Smudged out some more puttied repair spots with 400 grit. Things are starting to take shape.

 

I'm glad I persevered with the original panels. I have some clean reproduction guards laying around but they always need tweaking to fit, let alone gap properly. These guards practically fall back onto their bolt holes. Though I think I'll prime them all loose.

 

Looking pretty good, preparation is the key,

 

cheers!

These just arrived at my desk - new old stock to suit XX alloys...

 

I need to start putting something aside for paint materials but eBay keeps delivering!

 

So for the last year I've been watching eBay for a 2TG oil filler cap, but they were going for crazy money and then suddenly they were all like, "$70 buy it now!"

 

I reject hipster pricing of popular parts (and videogames - don't get me started on hipsters trying to flog 20 year old Nintendo 64 games for hundreds of dollars) so I hit up toyodiy for a part number 12108-49015 (which of course it turns out isn't specific to the 2TG at all!) and plugged it into Amayama.com

 

Whaddaya know - $14 plus $6 delivery and three weeks later i get this;

 

 

Amayama for the fricken win!

 

 

Anyway - just about ready to fire up the compressor and get some primer on in coming weeks..

Edited June 5, 201511 yr by Mechanical Sympathy

FYI, have you seen the 2TG turbo setup on ebay?

Thanks I hadn't, but I have now! Looks to be "well used" for $1000..

 

I can't see the value considering it all needs a rebuild. Even if it's an early 2TG head, rather than the later offset chamber 2TGEU head.

 

There's an SC14 and 2TGEU EFI setup laying in my shed that could get a look in if I ever find a 2T Aircon bracket and idler pulley. Maybe in 2016 once I'm on the road!

Well I'm still plugging away at this as time and funds allow. Brisbane winter weather has been so nice and I didn't have any other obligations so I spent the weekend in the yard re-learning how to paint.

 

Moral of the story - even if the manufacturer says that thinning isn't required (for spray putty) always, always thin!

 

I was 95% happy with the body so while there are a couple of little bumps and dimples here and there to attend to I was tired of making excuses not to paint! Getting some primer and putty down gets things moving again and gets me excited for the next steps.

 

I'll rub all this back with 400, sort out and mount these bloody flares then prime for base coat.

 

 

I've been toying with some ideas in Paint. I'll go with the red in a Mazda A4A True Red shade. We'll see if reality matches concept! (With different wheels..)

 

Obviously hard to tell from the images but I imagine the red will look pretty flash. Wheel choice and stance will play a big part too I reckon.

Oh for sure - my mates are up me about lowering it.

 

I'll drop the front struts out and reco brakes etc. and refit with some King springs for RWC then reset the rear leaves in Toowoomba once its registered.

 

And the Jovites will sit an inch further out than these Performance wheels. Maybe not as far as the Cheviots though.. I've thought about painting some black faux Hoshino lines on them. Or like, electrical tape.

 

But even then it will still be conservative by contemporary standards. I'm going for Sunday GT rather than track-day GTR.

Edited August 17, 201511 yr by Mechanical Sympathy

Work's quiet. Taking a few days off.

 

Gave the first coat some rubs. It was pretty rough and 400 grit wasn't getting through it so I wet rubbed it with 240 and will do another grey putty/primer coat tomorrow.

 

iPhone photo uploads confoundingly rotated for inconvenience.

 

Beer o'clock.

 

 

More primer/putty.. Please excuse the bands of overspray - I'm just laying it on thick and plenty.

 

Don't get too carried away! Its not a show car and you need to be driving it!

 

 

Aargh I know.. but I always notice when someone has painted over hail and/or shopping trolley dents - most often on harlequin painted Hyundais. And to leave sanding marks would be a crime!

 

So agreed, it's not a show car but I'm hoping to show some pals (who have some admittedly kick-arse cars) what I can do with 1/20th the budget. And once I saw Clapped-out Mat's cars I knew I had to pay some attention to detail. Besides, attention is free!

 

Anyway next step is to mount these flares so I've done some tinkering. These flares came from Malaysia sans fixings and very flimsy. I read somewhere (NCOP? Or maybe from TMR) that flibreglass bolt-ons need a minimum thickness of 4mm.

 

I put a dollop of bog at each fixing location and sat an M6x30 bolt on it and let it set overnight. Last night I glassed over and around the bolt heads with 4 or 5 layers of mat and then another layer all over to thicken up the rest of the flare. This one is now twice as heavy as it was before. I like it. Now for the other three! And to drill some holes.. :unsure:

 

 

Trust me, mine aren't perfect, you need to look closer! Ha ha, thanks for the kind works though. I can't see the imperfections in the roof pic? They can't be that bad?

It all came up not too bad at all. Just little nicks and scratches that should come out with a rub back now but there's maybe half a dozen dimple spots - around 1 per panel - that need a light skim over.

 

This morning I've done a loose first test fit of a flare. The gasket popped out at the back but I don't want to tighten up the rear nyloc nut just yet.

 

 

It works! So I'll crack on with the others.