Toyota Chaser 1JZ-GTE

[Art0ir]

Any owners on here or cars with the same engine (Soarer, etc)?

I have one on a boat just off the coast of Italy, due here in two weeks... Cannot wait.

Quick rundown of the spec (that I know of);

1997 Toyota Chaser Tourer V
Aero Pack
Rare Sunroof
Ganador Mirrors
Flared arches
Unknown Wheels
Tein Coilovers
TRD Member Brace
TRD ARB
Aftermarket Sump Guard
2 Way LSD
HKS Cone Filter
HKS Front Mounted Intercooler
HKS Turboback Exhaust System
Fly Off Handbrake

Edited by Art0ir on Friday 19th September 18:07

[Art0ir]

Pelo said:

That looks like a great purchase! Those Chasers are awesome sports sedans, and the motor has real potential. Is it manual?

It is manual indeed, R154 (also found in the Mk3 Supra).

It's the single turbo VVTI unit which seems to have a lot of potential. Bit more fuel and air and they seem to be pushing 500bhp long before opening them up

[Art0ir]

gareth_r said:

he great advantage of the VVTi single turbo is slightly more torque than the TT, but at half the revs.
The Development of a New Turbocharged Engine with an Intelligent Variable Valve Timing System and New High Efficiency Turbocharger

It's a bit more difficult to find tuning parts, though.

Edited by gareth_r on Monday 15th September 12:58

Have you tuned yours at all?

[Art0ir]

Very nice! There's 3 or 4 V8 Soarers local to me, great seeing something different on the roads

I've made contact with a few tuners and in the process off pricing up management, turbo, injectors, etc... this may prove expensive.

[Art0ir]

cptsideways said:

Have owned a few JXZ-81's & JZX90's

My last one did the rounds a JZX81 Cresta running 530bhp

Old school cool

dufunk said:

VVTI single gets the thumbs up no ceramic turbines plus retaining same bhp with added torque.

The VVTI seems to scare a lot of tuners off it seems but I'm lucky to have 3 within 20 miles of me that have considerable experience with JZ engines. They're not slow standard in fairness

I have it booked for a dyno run in October, will be interesting to see what it makes with current mods.

[Art0ir]

Thanks for the kind comments folks.

Price wise, they vary quite a bit depending on mods, condition, mileage, etc. This one was grade 3.5 because of the high miles (just short of 100k) but I spoke with the importer on the phone after seeing it advertised in the UK and this was one he actually bought himself at auction based on the condition as he was confident he would have no issue selling it in the UK. I was just lucky to spot the ad shortly after it went up and sent a deposit.

There's also a local guy who spends his time between NI and Japan who kindly had a look over the auction sheet for me and said "Overall looks pretty good for the price... basically a Yokohama style street drift car... at a good price all landed..." so I was happy to go for it.

I'm tracking the ship almost on the hour, every hour now. Like a kid on Christmas Eve

[Art0ir]

danjama said:

So who was your importer?

JDMAuctionWatch. Guy named Patrick, great fella altogether.

Car has landed now anyway. Only lost a gear knob in transit which isn't the end of the world.

[Art0ir]

Baryonyx said:

Art0ir said:

JDMAuctionWatch. Guy named Patrick, great fella altogether.

Car has landed now anyway. Only lost a gear knob in transit which isn't the end of the world.

Nicked?

Yep! Apparently it's almost guaranteed, bizarre.

[Art0ir]

Passed MOT tonight, one step closer.

In NI, you need headlight washer for Xenon bulbs regardless of whether they're factory or not. So you'll see a lot of Jap imports rocking this look on the day.

Yes it passes, and yes the MOT testers joke about them being removed 30 minutes later to be kept until next year.

Edited by Art0ir on Friday 17th October 12:38

[Art0ir]

Loving it so far. Will be another week or so before I get a reg back from the DVLA, so haven't been on the road much sadly.

[Art0ir]

Oh and some washed pictures with new rubber all round.

[Art0ir]

JoshyS said:

I'm officially jelly.

I've spend the day eyeing up cars on the site you linked us to, but getting a proper breakdown as to what to expect to pay for a JZX100 with all the basic mods already done seems a bit difficult. I've seen a couple pop up around the £6k mark already in the country, but you'd think importing would be the way to go, but saying that one with a good (but not amazing) spec went for 870k/£5k FOB so before shipping, VAT and all that, so I'm not entirely sure.

Send them a message on Facebook or call the number, you'll probably get Patrick or Regina.

Like I said, mine came up at a small auction house on a quiet Saturday morning so got lucky price wise.

I was considering buying in the UK, but the problem is 99% of them have seen more than a handful of drift days and the condition/repairs may be questionable. At least buying from Japan, the auction sheets are normally a pretty honest description of condition and any accident damage. Now I've had it on a 2 post myself and had it through MOT with the testers remarking on the condition, I'm glad I pursued the import option. I can now get it properly sealed and know underneath is in great order.

[Art0ir]

Made just short of 300bhp today. On a 17 year old car with 100000 miles I would have been happy if it made standard power (276bhp). Just exhaust, intake and FMIC.

And two E46 M3s on before me made 20-30bhp less than standard, so no magic dyno gains

[Art0ir]

Spent a few days with a local outfit (PMG Autocare) getting detailed. Crap phone pics...

[Art0ir]

First bath of the year. Can't wait for spring!

[Art0ir]

Congrats! Manuals were pretty rare by all accounts. Mine was actually converted at some stage in it's life.

They were sold as a luxury GT car in Japan, perfect for you

[Art0ir]

I have the facelift lights, same as these.

[Art0ir]

I don't think so, mine doesn't have it anyway. Yahoo auctions in Japan are your friend for parts. Shipping should be a bit more straight forward for you I might have hoped?

Mine has TCS removed too. With the stiffening all round it is a disaster / joy in the wet depending on your mood. Full throttle in 1st-3rd is inadvisable even on dry tarmac.

[Art0ir]

Very difficult to advise on mods without knowing exactly what is there in the first place! Even then you may be better speaking to your local tuners and see what they're comfortable with after you decide what you want; more power, stiffer chassis,etc.

In terms of importing, best to speak with who you want and they'll give you a login to the auctions where you can see what's coming up. Then send the company a deposit and they'll bid for you.

[Art0ir]

mersontheperson - How are you getting on?