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5 minute(s) of a 24 minute read
10-2-2011
Got the engine bay completely stripped minus the brake and fuel lines; still need to do that. My pressure washer was broken so I used a full can of Foaming Engine Brite and a scrub brush to scrub all the grime off everything and then hosed it all down (sorry Mother Nature, not much I could do there :-/ ). The next day was 80 degrees and sunny to dry everything off while I was at work.
10-17-2011
Got the car 80% stripped. I'm seriously considering soda-blasting the bare chassis and starting from scratch. This thing is a nightmare! $1,400 to soda-blast the whole car is a lot to swallow, though, not to mention the extra cost to paint the entire car vs. just the exterior and engine bay. It's only $800 to do the exterior so I might just do that and make do. I'd prefer to repaint the entire chassis one solid color and ensure that there is ZERO rust, though.
Turns out that molded license plate frame is actually welded in and bondo'd over. $#!T $#!T $#!T!!! Such a pain.
I'm thinking Lexus Nebula Gray Pearl or Mercury Metallic, like on the IS-F. Interior is slowly being transformed from crappy gray/blue to satin black, thanks to DuPont Krylon Fusion.
*starting to think this would make better drift-slut material* :-(
10-19-2011
Yep, this car has definitely achieved drift-slut status. After locating the fourth hole in the chassis (one next to the battery tray, one on the RF wheel well, one pinhole in the LR wheel well, and one on the RR shock tower), I've decided this car would have to be blasted clean and professionally repaired, and I can't justify such an expenditure when I have my AW11 and S30Z which could both benefit from the same procedure. Sorry, hachi-roku!
I've coated the entire trunk area with rubberized bedliner, and will be painting the passenger compartment and engine bay with semi-gloss black paint, so that the chassis itself is all black and the exterior can be painted any color. Removing the wiring harness and windshields this week so I can paint everything.
I'll just have to cover over the holes with riveted-on sheet metal and silicone sealant, and/or expanding foam, with a lot of rubberized bedliner covering it to prevent further rotting.
Thanks to my buddy Ethan for giving me an orbital sander fo' free! Say goodbye, gold paint!
Some progress pics:
Painting the interior black with Krylon Fusion satin black:
I think I should find a new A/C compressor:
DAMMIT!:
Oh boy! no name cam gears (Megan?). Anyone wanna buy 'em?
Up in the air:
This project is Austin Powers approved! (don't ask, I found it at work)
Engine out:
Engine bay is a friggin' mess:
That's like 1/2" of grime on the subframe:
Rounded up all the engine bits I found!
T50 before cleaning:
And after:
Engine bay soaking with Engine Brite on it, after scrubbing:
(Mostly) clean engine bay:
Draining the gas out:
Where I currently stand:
And now of course I find this pic after sanding most of the gold paint down!!!
Oh well, that one's more orange, plus the paint was so poorly applied. I'll be much happier when there isn't orange peel and overspray everywhere