Blue's Triple Build Thread!

[Blue3000GTguy]

So, TGC, the time has come for me to set goals for myself to get my Gs done. I have three cars I'm working on, and since I have so much to do I thought it would be easier to document all of my to-do lists here and make it possible for everyone to track my progress for future reference. This thread will also sprout how-to threads for the things I'm doing!

So, here's the break-down. I am working on:

1.) Deja Vu - My 2001 Banyan Bay Beige LS V6 that was totalled three years ago.
2.) My 2003 Titanium Pearl ES V6 title loan repo, $300 craigslist daily.
3.) The wife's 2003 ES 4 banger, which was also $300 and has jumped time.

Deja Vu, or Deja as we call her, was destroyed in an accident in June of 2014. You can see the pictures here. It wasn't my fault, but the car was totaled, and sat for over a year in my back yard before I got her running again, when all of my other cars were down and I needed an emergency daily. after a little effort she was back to being a reliable daily, complete with cold air. My wife fell in love with her and she was hooked on the 8G platform. The only issue was, the car was still in pretty rough shape, and a lot of the running gear was worn out. But at the time I couldn't afford another car, and my wife was pregnant, so I had to keep driving her. A few months before we had our first baby, she started running really badly, and I had to once again park her. I've putted her across the state twice since then, but she's not the same, and it's time to get her back in shape. This is as she sits now:



If it weren't for the emotional attachment, and the fact that this is a one-year color, I would have given up, but fortunately I have people who support my dumb ideas and this car isn't going anywhere. The rear end has been pulled out successfully, and all that's left to do is mount the crash bar and bolt everything back in, and she's done on the rear. Her to-do list will be on Post #2.


Next up is my 2003 ES V6, aka Repo. This car came from a title loan place up in Rock Hill, and I originally bought it for parts. But after driving it home, it didn't make sense to part it out, and I decided to daily it. When I bought it, it was on cut springs and rode like shit. Since then, I've replaced the front struts and springs, CV axles, and completely rebuilt the front end. I've started peeling the plastidip, which takes for freakin' EVER, and I've discovered that the passenger doors are black. Guess I figured out why it has a salvage title! This is how SHE sat, as of a few weeks ago when I bought her:



Looks like I'll have to update this picture later. The to-do list is post #3!


Lastly is the project 2003 Galant with a four cylinder. I never had a four banger car before, and when this one came up with timing issues, for $300 I jumped on it. Especially considering I had a parts car sitting in the yard with anything it could possibly need! It was originally titanium pearl, with a crappy white maaco paint job and a surprisingly low 140k on the clock. This car's temporary goal is to be a daily for my wife, until I can pick up a GTZ for a daily, and turn this car into a twin cam turbo beast for her to auto-x. I haven't gotten much chance to fix it yet, but this is how it sits now:



This one's to-do list isn't so bad, it'll be on post #4.


Now, I have a bodega beige/tan cloth 2001 V6 parts car, a white/tan cloth 2002 ES 4cyl parts car, and a silver 2000 eclipse v6 m/t, all of which I will be using for parts for these builds. So keep that in mind, as I randomly appear with parts in hand! Lol.

[Projekt8G]

Awesome ! Cant Wait to see what you do with them all !


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[Blue3000GTguy]

So Deja has a lot of work to be done, but I've made the decision to bring her back to OEM+ condition. That includes a full restoration to her previous state, but with GTZ springs, sway bars, and fresh tint! So far I've completed:

Replace rear struts
Repair rear body metal
Replace and align trunk lid
Position and mount rear bumper
Replace tail lights with 8GB USDM lights.

Compared to the to-do list, this is pretty bad though. The to-do list:

Body:
✓Remove and replace radiator support
✓Replace both front fenders
Replace driver door
New 8GB USDM headlights
Modify USDM grille
USDM VR-4 style fiberglass front bumper repair and install
Replace hood
Prep body for paint
Reinstall Spoiler and wire properly

Under-car
Install front struts and GTZ springs
Install GTZ sway bars
Better tires
Delete Resonator and install aftermarket muffler
Replace brake dust shields on front wheels
Energy suspension bushings everywhere!

Interior:
Tint windows
✓Repair driver seat frame
Repair dashboard
Replace carpet
Replace audio system including bypassing the infinity system
Install Diamante reading lights
Repair driver door switches
Refinish interior "wood" pieces

Engine bay
New valve cover gaskets (AGAIN)
Replace the last o2 sensor
Repair EGR recirculation system
✓Swap ECU/Immobilizer/Keyswitch from bodega beige '01 V6
Timing belt/Water pump/oil pump
Front and rear seals
Replace transmission with bodega beige '01 V6 lower mileage transmission
Install transmission cooler
Energy suspension engine mounts


I'm sure I'll find more to add, but I can't recall right now.

[Blue3000GTguy]

Repo's got a lot of work to be done, most of it custom. So far I've gotten done quite a bit of things, including:

Complete front end rebuild, with CV axles (View the How-to here
Raise front end from stupid cut springs
Begin peeling plastidip, which takes FOREVER
Fixed the drain plug leak on the transmission
Aligned and tracking straight!
Installed 3G Steering wheel

To-Do:

Body:
Finish peeling plastidip
Replace front fenders
Repair dents in rear right quarter panel
Add Integra lip
Add SVR4 rear lip and sideskirts
Install fender flares
Evo 8/9 Wing
JDM 8GB tail lights
New 8GB USDM headlights
Carbon fiber hood
Replace trunk
Tint windows
EGR Rear visor
Paint prep

Interior:
BLACK interior. Everything.
3G leather seats
Recover rear seat in black leather
Order black carpet
Install Diamante rear lights
3G center console (MAYBE)
Custom stitched headliner
Good sound system, move sub and amp from Thunderbird.

Under-Car:
Coilovers
Brake upgrade
Energy suspension bushings
Super kick-ass tires
Braided brake lines

Engine Bay:
5spd swap
New 5spd axles
Energy Engine mounts
Valve cover gaskets
Timing belt/water pump/Oil pump
Oil pan gasket
Main seals
Tune Up

Again probably more but can't think of it right now.


----------------------------------------------------

Since I fell asleep and didn't get the third list up, I'll add the four banger car here. Whoops. Lol.
Anyway, the engine has likely jumped time, so knowing that, I have adapted my list as so:

Engine:
✓Remove old engine
Replace timing and all bad gaskets on new motor, then insert new motor
✓Clean engine bay
✓New motor mounts
Fix AC if not working (unknown)

Interior:
Swap tan interior from bodega beige car, complete with dash
MAYBE 3g Diamante steering wheel
Diamante reading lights
Kickin' sound system​

Under-Car:
Lowering springs
Tie rods
Alignment
✓Kick-ass wheels
Energy bushings
eBay catback and deleted resonator

Body:
EGR visor
Replace front bumper
Repaint (Not maaco)
New 8GB USDM headlights
HID fogs

Not a super crazy list of things to do for a daily, but still a project nonetheless!

[seanske99]

Sounds like you are going to be very busy for a very long time. Sounds like fun though.

[Blue3000GTguy]

Sounds like you are going to be very busy for a very long time. Sounds like fun though.

I'm always super busy. Lol. I haven't even gotten to the third car. Lol. I fell asleep. At the doctor's office right now, but I'll probably be getting the engine out of the eclipse parts car today.

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[seanske99]

I just picked up a 5 Spd transmission, Shifter and Cables yesterday for $175. I'm in the same boat as you. Wife totaled out my 8G about 4 years ago. Crushed the radiator support bar, hood, headlights, cyber 2 front end from Erebuni, pretty much everything in the first 4 inches of the front end were squished. I have a lot of work on my hands as well. The parts for the manual swap are the first parts I've bought to start rebuilding it since she crashed it. I hope to get it going by the end of summer.

[Blue3000GTguy]

I just picked up a 5 Spd transmission, Shifter and Cables yesterday for $175. I'm in the same boat as you. Wife totaled out my 8G about 4 years ago. Crushed the radiator support bar, hood, headlights, cyber 2 front end from Erebuni, pretty much everything in the first 4 inches of the front end were squished. I have a lot of work on my hands as well. The parts for the manual swap are the first parts I've bought to start rebuilding it since she crashed it. I hope to get it going by the end of summer.

I found a V6 eclipse with a manual for so cheap I had to get the whole thing, so I pretty much got the 5spd swap for free after I crush the rest of the car. $175 is a damn good deal though, if you run across another swap for that price buy it, you never know when you'll need another five speed G. ;)

The rad support on these cars isn't hard to get off, it's just really annoying drilling out all of the spot welds. Make sure you've got some good spot weld bits and you should be good to go.
If you need any stock parts I have some extras laying around. Just PM me if you need anything and I'll see what I can do.

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[seanske99]

The rad support on these cars isn't hard to get off, it's just really annoying drilling out all of the spot welds. Make sure you've got some good spot weld bits and you should be good to go.
If you need any stock parts I have some extras laying around. Just PM me if you need anything and I'll see what I can do.

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Yeah, the support was a little PITA. I got it off though. I got a bug up my ass about a year ago to do something with the car. I stripped off all the busted parts and scrapped what I could. Hood, fenders, radiator.

I'll take a look around the car and see what I need. We have plenty of JY's here, and they have plenty of G's and Eclipses. Shouldn't be too hard to find things. If you need anything as well, I can take a trip and try to find something.

[Blue3000GTguy]

Yeah, the support was a little PITA. I got it off though. I got a bug up my ass about a year ago to do something with the car. I stripped off all the busted parts and scrapped what I could. Hood, fenders, radiator.

I'll take a look around the car and see what I need. We have plenty of JY's here, and they have plenty of G's and Eclipses. Shouldn't be too hard to find things. If you need anything as well, I can take a trip and try to find something.

I'm the same way, I have about 8 big yards within two hours, so I'm always looking for parts. Lol. Keep an eye out for a sonata head for me. ;)

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[seanske99]

Keep an eye out for a sonata head for me. ;)

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No problem. Just tell me what years, and motor size, and snap a pic for reference and I'll see what I can find

[Blue3000GTguy]

Started working on blacking out the interior today. Got all this and a door panel done, gotta get clear and more paint. Really can't say enough about this paint.

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[Projekt8G]

Looks good !


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[Blue3000GTguy]

Looks good !


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Thanks man, I have been thinking about the color combo for a while and I've finally come to this conclusion. It's darker than the stock blueish silver and looks epic against the black.


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[Projekt8G]

Yea that's gonna look really nice once everything is done and reattached


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[Blue3000GTguy]

Yea that's gonna look really nice once everything is done and reattached


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Thanks man. A little note, I noticed paint wasn't sticking well to those trim pieces, so rough them up with some sandpaper to get the paint to stick better.

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[seanske99]

Make sure its a fine enough grit though. Don't want the scuff marks to show up once you paint. Made that mistake once.

[Blue3000GTguy]

Yep, I was thinking about 400 grit, but I have a few sets of these parts so I can play a little. I may just order some low temp powder and practice powdercoating plastic.

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[seanske99]

The Krylon stuff works well too. I used it as kind of a primer before I painted my door panels. It's held up pretty well.

[Blue3000GTguy]

Everything I use is krylon lol. It bonds to everything, you just have to make sure it's at the right temp. I use the dual which has primer in it, never had any issues.

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