Restoration project #3

Picked this MK1 a few months ago for $1000.  Body looks good, engine runs fine and interior is in pretty good shape.  I plan to start the restoration this summer and give to my son as his graduation gift.  Will send pictures during restoration. 

daaaang my first s12 had the same steelies with center caps and trim rings. total memory blast

I'll most likely swap them out with my favorite XXR wheels and end up selling them.  Let me know if you want them for old time sake.

I need to find a couple of those steels for the S12 I have. It has 3, but two are mismatched generic steels. Either those or Turbo snowflakes for this car.

I might end up having a spare set Schizo.. ill let you know as i have someone that wanted a set
Post Merge

Updated: 08/21/2016



I thought I would update you folks on my restoration project#3.  I am 15 months behind schedule as this project is my sons graduation gift.  He graduated last year so I thought I would finally start this project after hearing for weeks and months, "is it done yet, did you start yet?"



Ready to pull the CA20e which runs great.  I plan to have this motor rebuilt to it's former glory and have it back at 105hp (or was it 99)!



All hooked up.



No problems extracting the motor/transmission.



Mission accomplished!



Steam cleaning the engine bay.



Drying out in the California sun.  That's my secret weapon next to my sons car.  Big plans for that MK1.



Completed stripping the front.  Next weekend, gut the interior, remove all glass, doors and hatch.  I'm hoping the car will be at the body shop by the end of the month.  I'll keep you all posted.   

You're one helluva dad, pops! Where is it that you are working on this car? Is that a public rental space in the pictures?

Agreed, Jamie, one helluva Dad! Can't wait for further news on the resurrection.

I do all my major work on a military base at the Auto Hobby Shop (retired military).  Disassembling/assembling the body is done in my carport.

Aside from the $1k purchase price what's your budget for this Mk 1?

I have an unlimited budget when restoring these cars.  However, I do not foresee going over $4000 for this project.

Kinda surprised it has that much rust if it was a cali car its whole life. Usually the west coast climate overall isn't that hard on them. You got the average tuners wet dream for the restoration...military base auto shop for the major work AND unlimited budget? Should turn out very nice when it is done! Found it strange with all the work your putting into it your just planning on keeping the ca20. I'd figure you'd at least go ka24 since even that is a huge improvement over the ca20.

I new this comment was coming regarding the CA20.  I want to try to keep it original and legal (smog) as possible just as my son does.   As you know, the CA20 is a great motor for road trips and reliability.  He's not a drifter and really appreciates the originality of the car.  He has driven my S12 (SR20DET) many times and could have requested any engine but, he is perfectly content with the CA20.  He did grow up riding in them.  My next restoration project will be a different story.  Stay tuned.

S12_Lifer on 06:40:59 PM / 08-Sep-16I new this comment was coming regarding the CA20.  I want to try to keep it original and legal (smog) as possible just as my son does.   As you know, the CA20 is a great motor for road trips and reliability.

Checked on the car last week.  Coming along just fine.  Should be ready in another two or three weeks.  Until the mean time, I am assembling the CA20e in my backyard.  I took a few pictures when the block and head were at the machine shop.  OEM parts are still available for this motor. 





























Next week I will bolt on the compressor.  I'm not sure if I will stay with the R12 which is still available or convert to R134a which is a lot cheaper. 

great, now I feel bad about how my engine looks...  :laugh: but seriously, you've done incredible job with that engine, it looks simply astonishing

Yes, that's pretty nice work. I'm sure having a pleasant environment and a nice engine stand make a huge difference. I'm comfortable saying your knowledge base is far ahead of mine as well.

The plans for these wheels, per my sons request, is a chrome lip and spokes powder coated gold.





That's my buddy laughing at me trying to take that first tire off.  Seems like it's always difficult the first time as oppose to the rest of the tires.



Removing the old valve stem and center cap.



Ready to deliver to my wheel guy who has done all of my wheels for my S12's.

As of today, car is still not ready.  Should be painted next week.  Until the mean time, I have been working on the extra rear suspension parts that I have.  That way when the car is ready, all I have to do is bolt them on and tighten to specs.





Pounding out the old studs.





Removing the brake line.



Prepping to sand blast the surface rust.



Next step, remove the old bushings.



Here are the tools I started with to remove the old bushings.



Ready to torch the bushings.









Time to press in the OEM bushings which are still available.







Installing new studs which I bought at Autozone.







Torching the old bushings from the rear cross member.





Using emery paper to smooth out the inside.





A couple of R180 diffs and the rear cross member which I primed and painted in the backyard.



Crazy man tapping and setting the new OEM bushings.



Notice I put a light coat of grease on the outside on the bushing.



Easy peasy.



Sand blasting other rear suspension parts.



Please let me know if any of you would like me to put the sand blaster to any of your parts.  I will be more than happy to.  You just have to ship them to me in San Diego.

Can I ship you my whole car for a while?

Absolutely!  You can ship your car to San Diego on December 16 for the meet on the 17th.  That way your drive time will only be 14 hours.  We can do whatever you want to your S12.

Wow. Looking forward to seeing this car once it's done. Seems like you're going to have it back to factory fresh!

Jay, looks fantastic! I admire your hard work, your son is so lucky to have this project that will be his prize one day. Thanks for documenting all this effort, it is inspiring (and embarrassing that I am not getting into mine as much!)

I love the progress. You will have a new car once you are done. Can't wait to see the final product.

Thanks guys  for the positive feedback.  November may be a slow month for this project as I will be visiting family in Hawaii next week and taking another week off for Thanksgiving.  During that time, I'll most likely take my S12 on a road trip to Vegas to "stretch her legs" and to possibly visit the S12 Vegas boys.  Thanksgiving in San Diego is boring, especially when I have to visit the in-laws.

I had a little time to stop by the paint shop to check on the car.  Looks like their done with the bodywork and priming.  They will start painting next week.  Here are a few pictures.

 

 











They did a great job in removing that rust on driver and passenger side as compared to the first pictures I posted.

Wow. This thing is going to be fresh.

Are you looking to adopt a 27 year old Hoosier any time soon?

No time soon.  Perhaps when I'm retired.

kelso840 on 06:51:18 AM / 03-Nov-16Wow. This thing is going to be fresh.

Are you looking to adopt a 27 year old Hoosier any time soon?

Fiiiiiiiiinnneeee

You young-uns are so funny!

Updated:  December 7, 2016

Body and paint is finally done!  At first, I was surprised with the color.  I was expecting a color close to Nissan's "Hot Red."  Instead, my son decided on "Claret Mica" from a Lexus RX 350.  They did a great job and totally satisfied with their work  I plan to bring restoration project #4 (Blue Bandit) in the next couple of months. 
Post Merge

Do you have new weather stripping & windshield trim - if so where do you get it? The color is great IMHO!!

I have lot's of the plastic/chrome trim for the windshield and some weather strip.  Email me at [email removed] and I will send you some pictures of what I have.

This is just the coolest.

I agree Kelso840.  This is the best part of any restoration project........putting everything back together with the best parts I have.  This is going to be one sweet ride that will be joining me on road trips and car shows.

I'm really excited to see that color combo once it's all back together. Your son went with something very unique for our weird little spaceships.

It's turning out really really well.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Updated on January 1st, 2017.
Progress is steady but slow going due to the holidays and all the rain we been receiving lately.  Here are the latest pics.



Selecting only the best tail lights that I have.  All bulbs replaced and lubed with anti corrosion grease.  Lenses were also cleaned from the inside.





































All glass cleaned and ready for tinting.



















Ready to assemble the passenger door right in my living room.  Stay tuned!

Nice! What brand of weather strip is that? Do you know where I could get it from?

All the weather strip I have comes from S12's that were located at the local yards.

Dude, you giving me a serious case of ENVY! That is looking great! You sure picked some good parts from the junk yard dogs out there.

Updated: 02/26/17

Progress is slow but steady.   Just a couple of more things to do on the outside then on to the engine bay.



Preparing to install hatch glass.







Aligning door with floor jack.





Bought these lift supports on ebay.



No more broom stick to hold this hatch open.





Connecting the rear wiper motor.







Both the plastic stoppers broke so I used the original screw and added a washer, nut and rubber grommet.























You can still buy this canister on ebay.  The bolts to mount the bracket for the canister are the same bolts to mount the driver side headlight assembly.























Stay tuned for the next phase.

Bravo!  :yay!:

If I said "WOW!!" it would be a gross under statement!

It's looking good. Can't wait to see it finished. You sir, have talent! I love the attention to detail!

Let me finish putting my car back together and I'll help you out with your son's project. It's looking great Jay.

Updated: 08/19/17

I have to admit, this project has not been a priority for me during the last few months.  I'm sure some of you know how time consuming it is to maintain more than one S12.  Here are the latest pictures of my slow but steady progress.



Antenna







Bench bleeding the clutch master cylinder



Bleeding the brake master cylinder





Purchased the entire air intake assembly thru oem-surplus.com.  Even came with the factory air filter.







Replaced defective heater core.



I have at least 6 dashes to select from.  We went with black.





Had the original Condenser pressure checked at the radiator shop. 









I use this Mineral Oil to lube the new o-rings and add a little in the condenser as well as some of the AC lines.



AC lines with insulation.



Windshield moldings.



New windshield.



My glass guy preparing to mount windshield.







I thought I would work ahead and take care of the front strut assemblies since I have many extra pairs.  That way all I have to do is remove the old and bolt on the new.  As always, this project will have new KYB mounts and struts. 



This was the closest product I could find for strut fluid.  I'm not sure if it helps but I figure it won't hurt to help keep things cool inside.



Pressing the strut at least 10 times as recommended by KYB to help reduce noise and excess gas.





Notice the Gland packing does not sit flush.  This has always been an eye sore but, I have been using this strut  for over 15 years and has never given me any problems. 











Greasing the bearings "old school."





Pressing in new studs.





This is far as I can go until I get these strut assemblies bolted on to the car.



Time to inspect the fuel pump assembly and the inside of the tank.



I was going to replace the fuel pump but this pump is fine.  These pumps rarely go out.



The inside of this tank was immaculate which is going to save me a lot of time. 



Replaced the O-ring.




My set up for the rear suspension.



Ready to install.



Mounting the AC bracket.



Remanufactured compressor.





AC lines installed on the compressor.  Next weekend I will bolt on the fly wheel and clutch assembly.  Once that's done, I plan to bolt on the transmission.  The rest is all down hill from there.  Stay tuned!