Luxi is getting the Lexus 1UZ VVTi

mark watson · Post by **mark watson** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 8:05 am

thanks steve , i agree with the generalisation ( my apologies ) , we have had good feedback yes from some people , but some just irritate you with stupid comments , but again thanks for the kind words , i for one am always keen to tackle the weird conversions and restorations ( 147 willys - 1uz , 62 series cruiser with 80 series chassis - 3uz etc ) , and coming back to naas's van we worked out a very amicable agreement where its not costing him any more than the original quoted price , that is one thing i believe dont give out these silly 100k quotes cause then you are killing the guys ( but if some want to pay this then so be it ) i do this for the passion not to get rich on the first 2 jobs.
just with the comment of fitting the motor without the transfer , wiring the motor before fitting etc is just hogwash , that is what dummy motors are for as if there is any welding etc you do it then , the wiring we prep before putting the motor in as it makes life easier , weve done upwards of 50 conversions but its the first 5 speed so yes we had a few issues but we will not let them beat us , naas has been a star with this one as hes has put so much into it and was not shy as we did a lot of research before hand so there blows another comment of alex's out of the water ,
shame even the mother in law asked how do you give yourself a nickname of pers kers ( she thinks he must be sexually frustrated )lol
but anyway lets see what transpires today.

mark watson · Post by **mark watson** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 8:14 am

hugo yes you can , the spitronics has a system for the vvt , we are busy with another 4 vehicles with the vvt motor ( all 4x4 , sfa hilux , disco 1 , sangyong , lc bj42 ) but we swopped the box out for the 4 speed auto , which in my opinion is better as when towing you wont be hunting between 3 and 4 all the time as the 4 speed is spaced further apart and you have enough torque to do heavy towing in 3rd , and the final ratio between the 4 and 5 speed is the same so no benefits at the end of the day ( except the headache of the original ecu )
my argument is if you are in the middle of nowhere and the original ecu goes into limp mode or crashes , you are stuck , with the spits its economically viable to carry spare ecus at about 2.5k and some small spares ( relay , fuses , 220ohm resistors , water temp sensor , crank sensor ) which are all relative cheap and easy to swop out and you are running again , lets face it who does not have a laptop nowadays on holiday. you can plug in give a call and you should be able to diagnose the problem relative easy.
even had a resistor fail and the bakkie still ran on 6 cylinders ( just disconnected the 2 injectors ) but at least you are not stuck.

Agteros · Post by **Agteros** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 8:57 am

Mark, thanks very much for your reply. I gather on a vehicle like mine it would then be VVti Spittronics matched to the 4 speed auto?

Any idea what the revs would be at 120km/h in 4th?

cprinsloo · Post by **cprinsloo** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 9:05 am

Agteros wrote:Mark, thanks very much for your reply. I gather on a vehicle like mine it would then be VVti Spittronics matched to the 4 speed auto?

Any idea what the revs would be at 120km/h in 4th?

I have a SS at work with which you can play around with all gear ratios, diff ratio and tyre sizes to calculate reffs. PM me your e-mail addres and I'll send it to you. IIRC with a 4.875 diff and 31 tyres the refs are about 2650 at 120KM/h.

Cheers,

C

Agteros · Post by **Agteros** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 9:14 am

cprinsloo wrote:
Agteros wrote:Mark, thanks very much for your reply. I gather on a vehicle like mine it would then be VVti Spittronics matched to the 4 speed auto?

Any idea what the revs would be at 120km/h in 4th?
I have a SS at work with which you can play around with all gear ratios, diff ratio and tyre sizes to calculate reffs. PM me your e-mail addres and I'll send it to you. IIRC with a 4.875 diff and 31 tyres the refs are about 2650 at 120KM/h.

Cheers,

C

Thx very much Chris

PM sent!

TheoM · Post by **TheoM** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 10:54 am

cprinsloo wrote:
Agteros wrote: I have a SS at work with which you can play around with all gear ratios, diff ratio and tyre sizes to calculate reffs. PM me your e-mail addres and I'll send it to you. IIRC with a 4.875 diff and 31 tyres the refs are about 2650 at 120KM/h.

Cheers,

C

Chris the BJ 42 cruiser that Mark mentioned is mine.She has the H55F OEM 5 sp box with 4.1:1 diffs on 33" x 10.5 x R15 BFG Baja tyres. Would you mind doing those expected revs calcs for me say @ 100, 110 and 120 km/h please ?

cprinsloo · Post by **cprinsloo** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 11:11 am

TheoM wrote:
cprinsloo wrote:
Agteros wrote: I have a SS at work with which you can play around with all gear ratios, diff ratio and tyre sizes to calculate reffs. PM me your e-mail addres and I'll send it to you. IIRC with a 4.875 diff and 31 tyres the refs are about 2650 at 120KM/h.

Cheers,

C
Chris the BJ 42 cruiser that Mark mentioned is mine.She has the H55F OEM 5 sp box with 4.1:1 diffs on 33" x 10.5 x R15 BFG Baja tyres. Would you mind doing those expected revs calcs for me say @ 100, 110 and 120 km/h please ?

Hi Theo,

100 110 120 Km/h
2192.8 2412 2631.3 rpm

33 1 4.843
4.1 2 2.619
3 1.516
4 1
5 0.845

Dis met die GB ratios soos ek dit van die IN af gekry het. Ek's nie seker of die TC 1:1 is nie (High Range)?

Gooi my 'n PM met jou e-mail adres dan pos ek die SS vir jou.

Cheers,

C

TheoM · Post by **TheoM** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 11:43 am

Hell Chris, Huge thanks !!

Jou ratio syfers is 100% korrek. Ek dink teen 2400 Rpm sal sy lekker suinig draf

mark watson · Post by **mark watson** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 3:26 pm

at 110 theo you are right in the sweet spot for good consumption figures.

96-Luxi 4x4 · Post by **96-Luxi 4x4** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 9:23 pm

Thanks Chris. Seems the same as one i did. So mine works fine lol

96-Luxi 4x4 · Post by **96-Luxi 4x4** » Tue Jul 24, 2012 12:07 pm

So Luxi is almost driveable

The shifter cable they are using was to short to fit on the shifter inside, so they need to shorten it on the gearbox side to get length for the inside.

When it is connected and adjusted it can drive, and can be tested. Mark aims to have it done by today, then hopefully aircon tomorrow and I can drive it by the weekend!

Lets hold thumbs once the shifter cable is in and working, it all shifts and runs well when its started. Everthing else is done. Only the small console then its done.

I saw it yesterday and its really the last stretch now, all should be fine.

TheoM · Post by **TheoM** » Tue Jul 24, 2012 12:54 pm

Good to hear Naas !

96-Luxi 4x4 · Post by **96-Luxi 4x4** » Tue Jul 24, 2012 1:16 pm

Theo had quick look at Olive also, looks close now, motor is in obviously, those plated exhaust headers are in and look very nice, As I understood mark did 90% of the wiring, did most pipes for the air intake, just need to put them in, and the front just need to be assembled. Sorry didnt really ask where they satnd and so, but its also doesnt look long for you.

96-Luxi 4x4 · Post by **96-Luxi 4x4** » Tue Jul 24, 2012 1:22 pm

Just something else

Luxi when I got him in 2007. Stock Standard

TheoM · Post by **TheoM** » Tue Jul 24, 2012 2:12 pm

Thanks Naas! Yes we are picking up some real speed now but still have a fair bit of fabrication to do eg new fan shroud, chassis mounted main batt tray holder, trim and balance new viscous fan etc etc .. Hopefully she will be started within the next 2/3 days though as our deadline is fast approaching.Mark and I talk on a daily basis and together with his team, they have been coming to the party

96-Luxi 4x4 · Post by **96-Luxi 4x4** » Tue Jul 24, 2012 2:34 pm

Yes Theo

Seems you push and they just cannot finish Luxi cause they are busy on yours lol

I need Luxi for the weekend, so thats our plan. Pickup friday late, or Sat Morning

TheoM · Post by **TheoM** » Tue Jul 24, 2012 3:03 pm

96-Luxi 4x4 wrote:they just cannot finish Luxi cause they are busy on yours lol

96-Luxi 4x4 · Post by **96-Luxi 4x4** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 4:38 pm

So I got some bad news regarding Luxi yesterday. That sound we heard was not just lack of oil, the gearbox is stuffed. Put in gear and nothing happens..

So today Mark and I pulled Luxi out of the shop, put a piece of cloth in fuel tank, set it alight and stood looking from a distance with a beer in hand....

I had a nice bakkie

96-Luxi 4x4 · Post by **96-Luxi 4x4** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 4:47 pm

Ok, Im back to reality...

Mark took the gearbox out today, torque converter was sized onto the shaft and box is stuffed. May be because I was eager to start it without having enough oil in it

or the box or oil pump in the box was stuffed.

Mark has prepped another box, was busy putting the transfer and adaptor on and by 10/11 tomorrow it should be in for testing.

I think it cannot go wrong again now. Atleast Mark had some boxes, eish, my bad luck, but we are getting there!!

krazy_kameleon · Post by **krazy_kameleon** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 4:51 pm

96-Luxi 4x4 wrote:So I got some bad news regarding Luxi yesterday. That sound we heard was not just lack of oil, the gearbox is stuffed. Put in gear and nothing happens..

So today Mark and I pulled Luxi out of the shop, put a piece of cloth in fuel tank, set it alight and stood looking from a distance with a beer in hand....

I had a nice bakkie

OH NO! I am sure Mark can pull that box out in his sleep by now!!!

sorry to hear of your misfortune - hang in there...

krazy_kameleon · Post by **krazy_kameleon** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 4:54 pm

96-Luxi 4x4 wrote:Ok, Im back to reality...

Mark took the gearbox out today, torque converter was sized onto the shaft and box is stuffed. May be because I was eager to start it without having enough oil in it or the box or oil pump in the box was stuffed.

Mark has prepped another box, was busy putting the transfer and adaptor on and by 10/11 tomorrow it should be in for testing.

I think it cannot go wrong again now. Atleast Mark had some boxes, eish, my bad luck, but we are getting there!!

Hope you are not tempting fate there... :wth:

96-Luxi 4x4 · Post by **96-Luxi 4x4** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 4:56 pm

Ill temp anything by now :razz:

Rick forgot to tell you, Mark and i have not had a look for that Exhaust yet, Ill ask him promise

Sorry man

Cutman · Post by **Cutman** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 4:57 pm

Vas Byt Naas..... Waneer sy klaar is gaan dit als die moeite werd wees...... VERSEKER

96-Luxi 4x4 · Post by **96-Luxi 4x4** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 5:08 pm

Glo ok so

Dink Mark en ek gaan altwee bly wees en dop vat as Luxi ry, was eintlik baie interesant so ver, ek leer baie

Cutman · Post by **Cutman** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 5:14 pm

Een dop gaan te min wees........ Maar ek hou duim vas dat als uitgesorteer is teen more......

TheoM · Post by **TheoM** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 9:19 pm

Eish, sorry to hear Naas.

Agteros · Post by **Agteros** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 9:31 pm

Hi Naas - ek glo teen die tyd kan jy die conversion self doen - wat is jou prys??

Grappies op 'n stokkie - moes jy enige versterkings aanbring op difs, propshafts, halfshafts ensovoorts??

frik · Post by **frik** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 5:44 am

96-Luxi 4x4 wrote:Thanks man

5 jaar se eindelose spending al :wth:

Watse tyres en rimms het jy op die beuty . Moet se dit pas hom goed.

Post by **LouisZ** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 8:56 am

Hoe gaan dit?

96-Luxi 4x4 · Post by **96-Luxi 4x4** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 11:58 am

Jip se gister vir Mark ek ken die VVTi nou al beter as meeste!!

Het BF 33" Mud KM2 op, met Alli rims, 10JJ x 15" Micky thompson look a likes

megaworld?? Gan goed dankie

Hkm vra jy? Of meen jy met Luxi?

96-Luxi 4x4 · Post by **96-Luxi 4x4** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 12:09 pm

Got sms from Mark now, new box is in, busy putting the zorst back then test. we will know very soon

Hold thumbs guys!!

TheoM · Post by **TheoM** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 12:34 pm

96-Luxi 4x4 wrote:..

Hold thumbs guys!!

Nee wat ek begin kry nou al hond se gedagtes Naas. Is jy seker julle breek nie elke keer iets net omdat jy eintlik bietjie bang is om daai VVTi te ry nie ?

96-Luxi 4x4 · Post by **96-Luxi 4x4** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 1:47 pm

lol Nee glo my, ek brand nou al maande vi my bakkie.

My ma het nie bang kinders groot gemaak nie

TheoM · Post by **TheoM** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 2:18 pm

Ek hoop net Luxi is nou al van die lift af sodat Olive kan opgaan en hulle haar tank kan terugsit :o

96-Luxi 4x4 · Post by **96-Luxi 4x4** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 2:26 pm

lol. Nognie

Als is in maar die adjustment met daai shifter van my is nie regnie, so hulle maak gou n ander bracket sodat die shifter en gearbox reg saam shift. Hy was nou as jy die shifter in 3rd sit is die boks eers in neutral.

Dan is daar een fan watse drade moet omgedraai word, hy blaas inplaas van suig, en n klein water lek op n pyp. Mark hulle is besig met die badboy, sal hopelik by 5 kla wees

Ek wag vir die volgende update, hulle sal hom wen, eks positief

Post by **LouisZ** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 2:42 pm

Met Luxi, baie nuuskierig!!

96-Luxi 4x4 · Post by **96-Luxi 4x4** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 6:54 pm

Fantasties!! Mark het my so half uur terug gebel. Luxi ry. Hyt hom actually op die pad gehaad. Gan more oggend gou n fan change wat nie reg is nie. Dan tel ek hom more middag op vir die naweek.

Sal by Lextreme moet uitkom as hy kla is. Mark se dit lyk ni asof die shifter select soos hy moet tussen 5en4. En 2en1. Hy se ook die bakkie shift vinnig, al trap hy hom vol. Hy kan mos nie stel and die electronics ni, so of die ecu moet nog leer. Of Lextreme moet n paar goed check en verander. Ma darem ry hy. Mark se hy loop mooi. So eks happy vi nou.

Good times na n lang wag. !!!!!

TheoM · Post by **TheoM** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 10:46 am

Great Naas ! Now don't do a Jim on us that enjoy it soo much, that you forget to report back ? :razz:

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 10:55 am

96-Luxi 4x4 wrote:Fantasties!! Mark het my so half uur terug gebel. Luxi ry. Hyt hom actually op die pad gehaad. Gan more oggend gou n fan change wat nie reg is nie. Dan tel ek hom more middag op vir die naweek.

Good times na n lang wag. !!!!!

Hey Naas...

that's great news...

and look we still 3 pages away from bladsy 15!

Agteros · Post by **Agteros** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 11:43 am

Mr_B wrote:
96-Luxi 4x4 wrote:Fantasties!! Mark het my so half uur terug gebel. Luxi ry. Hyt hom actually op die pad gehaad. Gan more oggend gou n fan change wat nie reg is nie. Dan tel ek hom more middag op vir die naweek.

Good times na n lang wag. !!!!!
Hey Naas... that's great news... and look we still 3 pages away from bladsy 15!

Hehehe - dit was bladsy 13

Post by **LouisZ** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 1:20 pm

Hy laat ons nou wag in spanning.

Cutman · Post by **Cutman** » Sat Jul 28, 2012 3:01 pm

EN ons wag........ In spanning.............

mark watson · Post by **mark watson** » Sat Jul 28, 2012 4:02 pm

seems to be enjoying himself , well luxi is coming back sunday so i can send it monday for the aircon and then build a bit of a console to cover everything nicely around the shifter , but lets see what naas has to say.

Post by **george** » Sat Jul 28, 2012 4:07 pm

mark watson wrote:seems to be enjoying himself , well luxi is coming back sunday so i can send it monday for the aircon and then build a bit of a console to cover everything nicely around the shifter , but lets see what naas has to say.

Great to hear

Bulletjie-3 · Post by **Bulletjie-3** » Sat Jul 28, 2012 4:13 pm

Well done Mark any info on the Nm and Kw ?

96-Luxi 4x4 · Post by **96-Luxi 4x4** » Sun Jul 29, 2012 12:11 pm

Lol. Lots to say guys. Had a good weekend with Luxi. Will update tonight guys.

Lots to do still. But it was worth the wait!!!

mark watson · Post by **mark watson** » Sun Jul 29, 2012 3:30 pm

there is not lots to do , console and a few small things , to me thats little - lol.

Agteros · Post by **Agteros** » Sun Jul 29, 2012 6:12 pm

Mooi so Mark!!

Geluk Naas - sal graag jou trokkie wou sien.

TheoM · Post by **TheoM** » Sun Jul 29, 2012 9:26 pm

96-Luxi 4x4 wrote: But it was worth the wait!!!

That almost says it all

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Sun Jul 29, 2012 9:36 pm

96-Luxi 4x4 wrote:Lol. Lots to say guys. Had a good weekend with Luxi. Will update tonight guys.

Lots to do still. But it was worth the wait!!!

Naas... kom nou... bed time is fast approaching and still no report... or do we have to wait to page 15?

BlumTRD · Post by **BlumTRD** » Sun Jul 29, 2012 9:44 pm

Was die moeite werd om te wag

Naas waneer gaan ons bietjie gaan ry .

Ons Lexus manne is mos nie bang nie .

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 8:39 am

96-Luxi 4x4 wrote:Had a good weekend with Luxi. Will update tonight guys.

It's Monday morning 8:30am and there's a eerie silence of unfulfilled promises in the air.... spooooky...

96-Luxi 4x4 · Post by **96-Luxi 4x4** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 9:14 am

Morning Guys

lol, its funny the comments. Just hang in there, Blue Monday, will update later this morning. Got into bed early last night so didnt update

BUT, all I can say is there are small things to sort, but I think it was worth it. Dont know if my foot is to heavey or its the big wheels, but 220km on R500 Fuel. +- 4.7km/L

Anyways, Mark needs to sort the aircon, 1 or 2 fans that make a horrible noise, and then my biggest concern is a big shudder when it pulles off in 1st. Must be propshaft at the back, or alignment of it, or centre bearing or something, but its bad. Then from 2nd its smooth.

But with the original management I think its still learning. It doesnt shift when and how I want it to. We had to plug the shifter out as it was interfering with the shifting pattern. lextreme will look at this afterwards.

So what I ment by lots to do, lot of small things, but I enjoyed it.

Ill update in detail later. But its not as fast as I thought, and over 80km/h the ECU doesnt want to kick back. Think my big wheels and ratios as they said is not 100% for the auto, but it got better as I drove it. This is as they say the ECU is learning my style.

But 4.7

Eish

But to hear that sound my foot was on the floor most of the time.

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 9:43 am

Naas don't stress about the fuel consumption for now... sort out the niggles first. Then, when all is well, give the ECU some time to learn(say a month). With a more powerful engine, like the V6 or V8, it takes time to figure out how best to utilise the power, while keeping the consumption in check. My first tank with the V6 gave me 4km/l, simply because I was in "boy-in-the-toyshop" mode... very heavy right footed! In terms of the pull away shudder the angles between the transfer-prop-diff probably need a little tweaking, like dropping the centre bearing and/or wedging the rear axle up a little.

Mr B

96-Luxi 4x4 · Post by **96-Luxi 4x4** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 1:13 pm

Im not stressing to much. was 4.2 before, so 4.7 is already a gain lol.

Ja Lextreme will check the shifting pattern, electronic side of the shifter , rev counter etc. Mark can not work on that cause then I loose their warranty. Going there after Mark is done with his last few things. Mark will check the shudder, But I have felt this before on many vehicles, and it must be on the rear prop, either lignment or so. dont know what the angle should be, but the centre bearing is lower than the gearbox, so it goes down from the transfer to the centre bearing, and from there to the diff, it was like this before the transplant also.

But the sound guys, fantastic. If I put foot down from second (dont want to from first cause of the shudder), it revs higher in each gear and at 140 I start to get scared cause with the big wheels not balaced properly it starts to shake, and also its top heavey so its just not safe lol. But im happy. The little 4x4 I did its great. Just the engine braking I miss.

Lets see how its goes from here

TheoM · Post by **TheoM** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 1:21 pm

Naas, in some cases these motors have been sitting un-used for many years in those Japanese Wrecking yards.I suspect the motor will loosen up a bit as you continue clocking up the kilometers. Hoever I think if one does a conversion like this just to improve fuel consumtion then you are setting yourself up for a huge dissapointment :roll:

96-Luxi 4x4 · Post by **96-Luxi 4x4** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 1:31 pm

I agree. But I did it for the power for 4x4 so im happy lol

96-Luxi 4x4 · Post by **96-Luxi 4x4** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 1:32 pm

O yes, and the sound. Marks got it bang on with that. Sounds just right!!!

TheoM · Post by **TheoM** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 2:29 pm

That is where you guys have an advantage that leaves me green with envy.I have only heard Olive once and that was on Sat over the phone so it doesn't really count ? I am somewhat concerned that she might be to loud ? Fortunately Mark came through again and had a set of 1 size larger mufflers on standby from day one - really knows his stuff !

96-Luxi 4x4 · Post by **96-Luxi 4x4** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 6:52 pm

Cool Theo. you will hear it soon lol. Luxi is in for aircon. Mark will sort the rest after.