d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

So I lurked on Acurazine for the longest time for things to do to the car. After a while I decided to actually log in and contribute. Progress on my car has been really really slow given big financial changes along the way. I still wanted things to do to the car which were affordable albeit a little cheesy.

The end goal is to have a nice GT car. Comfyish to ride in, still sporty, nice sound, same power, improved handling and great fun to drive. Nothing crazy but a slight improvement over stock.

This is also the first car I really got brave and started to DIY all the work I did thanks to all the help from everyone in this forum. The irony of having financial issues soon after buying this car is not lost on me. I would've been better in a civic but since I paid for it up front I didn't see much sense in getting rid of it. Plus I love it like crazy!

This is the night I bought the car. Dec 30 2010 Unmolested tune


Grand dad in law's garage. Painted the wheels gunmetal about 6 months after I bought it.



Nothing much happened for a while. I got heavy into working on what I had which is why I invested heavily in detailing. Never did a paint correction since it is my DD but everything else was restored and cleaned as much as it could be.

Bought $100 worth of CF Vinyl for interior trim, grille and other accents. Also bought an NRG weighted shift knob. 1.1lbs. Installed short throw shifter and shift bushings.







Picked up a set of Volk SE37A's. Got a great deal for them but the annodized gold finish had some corrosion on it. Decided to paint over it and went with gunmetal again because as you can tell I love drastic change.

6061-T6 Aluminium lugs. Lasting really well. Great lugs for the price from Passwordjdm.
Also I wanted a different color for the brakes but didn't get any sticker's made. Decided that I wanted an unadulterated increase in HP so I just went with plain silver.


Invested in Steel braided clutch line and brake lines. All TUV approved of course.




Baked open the headlights, colored the chrome pieces and pulled out the amber diffuser. Used some matte finish transparent plasti dip to act as a diffuser. Does a good job at night. Upgraded HID bulbs to Morimoto 6K's (or downgraded).

Tried to fix some rock chips on the bumper and messed up bad. Couldn't get a smooth finish from a rattle car. Duh! Had to cover it up somehow so I just ordered fro some silver Vinyl and wrapped the front bumper. Slight color shift but no worries of rock chips any more.



Caliper 2.0


Attachment 106436


Did some minor correction but didn't finish it and left some minor marring.


Can't really tell after all the sealant and wax
Attachment 106438

Caliper Final. Put some more work into it and decided to change the color scheme a little and throw in some blue and red. Trimming the CF took a while and perfecting the template was hard but it was worth it. Didn't take too long.

Before


After


Also swapped out my 15mm Spacers for 25mm H&R's. Again thanks to the folks in the forum with their thread about spacers.


Stuff that I didn't document, would be maintenance items and other small stuff. Cleared out the side markers, fixed LED issues in tail light, new CV's from Raxles, and led's in cupholder.

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

After my wife's celica was totaled we picked up my second love, 92 Lexus SC400. Lap of luxury. Love it. Has 230,000 miles and a mostly pristine interior. Planning on more of a powerhouse but a GT car with all the creature comforts. Steering rack needs to be replaced but other than that everything is great.

Attachment 106419

Picked up some Motegi MR125's with tires that were used. Bought steel lugs this time. Will go extended aluminium later on. Lightweight and TUV approved. Great purchase. Got super lucky with those. 17x7.5

Will most likely get a 4 pot bbk from the LS400 so this stops better. It is a little scary now.

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

i would recommend using a real jack while doing car work. that oem one is dangerous

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Looks like you're off to a great start, man.

I have a solution for your shifter boot. Use 2 tie wraps and a garden hose washer (the rubber ones that are flat). Put it on the shifter, and slide down, install everything and then pry it up before putting your shifter ball back on, it'll keep the tension on the boot indefinitely.

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

You're right. I'm going to be moving to the house we bought so no car work until I invest in something that is safe. Next step is jack stands and a floor jack.

Maybe this too if I can save for it.
http://www.costco.com/Torin-Jacks-2-...100117417.html


I've seen some build threads where the cars get done so fast! Especially yours! J-pipe, custom exhaust and chassis bracing is on the docket. Want that rear wheel lifting under hard cornering!
I got that fixed just a little while back. Used a small ziptie that I trimmed and it holds the boot up thanks to how the shifter is designed. Wish I could mill a nice gated shifter

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

mine was NOT a quick build. Shoot...mine is just decently maintained and slightly modified.
but thanks, man.

I actually had a resin knob like yours a while back...I put it back on and I ALWAYS end up swapping back to my tall weighted mishimoto. I love how it feels.

Do you have the other shifter mods done?

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

Yeah the shifter bushing and short throw shifter. I had a lot of replacing to do on the hydraulic system. Changed the slave cylinder, master cylinder and got a steel braided clutch line. Still is inconsistent engagement at high revs. I think the pressure plate is starting to go out. Guess I could expect that at 183K.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Keep up the good work!

ebelp

Nice build. Post some pics of your cupholder LED's.

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

The grey goose bottle is the only thing that looks really good in the cup holder. Everything else has been kinda disappointing.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

looking good dude...

when we were building, I was looking into a lift as well, but just ended up getting a nice jack and jack stands...I honestly dont regret not getting a lift since it would have really cluttered up the garage space....

now if I had a 5 car garage, yes, a lift would be in there....

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

Hmm. Makes sense. I going to go with jack stands initially but the biggest issue I've faced is my back hurting like a bitch. If I can get the car high enough I wouldn't care. Have to see whether it makes sense in the long run. I just don't want some messed up shit happening when I'm just getting into something I love doing!

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

totally understand...

I dont have a crawler but I have a dedicated work on the car tshirt, hoodie, shorts and shoes (going commando FTW) ....i just put those on and go to town....music is a must have here...

my jack and stands get the car decently high

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

I got dedicated clothes after I ruined 3 jeans with grease stains. Personally that's character in my mind but my wife disagree's.

I'm just happy I won't have to deal with any land lords giving me shit. I'll actually be able to take my time and finish projects properly from here on out.

H23Accord

iTrader: (8)

I like how you customized the caliper.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

hahaha on the clothes....


btw not the high jack the thread (hence a link to the pic) but here is the car mid air...and this is at 3 clicks front and 3 on the back...I go upto 5 clicks at the most all around OR 6 clicks upfront/rear is the other side is on the ground...


https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2899/...d19bc8f5_c.jpg

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

Nice! That's decently high. Your car looks like glass. That's pretty clean!

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

Thank you sir...

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

Took the wife out on a nice drive and got a couple nice shots!

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Your TL only has 2 doors?

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

Lol I prefer if only 2 doors are used on the TL lol. Haven't taken it out for a day or two. Newly tarred roads outside. Can't get that crap on my paint. Weekend's almost here tho!

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

but but...great grip and lateral g's!!!!


Cool car...love the pictures too!

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

some great shots bud....love how you captured the sky....awesome

ATLS_666

Nice

klene259

awesome shots

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Dude, now that it's Springtime, you could replace your Winter Avatar with this!

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

I'll shrink it down and see if it looks any good. Don't want it to be just sky. I cleaned the TL up on Friday and got it nice and clean thinking I could take a pic but it just rained all day today.





I know, I know the rotor's have gotta go. Scared to pull off the Brembo's and strip the calipers.

klene259

nice shots

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Love that 2nd and 3rd shot.

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

Rainy weather has its benefits sometimes.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

What.....free car wash from Mother Nature?

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

lol yes with trails of dust and dirt left behind to illustrate the car's aerodynamic efficiency!

Well it makes the ground shiny sometimes. Gotta find a spot with an even amount of water to create a better reflection!

SlaammedILX

loving the wheels !

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

Thanks bud! I should have updates soon. Mostly maintenance though

96SC4

TL is coming along nicely

Honestly, I'm more interested in the SC400 though
I had one, and miss it...
The LS400 brakes are a cheap, great upgrade to the stock. Definitely do it ...
Keep the updates coming

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

New pics?

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

So new updates so far. We were moved into our new home 2 weeks ago. Last weekend was just cleaning the garage. The previous owner had a lot of scrap wood lying around. A lot of it I can't use so I got rid of a good chunk of it. The rest will be stored for what ever use I have. The garage needed a lot of dusting. Seems like it hadn't been cleaned out for 7 or 8 years. Lots of dust. Can't have any of that when I detail the cars. Things are getting slightly better organized now.

Fluids and sprays. Still need to arrange them all.


Shop Vac, steam machine and a couple other parts.


Stock TL and Lex wheels


Got 2 TL wheels for 20 bucks so now I can replace the cracked stock wheel and throw some winter treads on that. The clock came with the place. Not sure what to do with that lol. It doesn't work.


Work area with some clutter still. Need to find better ways of keeping it arranged.


Small Tool wall with garbage bag drapes. Classy as fuck!


TL still needs the grille area covered up from where I cut the plastic. I installed a fender liner that I bought for cheap. Paid 11 bucks but the downside is that it does not fit well. Will post pics of that soon.


Replaced the hood damper's which took a long time because lexus wanted to build a car that would survive a plane crash. Had to cut the mounts.


Took 3 hours to get to this point. I thought the TL was bad. Lexus really really didn't want anyone taking that front bumper off. Luckily I had the right tools to get the job done. The goal was to do the BFI intake mod for the car. Managed to cut holes in the intake box. Don't have time to cut the egg cups as yet.


The plan is to cut egg cups to create velocity stacks that just smoothen out intake flow.

Once that's done the plan is to do something similar for the TL.

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

Congrats on the new place

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

Thanks bud! I'm really excited because the garage was way bigger than I originally anticipated. Makes working on the cars pretty easy now.