All good things come in pairs - 700hp IS300TT sequential build

[whatthe]

Whether it’s peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, or mac and cheese… everyone has a favorite pair or combination. For me, my favorite pairing ventured away from lactose intolerance and nut allergies and towards some inexplicable need to try something new with a sequential two-way twin turbo setup on the 2JZ.
The idea for the update of the turbo setup came over 10 years ago before I had my 92 Toyota Aristo, while I still had my Aristo, and then took form when I purchased my IS300 8 years ago. Although it feels a bit like the story of Benjamin Button by starting a build thread when the car is currently road worthy and running, I figure no time like the present to start capturing the background and even the future of my IS300 project given that there are still a lot of mods to try on the car.

Anyway, I’ll start out with some blather back on the Aristo when I started playing with the sequential system and then get more into the IS and the build details.



The Aristo ended up a really good platform to get used to the 2JZ GTE and the sequential system. I hooked up LEDs to the sequential solenoids, took videos of the basic operation, and found a few areas that differed or expanded upon ‘common knowledge’ of the era. The overall package of somewhat heavy 4 door sedan, with 4 speed automatic and long and painful 1st gear was also really good motivation to improve on torque from 2000rpms+. In completely stock form, the best I could manage was 0-60mph in the 6 second range and 1/4mile around 15 seconds flat. It was what I imagined would happen if you combined all the potential of Ben Johnson and ruined it by putting that might into the body of Rosie Odonnell.
Although I could have cried myself to sleep with the disappointment of the out of the box performance I instead just kept doing tweaks on the car until it finally reached mid 4s on the 0-60 time, and ran a low 13 1/4mile nearing 109-110mph at Castrol on the stock ceramic twins.

It was a good daily car for a few years, but I was doing a lot of highway driving on single lane highways at the time, and wanted a lighter/more nimble/modern platform as well as LHD and 4 doors. Needless to say, in order to keep 2JZ, I was keeping an eye out for IS300.

The first manual car that I ended up finding was a lightly modified but somewhat abused IS300. It was so cheap back then, that most of the similarly aged IS300s for sale now are still more expensive. The car came fresh with Eibach springs, sway bars, factory Torsen LSD, sunroof, leather, a 5 speed manual… but lots to be desired in the form of minor damage on front bumper, rear bumper, rear door, roof, trunk spoiler, terribly painted random interior pieces, etc.. Some of the color scheme was so hideous, I was worried it would break my camera and never properly captured the hideous-ness. But.. on the bright side, in the dark shadows from far away, it didn’t look so bad.



So why start with an abused car as a project car? A valid question and one that I asked myself 8 years ago that led to me buying a second IS300 that was in pristine condition everywhere. The second one came up a little after, and was also a 5 speed manual, but lacked a sunroof, leather, etc... My plan was basically to execute an episode of wife swap with the two cars by trying to take good things from both cars and move forward in a positive way with my new pristine life/ride…

I briefly started on the, but quickly decided that I wanted my ratty old wife… I mean ride. I figured that since I was going to change out pretty much every part anyway (and because I couldn’t live without the sunroof), the rough around the edges version should be the winner. At the time, I still manage to do some baseline 0-60 tests, and engine logs on both vehicles for timing settings, cam, etc. Long story short, the pristine IS300 was easy to sell and with that settled, it was time to come up with some goals and focus on the car I now had.

The goal list started basically on the amount of horsepower, and then it was a matter of figuring out all of the supporting mods. On the IS300, this list unfortunately becomes a lot more involved as the IS300 is no Supra in stock form,. Even goals that involve a reasonable amount of power, you’ll find that your list is going to involve more than a reasonable amount of modifications. The 5 speed W55/W58 is weaker than either the R154 or the V160, the radiator is thinner/smaller, the tires are smaller, the brakes are not 4 pots and are smaller diameter, the differential gearing is higher and the diff is much smaller, fuel system has no return and lines are undersized, the engine bay is smaller, engine control is more complicated with lots of factory defined safeties in conjunction with the electronic throttle control is, etc.. Basically all the good and wonderful things about a boosted car… Toyota managed to not incorporate with the IS.


I should probably stop myself there as its getting long enough for a few post. I’ll get into the supporting mods, and start going through pics of the build next time.

In the meantime, some current pics of the car after a few rounds of wet sand 1500, 3000, 5000, cut, cut, cut, polish, polish and a few other things to ponder

[EK 2.0]

[whatthe]

So to summarize the last post in one sentence - sequential turbo system a must, 2JZ a must, IS300, and had a horsepower goal.... being 700hp.

Once I had an idea of the number of ponies, the next question was obviously what I was going to name all of those ponies.. twilight sparkle, Applejack, pinky pie??







And after the pony naming came the biggest gathering of 0 post forum newbie questions in my head in order to narrow down the parts that would meet that goal…

What 2J engine should I go with? Built GE vs. stock GTE? Earlier GTE or later/Vvti GTE? Did I even want VVTI since a lot of guys were saying VVTi can’t make top end power? Did the naturally aspirated head VVTi head actually flow better than the turbo VVTi GTE head like some guys said? Should I stick with single then parallel type sequential or go further like compound-series-parllel? Depending on the setup, what turbos could actually flow well and suit the transition? What is every single turbo compressor or turbine map that the internet has to offer? Which ones of those turbos would actually physically fit? Adapt to the stock GTE manifold or build tubular or build log or build some hybrid? What is the actual difference on spool of bearing type? What valves would function? What valves would fit? What rpms would suit the new turbos? How to increase cooling capacity? Driveline options – stock 5 speed was only good for 400hp, so what transmission? Marlin Crawler R154 or V160 or AR5 or...? Would a single plate clutch handle the power? Is crankwalk real or just a myth? Is multi-plate clutch worth it? How noisy is the multi-plate clutch? Should I go with modified stock fuel pump hanger and new pumps, or new pump hanger? How big on the injectors? What injectors will fit with the stock drive-by-wire throttle? What options for ebay intercoolers suck the least? Etc. etc. etc. (p.s. I'd be impressed if anyone actually reads these questions)



And then the problem was that with every question I could possibly think of, only led to more questions or ways to question the answers to those original questions. Because I was going very custom, and nothing was really off the table, in order to nail down my options I eventually had to get away from listening to the standard internet forum responses of ‘xxxxxxx mod increased spool by 500 rpms’ and instead looked and purchased various SAE (aka car nerd paradise) articles that picked a specific issue, and then promptly found ways to apply that to my setup. I also even started my own testing and decided to yank the motor while still doing my background info.

Some things were really just learning exercise and have yet to benefit my project.. but one day the unused nerdy info shall also pay off... (good example - I’m using a completely stock motor right now... but after I parked the car at the start of the project I built a flow bench, ripped apart my GE VVTi motor, made port molds, compared ports to another GTE head, etc..

GE vs GTE exhaust


GE vs GTE exhaust


GE vs GTE intake (GTE the big round one)


Vid of my bench in action
Flow Bench Test - YouTube

Bonus boring info - my flow bench was built in large part on the info provided on Tony Drews page from an old out of business flow bench manufacturer Hyperflow. Venturi = more efficient than orifice and a good choice for home benches. Here’s a link should anyone else feel inspired. http://www.tonydrews.com/Flowbench/FlowBench.htm

Soooooooo.... what did all this rambling in the early stages of the project actually amount to in terms of progress?

The engine was out, and I had a bone stock VVTi GTE Aristo motor sitting outside said car, while Stage 2 of the project happened (Stage 2 being life and let car sit in garage for several years)





Next post, I’ll go deeper into some of the decisions that I actually narrowed down on the car.. as I continue to bounce around with sarcasm and potentially relevant useful info

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Ah this is the car my buddy Cuyler was telling me about. Impressive build, I almost didn't believe him when he told me about it!

[whatthe]

Thanks man, say hi to Cuyler for me, I never seem to run into him anymore!

I still have lots of things to do on the car, but I'll keep adding in some old details/rationale first. Might as well make this update on the driveline seeing as the diff is giving me grief, and it’s on my mind.

Main transmission options when I started this–

W55/W58- 400hp tends to be more common recommendation for power limit. This was not an option long term. But I had swapped on stock twins at one point, bought a cheap clutch and planned to run it before finishing my sequential setup. Really, was just waste of time/effort as never ran it this way.

R154 – 600-ish hp… bit of a mixed review on power ratings with some guys making less, some guys rebuild with Marlin Crawler bits and go more so it was an option for a while as I scoured around for good deals. I almost purchased one a few times, but never actually committed.

The biggest thing holding me back was overall cost/performance. I wanted to rebuild it, to do so with Marlin Crawler parts, go with lightened flywheel, clutch, soarer bellhousing, driveshaft etc. and by the time I did that it would have been within a thousand bucks of the V160. Other things I didn’t like was the less than impressive shifting, hardly any multi-plate clutch options compared to V160, and stories of the rear transmission seal popping out at high speeds (oil on rear wheels at high speeds=no thanks).

V160- Eventually as you’ll see below, this is where I landed. Ideally I would have rebuilt this as well, but found one that was supposed to be basically new. Pros – the most robust option that would handle whatever amount of power I could foreseeably want, tons of multi-plate clutch options available, mates with Sequoia driveshaft in order to fit seamlessly. Sequoia driveshaft is a big cost saver as they are readily available. Cons being that it requires custom mount and mods around shifter, and is overpriced.

At the time that I grabbed the V160, the cost difference was justifiable enough, however nowadays I wouldn’t buy this transmission again. The price of them since they officially became discontinued is borderline stupidity. There are other options like AR5 (updated R154), and T56 magnum kits coming out that would suit better, especially mated to the 3.76 diff on the IS.


Rear Differential – %$^^$#%@^*)!

This is one part I haven’t upgraded as there are guys running 700whp with ET streets that apparently have pretty good success at longevity ON the street. When I first put it back together, I had a bit of self-imposed grief and had to grab another manual torsen diff. It has been working good all summer, but suspect I’ve basically just damaged a tooth on the pinion as I was playing around maximizing traction off launch with the ProEFI.

More on the suspected damage to come, but basics of options... stock supra 6spd is 3.11 doesn’t fit even remotely easily, IS300 5 spd 3.76, and the auto 3.9x stock diffs are easiest for most power reasonable power goals. Some guys swap in GS400 diff, and some swap in the largest gears they can into back which is 3.5x in the IS pumpkin (place a phone call to weir performance if you’re interested in those parts).

For me, this is basically TBD - I’m going to have to consider some options for next year as I would like to run stickier tires at the track and I’ve already encountered issues and would also really love taller gearing. If I can get something that will take more abuse, there is a couple hundred foot pounds of extra torque that I could use with anti-lag. Right now I set up anti-lag that works building over 20psi in about 0.5 second, but it just smokes tires so I don’t use it. My best launches are 2nd gear, 2500rpms with some ECU control to limit rpms after (for those in doubt of the torque – try this on a big single turbo 2J swap with pilot super sports on the back and let me know how it goes).


Clutches –

Clutch options were down to single and lightened flywheel or a Multi-plate/disc with it’s own flywheel. Those last few words are the main reason why multi-plates start to make sense on cost. Rather than having to pay for a lightened flywheel and clutch separately, multi-plates like the Os GIken use their own housing/flywheel assembly. If you are doing a cost comparison, be sure to consider that.

Besides that, I found stories of someone who managed to destroy pretty much any single disc clutch on a high power set up in a few passes at the strip… no matter how fancy the compound, or rating of the pressure plate… someone somewhere said that they destroyed it from too much heat.

The other benefits of having more discs/more friction is that you don’t need as high of a clamping force (not a fan of high clamping force… especially starting an engine with clutch in and no oil pressure), and the extra surface area can take a lot more heat
The biggest downside to multi-plates is the horrendous noise they make.

Now for some actual pictures seeing as no one will read above anyway..

The triple plate new in the box.



More of the clutch




Install of the clutch=super painful… there is absolutely no room to bolt it up and then lift the transmission into place on the IS. So, you have to slide the plates into place through the bellhousing as the transmission is going in. Torque down the pressure plate cover after… wheeoo.







The transmission was supposed to be brand new, even still had Toyota box, and wrapping. Wife and I drove to Ohio on a long weekend to grab it. Turned out not to be quite new, but has worked ok.



Getrag - the overpriced wonder



Some of the box of parts needed to swap on the V160. A couple studs on the companion flange on my ‘new’ v160 had a few stripped threads on it so obviously it was installed at some point. The flanges appear to be factory balanced flanges (sweet attention to detail Toyota), so just grabbed a new flange.






One of the many examples of ‘not a Supra’… V160 rubbed in several places in the tunnel. Extreme joy was had lifting this transmission into place, taking it down, lifting it into place, taking it down, lifting it place, taking it down… until all clearances were reasonable.




Clearance = nope



Another clearance shot



Required complex series of extensions to get at top bolts. I took some pictures so I would have the sequence correct for next time transmission would have to come out.





TRD transmission mount. The stock mount he had on the transmission was also destroyed likely due to how he tried to jam it on his IS, and figured an upgrade would be essential for the power anyway.



Shot of the SRT aluminum machined brace for the transmission as well as the SRT shifter relocation bracket as it was going into place




The original driveshaft was a nice two piece design… replaced by sequoia driveshaft which handily bolts up to the V160 and the stock rear end. Missing pictures of how I had cleaned up that Seq driveshaft.



While I was there, replaced rear main seal, and replaced pilot bearing. Ended up building myself a pvc tool to put the new crank seal in place. There is a tiny little lip on the seal that seems to get destroyed if it goes in at the slightest angle. No pics of my special tool you perverts, but as for the pilot bearing, pushing in grease was kind of gross/messy and I had an old sandwhich lying around, so…



Bearing starting to come out



The bearing press bread ball…

[ExtremeSi]

Awesome build Love the blue you choose too.

[mr2mike]

In before the pain of squeezing the turbo(s) in and other LHD turbo IS300 woes.

Nice work! Not an easy task.

[90_Shelby]

Love the bread press trick. I've used grease before but bread, bread is awesome!

[whatthe]

Originally posted by ExtremeSi

Awesome build Love the blue you choose too.

I originally wanted something close to Fords Liquid Blue. Since they don't have a paint code for that color, I found a couple paint codes close from BMW and Porsche and then tested a couple of panels. They were both slightly off the Ford, but ended up going with Porsche one that seemed to stand out a bit more in the sun. Paint work is a whole post of it's own to be had here yet.

Originally posted by mr2mike
In before the pain of squeezing the turbo(s) in and other LHD turbo IS300 woes.

Nice work! Not an easy task.

Sounds like you've had some experience. I did a couple things to make my life easier that I'll get into, but there is definitely no avoiding the smaller engine bay and awesome placement of some things like brake lines, heater core, etc.

Originally posted by 90_Shelby
Love the bread press trick. I've used grease before but bread, bread is awesome!

thanks, a lot of pastries will work fairly well, but I couldn't waste a donut

[Kloubek]

I saw an IS300 that looked identical (at a glance) merging onto Deerfoot last weekend, I believe. The driver gunned it and the car started fishtailing in the lane.

Now, I realize RWD can appear lacking control when it is not, and I'm not at all against people having their fun.... it just looked like a suspect thing to do with cars everywhere.

On the other hand, I'm getting older and less adventurous, and perhaps just a tiny bit anal about others driving in a manner which appears potentially unsafe. Regardless, it was an action that is sure to draw attention from the cops if nothing else.

If it was you, I'll say that the car does indeed appear to be a crazy sleeper.

[01RedDX]

.

[whatthe]

Thanks redDX!

and

Originally posted by Kloubek
I saw an IS300 that looked identical (at a glance) merging onto Deerfoot last weekend, I believe. The driver gunned it and the car started fishtailing in the lane.

Now, I realize RWD can appear lacking control when it is not, and I'm not at all against people having their fun.... it just looked like a suspect thing to do with cars everywhere.

On the other hand, I'm getting older and less adventurous, and perhaps just a tiny bit anal about others driving in a manner which appears potentially unsafe. Regardless, it was an action that is sure to draw attention from the cops if nothing else.

If it was you, I'll say that the car does indeed appear to be a crazy sleeper.

Well, even though most of us might typically encourage people to merge expeditiously in Calgary instead of going onto the highway at 70 km/hr (neither of which gets people ticketed), I will still add some comments back and say that if it was my car I would question the whole sideways/control bit and timing and location as I live outside Calgary and what I was up to for most of the long weekend.

Regardless of timing/location/etc. one of the biggest things that I really truly love with this setup is the incorporation of a modern factory-like aftermarket ECU that makes it a better car on the street. It's something I'll babble more about in a different post soon, but basically I like and use technology. The ProEFI is tied into wheel speed sensors/engine control/boost control/ etc. and limits front/rear wheel speed differential within a few mph and works incredibly well so that I don't go sideways at merging speeds (up front side note to everyone though... sometimes it's impossible not to squawk at the line with triple plate clutch. It's not me being offensive.. it's just how she gets off the line).

I hear you on attracting attention of cops no matter what the case and even the sleeper aspect. Despite the looks, nobody really expects these cars to either keep up to or be quicker than more modern platforms. And with both sides of the exhaust open it's a homing beacon for cops even at part throttle, and looks like an 18 year old might be driving it compared to my other rides more suited to my actual age. I still try to attract less attention by closing up one of the exits on the exhaust at the rear which cuts harmonics over 10dB and tames the level of obnoxiousism greatly (its going to be a real word one day).

[Kloubek]

Oh, I have no issues with people merging as is required to ensure no impediment to the flow of traffic. (Even if this means speeding). My point is that this particular vehicle did that overpowered sliding around. But if you say that your setup doesn't allow for this (and that sounds awesome btw), then I'll consider it is someone with a clone of your car. You have competition!

Regardless, impressive setup you have, and I love the bread trick!

[whatthe]

Originally posted by Kloubek
Oh, I have no issues with people merging as is required to ensure no impediment to the flow of traffic. (Even if this means speeding). My point is that this particular vehicle did that overpowered sliding around. But if you say that your setup doesn't allow for this (and that sounds awesome btw), then I'll consider it is someone with a clone of your car. You have competition!

Regardless, impressive setup you have, and I love the bread trick!

Yeah, its kind of like buying a new shirt, and seeing 4 other people wear it. Despite my best attempt to be unique, it doesn't always turn out that way. I even had a friend email me video of some car and I was like why is my car at that place and who is in it at first glance. These cars are used by some guys with big singles as drift machines, but it's not my cup of tea and I've done what I can to prevent that.

[mrsingh]

Really excited to hear the details of this build, if I keep my IS300 long enough, a turbo is in its future.

[whatthe]

Originally posted by mrsingh
Really excited to hear the details of this build, if I keep my IS300 long enough, a turbo is in its future.

Thanks Mr. Singh. Definitely feel free to use whatever ideas from here if you do keep and mod your IS. Also will mention that given the Corvette in your signature, you may also want to look into LSx swaps. Dedicated motorsports supplies some parts to make it happen. Even not boosted, it would be a fun package. I’m pretty committed on the 2J side though, so 2JZ GTE swap was an easy choice for me.


To continue on with the build and as for what attached/powers the driveline … Given that the 2JZ was installed into various platforms/configurations in JDM and USDM markets over the span of 11-ish years and a few generations, there are/were a few possible combinations to go with. With response/torque improvements critical to me, whatever option I looked at involved VVTi. From a wiring side it turned out to be a huge positive to stick with VVTi GTE motor but at the time I was more interested in the spool up and response. Most OEM articles showed a few hundred rpm increase over non VVTi motor with no negatives up top. Even articles like on http://www.3sgte.com/1JZGTE.htm from Toyota did a nice comparison of spool up on the 1JZ including the change to more modern turbos as well as the change to VVTi. Below for reference, you can see how Toyota itemized the differences





Narrowing down the many options, there are a few typical routes that suit keeping VVTi and ensuring the motor is strong enough to take turbo abuse in the IS. Option 1) stick with the 2JZ GE VVTi motor that came with the car and build the motor. Option 2) swap in just the 2JZ GTE block and keep the GE VVTi head or Option 3) full Aristo 2JZ GTE VVTi motor swap.

Option 1 - I considered this option the most in the beginning. At the time, people were saying that the GE head flowed better than the GTE head and it seemed like perfect excuse to put in some upgraded parts into the block. But rather than go all in on engine build parts, I started by flowing the GE and GTE heads on my home flow bench to see if it would flow better. The GE turned out to not flow better which was strike one. Also noticed exhaust spacing was going to be terrible on a sequential setup, which was the next big strike against this option for me.

It still can be the cheapest option depending on how you build it and would suit a built single project just fine. But even ignoring my main deciding factors, I would still suggest weighing out a few other pros/cons to determine which way someone else would want to go. i.e. - the newer GE VVTi blocks in the IS have weaker rods than any GTE, compression is high, intake manifold is pointed towards passenger side (complicates intercooler piping), coolant pipe off the water pump is smaller diameter, exhaust valves are not sodium filled, there is more shrouding around the valves in head chamber compared to GTE meaning possible hot spots in chamber), etc. etc.. basically Toyota clearly took many OEM type steps to distinguish the newer VVTi as a high compression naturally aspirated variation.

With this option out –

Option 2 - swapping in a 2JZ GTE block with GE VVTi head) I actually purchased a beautiful/mint/lucky/hard to find example of an older GTE and looked at this option next. But, to make a long story short, the old blocks didn’t have same casting for engine mount suited to the IS on the exhaust side and also didn’t like the miniscule oil hole that would have to suffice as a feed for the VVti compared to the actual VVTi blocks.

As a side reference here, I later found out that you can use an intake side mount on both exhaust and intake side of the old block and it actually corrects spacing from casting issue of not having the other mount holes on the older blocks. However I don’t think it would have changed my mind as I was against modifying this block in any shape at the time, work was so busy I figured I’d never have time to properly modify, and also would have been stuck with stock GE manifold on wrong side, valves/head that I would have wanted to modify, etc..

So...

Option 3 – stock Aristo GTE VVTi motor) The final conclusion and what is currently in the car. Although it was a risk that I would order a motor from JDM part supplier that didn't work, I had faith in the mighty 2J. I've had really great success with unopened 2JZs ( unfortunately better than various machine shops and built motors).

The VVTis were pretty cheap and for $2k, I got the variation of 2JZ that was truly purpose built for turbocharging from the factory (intake manifold in a better location for intercooler piping, larger diameter coolant pipe, smooth combustion chamber, bla, bla, bla,). When I got the motor, I did the maintenance and started fabbing up.

I’ll have to dig up some old photos here, but these show some of the above –

Twin engine Tundra? Maybe one day… the engine that is in the car after being brought home.



Engine on the ground. First thing I did was a leak down test on it. It’s easy to hear where air is blowing by (into a manifold or into crankcase, etc.) while the engine is out. Turned out to be super solid as far as leakdown went with only a few percent leak showing.



'Vacuuming' out the a/c



Engine out, a/c drained, wiring that was starting to happen from ECU to the ProEFI inside, etc.



Engine bay – while the engine was out, it was a great time to work on relocating ABS ( bend the stock brake lines and move it up and forward to give more room). Pretty much necessary whether a big single or a twins were going to go in.



Some of the ABS relocation/bracket modification in progress. I used an old poly sway bar bushing for bit of isolation



Drilled out tack welds to remove bottom piece and shove bracket forward



Picture after finishing up the valve stem seals. Besides the usual timing belt/plugs/etc. the valve stem seals are a guaranteed maintenance item on 2JZ. They turn hard as rock with heat and age and your project will blow oil smoke like a banshee without it. Any 2J motor swap should include these at the start



GTE head showing how it’s smooth



GE head after quick cut to get rid of how the valves were shrouded, and smooth out some of the sharp edges. I can't find the before shot, but there is no way to even make those marks on the chamber in the GTE. These are the kind of details that OEMs, and some engine builders focus on... so figure I'd throw this info in as it was surely keeping somebody somewhere awake at night