Neil E

Tough choice between Blue and Grey/Gray. Blue is the best colour but went with Grey/Gray as it suits the stealthy character of the ISF.

In the course of rapidly re-assembling the car in time to attend the Kemble Grand Tour - RAF Cosford meet yesterday, I didn't record the process but here are a couple pics. Building MDF speaker pods for the mid bass drivers and trial fitting them to check for clearance to the door glass in its lowest position. Re Refitting the door cards. The tweeters were a very tight fit but they are in, secure and working, without the need to add any further fixing. Not the most subtle of installs but when I have time to set it up properly, I think it's going to sound okay.

No idea, I didn't talk to him as he turned up late.... I have to say there were a few loud 'showy' exits from the car park but when the sun hit the RC as you pulled away it looked a million dollars, absolutely stunning. I followed Rich in his lowered SC out to the M54 and I noticed TUF4, (as it's known to the SC community) was attracting a little attention but I bet the RC turns heads everywhere.

Great line up and an excellent choice of venue. Apologies for rolling in late from West Sussex. I must learn to drive faster.

Check for an extra speaker, sometimes they fit one instead of splicing into the factory speakers. The Parrot module could be in the centre console or behind the dash, perhaps under the glove box or drivers side near the steering column.

2 in 1 day, that's rare. We managed 3 together at the Cannock meet but were easily out numbered by the ISF crowd. They say the ISF is rare but I suspect it's just more fake news as they seem to be everywhere. If I see another SC430 on the road, I wave or flash headlights if I'm in the SC but usually I spot them whilst driving the RX.

Thanks Rob, it's almost there. Took a quick look at the inside of the door this afternoon to see how much more sound deadening is required and also how much clearance there is for the mid bass magnet at the bottom of the door with the window down. I don't think there's quite enough to allow an enclosure to be built whilst retaining the original door trim speaker grill but it's close so I may try. A well secured and isolated mini bass box within the door might make a significant difference to the levels of unwanted door vibration. Turning attention away for the ICE, I'm itching to add an X pipe into the exhaust system to help with the scavenging and flow and remove the last remaining restriction in the system. Science suggests a slightly bigger bore X may increase the power but there's no evidence of that for the SC that I can find, even in the states where a few owners are running PPE headers. My original target was anything over 300 bhp but having reached 307 I'll try for 315 bhp, Low numbers compared to where you're heading but quite exciting for an SC430 with a 3UZ.

ICE forming.....the mids were going to sit behind the ML grills but they were recessed too far back so I'm now in the process of trimming the door panel to accept them. Getting them in at the right angle, tilted slightly in and slightly up in equal measure, left and right

The measurement is taken at the wheels on the rollers and from that whp reading the Dynojet software can estimate what the power at the flywheel is. The tester does need to set the machine up correctly to get a reasonably accurate estimate. Surrey RR do have a very good reputation, why not give them a call to confirm and clarify the result? I think they will say it is 365 hp at the wheels. If they still say 365 was measured at the crank, ask how it was tested. This may help explain. If you need a second opinion, I used Eurospec in Guildford the last time I tested the SC430 and they were very good. www.euro-spec2000.co.uk/

Time for an update. After setting up the bass drivers in the rear, the music system is beginning to sound pretty good so it's time to take it up a level with some Focal 3 way door speakers that I've had laying about for far too long. I did think about creating some door builds but instead will try to use the original positions and hide the focal mids and mid bass drivers behind the original ML covers. Examining the speaker positions within the door. The mid bass is an oval 6 x 9. The tweeters and mids are attached to the door by metal brackets Gathering together a few mounting brackets and spare tweeter housings. Prepping for a weekend install. The 6.5 mid bass need an mdf baffle fitment and will no doubt shake the door so requiring some sound deadening. First job complete, with a bit of a hack, the tweeters fit into the original pods.

As David and Martin said, it's only going to be an estimate based on the power measured at the wheels. Does the printed dyno sheet list the settings used and the conversion from wheel HP to flywheel HP? As a very, very rough calculation allow 15% for auto transmission loss and the measured 365 whp = approx 420 flywheel hp. Here's a print showing a stock ISF at 357whp on a Dynojet machine which I would think is similar to Surrey RR.

Yes of course, do keep it as a spare. Denso 02 sensors are not normally too difficult to replace. Chrome exhaust tips from Lexus are very expensive so I would shop around for those. Or maybe join us in the build thread and make a statement........

It could well be the blue-tooth phone module. Do you have any instructions for it or know the make /model number? If you switch blue-tooth on on your mobile can it see the car blue-tooth signal to pair with it?

Ah, that takes me back Chris....some hub caps just popped off nice and easy, others needed a good deal of cursing and muscle. To answer the original question, having the choice of centres would help sell the wheels but I doubt it would increase the value by an extra £100.

Oh that's good news, well done on tracing it. I bet it's good to have the hifi restored. So if I understand the theory, the first amp failed, the replacement amp works fine but the fuse blew in swapping them over? In the interest of checking the amplifier and what caused the 30A fuse to blow if you put the first amp back in and it doesn't work and doesn't blow the fuse, that would just about confirm the theory.

Looking good and well done you. I've seen a few of those crank pulley bolts stories where people are convinced it's welded on. I remember doing one similar to that with the engine in the car using a big breaker bar and 2 trolley jack handles as a sleeve. Like you I was sure something would snap before the bolt moved but it eventually turned with a short sharp movement.

That's a new one on me. Is there an aftermarket blue-tooth device fitted for mobile connectivity? Does it beep if you just switch the key to aux or ignition without starting the car?

Ouch! Lucky the main 160A fuse didn't blow. Taken from the US site but it looks as though there are two fuses 6 and 18 that need to be checked, drivers and passengers side kick panels.

Well that's shame, an LS without sound just isn't right. It's badged as Mark Levinson but Toyota/Lexus should have recalled them because they know very well there were problems with the expensive ML/Harman, Becker/Pioneer/Eclipse equipment. I can't be sure that the replacement head unit is perfect but if it powered up okay, it would be unlucky if it had the same fault. The amps are well known for their fragility but I would say the next step is to check the continuity of the cabling. (not an easy task even with a multi-meter and plenty of time) Does your amp have the part number 86280-0W180 ? I think it may be the same as the RX300 SEL and I have a spare. It has the remote terminal connection fault on it but does work fine as long as the head unit is switched off before the ignition is switched off. (well known Harman Becker fault, forget to turn the head unit off first and the amp remains on to drain the battery) If it's the same part number, that would at least allow you to eliminate the amplifier. I do have another spare good ML amp but I think it's for a later RX with different plug connections. One other thing I forgot to ask, have you changed any of the speakers?

Yes done that route and some really 'hairy scary' minor roads in the Alps but the only advantage of the Alps over the Scottish Highlands that I can think of for V8 owners is there are so many enticing long tunnels for exhaust sound clips. Late September/October is a good time to do the NC500 but I was up there earlier this year late August to early September and rarely got stuck behind anything. You do have to watch out for the odd stray sheep, cyclist, camper-van and highland 'coo' but most of the time it's just awesome motoring. With ample road to get by or passing places to permit good progress. Start where you like but officially it's here at Inverness. View from the top of the castle looking back down the river Ness towards Nessie. Some have accused the Highland Police force of turning a blind eye to car clubs enjoying the NC500 route but they strenuously deny it. I took this pic in the castle car park just after they unveiled their latest high speed interceptor pursuit car. Evidence that even in August you can have the place to yourself. (the ever so popular with car clubs - Kylesku Bridge) Though on closer inspection of the tarmac, it seems either Rusty or Ken Block may have been there ahead of me.

Hi Mark P.M returned, let me know where to send it.

Yes, that's it exactly, it was very easy to become absorbed in the videos. No ego trip, just proper enthusiasm, great explanation and very well crafted. Thanks for sharing. It takes me back to Soarer days and weighing up the idea of a 2JZ-GTE conversion. I wanted an Aristo to tweak too but settled for a GS430 whilst owning 2 Soarers and the itch for massive power faded. I think I'm completely over the need for speed now, the last car I looked at to replace the SC was a plain old RCF.

I haven't done the cold air intake so far. I haven't seen any produce better results than stock and the exhaust speaks for itself. Oh, I really enjoyed the IS300 garage projects on you tube,

Yeah no need for any spoiler spoilers, just keep the updates coming and watch the number of followers rise.

@rob_clio172 Cheers yes it's been fun. There's one in the US with a 2JZ big single conversion and as much as I love it as a nod to the 1JZ turbo Soarer, I think their true heritage demands a V8. Forced induction on the 3UZ is possible but the cost and journey to achieve it is scary. I didn't think I would keep it so long but it's a much better car to own than I first thought. The exhaust does sound nice, not too loud but vocal enough to confirm it's a V8, the clip doesn't really do it justice. I may swap the merge pipe for an X pipe just to finish it off. MIJ did an exceptional job to build the offside header as it's never been done before. I would recommend them, sensible pricing, good quality, just allow plenty of time. Installing the Alpine head unit has updated the tech a bit, I've always used high end Alpine like the 7998R for past installs but wasn't taking this one very seriously to begin with. With hindsight I wish I had gone for a higher spec and bigger screen model. At the moment I'm trying to improve the bass set up by swapping different subs, boxes and crossover settings to get the right result.