc300's, also cos I saw on a website (I can find the link if you want...there's a possibility maybe I read it wrong) that the sc400 V8 engine pumps out 290 horsepower stock. So I figured it'd be easier to work on a car that starts off with high horsepower and torque. I also read somewhere that you can put a supra 6 speed transmission into a sc400. So I thought maybe it'd be a cool project to put in twin turbos and that 6 speed if possible.
I like the look of the SC400 and I also like the look of the SC300 I just figured the SC400 would be a better car to use. I'd appreciate everyones opinion on this.
Well both the 300/400 look the same. Yes you can put the V160 getrag in the SC400 but you'll need the clutch assembly from the sc300 and the adapter plate from mvpmotorsports. http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=262872
Okay so I've thought for a few days and decided I'll settle for the SC300 instead. Is there any year inparticular that has a lot of potential. I'm on a fairly tight budget, and I realised the SC300 was the better car as far as price goes cos it's cheaper. I've found a couple in the last few hours that are $2000 - $4000. Sounds good to me. Anyways thanks so far for the help
yes Naturally Aspirated power.
To answer your question as to which years to get. It really depends. 92-97 Sc's have a non-vvti 2jz. 98-00 have the vvti which isn't the best for turbo. 97-00 had the updated body with the new front/rear bumper and skirts. My advice to you is get an older SC with a decent body and go NA-T. Buy a new GTE block from Toyota and now you're working with a brand new engine zero miles give or take. Slap on a turbo and you're good to go. Transmission is a whole other story as the stock auto will crap out on you. You'll have a choice of a TH400, built auto, 5speed (unless it's 5spd already), or 6 speed that you can swap.Purchasing a 1jz or 2jzgte swap can be tricky because it's like buying a cat in a bag you really don't know how well the engine was treated.
Okay so I've thought for a few days and decided I'll settle for the SC300 instead. Is there any year inparticular that has a lot of potential. I'm on a fairly tight budget, and I realised the SC300 was the better car as far as price goes cos it's cheaper. I've found a couple in the last few hours that are $2000 - $4000. Sounds good to me. Anyways thanks so far for the help
I don't reccomend buying the cheapest one because in most cases you'll end up spending thousands in maintanance. Keep in mind these aren't new cars anymore and if you want a solid platform to go turbo with, you'll need to do basic maintanance first before anything else.
Also I was wondering if anyone knows where to find clear hoods. I saw one before on a SC400 and wondered if they had them for SC300's as well. They're basically a clear hood with a slight tint of color, but you can clearly see the engine under the hood. Not that I need one right now. I've just been looking all over the internet and can't find them.
I've been kinda looking around and I think I'll end up buying something from 93 - 95 partially cos the prices are in my range. I can't seem to find any with a 5 speed though. I imagine those are gonna cost a lot more but I guess, I'll have to wait and see.
I'll keep in mind what you said about not buying the cheapest ones.
I've been reading a little bit today about the 2JZGE today and came up with a lot of results talking about the 2JZGTE that's in the Supra. I remember also that you mentioned that the 2JZGE is the same that's in the Supra. So does that mean the "T" in 2JZGTE stands for "turbo", making that the only difference between the two engines?
The GTE has 2 turbos, bigger injectors, oil squirters in the block and a different head design then the GE. The internals however are the same.
Also, the GTE is distributer-less and has the coil design opposed to the spark plug wires in the GE.
Never heard or seen a clear hood myself, and yes the m/t SC's are harder to come by and are usually more expensive but either way you'll be upgrading the clutch if you get the 5spd so it's no point to just look for those. Good luck.
Last edited by 2000-Avalon; 07-06-2007 at 10:11 PM.
yea good point avalon. I thought about the 5 spd idea but you're right I'll be upgrading so there's not really any point.
I think I found a part time job today that'll buy me a SC300 I'm really excited. I planned on buying a different car by winter just because that Ford Ranger sucks in the snow. I'm curious does anyone know how the SC300 would handle in the snow? I'm curious cos they're both rear wheel drive but the lexus should be more heavy in the back end so I imagine that'd help it keep traction.
Lol, if you want a car that's good in the snow DO NOT buy the SC. Any SC will be a pig in the snow. Traction control will help very little. Only thing you can do is drive slow and put good snow tires which does help ALOT from experience. Droping in a TT rear end will also help.
If you plan on going turbo, plan on buying a second car for the winter because you will NOT drive the turbo SC in snow.
...I planned on buying a different car by winter just because that Ford Ranger sucks in the snow. I'm curious does anyone know how the SC300 would handle in the snow? I'm curious cos they're both rear wheel drive but the lexus should be more heavy in the back end so I imagine that'd help it keep traction.
I have driven a Lexus SC400 (V8) for the past 14 winters in and around Toronto. With top end winter tires, and the electronic traction control, it actually does OK. The tires are key, they must be good winter tires. I am currently using Nokian WR Plus tires, which are severe winter rated (snowflake on the mountain symbol on the sidewall), and they work well on this car. The Nokian brand tires are harder to find, and do cost more, but they are also rated for summer operation, which most winter tires are not. I can run the Nokian WR year round, with decent tire wear in the summer, and good grip in the winter.
There are other brands of winter tires that would also work well, but the key is to not go cheap. Pay what it costs for a really good set of winter tires, and consider buying a set of wheels to mount them on, to keep your summer wheels looking good.
One technique that helps is to put slightly narrower winter tires on than the regular summer width. Narrower tires have better bite in the snow. Be sure to maintain the correct tire diameter and weight rating with a narrower tire. Something around 195mm or 205mm width would probably work well.
That said, the SC cars are rather low to the ground, so you cannot expect them to be happy in really deep snow. As long as the snow is not really deep, I can get around without to much worry. Sometimes the Traction control will activate, and sometimes I need to shut it off to get some wheelspin to get going on a really slick surface. I have never needed a tow because of winter conditions. If the roads are really bad, I wait for the plows to clear some of the snow depth away, but in general my SC has worked just fine in the winter.
Keeping the gas tank near full helps a little, as the tank is right above the rear wheels.
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