Scara

2 hours ago, BigBoomer said:

Why not? Add some flared arches, a big boot spoiler, stretched tyres on big rims, and a Wayne & Tracie sticker on the windscreen,..... 🤣🤣
Oh you should see your face Malc 🤣

LOLOLOL

23 hours ago, runsgrateasanut said:

Excellent choice of colour 4K9 - doesn't show the dust. Now all you need is two dozen Hail dents and I can say "snap". Seriously, are you planning on changing the Indicator and side lens to clear?  

Those and many other ideas have been on my mind at some stage during the build however, the 'trim' costs money. I figured I could literally spend another $17k on accessories. At my age I feel I have to draw the line somewhere. Although going clear would bring it into the 21st century, I'm not sure it would make it stand out in a crowd. I must confess, I have thought about headlight covers which you can get for them. Food for thought though.....

https://gtsstyling.com/?make=40116&model=40865&year_id=40870&engine=40871&post_type=product&action=vpf-search

2 hours ago, Malc1 said:

she's looking very smart. Well done .  see you've got the original wheels 

Malc

Have to for licensing, the new gear will come next year. Gotta crawl before we walk :)

Finished the paint last weekend, bolted everything on to it to get a feeeeel. Waiting for the clear to harden up and then get into some polishing me thinks. Put a shadow colour round the bumper and lower doors. Mixed 50/50 4K9 and UC4D3 to get the shade I was looking for.

Well, first colour is almost done. Went with the 4K9 for the top half. 8 litres of paint and 4 litres of clear on here so far. Picking up another 2 litres for the front bumper (over in the lhc) on Friday arvo for this weekend.

Coming along nicely gents 😉

17 hours ago, Las Palmas said:

Impressive work. Agree that 16" wheels do not look big on such a big car, and maybe I think that 19" is too Japanese / Mexican for a luxury limousine. Front tyres not touching when turning on rough roads? Such roads exist where you live?

Unable to accurately respond to this just yet my friend. Car is up in the air and shall remain that way for a while yet. We have roads which are 7.5 / 10, the freeways are brilliant, and country twisties are especially good for motorcycle riding. I know inthe UK and alike cobblestone roads are common place. Our roads are fabulous. 

Here is one of our inner country roads. Speed limit 80 km/h on the east side of the freeway, 110 km/h on the other.

Its 15 kms from where I live.

22 hours ago, runsgrateasanut said:

Won't those big wheels change the drive train and you'll feel every small bump on the road.   My Car has 16" (standard size of '93) and see proper Lexus wheels if you look at my avatar.  Came off a different model Car but I like them. Easy maintenance and the only things that get a regular wash.

Horses for courses my friend, all depends on what you're looking for in a drive car.

All good and well having a town car with either 15" or 16" rims and tyres, but if the suspension is shyte, then everything about the way the car delivers its ride is wrong.

Having larger diameter wheels can be a God Sent if you know how to set up suspension. Any fool can throw on a set of larger rims and cross there fingers. Anything over 18" and you start sacrificing the genius of the design in the car. A 30 year old vehicle luxury vehicle unless specifically set up will naturally handle like an Airport Trolley if you do not what what you are doing. Fortunately I have a back ground in both tyres and suspension among my many hats.

Your basic 205/65R15 for example has a rolling circumference of around 792mm.

Changing up to a 215/60R16; 235/45R17; 245/40R18 or 245/35R19 (all LS400 Sizes btw) are all within 10mm of the original rolling circumference and does not effect the speedo or mileage.

As previously mentioned, changing the rim size however must be accompanied by suspension modifications which I have addressed by removing the original tired 30 year old shockies and springs and fitted gas strut coil overs, which I can raise or lower to my advantage to make the best use of the weight, handling, and design of the car without effect weight bias and lowering the centre of gravity for better cornering ability. Both the front and rear of these cars are 'fully' adjustable (camber, castor, toe) unlike most modern cars which are 'toe and go' adjustable only.

Carry on 😉

On 11/8/2022 at 5:08 PM, Malc1 said:

I do really think the original 15"  ??  Lexus wheels are best  ......  just so so classy imho

Did you encounter any rust in your bare metal investigations ?

Malc

No rust what so ever, we are pretty dry down here Malc.

Spent the past 3 Sunday's doing body prep work. Here is the 2nd to last coat of primer, final sanding happening this Saturday then paint goes on Sunday the 13th.

As for paint, Sikkens Akzonobel. 3 times the price of a regular Dulux or Dupont.

Hey Malc 1, did I mention I took it back to bare metal ? :) Bumpers are a tad different of course.

The original OEM colour is a 3H9 OEM.

I'm arguing with myself between that, the 4K9 and C4D3 combined. Bought all 3 regardless. Lets see how the gun flows come paint day :).

Been looking at wheels from all over the world too. Very difficult to select a wheel that suits both my taste and that of the car. I strive for elegance and I believe I may have sourced one that works for me. As seen on this white and silver example I included. Looks expensive on the car, and they pretty well are. Looking the higher side of $6K AUD with shipping from the US. That's around 647 Pounds each before shipping. 

The std wheels will get a clean up for licensing and fresh rubber fitted; there cheap enough at $105 per tyre. My ones are out of date and we all know how picky inspections can be. You guys call it M.O.T. inspection.

Will throw up some pics when the colour goes on and finished prolly 2 weeks once im done with it. 😉

On 9/16/2022 at 11:10 PM, runsgrateasanut said:

Did you repair /replace that broken EGR pipe that is located at the back of the engine? Didn't see it on your list of parts, but maybe overlooked it. 

Right pig of a place to get to without removing engine -  I  imagine?

EGR pipe not broken at all. Anyhow for the past 4 weeks spent time on the little things. Courtesy lamps inside foot wells and door cards, getting seats in shape, using the best of both colours schemes to get the finish im looking for.

Also had some electrical issues with the cooling fans constantly on. turned out to be faulty relays in fuse box 2 under the bonnet, and fuse box 3 behind bumper left hand side. There were four (4) of them so I replaced the lot. All sorted now.

This week I'll be getting round to buy them body paint in preparation to get to work on the body. I suspect 3 coats of primer then colour. Mmm, what colour shall it be ? lolol.

1st Start after a long build, 3 months of Sundays only. Took all of 15 seconds waiting for the fuel to get back into the injectors after changing the fuel filter Sunday past. Gurgled and spat for a moment, took a deep breath and wammo. Life. Quick fluid top up after a five minute warm up, skating around under the car looking for any type of leak, all going well he is good to go. Will let him settle overnight and have a goosey gander in the morning light. Good thing sunrise here is 5:45am :)

Have taken this week off work to savoir the fruits of my labour.

Now to get on with the stuff that everyone else looks at, the bodywork. 

Here are a few updates pics of the build coming along which include new suspension, brake rotors, complete front end bushings and suspension components to name but a few. Motor was in bad shape so I changed out everything that looked suspect. There are before and after shots to compare notes. Trans is an A341E so that got a rebuild too, not by me.

Includes newer interior going back in with refreshed dash cluster and HVAC for centre console. The last 3 pics is the drive-train back in the car.  The biggest headache has been the engine wiring loom. That took near 25 new connectors. Did them all myself. More to come.

On 8/8/2022 at 5:02 PM, Rob M said:

HI Ian,

  I've got a UK LS430 which I'd like to ship back to Australia.

  Mine runs mph for everything, including the odometer. When it gets there, I'd like to convert it so that it correctly reflects its odometer, and continues to correctly add increments in kilometers. Are you able to advise on how I might be able to do this? I saw in your build that you had some cluster assistance from Soarer Surgeon NZ. Was that for the same issue? Would you recommend I speak with them for this?

 

Many thanks,

Rob

His name is Mike Beck. Yes, I suggest you speak to him direct for further particulars. 

https://www.facebook.com/soarersurgeon/

Do you not have rolling circumference and load index rules applied to UK cars ? I only ask as the LS400 gen 1 and gen 2 for example comes in two variants: 205/65R15 and 215/60R16, both requiring a load index minimum of 94 (in aust).   The former having a overall diameter of 648mm and the latter 664mm, there would had to have been a speedo correction at production. I figure a 215/45R17  would have a overall diameter of 625mm therefore, speedo would read incorrectly, load index too low, and fuel consumption up without any revisions. Just pointing that out 😉  

Steve2006, I have just surveyed the forum properly, would you be kind enough to move this post in its entirety to the Build Thread ? I think it would be better. Cheers 😉

Original car sat way too high, almost 3" over the oem wheels, want to give it better street appeal and cornering ability. If only Bose electromagnetic suspension was allowed to be supplied at the time it was invented, would have made a whole heap of difference imo.

Here is a list of the parts on the buy list I either already have (in red), or are on the way. The list is up to date as of this afternoon. Again will take a group pic over the weekend.

INTERIOR:

·       DASH CLUSTER REBUILT - SOARER SURGEON NZ.

·       HVAC LCD SCREEN RHD - TANNIX ELECTRONIX WISCONSIN

·       DOOR CARDS TAN – BROWN REMOVED

·       SEATS TAN – BROWN REMOVED

·       DRIVERS SEAT BELT REPLACED.

·       CARPETS REPLACED TAN – BROWN REMOVED.

·       HOOD LINING RE-PINNED.

·       NEW DRIVERS MASTER CONTROL WINDOW SWITCH

·       NEW DRIVERS WINDOW MOTOR AND REGULATOR ARM

·       NEW CABIN FILTER AIR / HEATER

BODY EXTERIOR / LIGHTING

·       LEFT HAND HEADLIGHT INDICATOR REPLACED

·       DENT REMOVED RIGHT HAND FENDER ABOVE WHEEL ARCH

·       BUMPERS REPAIRED

·       WASHER SPRAY NOZZLES REPLACED

·       NEW RADIO ANTENNA INSERT OEM

·       DENSO wiper blades SET

·       NEW GAS BONNET STRUTS PAIR

ENGINE / DRIVESHAFT / EXHAUST:

·       RE-PINNED WIRING HARNESS

·       NEW ALTERNATOR

·       NEW STARTER MOTOR

·       GASKET SET TOP AND BOTTOM NEW

·       NEW WATER PUMP / TIMING BELT & H.A.T. KIT

·       NEW POWER STEERING PUMP

·       NEW HEATER CONTROL VALVE

·       NEW MISC HOSES

·       NEW RADIATOR

·       NEW RADIATOR HOSES TOP AND BOTTOM

·       Battery NEW / Battery TRAY REFRESHED

·       BREAK

·       A341E TRANSMISSION REBUILT NEW SOLENOIDS CLUTCHES

·       NEW PROP SHAFT CENTRE BEARING

·       FRONT Y PIPE REFURBISHED – DISCONTINUED BY LEXUS

·       NEW  S/S EXHAUST SYSTEM FROM Y PIPE BACK

·       NEW AIR / OIL / FUEL FILTERS SAKURI

·       NEW SERPENTINE BELT

·       NEW THERMOSTAT AND HOUSING WITH O RING

·       NEW HARMONIC BALANCER

·       NEW ENGINE  L & R AND TRANSMISSION MOUNTS

·       Denso A/C Receiver Drier

·       TRIDON TEMP SENSOR COOLANT

SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:

·       NEW FRONT, REAR ROTORS, brembo PADS, & BRAKE SENSORS

·       NEW COIL OVER SHOCKS AND SPRINGS

·       NEW WHEEL BEARINGS FRONT AND REAR

·       NEW S/S BRAIDED BRAKE LINES FRONT AND REAR

·       NEW TIE ROD ENDS OUTER L & R

·       NEW LOWER BALL JOINTS L& R

·       NEW UPPER WISHBONE ARMS WITH BUSHES AND BALL JOINTS L & R

·       NEW LOWER CONTROL ARM STRUT BUSHES

·       SUPERPRO RACK PINION BUSH KIT

Interior Pics all being changed out. As you can see he is in pretty bad shape. Been neglected for well over 7 years sitting in the baking sun, leather is like cardboard and too dark for my liking.

Newer interior is tan beige, as shown in last pic along with matching door cards and carpet.

Hello peeps.

Well further to many brethren suggestions, I am posting in the LS400 section.

Please find some of the tear down pictures as they come to hand.  The intention is to restore it to a former glory, motor trans, interior, etc paint.  So far the parts listings is adding up, but the show must go on.

Started the break down 3 weeks ago. This coming weekend I shall take some more photos of the parts I have purchased to date, mostly engine and interior with a touch of suspension thrown in. This week, I've been spending time concentrating on finding the hard to get bits, and sorting out the colour I want. OEM was 3H9.

Will be back in a week with an update 😉

Greetings and Salutations. New member from Western Australia. Have a 1992 LS 400 that needs TLC. Been in the family for some 11 years but ran out of rego and now needs refresh for re-licensing purposes. You guys call it MOT inspection.

Will post up a build thread if you like as things develop. Started tearing it down 2 days ago, lots of snap shots as I go. Will need to access experienced 1UZ-FE owners for the knowledge as time permits. Wish me luck with the tear down 😉