Supercharged stock '96 LS400?

[V883]

Not yet but it's a possibility.

My Supercharged 1UZ Cressida is up for sale (contact me if you are interested) but if I get stupid offers I might just take the car apart and sell it off in bits. I get first choice naturally so I was thinking - "what might fit from the Cressida onto the 1996 LS400"?

The first item is obviously the M90 supercharger which is already working so I know I have all the bits needed to plonk it onto the 96. Plus, I'll lose sooooo much money selling the Cressida that the supercharger is practically free of charge. My problem is going to be reliability and hood/bonnet (as we call therm in Australia & England) clearance with the bigger pulley.

My current pulleys range in size but the biggest one still gives about 8lbs of boost which is too much for a stock 10.5:1 compression engine so I'd have to have a larger pulley made up but what size? The engine cover would have to come off but what apart from fitting and clearance what will I have to do to make this work with the stock ECU and everything? I have read on this forum that a stock engine will handle a small amount of boost without any mods but what is now the accepted maximum (I want to keep well clear of the maximum and will probably go with about 3/4 of that to ensure reliability.

Any suggestion or comments are appreciated. I'm pretty happy to leave the car stock as it's already a great car and I smile whenever I think of it but well...I have the (modifier's) disease it's difficult to leave things stock -0 as I'm sure many of you can appreciate.

 

[Lextreme II]

I would leave the Cressida as it is and sell it. Start all over again.

 

[V883]

So you're suggesting selling the Cressida as it is and leaving the LS400 alone?

 

[Lextreme II]

No my assumption was that you are trying to sell your Cressida. If that is the case, then sell the whole with the charger.

 

[V883]

OK, I understand.

If I didn't get any interest or just low offers and decided to keep the car or use the bits and sell the rest would I be safe putting in (say) 4 or 5lbs into the 96 engine or would the weaker rods prohibit any type of extra work without comprising durability?

We've seen what Justin does with stock motors (onya Justin) but these weaker rod gen2 motors might be too weak for much extra power. Not sure yet (I'm reading and searching through all the threads at the moment) but I think I'd be happy with around 200rwkw from what I felt with the Cressida's engine.

It would be great if I could turn what's already a great car and engine combo (the 96 LS400) into a high performance version of the same (especially with the ride height and suspension upgrades I'm planning) then I'm all for it. In fact I think the LS would make an excellent version of a Bigger Better "Supercharged Cressida". Besides, I like big cars and I like it better if they can perform "satisfactorily".

Another side issue is that at this point I'd be happy to swap the old car for the new car even if it does mean losing a lot of "play/fun" money - I don't invest in cars anyway. I invest elsewhere and spend the profits on cars so the main thing is that I want the car I drive to be powerful and safe at speed yet individualised and...did I say powerful?

I'm also guessing that the lowered springs, Koni shocks, wheels or LSD from the MX83 wouldn't fit this car. Correct me if I'm wrong. Would they fit a Gen 1 LS400?

 

[Lextreme II]

I think your Cressida worth some money if you sell it complete. Parting out will devalue your car. Secondly, your engine was built for FI not NA. So in NA form it would not run too well. Heck... keep both.... One for racing and one for daily.

 

[mshawari1]

Your old 1UZ was rebuild for SC and you but some good staff on in such as headers and WI as I remember. So … IMO, just swap the both 1UZ !!
Since your Cressida is ready for the 1UZ. Put the 96 NA 1UZ in it and sell it.. and start another big story with your SC LS400​

 

[cribbj]

We're deluding ourselves if we think we can put $10K, $20K, or $30K into a 20 year old Japanese car and get any of that back when we try to sell it.

That strategy only seems to work with American muscle cars and Italian exotics, and even then, only if the investment is in "restoration", not modifications.

I've seen more than one high end Supra owner become nearly suicidal after they learn their pride and joy with $85,000 in receipts is worth only a few thousand more (and sometimes a few thousand less) than a box stock Supra.

If it were me, I would put the Cressida on eBay, give it a glowing buildup, and hope that a filthy rich sheik with a fetish for Cressidas sees it and hits the "Buy it Now" button. Barring that, I would let it go for whatever it'll bring, try not to moan about it too much, and just get on with the new money pit, errrr, project.

To paraphrase a well known saying in racing: "How to make a small fortune modifying cars? Start with a large fortune!"

Good luck!

 

[V883]

I am under no such delusion - please rest assured. I am asking only a few thousand more than I paid for the car and I've pured well over 15k worth of improvements which the new owner will get for nearly nothing. The original owner put over 35k into it during the original build and I have put in almost that much again.

This car is about handling and brakes and transmission as well as the engine and it can be purchased for somewhere in the high teens. It will be suitable for a special enthusiast only. But I've been into cars for well over 20 years now so those illusions of profiting from cars left me many many many years ago. I am not trying to recoup any money - believe me. I'm having fun but I'm not going to stand on a street corner and just hand the keys to anyone walking past either. This car has tremendous value - one drive up into the hills and back (like I did last night) will tell you that instantly. It's one of the best performing cars I've ever been in.

I am practically giving it away just to make room for in the driveway. My loss will definitely be someone else's gain...as long as you like the sleeper approach which many people do. I could have sold it for 14k five times this last week but I want a little more (at least enough to cover the cost of the LS400) which is an absolute bargain as many of you know.

The full swap idea is interesting it just seems a shame to destroy such a nice stock LS400 which is why I only want to massage it a bit. I'm also considering turning it into a track car like Lex suggests. It's what it used to be when I bought it and what it's set up for but I also like to just move on sometimes.

I'd be happy to sell the Cressy for a reasonable price so there is still some sugar left in it for the new owner and improve the LS400 in just the right places (handling mostly). If I can step out of the Cressida and into my LS400 for no cash spent I'd be happy and would consider myself updated and happy.