FML, as they say

[Dingoboy]

Stopped by on Thursday to check on progress. Took a few pics, linked below. Car is disassembled- all glass, lights, bumpers, mouldings, door handles, sunroof, etc. removed. All taped off, sanded & awaiting final coat of primer.

Only real wrinkle was the knockoff JDM bumper I got from eBay- it is not a direct bolt-on for the American front clip. Seems the Japanese bumper must have been smaller, so they will be forced to trim the fiberglass off the back side of the air dam and fabricate some mounting points. Some of the mounting tabs of the USDM bumper are "missing" from this JDM copy- either a design difference, or a flaw in the copy process. Not a huge deal for this shop, though, as they often fabricate bits like this. I might end up with a few visible rivets, but if so, they will be painted.

Paint process should begin by Monday or Tuesday, depending on how long it takes to fit the front bumper & finish the final coat of primer.

 

[Chaingun]

repairs look like they are going very well, the cost sucks tho, are they going to remove the plastic piece in front of the rear wheels before paint?

 

[Dingoboy]

repairs look like they are going very well, the cost sucks tho, are they going to remove the plastic piece in front of the rear wheels before paint?

Wow... I overlooked that entirely. I need to call them tomorrow morning, hopefully before they start spraying. Thanks!

Cost is in the lower half of the range I was expecting. I was figuring $4,500-6,500, using my parts. He came in at $4,250, then adjusted to $5k after I grilled him about a few details like door jambs.

 

[Dingoboy]

Clear coat is done and the last bits & pieces are drying in the spray both. Wet sand in progress on the car. Already looks a thousand times better, and they're not even done. Few more days to wet sand & buff everything, then reassemble the rest of the car, and she'll be coming home. Pics...

 

[Amon]

The new paint looks absolutely gorgeous! But I can understand the frustration of hit and runs on our cars. My mate had his white A70 mashed up in the same location in a Tim Hortons lot by some tosser. The car was for sale at the time, too. I've got a few dents and gouges on my car during storage, which had me really miffed. Some people just have no honour and respect!!

 

[Nick M]

This is why I am scared to even drive the car sometimes. Parts will get even more scarce in time.

Then there is clowns like below in the truck. That is why the Yukon is the DD.

[video=youtube;WfjqMuR8oYo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfjqMuR8oYo[/video]

 

[Turbo Habanero]

That is insane

 

[Dingoboy]

This is why I am scared to even drive the car sometimes. Parts will get even more scarce in time.

Then there is clowns like below in the truck. That is why the Yukon is the DD.

Yeah, I asked the body shop to save all of the parts for me- even the damaged ones. Just in case I ever need them. I've already started a collection of used parts in my garage, just for a rainy day.

And my Mazdaspeed3 is my DD. As much as I would love to drive the Supra everywhere, I just can't.

 

[xnuclear23]

[video=youtube;WfjqMuR8oYo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfjqMuR8oYo[/video]

That is the reason why it takes me a good 4-10 seconds to take off from a red light, you never know when the next speeding idiot will come barging through the intersection.

 

[te72]

Dingo, you'll have to excuse my drooling over here... paint looks beautiful man. Nice set of wheels and you'd be all set!

 

[HMNGSupraMKIII]

damn dude that sukks.if that was me i be hella piss hopefully you find that guy and make that mofo pay

 

[Dingoboy]

Dingo, you'll have to excuse my drooling over here... paint looks beautiful man. Nice set of wheels and you'd be all set!

Thanks very much! I'm considering options for wheels once the paint job is complete. But I have a couple of things that need doing before I pull the trigger on wheels & redo the suspension (sits too low, scrapes frame on speed bumps). I'm told the current wheels came from a MKIV NA. They're OK, but not quite for me.

Fully expecting the call to come pick it up today or tomorrow. Will take pics before it leaves the parking lot, just in case I get rammed by a cement mixer on my way home with it. Shop also takes pics & will be giving me a DVD album. Will share some of those if they look interesting.

 

[te72]

Will take pics before it leaves the parking lot, just in case I get rammed by a cement mixer on my way home with it. Shop also takes pics & will be giving me a DVD album. Will share some of those if they look interesting.

Well now that you've said it, it should never happen, right? Sounds good about the pictures, could be some good ones in there, maybe this shop has a talented photographer...

 

[Dingoboy]

Finally! Over a year after the bulk of the damage, the Supra is back in one beautiful piece! Unfortunately, my Nikon DSLR seems to have issues with its image sensor. The pics were taken on a bright & sunny day in Tampa, but the colors all look sort of washed out. I may have to go back out with my effing Thunderbolt (phone) to get pics that truly show off the condition of the car.

First, if you want to see them all, here's a link to the gallery on Photobucket. I took photos of all of the window trim that was rehabbed- even the windshield & hatch trim. Took photos of the door jambs, under the hatch, engine bay (which was not painted), and close-ups of many of the mouldings (which came from the SM group buy). Also took pics of the new driver's door hinges, which they painted as well. They also painted the windshield & hatch wiper arms.

Notes: Bumper cover is an "eBay special" JDM knockoff. Required mounting the OEM hardware from the damaged USDM bumper, and fabricating a number of mounting tabs, etc. Definitely not plug & play, but for $200, it was a frickin' steal. I will be meshing in the openings & getting a set of aftermarket fogs.

Turn signals & side markers are also "eBay specials." Not sure if they will stay or not. I kind of like the look of the clear markers on this color paint, but I am concerned about their brightness. Will have to check them out in the dark tonight.

Here is a selection of photo highlights, even if the colors aren't popping from my camera lens:

 

[te72]

Man, you 92 guys always make me tear up a little... that's beautiful. Personally, I'd keep the clear markers and go with some silver-colored wheels when the time comes, would flow nicely. Why cover the holes in the bumper with mesh though?

 

[Dingoboy]

Man, you 92 guys always make me tear up a little... that's beautiful. Personally, I'd keep the clear markers and go with some silver-colored wheels when the time comes, would flow nicely. Why cover the holes in the bumper with mesh though?

Thanks, man. Yeah, some sort of brushed aluminum type of wheel will definitely be needed when the time comes (and budget allows). I have a set of 17x7.5 5Zigen FN01R-C's on my Mazdaspeed3, and I am tempted to swap them onto the Supra (I think the bolt pattern is the same, and the -40's offset should work). Maybe, maybe not.

As for the mesh- to help protect that intercooler mostly. Might do the small side openings, too, just for consistency. Not certain.

 

[te72]

Intercoolers are meant to catch rocks anyway.

And yes, your MS3 wheels will fit your Mk3. Girlfriend has a Mazda3, and she has my old wheels from my Mk3. 16x7.5, +~35mm offset, 225 tires, thing looks aggressive even without any other mods.