Engs Road: Route JCE10W

When I purchased the car 2 years ago, the goal in mind was to build a fun family car that could bring the family (along with an extra set of wheels in the back) to the racetrack. Reliability, and maximizing seat time was also top priority!

Stock by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Fast forward to now...

IS300 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

...and I've only been to 2 events.

The first was a drift event where I ran into some drivetrain issues. The driveline had a horrible vibration. More on that on a later date.

The second event was a track day where I was able to finally push the car for a proper shake down. The ceramic pads I was using started to fade half way through each session, so braking confidence was not there. The suspension setting was not ideal either. The car had too much rake, and I had toe out on the rear wheels. So, on braking and turn in, the rear end wanted to step out. It didn't make the day any less fun though.

I started to learn how the car was behaving, so I tried my best to do a fast lap. Still not fast lol. This is also on 300TW tires. Don't mind the RPMs in the video, the phone at the time could not handle all the data it was receiving.



Since the last event, I've lowered the car more, took out the rake, and realigned it (2nd photo above).

Sadly, most of my build photos were lost on my old phone, but I'll see what I can come up with!

Ahhh miss you in the west, But glad the socal track spirit is there.

Loving the dad wagoo, keep this thread going

I miss driving with all the homies! I'll make sure to send all the things like I'm driving off of T9 for 'ol time sakes lol.

I found some pictures in an old SD card! Nothing too good, but at least the thread won't be lame.

MAINTENANCE

When I purchased the car it was due for a timing belt, and it was puking oil from every seal.

Good thing the previous owner included an Aisin timing belt kit (w/ water pump), and a Denso first time fit radiator! I rebuilt the serpentine belt tensioner with a new Nachi bearing. If you can't afford OEM parts, the next best thing is to get it from the manufacturer's supplier!

Dirty 2J by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Dirty 2J Pt 2 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Rear Main Leak by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

New Cam Seals by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Valve Cover by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

NGK by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Nachi by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

I went with NGK spark plug wires and HPS silicone radiator hoses because racecar.

Maintenance items were purchased from the dealership and those included, but not limited to; valve cover gaskets, cam seals, front crank seal, rear main seal, VVT-i gear, harmonic balancer, spark plugs, air filter, motor mounts, serpentine belt, thermostat, and exhaust gaskets. All the plastics, rubber hoses, and connectors were old, so they broke upon eye contact. The dealership was very happy to see me multiple times that week.

New Everything by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

All done by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

There's a happy 2J

Nobody wants to drive to the track only to work on their car. Maintenance before anything! You might notice some blue paint marks on the cam caps and harmonic balancer bolt. I try to make it a habit to mark critical bolts after torquing them down. It's to confirm that the bolt has been torqued to spec, and it's a quick visual to check if any bolts have loosened through hard driving. I guess I took these pictures before marking everything? I don't know. My underbody is pretty colorful though. Suspension post coming soon.

5MT Swap Part 1

To make a short story long. The swap started before I even bought the car. I've been collecting all the parts. When I pulled the A650E automatic transmission off to replace the rear main seal, it was never intended to make it back in the car.

Pedals by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


If you're not familiar with this chassis, the 2JZ-GE variant of the Altezza Gita and the IS300 Sportcross never came with a manual transmission. Overseas, the Gita (Japan) and the IS200 (Europe) were offered with a 6MT that was paired to the 1G-FE:

GXE10L-AWFVKw08/2002-06/2005GXE10 EUR WG LHD 1GFE MTM (credit to www.toyodiy.com)

Lucky for us, that means the chassis was stamped for the clutch master cylinder for ALL LHD markets, not just RHD! Thank you Europe for having LHD vehicles, and Toyota for not changing your stamping die lol.

To drill out the firewall, I like to make a cardboard template by tracing out the clutch master cylinder's mounting flange. Make sure you mark where top dead center is, so when you transfer over the markings to the fire wall, your clutch master is true and not sideways. Tech tip, use a knock out punch for the center hole for a buttery smooth cut.

Firewall by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Clutch Master by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


MT pedal set were purchased from Driftmotion. These are all OEM parts, and it came in like 30 different pieces. The scariest part was installing the huge tension spring, which I later deleted for better pedal feel.

Actually, I started installing the pedals before I removed the A650E. AT Trans w/ MT Pedal set lol.

20181215_171207 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

pedals (2) by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


The first transmission I installed was the Aisin AR5 out of a 2006 Pontiac Solstice. It's based off an R154, so it shares some things in common. It's a great shifting transmission. I wish it had a traditional splined output shaft instead of a 6 bolt CV flange. You need a JZX110 shifter for it to work in the IS300.

jzx110 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


AR5 next to the oil soaked A650E

A650E by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


Huge shout out to Curran on my.is he has a thread for an AT to MT swap, it's a great resource!

5MT Swap Part 2

1JZ Flywheel with an Action Stage 2 clutch was installed for best street driveability.

1JZ Flywheel by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Action Clutch by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


I bought an MT tunnel and cut just the area I needed to mount the tunnel boot!

MT Tunnel by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


Yes, I used FIPG to stick on top of the AT Tunnel lol.

Tunnel Boot by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


No MIL! This is using an MT ECU.

Cluster by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


After the swap I signed up for a drift event to do a quick shake down. On the way, I noticed a slight vibration on the highway, and figured it was probably my wheels being unbalanced. I'm a noob to drifting, so I did a couple of laps, and spun out a bunch of times. The vibration became more and more noticeable. I called it quits, and was able to make it back home.

I checked driveline angles, OK. I had the driveshaft rebalanced, OK. The vibration was stilll there. Upon further inspection, I believe the issue had to do with the 4 bolt to 6 bolt adapter that is needed to install a custom drive shaft to the AR5's 6 bolt flange. Was this the issue? I don't know. At this point I was tired of diagnosing. Tired of the constant jacking up, checking, driving, and feeling this never ending vibration for weeks. So, I bought a new JZX100 R154 from Driftmotion lol.

20200324_165902 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


I opted for their IS300 Shifter Relocation.

R154 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

R154 (2) by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


Since the R154 was offered in most High Powered Toyota RWD Sedans, there are OEM solutions to fitting one into an IS300. As in, the IS300's AT crossmember rotated 180 degrees, and an OEM JZX100 Transmission mount (This will only fit JZX100 R154s obviously). This keeps your transmission and pinion angles in check.

20200309_202105 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


The only modification was using Driftmotions shifter relocation, and "massaging" the passenger side tunnel as the transmission's center section of the case makes contact. You'll also notice the Superpro bushing that's inserted into the R154 transmission mount, and that the output shaft dust shield is missing. Don't worry, this was installed. We want a happy seal, not a leaking seal.

R154 OE Parts by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


Called the local driveline shop for a custom length MA70 Supra Turbo driveshaft (the differential flange is identical to the IS300 among other things, more on that later). Later that day my driveshaft was ready to be picked up! Anxiety filled the cabin that night. Slowly cruised up to 80mph. Smooth. Thank goodness.

Alright, we're almost caught up, please bare with me! Let's talk about

Differentials!

AT IS300s use a 3.9 Final Drive, while the MT uses a 3.7 FD.

MT diffs are expensive, and I didn't want the stock 3.9 FD, so I picked up a 2012 FR-S diff which has a 4.1 FD. I really wanted a 4.3 FD from a 2017+ 86, but at the time, I guess noone has crashed any yet lol. One thing I love about Toyota is that their parts are compatible between platforms. The MA70 Supra, IS300, FR-S/BRZ share the same size ring and pinion, which means you can swap over final drives, torsen, or clutch LSDs if you wish. The differential case between the IS300 and FR-S are similar enough that they bolt right up without having to swap guts.

Picked up the diff or "axle carrier" from a local wrecker. Not so pretty, but the insides were clean! Before pulling the torsen/ring gear assembly out, I checked the backlash and teeth contact. Mark which side your shims and bearing caps are on! I don't remember off the top of my head what the backlash was, but it was in the middle of Toyota's service specification.

FRS by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


Went to town with an air hammer to knock out the old bushings.

Bushings knocked out by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


The waifu and kid were out of town visiting family, so I took this time to paint the diff in the bathroom. Why not outside? because it was the middle of winter. Let's just say my bathroom vent was not efficient enough in evacuating the fumes lol.

POR15 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


I don't have pictures of the process, but I removed the factory torsen, and installed an OS Giken 1.5 Way clutch type LSD. Installing this was pretty straight forward. I bought new side seals and side bearings to install onto the OS Giken LSD, but I reused the shims that were on the factory torsen. Again, I hope you marked which side is which, or you'll be spending a lot of time on reinstall trying to figure out which side each shim goes. Once the LSD was bolted up with the factory shims, the backlash was still within service specifications. If you don't feel like reusing shims, Toyota has a formula on picking out new shims. I didn't want to have to wait for a special order part, especially if I did my math wrong and had to order it multiple times.

OS Giken by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


Installed with SuperPro Bushings...

Super Pro Diff by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


...they were too squishy still, probably because both wheels now had traction? I switched over to Serialnine's delrin bushings. I was afraid it was going to be louder than the SuperPro's, but surprisingly I didn't notice an increase in NVH.

S9 Diff by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


OS Giken is one of the top tier LSDs, and you wouldn't even know I had a clutch type in my car. There is no harsh engagement or noises from daily driving, or from low speed maneuvers. Coming from a torsen LSD, I can say that clutch types are consistent in locking up. My old GS400 had a torsen, and it was a 50/50 chance if it locked up. On one lap I would be powering through an oversteer, and the next lap on the same corner, I'm uninstalling my front lip off the beaten path. Clutch type LSDs are where it's at. Should be top 3 on the performance mod to do list.

Suspension Tune

The car pretty much has Figs Engineering's catalog.

I rebuilt the front end with Superpro's non-adjustable bushings, and a new ball joint.

Superpro Rebuild by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


Coilovers by Powered by Max / Partshop Max

F: 14K
R:12K

Powered by Max by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


Sway bars by Hotchkis
Front and Back

Hotchkis by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


Lower Control Arm, Traction Arm, and Toe Link by Figs Engineering.

Figs by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


Not pictured are all the spherical bearings that were installed on the rear spindles. The rear UCA is still factory w/ old untouched bushings, but that's going to be changing soon!

IS by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

That's pretty much it for suspension, I couldn't find any more pictures.


ENGINE TUNE:

It's stock.

All I have is an HPS cold air intake and a Greddy Revolution RS.

aaaaaand we're all caught up!

Thank you! and we're not even close to being done yet lol. The colors are cool. Too bad no one will see them, unless I flip the car at the track.

Just you wait Goldy, sticker power mods are coming. whoa whoa whoa, hold up. Passed on the car? Do you not have the IS300 anymore? or am I misunderstanding?

But for reals though, I bought High HP RUCAs for my stock power car.


Kids college fund represented in steel by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


I'm excited to install Figs' road race hysteer knucks

RoadRace Knuckles by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

I ordered the RUCA without any spherical bearings/bushings because I had some Superpro bushings that I never got around to installing on the stock arm. Here they are now in their new home.

RUCA with SuperPros by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

These will eventually get installed after I finish a few other things.

So...what's the new project?

All these goodies !!

What a tragic fate lol.

All the slow lol.

Lol yeah let's hope not, but if it does happen, my gopro better be recording.

Picked up an extra set of front spindles to rebuild.

front spindles by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


I used a 3 jaw puller to push out the hub/inner bearing race.

removing hub by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


It wasn't too sketchy, but finding a place for all 3 jaws to grab evenly took some time.

hub removed by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


All the guts apart. The outer wheel bearing race is still press fit in there. I'm planing to leave it in there for now as I clean up the spindle and paint it.

spindles all apart by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


Of course the M6 bolts snapped off as I removed the dust shields (you can see one above). I actually broke one of my drill bits in one of the bolts...had to order a carbide drill bit to drill that out. It went through the broken drill bit like butter! and then tappa tappa tappa. M6x1.0 is usually the thread size for a 10mm head bolt on Toyotas.

m6x1.0 tapping by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

I've been a bit lazy on the prep for paint because it's cold lol.

I made a little bit of progress. I knocked off some loose rust and prepped the spindles. This is the first time I'm using VHT Chassis & Roll Bar paint. I've read good reviews, and I do like the coverage. It lays down nicely. I hope it's durable. They're currently curing in my closet lol.

VHT chassis paint by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr


The OE parts came in, so it'll be assembled soon!

New OE parts by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

I finally put the spindles back together. It's so satisfying to see those fresh wheel hubs!

Spindles Rebuilt by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

L&R Spindles by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

The hardest part was getting the axle nut torqued to 147 Nm by myself with no vise to hold the hub assembly from turning. The waifu came through though with the torque wrench as I held the spindle and studs with a pry bar.

Now I'm just waiting for the weather to be consistently warmer to install all the suspension parts...

Wow, I haven't posted in almost 10 months. I was able to install the new goodies when spring came around, but due to work life balance being all out of wack, I didn't get to enjoy my car this summer.

Some pics to play catch up:

Rear Upper Control Arms, Goodridge Stainless lines, and Rear Toe Arms.
Rear Goodies by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Refreshed front spindles, New OE Bearings and OE Hubs, just hanging out. Don't mind the caliper dangling by it's old rubber line.
Rebuilt Spindle by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Refreshed Spindle + New Brembo Blank Rotors + New OE Front Calipers + G-Loc R6 Brake Pads + Goodridge SS line.
New Brakes by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Stainless Lines by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Figs Hysteer Roadrace Kit w/ Extended Tie Rod.
Hysteer by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Spacers adjusted for minimal bump steer, I forgot what I measured. But it was something like 2mm of toe change w/ +- 3inches of travel.
Toe by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Rear Upper Control Arm installed. The bolts are a pain in the butt to get to. Popping the Upper balljoint off of the rear wasn't too bad actually. I used a FWD balljoint seperator and it fit perfectly between the balljoint and rear axle.
RUCA by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

All of the Figs Arms.
Rear Arms by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Aligning it took me 4 hours. Thank goodness my buddy let me use his lift for all of this!
Alignment by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Bought back my RPF1s lol and wrapped them in ADVAN A052s. Too bad we didn't hit up the track this year. 17x9 +35 245/40R17.
A052 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

I had to pull the front fenders to fit the tires, needless to say I messed up and now they look like bacon.
RPF1 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

I did go out to a meet this summer and met some fellow MT Sportcross owners!
Green by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Blue by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

3 MTs by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

I did have an ABS issue after the install. Between finding time, and motivation to work on it, it took me about 4 months to fix it lol. I thought I might've broken one of the speed sensor wires. But when I had time to actually diagnose it, all the wires were fine. Turned out the new wheel bearing grease shoved itself up into the sensor causing the sensor to not read the wheel speed during slow speeds (less than 3mph). Cleaned it up and we were all good to go.


The car is mechanically in good shape, just needs some new fluids after winter.

Maybe we'll have some fun next year!

YESS!!! thank you for the update. Miss you in socal.

loving the new additions and those torque marks

Likewise dude.

Paint marks make me feel safe. ^__^

Not much of an update, but I've been collecting some dress up parts.

Picked up some used Sport Design headlights. They're in OK shape.

Sport Design by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

I also picked up these mint Gita Dark Chrome taillights.

Dark Chrome by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

I've been wanting to get rid of the chrome trim in the lights, and what better way than to use OE parts!

More dress up parts!

Wald Reps by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Wald Rep Fender Flares all the way from Lithuania. These are supposed to be +20mm width. I really like the shape of them because they're pretty subtle. Real Walds are difficult to find and/or replace, so these reps will do. They are well made. I don't have pictures of them taped on the car, but it looks like they won't need too much work to fit up.

Unsure of my tire choices right now, so I don't know if the +20mm will be enough, or if I have to go with some wider N-Style flares. No Monster Service flares for me, they don't look good in my eyes. Parts Shop Max is developing over fenders, and I'm excited about those. <3 Over Fenders.

Waterford Hills Raceway 05/15/2022

The last time I was at Waterford was almost 2 years ago. The track is still as fun as I remembered! My gopro had the wrong settings so, I'm sorry for the overexposure. Surprised I was able to get a new PB of 1:27.85. That's 2 seconds faster than last time!

Edit: I mispoke. I was about 0.8 seconds faster lol. I thought i did a 1:29.xx but i checked my ild video and I did a 1:28.6x. I do wonder how fast I would be on my RPF1s/A052 combo.

Hey guys,

Been a minute. Sorry I haven't been updating this thread. Luckily, much hasn't been going on with the car.

Ended up cutting and flaring the body to fit the 245/40R17 A052s on the 17x9 +35 RPF1s. Enjoyed a handful of track days last year and ended with my personal best at Waterford Hills Raceway, 1:20.79.

Track_12081 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

Got some neat photos from the locals

IS3SC_Track_1 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

and this one is my favorite!

IS3SC_Track_2 by ENGS ROAD, on Flickr

And with that, this thread will come to an end. I sold the wagon last September. The new owner is a friend, so maybe I'll update this thread with his additions.

On to the next project.