Day One - Scrape off the crud and see what's underneath.
The entire car is filthy, a few dents here and there, tons of leaves and pine needles stuffed into the rockers and fenders. Front bumper bent.
The dash is badly cracked from life outside in the California sun.
I hate grease!
Original Wiring Harness
Biodegradable Wiring
Engine runs like a champ after a full tuneup and service. Note the AC hose routed above the turbo. That was to bite me later on.
Found a Flat Hood in Irwindale, CA. Installed it at My Brother's Shop in Duarte.
Stripping the car for the paint shop.
At the body shop, stripping the clearcoat.
More body shop. There was a tiny bit of rust at the lower edge of the windshield. Not bad at all considering it had lived outside for 23 years.
Just Home from the Paint Shop
Shiny!!!
The Driveway/Workshop
New Trim Clips
Gutting the interior to clean and renew the color on the seats and carpet.
SEM Color Coat on Left, Faded Original on Right
Original Carpets After Cleaning
New Speakers in the Front Doors. The Metra Adapters Allow the use of Stock Speaker Covers.
Speakers added to the rear deck.
I Just Like This Pic...
Prepping for the new dash.
New Dash in Place. Replaced This Well Worn R-Sport Steering Wheel With Another R-Sport, and later a Grant Wheel Replaced That.
Power Antenna and Fog Light Switches
Three Turbos in the Yard
B&G Springs, Koni Shocks
Spring, Figueroa Mountain
A trip over Figueroa Mountain.
Winding Roads
Goleta, CA
New Plates! Only took three trips to the DMV for them to get the spelling right!
Water cooled turbo, rebuilt by Herman at Cherry Turbos, to replace the stock oil cooled unit. An intercooler and 2-row Nissin radiator were added at the same time.
New turbo install with custom 2.5in downpipe and hi-flow cat.
Engine, summer 2006 after turbo swap and intercooler install. Note the AC hose has been rerouted along the firewall. With the new turbo and IC the car was much quicker and ran a lot cooler.
Santa Barbara Harbor, Winter 2006
Interior, March 2007
The Final Drive. Highway One to Santa Cruz, where I handed over the keys to her new owner.
Saying goodbye to an old friend.
Fun with Photoshop
