End of Week Two update
Not much to report this week as I've been a tad busy.... Still waiting to pick up the nose cut from the wreckers. Hopefully will get a chance to pick it up before next weekend. The car is now on stands ready to start the disassembly of the damaged front end.
I managed to give the roof of the car the full detail and what a difference it made!!!!!!!
I started off with the claybar and smoothed it down while removing some tar stains as well. I powered up the rotary buffer and applied a fine cutting compound, followed by a swirl remover, finishing it off with a pure polish. I then applied a synthetic polymer wax by hand to finish it off. The end result...... a perfect mirror finish to highlight every single dent that it in the roof :verymad:
Parts aquired this week:
- Sony MP3 Headunit & 10 disc MP3 stacker - $0 (from previous car)
- Short Shifter (Reduce gearstick throw by 50%) - $40
- Pioneer 12" Subwoofer - $20
- Clear Side Indicators - $30
Total cost so far
$1300 - Car
$82 - Car Trailer Hire
$700 - Nose Cut from wreckers
$40 - Short Shifter
$20 - Subwoofer
$30 - Clear Side Indicators
$2172 TOTAL
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picked up these Starcorp 17 X 7 INCH rims with tyres (approx 60% tread) for $425.
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End of Week 3 update
Well I had a really good weekend on the Astina. I finally got around to picking up the Nose cut from the wreckers on Saturday, luckily it was in perfect condition. All the front end damage from the car has now been removed and/or straightened. I even managed to tear down the nose cut and seperate it all out ready for fitment. All of the front end support panels are now ready for sanding and primer.
I did have some fun though annoying the neighbours with the sound of a big hammer hitting tin while trying to straighten out the front end!!!! All in all it only took about 5 hours to strip the front end down and the nose cut. I also managed to put a tiny crack in the bottom of the Windscreen washer bottle while trying to straighten everything. A trip to the wreckers fixed that one quickly.
I was a little worried earlier while moving the car around that I had no power steering.... A quick check under the hood revealed that the system had no fluid. I though it must have been the cooler lines that run across the front of the car, but no.... Mazda in all their wisdom, put a plastic barbed hose connector on top of the power steering pump. The impact from the crash just touch it and cracked it at the base.
The engine also has quite a few oil leaks - Distributer oil seal, rocker cover gasket, cam oil seal, crank oil seal........ I think I'm going to have some fun trying to replace all of these! :yucky:
Also, have finally decided on the paint design/scheme for the car..... but the only hint I can give away at the moment is that the car will still be White :biggrin:
The nose cut:
Extent of damage once the bumper was removed:
Front end of the car removed:
All the damaged pieces!
Power steering pump - Plastic inlet:
Rear end with middle reflector panel removed:
Parts aquired this week:
- 17x7" Wheels
- Radiator Overflow Bottle & Windscreen Washer Bottle
Total cost so far
$2172 - Total Cost from week 2
$425 - 17x7" Wheels
$30 - Radiator Overflow Bottle & Windscreen Washer Bottle
$18 - MAF Adapter for Pod Filter
$2645 TOTAL