[fieroid]

I'd like to cover an interesting chapter of my tuning career with a very interesting build after my SOHC Honda exploits, something never done in our country. So its a Toyota/Lexus GS300 with a 2JZ-GTE Auto transmission JDM Vortex edition with rear wheel steering - with the same mental engine from the legendary Toyota Supra Mark 4 Twin turbo. The world is still so mad about this inline 6 monster after being off production for almost a decade. The world's best Inline 6 engine and the best sounding too. After having built another Import, a Mitsubishi EVO 4 4G63T to make over 400 horses, this is our latest pet project besides an Integra DC2 Type R and a few other race Honda SOHC and DOHC projects.

A good friend, from down south approached us to build his dream project and it was this - A high horsepower Lexus GS300 with a Supra package underneath in all its glory with an under-stated sheep clothing of a plush luxury Lexus on the outside. A total JDM sleeper was the plan.

Shaheen planned his dream and found a mint 2001 Lexus GS300 to his luck. After a quick restoration he sent the car over to us and in the process we managed to spot and quickly import a very rare Supra Getrag 6-speed transmission, which is quite rare a find. We also managed to bring down all the related bits and pieces to put together the manual conversion puzzle. A few hardcore enthusiasts abroad have converted the GS300 into nice drift machines with the manual conversion, but it needs some serious dedication and is an extremely difficult task. A big task for even people abroad with all the resources right around them, so let alone just such a job in India. After the manual conversion, the target was to strip down the engine and then go all-out. We wont speak any numbers now, but its going to be a serious build. The gearbox is good to handle a very modest 1000hp atleast. So after extensive research we decided to start the tear down process to first complete the manual transmission conversion. The engine bay and everything is so tightly spaced that its hard to even fit a finger anywhere underneath.

The stock Lexus GS300 is quite a slouch in stock form. Very lazy acceleration and the auto transmission makes you really wonder if it really packs over 250hp with a twin turbo VVT engine which is otherwise a mayhem in a supra with a manual box. The car is super heavy and is loaded with futuristic electronics and gizmo, very clearly the car was designed and built well ahead of its time.

So here is our build story. Will put down all pics and updates as and when we progress over the next few months.

We took down the stock Auto-box. And fabricated brackets and mounts to attach the Supra 6-speed transmission. Later we had to massage the gearbox tunnel to fit the now larger gearbox housing and find the right location for the gear lever and also now fabricate a new hand brake mechanism.

The next tedious task was to install a clutch pedal. The space under the dashboard to accommodate a clutch pedal is nearly impossible to find. With a lot of relocation and getting rid of the AC piping, we managed to slot in a Supra pedal set with extensive fabrication which took near two days. Also fabricated custom aluminum pedals to get the right width and feel. Then came the trouble of finding space to accommodate the external clutch master cylinder and do the rest. That also was finally done over time.

We have now converted this to a fully functional 6 speed manual transmission Lexus GS300. Only need to integrate the related electronics and then go for a fully standalone ECU module and get the rest of the car fully functional to make it a perfect 6 speed 280hp sleeper.

Post which we will strip down the car and go all-out with the engine. With all the right parts one can imagine to fire up that 2JZ-GTE monster engine.

A few pics will now do the talking and will update the thread as and when we progress.

[bhuvan_prasad]

Nice to see such mods also taking place in India. Even though that legendary engine is in a lexus and not the supra, with proper weight-reduction, even that lexus can be a hoot to drive.

An AT to MT conversion is always tricky, and more so on a electronic gizmo loaded car like this lexus, glad to see it done right.

Cannot wait for the final results. Are you removing the dual turbo's and putting a single, larger one?

[fieroid]

Originally Posted by bhuvan_prasad

Nice to see such mods also taking place in India. Even though that legendary engine is in a lexus and not the supra, with proper weight-reduction, even that lexus can be a hoot to drive.

An AT to MT conversion is always tricky, and more so on a electronic gizmo loaded car like this lexus, glad to see it done right.

Cannot wait for the final results. Are you removing the dual turbo's and putting a single, larger one?

Thanks mate.
Yes we are going for a massive single turbo upgrade. Not just that, but full forged internals, custom RC inhouse intake manifold, race cams, stage 4 turbo cylinder inhouse head upgrade with uprated valves, inhouse plumbing, dual waste gate setup, stage 3 clutch and the works. Everything to make a high horsepower build.
The car in the end will drive just like a supra and we have a serious weight reduction diet plan for this hulk. The only difference is the extra long wheelbase over the supra, which makes it a perfect drift car package. Should be easy to bring the rear-end out with the drop of a hat. The AT to MT conversion is extremely tricky and we took nearly a month to complete the task.

[dipen]

@fieroid
The success rate for AT to MT conversion cars in India has been very minimal. if you manage to pull this off successful (mean long term reliability), that would be an significant achievement.
We have had forum articles about BMW AT to MT, and similar ones, but believe none have lived up the way an original or even a ten year old original would work.

Also, if possible post the real world test videos at each stage comparing it with 90% similar hp and weight cars (factory originals) to test the effectiveness of your build. Some 0-100, 100-140 in top gear, 40-100 rolling and the likes.

Good luck and thank you for sharing.

[Cactus]

It is really great to see a mod as interesting as this. I have an Esteem type3. One day it is coming your way for some adrenalin. I recently saw an ad for Swift GTI engine (all engine parts except the block，wiring harness and ECU). The ad mentions that G13BB block which is the current engine block in Esteem can be used. Is that true?

[james]

A very interesting build. Ive always wondered how a manual, well tuned, stripped down gs300 would be like to drive. Have you'll tested the car as yet? Mind sharing the 0-100 and quarter mile stats?

I see you have mentioned custom this and custom that but nowhere mentioned upgraded brakes. Having driven a mint gs300, i can say that the brakes do NOT inspire confidence when used at high speeds.
I'm also curious about the reliability. Its not a problem putting stuff together- The main thing is reliability. Ive yet to come across a reliable mod especially big ones like this.

All the best to you and your team!!

Cheers!

[fieroid]

Originally Posted by james

A very interesting build. Ive always wondered how a manual, well tuned, stripped down gs300 would be like to drive. Have you'll tested the car as yet? Mind sharing the 0-100 and quarter mile stats?

I see you have mentioned custom this and custom that but nowhere mentioned upgraded brakes. Having driven a mint gs300, i can say that the brakes do NOT inspire confidence when used at high speeds.
I'm also curious about the reliability. Its not a problem putting stuff together- The main thing is reliability. Ive yet to come across a reliable mod especially big ones like this.

All the best to you and your team!!

Cheers!

Thanks man.
The build is only the manual conversion part. And it's a supra transmission which is a direct fit on the 2jz of the gs300. So it's not black magic. The car is only getting the manual upgrade after which comes everything else. The brakes I agree is crap. It's as good as an indica. The reliability and everything else of the package is a sorted one. We will however drive a few hundreds before we move to the next stage. And everything about the build is going to be built like a tank.
So we have no 0-100 timing since its just a manual conversion on a stock gs300 package. After which we will make it produce over twice or thrice the power. The engine will go fully forged with all the bits needed for a high horsepower build. The car will be dyno tested at every stage and we will surely share numbers here.

Originally Posted by Cactus

It is really great to see a mod as interesting as this. I have an Esteem type3. One day it is coming your way for some adrenalin. I recently saw an ad for Swift GTI engine (all engine parts except the block，wiring harness and ECU). The ad mentions that G13BB block which is the current engine block in Esteem can be used. Is that true?

The G13BB is our indian SOHC 1300cc engine. The G13B is the actual Twin cam engine. So you might wanna check it in person.

@Dipen - The conversion is basically a Supra package. We have already got the drivetrain and everything sorted. We build race cars and build high end setups on a daily basis. We have already done a lot of FWD conversions and this is on the same lines. Besides, to make it bullet proof reliable we have got all the mounts and brackets from the Supra and the remaining fabricated inhouse in order to ensure we have factory levels of reliability. The build is not just done with the gearbox conversion. There is a long way to go before we call it done. So the 0-300kph figures will have to wait!

[james]

You said this so I assumed its something complicated and difficult.

Originally Posted by fieroid

but it needs some serious dedication and is an extremely difficult task. A big task for even people abroad with all the resources right around them,

Then you said this which means its a direct swap with a lotta hype.

Originally Posted by fieroid

And it's a supra transmission which is a direct fit on the 2jz of the gs300. So it's not black magic.

Originally Posted by fieroid

in order to ensure we have factory levels of reliability

Reliability on big mod jobs is just a myth. But i hope you prove us all wrong.

Cheers!

[Cactus]

I may not be able to check the engine in person. But it seems I misread the ad. The engine comes with a G13BB block. I am tempted because GTI engine are hard to come by. Maybe If you know of a source and let me know an estimate for the installation，I can try and hold my horses.

Also，I wonder what you meant by FWD conversion in the above post. Is it FWD to RWD or RWD to FWD? Is it possible on all cars? (Read it as Esteem ).

[d_himan]

Fantastic - big daddy builds in India! The legendary Toyota 2jZ GTE..

But what excites me is the even more legendary 6 speed Getrag...people say it's the best transmission ever built so far... 1100/1200 whp builds bone stock and continue to run for years and years.

Very excited!

All the very best!

[avishar]

Wow you guys are heroes!

This is sub-zero cool!

Very impressive stuff, and to pull off such an unusual and difficult build is very commendable. Great taste on your client's part too, to commission such a build. This is really a sleeper in the perfect sense of the word, since nobody in on Indian streets atleast will even notice the car or understand the work that went into it.

[fieroid]

Originally Posted by Cactus

I may not be able to check the engine in person. But it seems I misread the ad. The engine comes with a G13BB block. I am tempted because GTI engine are hard to come by. Maybe If you know of a source and let me know an estimate for the installation，I can try and hold my horses.

Also，I wonder what you meant by FWD conversion in the above post. Is it FWD to RWD or RWD to FWD? Is it possible on all cars? (Read it as Esteem ).

FWD means, Front wheel drive. What I meant was we have donte a lot of Front wheel drive conversions which are super tricky. Esteem is FWD and its best that way

Originally Posted by d_himan

Fantastic - big daddy builds in India! The legendary Toyota 2jZ GTE..

But what excites me is the even more legendary 6 speed Getrag...people say it's the best transmission ever built so far... 1100/1200 whp builds bone stock and continue to run for years and years.

Very excited!

All the very best!

Thanks. We are equally excited about finding a very rare getrag transmission and the whole build is going in the right way.

Originally Posted by avishar

Wow you guys are heroes!

This is sub-zero cool!

Very impressive stuff, and to pull off such an unusual and difficult build is very commendable. Great taste on your client's part too, to commission such a build. This is really a sleeper in the perfect sense of the word, since nobody in on Indian streets atleast will even notice the car or understand the work that went into it.

Thanks. We will ensure it really stands out to what we have planned and surely bring the best out of the build. I'm a great fan of the 2JZ block and want to give it my all!

Originally Posted by james

You said this so I assumed its something complicated and difficult.


Then you said this which means its a direct swap with a lotta hype.



Reliability on big mod jobs is just a myth. But i hope you prove us all wrong.

Cheers!

Its super complicated to accomodate the gearbox into the chassis and get everything else. There is literally not a finger space to do anything around with this GS300 chassis. Especially to accommodate the foot controls and the master cylinder in the engine bay and then to sort everything else. Another nightmare is the electronics. Had it been a Supra AT to a Supra MT build, then its easy. What i meant by saying its no black magic is that the transmission is a direct swap into the 2jz block with no need of any spacer plate or studd relocation or whatsoever. The flywheel and everything is a direct swap from the Supra. Most reliability issues from an AT to MT conversion is when people shov something else into a different block just to go manual. Then you have clutch engagement problems, flywheel contact issues, poor pedal feel, excess wear and tear of clutch etc. Which is ruled out here.
We have even got a Supra rear propeller shaft which means we are not putting a blade on anything which holds power. Just to ensure we can drop nearly a ton of horsepower without snapping anything and without a doubt. Getting a package to just run is one thing and then getting something to run and put down power is another whole level. We are not just doing a manual conversion for those stock 280 ponies.

[bivin]

Originally Posted by fieroid

FWD means, Front wheel drive. What I meant was we have donte a lot of Front wheel drive conversions which are super tricky. Esteem is FWD and its best that way



Thanks. We are equally excited about finding a very rare getrag transmission and the whole build is going in the right way.



Thanks. We will ensure it really stands out to what we have planned and surely bring the best out of the build. I'm a great fan of the 2JZ block and want to give it my all!



Its super complicated to accomodate the gearbox into the chassis and get everything else. There is literally not a finger space to do anything around with this GS300 chassis. Especially to accommodate the foot controls and the master cylinder in the engine bay and then to sort everything else. Another nightmare is the electronics. Had it been a Supra AT to a Supra MT build, then its easy. What i meant by saying its no black magic is that the transmission is a direct swap into the 2jz block with no need of any spacer plate or studd relocation or whatsoever. The flywheel and everything is a direct swap from the Supra. Most reliability issues from an AT to MT conversion is when people shov something else into a different block just to go manual. Then you have clutch engagement problems, flywheel contact issues, poor pedal feel, excess wear and tear of clutch etc. Which is ruled out here.
We have even got a Supra rear propeller shaft which means we are not putting a blade on anything which holds power. Just to ensure we can drop nearly a ton of horsepower without snapping anything and without a doubt. Getting a package to just run is one thing and then getting something to run and put down power is another whole level. We are not just doing a manual conversion for those stock 280 ponies.

when you say FWD conversions, are you referring to an engine/gearbox swap
or FWD to RWD conversion?

[Cactus]

What I meant was that, FWD conversion, is it a Front Wheel Drive to Rear Wheel Drive or Rear Wheel Drive to Front Wheel Drive conversion? Esteem is fun to drive the way it is , but would a Front Wheel Drive to Rear Wheel Drive conversion be possible? Maybe using Gypsy gearbox, shaft and differential, and placing the engine in longitudinal position?

[fieroid]

I'm referring to FWD builds with different engine and tranny combo in the front itself. Not front to rear.