I got lucky. I've always wanted this car and my friend had just crashed his. I asked him if he wanted to sell it and, because he would have had to spend too much money not knowing how to work on cars, I got it for the $300.
At this point in time, I hit $1000 total. I did everything myself except changing the power steering pump, adding $200 to the bill.
- New power steering pump. Old one was leaking like crazy.
- New radiator. The car was in a slow speed crash where it hit something almost directly head on. Whatever it was, it missed the bumper but damaged the hood, one light, the condenser, and radiator. The radiator had been torn up by the engine fan.
- New oil. Full synthetic. Old oil was SO bad that I actually felt a performance increase. The car was also burning oil like crazy until all of it was gone.
- New Coolant Temp Sensor. I did it for the gauge which I later found out is a different sensor (sender to be correct) but this fix greatly enhanced throttle response, bringing it close to when it was new, and the car got back some 20-30 HP along with a little bit better mileage. Essential change every 120k or so, in my opinion.
- New vacuum hoses. Some of the old ones were dry rotted.
- New tires.
- New seat covers. The old seats were really torn up.
What does the car need to look fine? Only a hood and driver's side headlight (the glass got shattered). I took care of the mechanical part first.
What else does the car need?
It needs the Engine Temperature Sender replaced so that the gauge works. I have this part. The rear brake pads are gonna be changed out soon. I have those aswell. They don't usually wear out but the car is at 200k. The front brakes were changed before I got it. I also have the radiator support which, along with everything else, will make the car come together aesthetically.
What is the goal for this car?
To take what some would call a "beater" and turn it into a VIP LS400. Also, the secondary goal is for me to learn how to do most of this myself and do it on a budget. Not only will I be doing mechanical stuff but upholstery and interior stuff and I will be posting guides so you can do this yourself. Or you can learn to flip them. I could put a hood on mine and make $800 profit but that's not what I wanna do.
WHY this car?
Although it was in a crash, the biggest benefits are a good transmission and the engine was replaced so that has about 100k miles on it (what happened was someone stole this car for the motor and dumped it ten years ago so the previous owner picked it up and had an engine put back in).
So follow me and learn with me... or just watch. Maybe you can teach me something. Feel free to comment.
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