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My Project II - Lexus IS300 Turbo Racecar (Drift)

151K views 398 replies 106 participants last post by  RoadRash 
#1 ·
Hi volks,

my name is Mike, I'm from Austria (Central Europe).
I just like to post up some pics and texts about my new project
on my IS300 M/T.

Well some story before:
I'm member in the EURO-Lexus Owners Club since 2002 when I bought
a Lexus IS200 powered by the 2.0L I6 VVTi engine (1G-FE),
which I got with a J160 6-speed transmission (also available in the Toyota Altezza).

OK for short.... I started a turbo project on it in 2004 and built it up to the first turbocharged Lexus IS200 in central Europe, there were just 2 or 3 in the world at this time and it came to about 230-250BHP @ 0,65bar of boost
(1bar = 14PSI).
OK in April 2006 I got in a terrible accident on the highway @ ~120kph
and shredded it into pieces.
Well, we started then to rip everything out of it, what could be useful
and put the chassis on the trash.


In 2007 I ordered somebody to import a '03 Lexus IS300 M/T from America in TCM color (which I love very much, since it did never get sold in this color in Europe).
Well.... in October '07 it was time for me to pick it up, put it down to Serbia (where I work for an Austrian construction company) due to tax and law advantages, put it back to Austria ;) and began to start a new Project.
That's why I'm calling it "My Project II" ;)


MY PROJECT II
(this all happened during the Year 2008)

Well, it seemed the IS300 also got involved into a terrible accident
and got rebuilt awfully.
The front is bended to the right side for about 2-3cm, the front and rear skirt
was hanging around somehow. ^ ^

I put it to a Lexus workshop and they solved most of the dents and other
not repaired "issues".
All in all the importer seemed to have cheated me, but I could get it for a good price and I knew that it won't last in stock condition. ;)

OK here, we started to rip out everything and put the whole interior in it,
which we got out of my IS200 Sport.
It had 2 color interior and textil seats (lower weight, not cold in winter)

...was there water inside? :suspiciou











Now it looks like this....




B&M Shortshifter B&M, TRD-GaugePod, Blitz BLM Gauges (Boost, Exh.Tmp., Fuel Press) ;)





Once we rented a garage to do the first steps of tuning....
HKS Hipermax II coilovers, Hotchkis SwayBars & AAC AngelEyes headlights (sorry for cellphone pics)











Angel Eyes.... B)



I also thought on modding the HiFi System a little bit....
Maqma MQ-E04 Tuner


...Subwoofer




To prevent vibrations....






Here we go...


 
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#129 ·
After all those bloody Jobs and hard ways, I really have to say once:

MANY GRATEFUL THANKS TO JOE @ PowerHouseRacing!!!

He did a very good & helpful job to give me the required support solving all
those issues during the modification processes for realizing the Project on my Lexus IS300 and shipping tons of stuff overseas here to Austria in Europe!!
THANK YOU MAN! :approve:
 
#135 ·
Still continuing my Project... :rolleyes:


3" exhaust system (non-cat)

This time we had some better tools than for my old exhaust system



Remove weld residues


step by step we're going backward





Once I had some steel catalytic converter.... seems it got shredded... :jawDrop:







coming to an end








The last piece of exhaust has to be created to fit correctly






Here we go











Installed... :)










Videos:





:)
 
#136 ·
Differential Installation

some words to it: I have brought it to my Lexus Dealer to install
the Euro spec IS300 A/T final gearing (1:3,58) in my US spec IS300 M/T (1:3,72) diff housing, including measuring and stuff...
It is soooo awsome!! :cool:

The gears of the V160 feeling now like the 5-speed, simply PERFECT GEARING!!








Oil & Servo Cooling System

Custom, Custom, Custom...... building clamps.... :blush:






Connectors for the Servo Cooling




Clamps got fitted to the crash bar




Finish..... but it was a bloody job, since there is no space to work with :suspiciou
in the front: feft side --> Servo Cooler / right side --> Oil Cooler










...and everything is sealed, there is no leaking :)
 
#144 · (Edited)
Differential Installation

some words to it: I have brought it to my Lexus Dealer to install
the Euro spec IS300 A/T final gearing (1:3,58) in my US spec IS300 M/T (1:3,72) diff housing, including measuring and stuff...
It is soooo awsome!! :cool:

The gears of the V160 feeling now like the 5-speed, simply PERFECT GEARING!!
Are you saying that your 6th is 3.58 or are you staying your diff. is 3.58 in euro spec. ???
 
#139 ·
wow this is one hell of a thread just read thru all the pages.. cant wait to see when its fully done.. great work!
Thank you!

I'm not sure if it gets finished at all once a day?! *haha*
There are so many ideas still existing to realize... :bigSmile:
 
#140 ·
it took me 2 hours to read this entire thread. incredible write up/progress. you have done an awesome job. what are your full plans for this beast? what's next?
 
#142 ·
Thanks man,
well I'm thinking most of the work is already done,
just a few mods still waiting as like Sparco Seats, maybe once a time
some -GTE intake manifold, still waiting for the leather to create my
shifter bag, for the front suspension there I will add some front upper arms
to adjust camber.... but all in all.... hmmm I'm sure to get some additional ideas HAHA

But as I mentioned somewhere in this thread,
that "the power should match to the car and the car to the power", so my target is, that first off it should be professionally balanced chassis/suspension/weight/power since I want to take it to Drift challenges or Dragraces, but still keeping it as a daily driver ride, so all the interior will stay. ;)

So there is no plan to get a 1000HP Monster... no way!
I aiming somwhere in the 600BHP area, just let's see what the Turbonetics GTK500 will give me with this setup.
If it is too small then maybe some slight turbo upgrade, but this is for future. :)




:lol: the guy welding doesn't have the helmet yet the guy wearing the helmet isn't welding. crazy!
HAHA you watched very well, I have asked him if he would want the helmet, but he didn't want to take it, he was happy with his 20$ shield lol,
so I kept it to look what he is doing. :bigSmile:
 
#147 ·
Mike, I love you.

So you went with the V160, then to fix the problem with the gearing, you dropped the diff to a 3.58, correct?

It seems like other than the tranny, the driveshaft, and the bracket to hold the tranny, you didn't need much in parts.
 
#148 ·
Correct! ;)

Casually in the Euro-LexusOwnersClub we were talking around about differentials
and we just have the IS300 A/T model (there is no M/T available), so I took the chance to look for some eurospec IS300 A/T gearing and have found this one:


So it's possible for everybody here to order those parts and make your gearing longer without ripping your car into pieces for some Supra/GS400 diff. ;)


And I love it every time when driving it, there is no shifter raping any more
you can drive it like your stock 5-speed now, awsome! :)
 
#159 ·
:confused:

He has to order it from japan, Europe or somewhere else.
At my Toyota/Lexus Dealer in Austria I get everything over the world,
what has any kind of Toyota Part.No.

If somebody is interested I could order parts for you and ship over,
pre-pay of course. Just PM me! ;)
 
#160 ·
...today I did something for the interior :)

Well the stock 5-speed shifter leather sack couldn't be fittet on
the C's V160 shifter, so I had to do something

before...




I have brought the stock leather sack to some saddler to create some new custom shifter sack fitting on the V160 stick

black with silver seames :cool:





Well, it really looks like a "Very Short Shifter" but it it OK and very nice to drive








Once a time I will have to renew the chrome ball on the top
 
#165 ·
mannn i love your car.

i went from auto to R154 about a year ago, but always wondered what the V160 is like in our boosted cars. i have the JDM version R154 with C's style short shifter as well, do you by chance have a video of you shifting (even if the car is off), just to see how well or not it goes through the gears?
 
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