rentaspace's progression :), How My Celica Came to Be :) Options

[rentaspace]

So gonna start my progression thread, and update it occasionally.
I'll start with how I got my Celica:
So it all started last year in around March, when I got my Red P's and was searching for that first car...
I tested a lancer, a prelude and a Hyundai Coupe... They all had their pluses and minuses, but none felt 'right'...
On the way home from the Prelude, we passed a Ford dealership and sitting in the middle was a little white PreFacelift Celica, as soon as I saw her, I knew she was the one I wanted. When I got home I jumped online and and contacted the dealer; she was an auto (I am not legally allowed to drive manual yet, thanks to my dads non-functioning speedometer).
The next day, my dad drove me and my beautiful girlfriend out to the dealer and we test drove the car. At the end of the test drive the dealer wanted 8k for her. I knew this was steep for it, but she was in almost perfect condition.

The only damage I could pick was a scrape on the passenger side rear wheel fender, a few small dents over her and quite a large dent in the roof (it looked like the previous owner had hit her with his fists)...
With the $8k as a base, we negotiated with the dealer and came out with a total:
- $7700 for the car
- All dents removed from the car
- Brand New 5 treads
- and finally what really made me go for it, A 12 month warranty... on an 18 year old car

Here she was on that exact day, right after out test drive:




A few weeks later, we got a call saying that she was ready for pickup, All the dents had been removed ($1500 worth of dent removal and paint) and she was good to go. A few days later her first photo shoot:



Her Interior and Engine were immaculate for her age:




After a few weeks our small troubles began, she started leaking oil all over the ground... After a call to the dealership, she was booked in for her first warranty inspection... They re-did all engine gaskets and replaced all seals in the engine... When we got her back, she was still leaking... We took her back again and were told that the transmission seals were shot, they were replaced and the engine was flushed out; the leaking stopped... for now...
Over all, the work would of cost ($1800 by the dealer, if not for the warranty).

Ill post the first of many mods in the next few hours or so, Once I get together the photos and know exactly what I want to say

This post has been edited by rentaspace: Oct 21, 2013 - 1:34 AM

[rentaspace]

Big Update (Sort Of):
So, The skirts are done and on the car !
I'll go through the whole progress here, so there is gonna be LOTS of photos

So basically, it began a month or two ago when I was searching eBay a came across a guy in South Australia selling the Veilside front bar, side-skirts and rear bar. I am not a fan of the Veilside front or rear (It makes the car look bulky and I just don't like it). So I offered the guy $120 for the skirts and he accepted. Now came the fun of getting them shipped from South Australia to New South Wales, I found a low-cost company that would ship them to Villawood Depo for $60 including $300 transit coverage. So $180 delivered to my door (almost):



Now, the manufacturers primer was shotty at best... and I rang around finding out prices to paint the skirts.. I got varying number from $250 - $1000+ (JUST to paint)... After scraping that idea, I approached one of my mates who worked for a smash repairs locally. His work agreed to supply the paint at-cost ($90 for a liter of two-pack) and my mate agreed to spray them for me at his house. Before going over, I decided to install the skirts on the car in a dry run to make sure they fitted:

The fitment was alright, some small minor imperfections were on the skirts (But that was to be expected).
I then took the skirts to my mates place and we got four layers of primer onto them:
http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u653/R...zps5d511818.jpg
Giving a much better finish then the crappy manufacturers stuff...

After a week of crappy weather and me ending up in hospital (long story short I drank to much), We finally got the skirts painted and cleared:

Drying the clear in the sun

The next day, (Mothers day), we went to install the skirts only to find that the door trim was being blocked... So after marking out the area that needed to be cut, I had to leave to go to my girlfriends for lunch and then my grandparents. I got these photos of the installed (But not held on) skirts:



Later that night, using 4 screws, double sided tape and Sikaflex we installed the skirts properly (I don't think they will be moving anytime soon...)
There is some small imperfections in the paint and the skirts themselves, but nothing that detracts from the appearance (Some need to be fixed later on this week when the clear coat is fully cured)
Overall I am very happy with the final product, and a big thanks goes to My mates and girlfriend that helped a lot through the whole process
Once it got dark it was time for a photo-shoot:




And again, my favorite photo of the night:


I will get high-res night and day photos later this week when I get the fitment and everything perfect on the skirts

This post has been edited by rentaspace: May 12, 2013 - 8:42 PM