imported_bevboyy

Well, here's a sneak peek at how my beast is coming along...

I was able to keep the budget real tight since I do all the work myself...My goal was to total rebuild the car from the ground (er rust..) up - that means brakes, suspension, paint, interior, body kit, tires and rims, exhaust et al for under $2000 - INCLUDING the cost of the car.

I installed new rad, brakes & brake lines, suspension, exhaust (from header to muffler), rubber, rims, front seats, gas tank, the usual engine components (ie: plugs,wires,cap & rotor,hoses, belts,water pump, air cleaner,pcv valve,gaskets) oil pan..

I cut out all cancer from the body, replacing it with fresh sheet metal and brazing it all into place. Rebuilt rockers, floors, A pillar.

Installed and fabricated front and rear spoilers and rear valance. Installed a set of side skirts that I brought back from my trip overseas..

I used the duplicolour single stage paint from Crappy Tire (which isn't that bad to use..low odour, fast set up, high level of sandibility). At **.99 a gallon, it was right in my budget...

And now it's almost finished...have to install exterior window and door trim, headlights and grille, finish welding up some exhaust hangers, and do a final sand with 1500 grit before buffing out the finish with rubbing compound..

It's finally getting there...

imported_Vato_Loco

Thats coming along real good!

imported_bevboyy

And here's some of the before pics...



Getting ready to repair A pillar and door hinge..



Work in progress...



A pillar back to strength. Bondo is my friend



Floor - real nasty...



rear wheel wells - needing major reconstructive surgery here....



Flex edging attached - brazing next, then Bondo again....



One fugly engine compartment...



Now cleaned after 4 applications of degreaser!!

Tikal

Damn. Nice working bringing back that bad boy.

Good luck with it!

Cynikal.Mindset

looks like my 86 before and afters!

zeeman

iTrader: (1)

good job man....i wish i could do body work.

imported_fine2ne

looks great you did a sweet job. What did you do about all that extra metal and rivets around the fender?

punkindrublic

i see it but i dont believe it

imported_Promoking

Holy crap, I remember what that thing used to look like. Good Job man. I like the spoiler you fabricated. Been thinking of something like that for the Z. Could you make me one? I'll have two trunks soon (having a CF one made) so I'll be able to bring you one hah.

Those Recaros look so sweet in there. How much were they again? Do they come in a charcoal grey colour?

Nova_Dust

Good stuff!

imported_bevboyy

fine2ne - I brazed the sections in with bronze rod, then removed the screws since I didn't need them to hold the pieces together..the areas that I used rivets, I used aluminum ones that once you heat the metal with the torches, they melt away...

Rick..yep..shes coming to life..Bwwwooohahahahah

Promoking - yeah - you remember exactly what state it was!

Corrado2nv

Looks great!

That is coming along really well. Wow the difference and stories pictures can tell. That's like a 100 percent reversal

Are you keeping that same motor?? or is the drivetrain next on the agenda?

Either way, I used to have one of those, in fact it was an 87, with that 12v motor. The body soon fell thru, but that motor just kept going. One of the best cars I've ever owned. Plus I had that 'Hondamatic' transmission. All the joys of manual...but without a clutch

Again. great work.

Cheers,
Mike

imported_bevboyy

Drivetrain stays as is. The 12 valve head flows well (for a 12 valve head) and has already been ported and polished with a cam from Colt Cams installed. it's very strong and retains all reliability. I used to run a weber carb, but the stock Kehin was re-installed to retain driveability. The 3 speed auto is decent as it is shiftable under power - and the wife can drive it...

imported_cxtasy

ive seen the before state... and by the looks of it u sure did a hell of a job! looks really good! good luck jc!

Notorious

Oh man!! Thats coming along very nicely!! Great work!

Gallagher

i wanna see the paint when its done........u did it all ?

imported_jj2ii3344

Looks better than some of the new cars on the street! Very nice!!

imported_bevboyy

Yes Steve, I did it all..Painted the car in my garage. I did all welding, body work, moulding..it would have been done sooner if I had more time, but with 2 small kids, time is a precious commodity....

bbarbulo

iTrader: (2)

wow, that's hella nice work... I wish you had a mig though, that would have saved you a lot of time!

punkindrublic

i'm still in shock... but its definately motivation that you really dont need a body shop if you have the right tools and skill

now if only i could get motivated enough to get that tig torch going on the car...