What To Do With My Lexus Is 200?

[climo2k]

An update on my situation......my own fault really but brought the Lexus as a non runner and told it was immobliser but it's actually head gasket!!! Had it taken to garage and they told me its going to cost a grand!!! Ouch!!! Needs shimming, new valves, new cam belt, new coolant tank etc but pistons are fine!!! After trying to sell it for spares and breaking on eBay with no joy I have had a complete change of heart!.........rented me a garage and am going to use it as a project car and modify it slowly but surely! I wanna do it the justice it Lexus IS 200 deserves as it is the love of my life lol!!!

Want to get about 300 bhp but not sure what the best option for me is as the above problems are a problem.......

Seen some clever people on the forums and would like some advice etc

[The Transporter]

Errm, if you can't do a straight forward head gasket job yourself then how do you propose to carry out the work needed to produce all this extra power? Bearing in mind that you will either need to repair your engine to start with or replace it with another engine... I'm not trying to be horrid here but just being practical

[climo2k]

Well I'm talking about me modifying the body etc rather than the engine, I would get someone else to do the engine! I get what your saying but that's my problem not yours! Was more after friendly advice about weather I should fix the engine I have or get a new one baring in mind I want to eventually get around 300bhp mark!!

[sprinter2012]

There's a place on eBay that will supply and fit another 1G-FE engine for about a grand. Then you can keep the one you have now to fix up and work on outside the car?

300bhp out of an IS200 will be more hassle than it's worth really, you'll either need a turbo or an engine swap, neither of which are cheap.

The TTE supercharger kit is the only 'easy' way of making more power, it's a bolt on job which takes a few hours and gets you up to 200bhp, but it's still about £2000 and nobody that owns one wants to sell it!

Most parts in the supercharger kit are easy to buy/make. But the cradle that holds the supercharger itself is hard to manufacture, but funnily enough I've just decided I'm going to give it a go myself at work so.

EDIT: 200hp, not 2000hp...

[The Transporter]

OK but bearing in mind that you have just jibbed at paying a grand to repair, then your eyes are really gonna water when you pay a mechanic who knows what he's doing to give you 300 horses but as you say, that is your problem and not mine. I'd be inclined to bin the engine that you have and look for a 3 litre with all the electronics that need to go with it and start with a more powerful engine as your base

[north]

jup just like it is stated if you want more power the cheapest way is supercharging/ turbo but if you want to double the BHP output you'll be better of sourcing either a 1jz-gte (supra mk3 twin turbo engine), 2z-gte (supra mk4 twin turbo engine), any Lexus v8 engine or go balls out change everything and go RB26DETT Nissan Skyline engine ( this requires almost as much work as the 2jz-gte VVTi conversion as you'll have to change everything

And if you are going to have that done.... Prices will be in the 15 to 20.000 pounds. You'll have one of the most desireable cars but it would be cheaper to just buy an IS300 and put a turbo on that as it has the same NA engine as the toyota Supra ;) meaning that you can get nice upgrades for reasonable prices ( still it would throw you back around 2 to 3000 pounds but you'll end-up with Toyota Supra mk4 single turbo figures ;)

[Lance]

You only paid £500 for your car. You will get £300 for it in scrap value.

I would take the hit and take someone along who knows about cars next time you go to buy.

[BenIS]

The TTE supercharger kit is the only 'easy' way of making more power, it's a bolt on job which takes a few hours and gets you up to 2000bhp, but it's still about £2000 and nobody that owns one wants to sell it!

2000bhp eh WOW! lol I want one of them

[sprinter2012]

The TTE supercharger kit is the only 'easy' way of making more power, it's a bolt on job which takes a few hours and gets you up to 2000bhp, but it's still about £2000 and nobody that owns one wants to sell it!

2000bhp eh WOW! lol I want one of them

haha, getting confused between the cost and the power increase there!

[north]

Well if you just want to restore the is200 to it's former glory... why not get a engine from a scrapped car that has done less miles? It will bold straight in and won't cost to much about 350 to 500 and you will not need a mechanic to do it for you as it isn't difficult it'll just take some time but that's it. ( apart from servicing the younger engine, which I strongly recommend)

[fjcfarrar]

Something well over 200 BHP is feasible if you go for a 'charger. It is not a job for the faint-hearted, and a mechanic to do it for you is going to be very expensive. When that is done, the extra power will seek out all the flaws & weaknesses in an unknown, well-worn, elderly car which will cost another fortune to fix including any suspension upgrades etc. Yes, an interesting project if you have time and money on your side. You could end up with a fine car with "exciting" Insurance costs, massive fuel consumption and a great deal of satisfaction.

If you just enjoy the Lexus driving experience but would like more power, you might be better off in investing in a working IS300 instead. If you then find its 212BHP isn't enough, lean on that a bit. The power is a lot closer to start with to what you want. The IS300 also has a few extra toys and will work out cheaper & maybe more reliable than the above alternative. Don't be put off by the IS300 being an auto - people who start off against autos soon lose that prejudice.

As to your original engine. Unless it has been stripped down, head removed etc; I would take with a pinch of salt the catalogue of things that are said to need to be done. Even a head-skim is not automatic after a head-gasket failure - the gasket is there after all to take up slight differences between the head and block surfaces - a proper engineering works can cheaply tell if skimming is actually needed if you take the head to them, and even skimming is not hugely expensive. As to the other parts, you should be able to tell for yourself if they need replacing. Above all, a head-gasket replacement is a job you should easily be able to do yourself with a few ordinary tools and very little expense, gaining experience doing it if you are a novice. It is particularly easy with OHC engines because no valve adjustment is needed, just attention to cam-belt alignment. Having done this in a few evenings, you could sell your otherwise worthless IS200 as a going concern to put towards a decent IS300.