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IrelandPOWERNATION's budget Lexus needs better brakes before a new face
Brian Allen and Jason Girdham transform a worn IS 250 with coilovers, bodywork and a modern touchscreen.
POWERNATION
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We Built a $60K Lexus for Under $20K! (Full Build)
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- 4:42The baseline braking test exposes worn pads and glazed rotors as the Lexus overshoots its target.
- 10:19Adjustable coilovers replace the worn factory suspension.
- 12:09Brake replacement reveals frozen caliper slide pins that need attention.
- 15:31The refreshed car passes its return braking test at the track.
- 36:56A modern-style body kit arrives, beginning the exterior conversion.
- 52:45Brian paints the body panels inside an inflatable booth in the shop.
The Lexus overshoots the stopping-distance target before the makeover has properly begun. Brian Allen and Jason Girdham have brought their used luxury sedan to the track, and its worn pads and glazed rotors make the first priority clear: forget looking expensive until it can stop properly.
POWERNATION's only new upload this week, "We Built a $60K Lexus for Under $20K! (Full Build)", follows Blacktop Speed Shop's Project Budget Baller. The premise is to give an older IS 250 the appearance and some of the appeal of a much newer IS 500, not to turn it into that car. It has drawn about 13,000 views.
The satisfying part is the progression from tired machinery to working project. Frozen caliper slide pins need attention, adjustable coilovers replace the old suspension, and the refreshed brakes pass the return track test. Later, a modern-style body kit arrives, previous collision repairs emerge beneath the bumper, and an inflatable paint booth takes over part of the shop. Basic hand tools are the starting promise, though exhaust clearance eventually calls for welding.
Viewers are asking which bumpers were used and how the budget accounts for the purchase price. Those are fitting questions for a build whose headline is as much about the bill as the bodywork.
The Lexus is the strongest daily draw among the channel's active recent uploads, followed by the Tahoe chassis project and a drum-brake rebuilding lesson. Across POWERNATION, weekly views topped half a million while subscribers stayed unchanged. Its current daily viewing is modestly above normal. Nearby motoring channels had some much busier weeks, particularly Dave's Auto Center; here, the fresh attraction is a luxury-car rescue that starts with the unglamorous essentials.
Published on Trari
Where next?
What viewers say
What year is that grill and bumper front end and the rear set-up and what's the cost?
@jerunamooutdoorsSee it on YouTubeUber drivers dream.
@CarnratSee it on YouTube
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The videos drawing views on POWERNATION right now
- Channel
- POWERNATION
- Subscribers
- 1,780,000
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 527,905
- Videos published this week
- 1
- Video published
- October 30, 2026
- Video views so far
- 13,387
- Views on its first day
- 9,157
The numbers
Here is how POWERNATION's week looks across views, subscribers and active uploads.
💡 Test your knowledge
Which Lexus model is the starting point for Project Budget Baller?
Brian and Jason begin the project with a used 2011 Lexus IS 250.