Hi, folks. I'm either a wrench-twisting enthusiast, or a glutton for punishment. Or more likely, both...

I was looking for a project, and wow, did I find one. Laid down nine $100 bills and had it flat-bedded home.

Here's a bit of the punchlist ahead of me:
1) Car won't actually move. Engine sounds great, but I can shift into any gear with my foot off the clutch without difficulty or movement (or even odd noise). Sachs clutch kit in the garage now. Transmission on the ground, soon to be split for a look-see.
2) The interior would scare a tech in a HAZMAT suit. I could literally leave grooves in the dirt on the front seats with my fingernails, and the rest wasn't much better. Three cans (!) of carpet cleaner, a stiff brush and a pressure washer later, the seats don't look bad at all. The rest of the interior cleaned up pretty well, too.
3) The front suspension feels worn (just pushing on the front corners) so there's also a set of Bilstein B4 struts in my garage.
4) A nasty 12" crease across the center of the hood. If it was a little lower, I'd cut a hole and stick a scoop on it. I pushed it out so it's now a 10-footer instead of a 40-footer. Might have located a "new" hood at a local boneyard.
5) Back bumper looks like all parallel parking was done by backing up until a crunching noise occurred. Will be swapping it out or maybe respraying it (with a rattle can?).
6) The compliance bushings on the front control arms were cracked, so I have new ones to press in (didn't want to spring for the whole assembly, trying to keep it under $2K)
7) Brand new Falken Pro G5 tires on the front, needs new rears
8) WIndshield has a few cracks. I may go with a boneyard replacement. I've never done a windshield before, but hey - it's a project (and that $2K thing is coming up fast)
9) A lot of minor cosmetic things - new shift **** and gator, clip ring, repainted the front folding armrest and ordered new cover, right seatbelt retractor (belt was CUT), headlight trim rings (one was black chrome, and other was missing), etc.
10) Tailgate lifts were supplying about two grams of lift (surprising how heavy that tiny little hatch is!). Cheap and easy.
11) The water pump idler pulley is making noises, and was missing one bolt and running at an angle. This after the PO had a new water pump and thermostat installed. New friction wheel is on the way.
12) The valve cover gasket is leaking a bit - not really bad for a $900 car, but otherwise the engine looks really tight, so that's getting swapped. Along with new plugs while I'm in the area.
13) And of course, I'll press in a new rear main seal while I have the clutch out - I'd hate myself if I put this thing back together and then had oil dripping out the bellhousing in a month or two.

But with all that, I really think this is going to be a fun project (parts are cheap and tend to be very light). ;-) And it'll be great to have another sporty three-pedal car again (since I sold my 2003 BMW 330i ZHP a few years ago).
Here are a few random photos that should make it clear that I'm not the brightest bulb in the pack:

 

What a difference 10 days makes!




It's not a show car, but I'm very pleased with where it's at. I've blown the budget - currently at $2053.12. But not bad when you consider what I've done since I bought it...

1) New Sachs clutch kit, along with a new rear main seal
2) Repainted (nasty!) pivoting armrest, replace cover
3) Replaced cut right front seat belt
4) Replaced dash cigarette lighter plug
5) New Bilstein B4 struts and Bilstein mounts
6) New lower radiator hose (the old one had a lump with duct tape - I didn't bother to look)
7) Water pump drive "friction wheel" idler assembly (old one's bearing was noisy)
8) New motor mounts
9) New headlight trim rings (with "updated clips")
10) New tailgate lift struts
11) New shift **** and boot, along with new 3D printed lockring
12) Transmission internal inspection, two quarts (exactly enough!) from Febi Bilstein
13) Two "virtually new" Falken G5 tires to match new front tires (now have four "new" tires), including mounting and balancing
14) Replace front lower grille (missing) chrome trim (junkyard part)
15) Replace both (broken) lower front speaker grilles (junkyard parts)
16) Replace both front lower control arm compliance bushings
17) Repair ripped seam in driver's seat (remove cover, add fabric and stitch)
18) Clean - well - everything. Remove failing tint from front windows.
19) Replace oil fill cap (had a plumbing expansion plug installed when I got it)

The items that are paid for, but not yet installed:
1) Four new platinum spark plugs
2) New valve cover gasket set
3) Two oil filters (for "stock")
4) Cabin air filter

The car runs great, shifts perfectly, handles and rides "as expected" (much firmer than my Mercedes, but in a "good way"), and looks pretty good. The interior is a genuinely nice place to be now, and (AFAIK) everything seems to work. I did get a number of odd errors when I fired it up after the battery was disconnected for over a week, but they didn't come back after clearing.

All in all, I'm thrilled with my new "budget grocery getter", and look forward to driving it for quite some time.

 

Nice work!