ladygator

(c+p'd from the Australian Soarer Forums, I thought you guys might like to see it too)


So I bit the bullet, got a lift up yesterday and picked it up from Echuca. The fella was lovely and after noticing all the little things I didn't know were wrong with the car, such as some dodgy paint on the side against the mirrors, in DIRE need of detailing and cleaning, and a couple of leaks here and there, he dropped the price for cash and I took it home.

270klm drive home, mostly long stretches of open road, and it didn't miss a beat. Man, the fuel pump was tough after a 4cyl Celica though.

So as far as we can tell, the steering rack isn't leaking per say, just weeping, and to get this past RW i'm getting the thing booked in for a detail and major clean on Monday.

It needs exterior door handle clips, which won't be a big deal.

The front end looks a little warped. He mentioned the bonnet isn't catching the lock right, but it looks because there's a panel bent here somewhere? He also replaced that light and it doesn't sit in there right. There's condensation in there and a blown headlight globe.

Replacing wipers/blades.

Touching up the paint + detailing, professionally, I'm not doing this!

He's painted over the centre console where the shifter is so you can no longer see the shifter lights. He said the light blew in there so he just painted over it. What sort of fix is this?

Aside from this my mechanic is doing its service/oil changes/fluid changes, realigning the headlights, replacing the globe and putting new brake pads all around.

After all this, I think I'll end up with a very tidy, clean-lined, original looking '94 Soarer.



here's the body.. pretty straight and clean really. Paint's in good nic, just REALLY needs a cut and polish.



the bumper not lining up to the bonnet and the seal peeling off/back.



just filthy



b pillars peeling.



good view on how bad the bumper aligns.



otherside chrome peeling on the pillar

ladygator

(yesterday)

Alrighty - thanks to everyones advice ended up putting 10w-40 into it (shoulda been 30 but it's running fine), Ryco Z418 filter, Bendix brake pads (supercheap quoted me nearly $400 for pads?!!! went to Repco and got them for $80 front and $90 rear), couldn't find Lucas ones anywhere, auto trans fluid flush with DX-3, headlight cleaned and replaced the globe (easier than I thought haha), didn't end up replacing the spark plugs due to that issue -- did not think they'd be that difficult to get to, but I will in the near future.

I had the bumper straightened at least enough to pass RW. It'll need to be refitted in the future though.

Went to a local reputable body and paint store and explained the door handle problem, the lovely chap ended up pulling the trim off and having a look as well as cleaning the engine bay for me (degreasing and engine bay detail) for a slab of Draught. He's fitting new exterior door handles for $150 and keeping the door poppers, too. The car spent the night there and i'll probably pick it up tonight or tomorrow.

So apparently beer is the way to car people's hearts.

I cleaned it as much as I could with 20 minutes, but it's so greasy and oily from sitting on a driveway for nearly 2 years that it didn't make a huge difference, it NEEDS a cut and polish, which i'll do after it passes RW



cleaned, sorta.. so oily/contaminated that I can't cut through it



having the door trim pulled off/realigned and the poppers/exterior door handle fixed for a slab of beer.

ladygator

Price wise we have:

Car: 2, 800
Brake pads: 80, 82
Bumper/service: 150
Parts/oil/fluids: 150
Body/engine bay detail/clean/door: 150, 40

= $$$ 3,452

carbon fibre p-pillar covers on the way.

lmfod

Title sounds like a reality show lol

UZinator

iTrader: (1)

Not bad but those tail pipes got to go. They look like something out of a James Bond movie. I almost expect to see a pop-up screen with targeting for rearward-firing missiles.

ladygator

It basically is, haha.
The restrictions on time are due to the unregistered vehicles permit I'm currently driving it on.

filthy in this photo, exactly as I picked it up but it shows how grimy it got from sitting in someones driveway for 2 years. This is AFTER I got the bumper straightened enough to pass RW, i'll get it realigned after I pay for $900 rego fee. It looks better but it still isn't sitting on its supports right.



at least the rear end looks tidy, haha.

ladygator

Yeah, I know. Getting to it, roadworthy items and basic body work first, this thing is sucking up so much money to just get it on the road legally!

UZinator

iTrader: (1)

I hear ya! My pocket book is hurting as well from my money pit. And the fun has only just begun!

ladygator

Urh, word. Worth it, hard to find one of these in N/A that hasn't been trashed in Australia let alone my area.

UZinator

iTrader: (1)

It is the same up here. The few that are for sale that are in decent shape are going for quite a bit more than I could afford. The price is no longer dropping on them. It is now starting to climb steadily.

ladygator

I just got back from a few hours at the body shop watching her get worked on.



I brought that as a peace offering for letting me hang around, haha. Anyway, the lovely man had the car virtually finished by the time I got there.. it should pass no problems tomorrow. He had NOTHING but trouble with the drivers side door, the rods and mechanism had been pulled out.. the passenger side was just having its trim pulled off as I got there, and ended up just being a broken clip. Poppers, handle and lock all work on that side no problem.

He also cleaned the engine bay for me and sorta straightened the bumper again. Needless to say she looks miles better..






before:
after:

megamax

iTrader: (9)

Wow. All that for a n/a 300? That's an auto? U could had done better.

ladygator

In Australia it's illegal for me to drive a v8, or a turbo.
It took me a long time to find an N/A model.

And I could not find a manual version anywhere.

czar07

No manual jzz31's made in RHD.

ladygator

Which would explain why I couldn't find one