My Corolla's getting new shiny things!

Hi all, hope this is the right place for a build thread


Anyways, you guys have probably seen my poor white corolla in the welcome thread:




So I started feeling a bit down recently cause of expenses as all of a sudden it needs a thorough service, new tires, panel alignment(lights aren't fitting right) and I just noticed how bad the rust around the windscreen has gotten.

But anyway!

Finally got lucky! Some guy called after I placed an ad in the local classifieds, said he has the wagon version of my car with diesel, ac and everything. Apparently its practically spotless!

For those who don't know, this is the first time I have found parts for my car from Malta.

So my question is, what should I look out for to get for my car? I'm going to go see it on Wednesday.

I know that I need a set of front seats, the complete AC system, possibly a bumper. I should be getting lights from Bridgy as soon as I sort out my VISA.

I'm gonna keep my eye out for any JDM goodies too.

And what about cost? What should the average price be of the above mentioned items?



Also.......I'm not totally sure how the car itself looks but if it really is that good....maybe consider part exchange? I'll post a pic of it to show you when I see it.


I'll upload any progress to this thread when I can

Cheers

Dave

Wait, so you're getting rid of the hatch and getting a wagon??

Depending on the condition...but its still a shot in the dark....

For now I'll just focus on my car and see how that goes. I'll calculate the expenses needed right now and see if its worth doing up. If the numbers just don't add up I'll consider getting something else.


...........................But if i'm honest, I love my car a bit too much to just get rid of it like that So scratch that thought. Your comment poked me a bit too hard sentimentally when you said "Getting rid"......

I can't do that to my car

looks good dave,
i would suggest keeping the hatch, the wagon has advantages over hatch but it depends on what type of car you are after
has the guy told you what other bits maybe on the car

is he willing to break?

All I know is that I can ask for anything off the car.

He originally called since I had placed and Ad about the AC system, but he's getting rid of loads of stuff and he said no problem.

I think I'll probably keep it; I love the look of the hatch

when you go down, make sure you take loads of pics

do you know if it is an import?

Hey guys,

So. News. That wagon, turns out, was terrible. And he asked about 800 euro for the seats and aircon. SO big no. As for the rest of it, there wasn't a single panel that didn't have a dent.

When I had called, he had said that it was in mint condition. He was however referring to the absolutely stunning Toyota Soarer parked next to it. Ah well. So all I got out of this was some eye candy.

Anyway. Tomorrow I intend on doing some proper work trying to get the front panels aligned properly, so as to make room for the new lights. I haven't forgotten about you @Bridgy

Then I'll start fixing the small things.

I'll try keep everything updated here though, and if I happen to find any parts I'll let you guys know too!

Dave

nice one dave,
sorry to hear about the wagon though

So I decided to take some pics of all the problems in the car. These all include interior and bodypanels. The engine, at least, works like a charm.

I would like :

a) opinions

b) where to start?!

c) advice

Here are the pics:

This is the dash (scratched and gouged)



This is one of the door panels (note the same applies to the other side).



Since they were manual and are now power windows, the holes are still there from the winders. Apart from that, they're scratched, stained and gouged.

Here is my seat. I did not do that massive hole. My dad did



Interiorwise, thats it. Every surface is either stained or ripped. The back seats are completely covered and look semi-decent though, as do the door panels.

Now, the really annoying stuff:

This is the rear spoiler, cracked at both ends.





I'm not sure how that can be fixed

Next are some oversprays onto the black trim, and other things:













Some rust:





Bad paint:



I think the panel beater got overly happy with the buffer here:


Really bad bonnet repair:




Misalignment due to the bad bonnet repair and the panel:












And here's a pic of the engine:




Thats all for now. Hopefully I'll be improving it as I go along but I've got a lot of work to do



Hope you enjoy the pics,

Dave

loving the engine brother

looks like you got your work cut out for you there dave..
its all part of the fun though...

you could filler the cracks in the spoiler and spray over it

Well the interior is pretty much shot... you'd have to replace all those panels that are ripped. Otherwise, you could try painting, but it will never match and sill still have scratches later.

The rust around the windshield is rather common, probably nothing you can do to stop it from returning (you can take off the stripping and try and grind/patch it)

Looks like there was a front end accident, well that'll never be the same. You can try all brand new body panels and drilling new holes.

The spoiler might be on too tight or something, there's a reason it's cracking like that on both sides. Maybe slamming the trunk too hard. There's no way to fix that either, you can patch it, but it will crack the first time you close the trunk.

The black trim pieces with overspray or scrapes are the easiest... just paint them with flat black paint.

The rear brake drums always rust like that, you can try brand new ones or grinding all that off and painting them with proper paint to prevent rust.

And the front bumper can get repainted, but good this time.

man only thing bad in his car is its front light brackets especially the ones in the fender aftr hitting the car from the front the lights never fit right in the fenders.only option is superglue or new fenders

Thanks for all the feedback guys,

@Shehroze
The fenders are are new. Granted, imitation. But thats all I could find. Now, yesterday I talked to my grandfather, who is master of all things. He thinks that we can fix it with some patience and brute force. SO I'll see how that goes when I get the chance to do it.
The problem is that the lights are meant to fit together perfectly, which they do. But when I tried fitting them into the fenders, well the pic says it all really.

@gold94corolla
Thanks for the tips.
I know the interior is a total lost cause. My best bet is probably finding a way to cover everything up nicely. I'll think about it.
The rust will be settled once I find someone who knows what they're doing.
Indeed there was a front end accident; more than once. Still trying to fix the damage.
With regards to the spoiler and the trunk; it is immensely heavy to lift and when I do lift it, it doesn't stay up -_-. So I'm thinking the shocks are gone.
I will paint the drums and calipers, always wanted to
The front bumper needs a respray, as you said. I might as well do it myself properly. I know how to spray paint.

@miib14
You think so?? xD I know I know.

There are times where I wonder if I should just leave it as is and just wait until I'm a bit older, so the insurance doesn't hate me and get a second hand car in better condition, putting the corolla as a deposit. I don't know. Thing is, I won't be able to afford a car in a while.

Thanks for the help!

Dave