Neil E

2 hours ago, Bob King said:

What are the dimensions ?

….May need to sort out some wheel nuts 👍🏻

.....and probably some spigot rings if the centre bore is 67.5mm? Very nice looking rims.

I've only done it once and it was very tricky. 

Try this

I don't ever recall a radio tuner failing so I suspect the coaxial cable isn't connected properly. The antenna may be going up and down but is there a good connection between the head unit and the aerial mast?

I would unbolt the head unit to have a look at the connections, then try the radio with the aerial cable in and the cable out to see if it makes any difference. BBC Radio 2 around 88 to 91 usually has a strong signal. 

2 hours ago, Nigel Coleman said:

In a way Top Gear did us owners all a favour with their review keeping used price of SC's low and affordable for those of us who dared to take the plunge and buy one of these wonderful cars.

Definitely and curiously very few people caught on to just how good the earlier model Soarer was despite Clarkson's favourable review of it.

44 minutes ago, Bob King said:

  I’m never an expert but YouTube has been very helpful from time to time 😉

.......but you are a rockstar .....in the classic car show world at least.😁

I've watched lots of Kelvin's youtube content. He really knows his stuff.

Uncle Bob is our expert in Kent. In NZ for all things UZ there is Kelvin of the Car Tune Company. He doesn't have the same rockstar image as Bob but his vids are very good.

Follow Kelvin 

An LS430 with 600k on it confirms that in the right hands the 3UZ is a very safe bet.

How is the LW and MW reception? 

1 hour ago, Malc1 said:

My Ls400s are occasional “ race cars “ too ……. Amazing acceleration, speed  and manoeuvreability  with the right road conditions too of course ……. Real Proper Sports Grand Tourers for sure 😂

Malc 

The suspension set up makes it remarkably agile for a luxury limo and the 1UZ is so strong. 

Ah okay that's a shame.

Is the aerial on the rear wing working okay? I think I get all of my FM signal through that one and only DAB from an aftermarket front element. I may be wrong but I think the windscreen element provides FM signal diversity to the oem head unit. 

2 hours ago, Nigel Coleman said:

Quite right Neil. The SC430 was never designed to be a "Sports Car" but more of a luxury "Grand Tourer" which is what Top Gear did not understand when they slated it and what is it's appeal to me and many other owners.

Lexus did take note of this with the facelift models and slightly firm up the suspension without compromising the ride comfort.

Hi Nigel, in truth I think Top Gear did understand. It can of course be turned into a race car with a fixed roof but my issue with the design and placement in the Lexus range was the departure from the previous Soarer which was, in its day, superb as a sports grand tourer at LS level in V8 form and an executive Supra as the 2.5TT. Top Gear had to play to their audience, it was a poor review but if you understand that they were familiar with the earlier import Soarer (an LS400 coupe) they were right to expect something world beating in all departments. Like a broken record, I've said this a hundred times and as an old Soarer nut that's why my SC has received so much 'abuse.' 🤣

14 hours ago, Malc1 said:

where have the Notes gone too then ?  Digital notes could be kept forever presumably !

Malc

Malc they were lost with the demise of another forum.  

10 hours ago, Boomer54 said:

Thanks Neil, that's helpful. I love driving the SC 430 and as you say it is more than quick enough. My question only arose ,because of the difference in handling that I noticed  between the SC 430 and the XK. I don't need more horse power/ speed. It is more a feeling of tightness and precision on the road. The XK feels notably more 'glued' to the road and by comparison the SC just that bit more 'floaty'. Hence, I thought perhaps that strut might add something extra in that regard.

Hi Stephen, yes it just wasn't designed to be that sharp or precise. You already have the coilovers so stiffer sway bars (ARBs) would be the next thing to consider upgrading to improve the handling without the loss of that relaxed, laid back, SC character. The front strut bar will make just a very small difference. When I added the ISF rear sway bar, that was a great improvement. 

Can't you refer it back to the windscreen fitters and get them to fix it?

8 hours ago, Bob King said:

Neil would be the best person on here to ask 👍🏻

I can confirm that if you polish it, the strut brace is indeed very shiny and probably adds 10 bhp despite the increase in weight.🙂

The short serious summary answer is, I don't think there's any significant handling advantage in having a front strut brace for normal or even fairly spirited driving. On the track, on the limit or in a smash where it should add a bit more rigidity perhaps it's worth having. To improve the handling without compromising the ride, fit good tyres, coilovers and better ARBs.

When I first fitted it I would say I was 'in tune' with the car and was convinced the front top strut brace would make no difference at all but in practice I felt it did make it feel a fraction more stable. It's a shame the old forum notes are gone as I remember doing a very brief review.  

The SC is good fun and more capable than most realise considering it's a flexible cabriolet but If you want the car to handle and go fast the first thing to do is to leave the roof on, the windows up and think about fitting a roll cage. They are strong, well built cars but you really don't want to be upside down on the tarmac or in a ditch in one of these. 

Coilovers, wide wheels, wide sticky, tyres, uprated front anti-roll bar (Aristo/GS TTE) and an ISF rear anti-roll bar all definitely make a noticeable difference. Adding the underbody brace also stiffened it. Having a proper leather steering wheel to grip helps too.

 Mine isn't a posh Cusco brace but it has the optional authentic Lexus sticker to impress Uncle Bob the race scrutineer. 

3 hours ago, Mossypossy said:

Have packed a Panama. Fits in the spare wheel a treat.

What speed will it fly off?

I wouldn't risk anything that doesn't have a chin strap. 🎩

22 hours ago, Malc1 said:

Ah right, it’s the Soarer
Looks good 👍 

it’ll get sorted ok I’m sure 👌 

Malc 

Yes it's a 1UZ-FE LS coupe - almost bullet-proof.

2 minutes ago, Tomtit said:

I assume the spark plugs are all OK?  A coil pack could be breaking down. Could it be down to an inlet manifold leak or an exhaust leak? Just general questions as i am not familiar with the SC400 engine.

Yes the coils can fail and the leads can arc out with age but that's more obvious and it probably wouldn't be revving well at all. The fuel pump ecu is a known common failure. 

This could be many things but I would start with the very common fuel pump ecu fault. It has a 9V mode and also 12V mode when it needs to deliver more fuel. I recall this can also prevent the car from starting when hot.

There is a bypass that you can do with a bridging wire on the diagnostic port on top of the engine to test it. Bridge FP and B+ to put it into 12V mode. If that fixes the problem it's a faulty fuel pump ecu in the nearside rear passenger side panel. In my experience, it can be run in 12V mode without issue and replace the ECU as soon as you can. 

Just for you Malc, here is a pic of one of my old Soarers (SC400 in the US) They look a bit like this. 

They are 8 ohm speakers in the front. Some owners have fitted 4 ohm units and had no problems. I would try to find some newer ones that are a direct replacement unless the intention is to invest in an aftermarket amplifier too. 

3 hours ago, Mossypossy said:

Landed in our little gite for a couple of nights.

Only thing to report was a couple of times the alarm went off. Both times when I was having a comfort break on the motorway.

Going to smash the 400 mile tank mark this time. Reduced the cruise to 2000 rpm, about 75 mph.

 

Leaving a phone in the car can sometimes activate the car alarm. 

1 hour ago, Mossypossy said:

Think I need a trip there.

If you're in Normandy I think you may have missed the turning🤣

1 hour ago, Bob King said:

No problem…I I’ve got some creosote in the shed somewhere !😁😁

what paintwork you had done then ?

The usual.....front and rear bumpers. Dreaming of retirement as I don't have any time to play in the garage or drive for pleasure lately. 

On 4/3/2024 at 2:54 PM, Bob King said:

Brake/suspension cleaning and painting all finished 😎

 

 

Great work Bob - when can I drop mine off to you? It came back from its bi-annual trip to the spray booth last week.  

Good choice Bob they look very smart but won't you lose a half mark for the non-original metallic blue? 😁

Is the spare wheel in one of the suitcases?

2 hours ago, Bob King said:

Dressed up the slam panel with a fresh coat of satin black, also stripped off all the brackets and painted them, then reassembled with my obsession of black plastic caps on all the bolt heads….I really need to get out more ! 😄😄

   10mm plastic caps can be found on eBay 👍🏻👍🏻

 

If it helps stop the bolts from rusting then the plastic caps are well worth it Bob. I've snapped and extracted a few rusty 10mm bolts on the GS and RX, oddly not so much the SC.