My Blue SC430

[Glyn Jennings]

Today I got round to refitting the straight pipes replacing the OEM rear muffler to the new resonator delete section I had made and that has got rid of the terrible drone I was getting with the straight through pipes fitted with resonators still fitted. However it is now not to loud within the car but it is really load outside of the car which is to much for my preference. It is much louder that the clip below so much so people look up or turn round when I approach them. So I will be putting the OEM muffler back on for now and perhaps next year think about adding a sports muffler 


 

 

[Dr Philip]

I think my SC430 is superb - everything absolutely original, and for my tastes I will keep it so. However, your mods do make these old grey cells of mine think!!!

Love and enjoyed your story and do keep us informed as you go

[Glyn Jennings]

Boxes arrived today after a 6 month wait

[Mr Vlad]

Way hey its Xmas come early. 

[Glyn Jennings]

Yesterday I thought I would have another go with the exhaust set up. So I put the old resonator section back on with the straight through back section. Hard work when you are doing it out in the road.  I have to say I am not very impressed with the new fabrication of the resonator delete section I had made. For one thing it is not level and I think the alignment is slightly out. There is also a plate below the cat exhaust joint that you have to remove to get to the joint. This is held on by 4 bolts one of which I found not tightened at all and would have fallen out at some point. So overall I am not impressed with quality of work carried out. It seems so many times it is down to “oh well that will do”.  

Anyway I took the car out for a drive today and it is a tad quieter to a point where it is still loud but not so obnoxious in my opinion.  It also doesn’t drone now like it did initially. I had a feeling it wouldn’t after some weeks back I discovered only one of three bolts securing the air conditioning pump to the engine which obviously was causing a vibration transmitting to the exhaust.

I have to say the throttle mod and exhaust has really transformed the car. It sounds and accelerates like a animal now.

On another note two weeks away from a year of purchasing the car it has now covered 9000 miles. That means I have done more in a year that the previous owner did in any four years of their 17 years of ownership.

 

 

 

 

[Glyn Jennings]

Update to my build project. Work Emitz 19” wheels which are Front 9.5J et35 and Rear 10.5J et35 are now fitted. Tyres are Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S 255/35 R19 and 275/30 R19.  They fill the arch’s well and I have no rubbing issues. I am surprised how much gap there is vertically between the top of the tyre and the wheel arch. It would look better lower but I am not going down that route because the value in a low mileage car being stock. My wife also has mobility issues.

Having now driven the car I am happy how it drives and comfort level with the new setup.

So that’s it for now as I have now done everything I wanted to do to the car. The only issue I am still not sure about is the exhaust in that I don’t mind it being loud outside the car I still find it a bit louder than I would inside the car. I will think about it next summer as to whether I spend more money trying to get it right.

 

[Neil E]

Stunning! I think it looks brilliant. The wheels bring a striking new elegance to a classy sport coupe.

Exhaust note is a personal preference. As I've said before, the answer is perhaps in deleting the centre resonators and reverting to a big single rear silencer. 

[royoftherovers]

5 minutes ago, Neil E said:

Stunning! I think it looks brilliant. The wheels bring a striking new elegance to a classy sport coupe.

Exhaust note is a personal preference. As I've said before, the answer is perhaps in deleting the centre resonators and reverting to a big single rear silencer. 

The wheels and angle from the rear nearside quarter for some reason reminded me of the demise of Isadore Duncan, sadly.

[Mr Vlad]

Car looks superb Glyn. I usually don't like that kind of wheel but on your car they're bob on 👍

[Glyn Jennings]

On 9/27/2022 at 1:06 PM, royoftherovers said:

The wheels and angle from the rear nearside quarter for some reason reminded me of the demise of Isadore Duncan, sadly.

I had to look her up as I had never heard of her. She certainly did some beautiful elegant poses. 

[Glyn Jennings]

I have now bought some cheap 26”wheel covers from amazon. When it rains hard it stops water splashing up and making the wheels dirty. They also keep prying eyes away. I think I am now getting obsessive. The next thing will be me buying her an electric blanket to keep her warm in winter.

[Glyn Jennings]

It’s quite some time since I did an update to this build thread so here’s what I have done since the last one.

I installed the rear quarter window mod as sold by Satoshi Sasaki in Japan. The install was very easy and I love the line of the rear window when it’s up as it flows into the line of the boot. I particularly like being able to have all the windows up with the top down. When driving with all the windows down and the roof up is not that practical as it gets very blowy at higher speeds. It does look stylish when stationary though. It reminds me of the pillar less coupes from old by BMW and Mercedes.







Next up was to replace the orange side marker reflectors to clear ones. I bought them via eBay as well as bulb holders and wiring in case I ever want to wire them up to the indicator circuit as they are orange LED’s. I would have liked some rear clear fog light lens and put red bulbs in them but have never been able source any.






I have now taken the Lexus Motif of the grille again which you can do on pre facelift grilles. I don’t mind it but I think it is a cleaner look without it which I prefer.



I bought a different Throttle controller to replace the SC430mods one I had and sold it to another owner. There was nothing wrong with it however I found you could fit one that has a lock function so when you remove the display if the car is started it won’t accelerate passed idle. As my car is parked in the road I wanted this extra security feature on top of the Disklok I use.

I know I am sad and obsessed in that I also bought a gold coloured 1/18” scale MotorMax SC430 model.and set about making it a replica of my real one. I stripped it all down, sprayed it the correct colour blue, changed the wheels to the same as mine and even painted some of the interior black to match. It was an absolute pain to do and is not as good looking at it close up as I would have liked.




Following driving up to Coventry I have  put the original muffler back on now as I realise how much I enjoy how refined the SC is as a tourer is on longer journeys. Having had a couple of other sports car I can’t believe what a wonderful and comfortable car the SC is and as good as my RX450h. I would love to take it on a long road trip around Europe.  

One thing personally I think it for me would improve the driving experience is a smaller diameter thicker steering wheel or a tighter lock to lock.

The only other mod I want to do at the moment is to colour code the silver part of the grille and chrome on the bonnet similar to the photos below but I can’t decide on whether to do the slats gloss black or leave them as they are. I will wrap them first with some vinyl I have just ordered so it can be restored to OEM. I will post pictures when done.




At some point in the future if a system is ever available I would like cameras around especially as I am very conscious  of kerbing my expensive alloys. 

Finally the mileage is now 9600 miles so it is never going to be a high mileage car at this rate. MOT is at next week so hopefully no issues. 

 

text 2.txt

[Glyn Jennings]

14 minutes ago, Glyn Jennings said:

It’s quite some time since I did an update to this build thread so here’s what I have done since the last one.

I installed the rear quarter window mod as sold by Satoshi Sasaki in Japan. The install was very easy and I love the line of the rear window when it’s up as it flows into the line of the boot. I particularly like being able to have all the windows up with the top down. When driving with all the windows down and the roof up is not that practical as it gets very blowy at higher speeds. It does look stylish when stationary though. It reminds me of the pillar less coupes from old by BMW and Mercedes.







Next up was to replace the orange side marker reflectors to clear ones. I bought them via ebay as well as bulb holders and wiring in case I ever want to wire them up to the indicator circuit as they are orange LED’s. I would have liked some rear clear fog light lens and put red bulbs in them but have never been able source any.






I have now taken the Lexus Motif of the grille again which you can do on pre facelift grilles. I don’t mind it but I think it is a cleaner look without it which I prefer.



I bought a different Throttle controller to replace the SC430mods one I had and sold it to another owner. There was nothing wrong with it however I found you could fit one that has a lock function so when you remove the display if the car is started it won’t accelerate passed idle. As my car is parked in the road I wanted this extra security feature on top of the Disklok I use.

I know I am sad and obsessed in that I also bought a gold coloured 1/18” scale MotorMax SC430 model.and set about making it a replica of my real one. I stripped it all down, sprayed it the correct colour blue, changed the wheels to the same as mine and even painted some of the interior black to match. It was an absolute pain to do and is not as good looking at it close up as I would have liked.




Following driving up to Coventry I have  put the original muffler back on now as I realise how much I enjoy how refined the SC is as a tourer is on longer journeys. Having had a couple of other sports car I can’t believe what a wonderful and comfortable car the SC is and as good as my RX450h. I would love to take it on a long road trip around Europe.  

One thing personally I think it for me would improve the driving experience is a smaller diameter thicker steering wheel or a tighter lock to lock.

The only other mod I want to do at the moment is to colour code the silver part of the grille and chrome on the bonnet similar to the photos below but I can’t decide on whether to do the slats gloss black or leave them as they are. I will wrap them first with some vinyl I have just ordered so it can be restored to OEM. I will post pictures when done.




At some point in the future if a system is ever available I would like cameras around especially as I am very conscious  of kerbing my expensive alloys. 

Finally the mileage is now 9600 miles so it is never going to be a high mileage car at this rate. MOT is at next week so hopefully no issues. 

 

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Ignore the last 3 photos and the text as I can’t seem to edit them out of the post

[Neil E]

Good progress Glyn. I can certainly recommend a thicker leather steering wheel versus the feel of the thin wooden slippery wheel. It makes a significant difference.

[Ken Timbers]

Good luck with the MOT, Glyn, and thanks for the update. As I'm not a 'hands-on' motorist with any knowhow on DIY, I find the reports of other members of great interest. I must at some point have missed any explanation of such a low mileage on a 2004 car—that sounds like an excellent find!

I've had a lot of different types of car over my 67 years of driving, and this car has made me realise what I've missed in not having a cabriolet. Unfortunately, ownership has coincided with a degree of health that limits my range, because I'd love to have owned this in the days when I toured in France and Germany. Take my advice and make the most of it while you're able! The old saying is right: "You regret the things you haven't done more than the things you have!"

[Glyn Jennings]

3 hours ago, Ken Timbers said:

Good luck with the MOT, Glyn, and thanks for the update. As I'm not a 'hands-on' motorist with any knowhow on DIY, I find the reports of other members of great interest. I must at some point have missed any explanation of such a low mileage on a 2004 car—that sounds like an excellent find!

I've had a lot of different types of car over my 67 years of driving, and this car has made me realise what I've missed in not having a cabriolet. Unfortunately, ownership has coincided with a degree of health that limits my range, because I'd love to have owned this in the days when I toured in France and Germany. Take my advice and make the most of it while you're able! The old saying is right: "You regret the things you haven't done more than the things you have!"

Thanks for your comments Ken. The story behind the low mileage is that it was purchased by a elderly lady who was very wealthy and the family owned lots of high end cars such as Range Rovers Jaguars etc. I believe  it was her husband who drove it most but even that was sometimes only 100 in some of the years they owned it. After he died she kept it for a couple of years before I bought it from a dealer who was a friend of the family who was selling it on their behalf. It was only ever serviced by Lexus a year after it was purchased I assume it may have had a service somewhere else but maybe not as it only had 7400 miles when I bought it. It does however have a complete MOT history. They did spend £1500 at a Lexus dealership changing age related items like tyres, radiator, Battery and timing belt before putting it up for sale. It certainly was an exceptional find and has not missed a beet in my ownership.

I too am older now but enjoyed spending nearly 30 years driving to France and Italy every year with my family but never in a sports car. The reality is because my wife is unable to get in a sports car these days it unlikely I will go touring in it. I do love driving it but it is only short drives which is rewarding enough.

[Glyn Jennings]

19 hours ago, Neil E said:

Good progress Glyn. I can certainly recommend a thicker leather steering wheel versus the feel of the thin wooden slippery wheel. It makes a significant difference.

Now I have wrapped it it is not so slippery but not any thicker. Perhaps in the future I might invest in revised one. It’s a shame no one in the UK offers that service and I am surprised at the cost when you see how little they can cost compared to one for an old English sports car.

[Boomer54]

On 9/26/2022 at 8:42 PM, Glyn Jennings said:

Update to my build project. Work Emitz 19” wheels which are Front 9.5J et35 and Rear 10.5J et35 are now fitted. Tyres are Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S 255/35 R19 and 275/30 R19.  They fill the arch’s well and I have no rubbing issues. I am surprised how much gap there is vertically between the top of the tyre and the wheel arch. It would look better lower but I am not going down that route because the value in a low mileage car being stock. My wife also has mobility issues.

Having now driven the car I am happy how it drives and comfort level with the new setup.

So that’s it for now as I have now done everything I wanted to do to the car. The only issue I am still not sure about is the exhaust in that I don’t mind it being loud outside the car I still find it a bit louder than I would inside the car. I will think about it next summer as to whether I spend more money trying to get it right.

 

Gorgeous old son, stand up , take the bow (the crowd went wild), and you deserve a medal for committment and application. Watchers ,this is how you get somewhere in life. You decide what you want and you make it happen.

[Boomer54]

47 minutes ago, Boomer54 said:

Gorgeous old son, stand up , take the bow (the crowd went wild), and you deserve a medal for committment and application. Watchers ,this is how you get somewhere in life. You decide what you want and you make it happen.

For the record although by nature I lean towards the traditional I also appreciate when the modern is blended aesthetically with the old. I think your choice of doing that ,the carbon with the Ecru was a standout choice.

Each to theirown ,but people did used to pay me rather a lot to make those decisions, so take it from me, you did very well.

[Boomer54]

On 7/23/2023 at 4:28 PM, Glyn Jennings said:

It’s quite some time since I did an update to this build thread so here’s what I have done since the last one.

I installed the rear quarter window mod as sold by Satoshi Sasaki in Japan. The install was very easy and I love the line of the rear window when it’s up as it flows into the line of the boot. I particularly like being able to have all the windows up with the top down. When driving with all the windows down and the roof up is not that practical as it gets very blowy at higher speeds. It does look stylish when stationary though. It reminds me of the pillar less coupes from old by BMW and Mercedes.







Next up was to replace the orange side marker reflectors to clear ones. I bought them via ebay as well as bulb holders and wiring in case I ever want to wire them up to the indicator circuit as they are orange LED’s. I would have liked some rear clear fog light lens and put red bulbs in them but have never been able source any.






I have now taken the Lexus Motif of the grille again which you can do on pre facelift grilles. I don’t mind it but I think it is a cleaner look without it which I prefer.



I bought a different Throttle controller to replace the SC430mods one I had and sold it to another owner. There was nothing wrong with it however I found you could fit one that has a lock function so when you remove the display if the car is started it won’t accelerate passed idle. As my car is parked in the road I wanted this extra security feature on top of the Disklok I use.

I know I am sad and obsessed in that I also bought a gold coloured 1/18” scale MotorMax SC430 model.and set about making it a replica of my real one. I stripped it all down, sprayed it the correct colour blue, changed the wheels to the same as mine and even painted some of the interior black to match. It was an absolute pain to do and is not as good looking at it close up as I would have liked.




Following driving up to Coventry I have  put the original muffler back on now as I realise how much I enjoy how refined the SC is as a tourer is on longer journeys. Having had a couple of other sports car I can’t believe what a wonderful and comfortable car the SC is and as good as my RX450h. I would love to take it on a long road trip around Europe.  

One thing personally I think it for me would improve the driving experience is a smaller diameter thicker steering wheel or a tighter lock to lock.

The only other mod I want to do at the moment is to colour code the silver part of the grille and chrome on the bonnet similar to the photos below but I can’t decide on whether to do the slats gloss black or leave them as they are. I will wrap them first with some vinyl I have just ordered so it can be restored to OEM. I will post pictures when done.




At some point in the future if a system is ever available I would like cameras around especially as I am very conscious  of kerbing my expensive alloys. 

Finally the mileage is now 9600 miles so it is never going to be a high mileage car at this rate. MOT is at next week so hopefully no issues. 

 

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Might be a trick of the photography, but just have a look if you have a bubble starting adjacent to the roof seal on passenger side and bonnet side. Might be just light reflection.

After my mixup the other day came back to take another look at your build. Labour of lover. Wish I had your skills.