Aight so while everyone is wondering why I keep talking about repairing Dora and not actually doing anything, I'll explain. What's taking up most of my time these days is Neko, the third of four cars I own.

I bought her shortly after Dora was crashed into for £350. She's a 99 Primera GX with a 1.6L engine. Poverty spec of course - no front fogs, no sunroof, etc etc. but a nice looking car & in mint condition - a few small dents here and there but a spotless interior and only 93k ish on the clock. I'd say I got a bargain!

Just 18 days after buying it, I was driving through the main intersection in our hometown (about 100 yards from where Dora was hit). I went through my green light at 30, when a young lad in an Insignia coming from the opposite direction decided to make a right turn without checking for oncoming traffic.

This guy had insurance thankfully. Neko was written off, but you know how I am with cars. I called up the garage and asked how much it would cost to buy it back, and they said given the value of the car (£400), they wouldn't charge me anything! YES PLEASE

So I set to work - took out the headlights, bumper and anything metal that could come off with a few bolts. Required the use of a drill and a saw though. Shoutout to Nissan for deciding the best way to hold the bumper to the underside of the car was with philips head screws, when 1 - they are pretty much at the closest point to the road surface than pretty much anything else bar the wheels, and 2 - screws are prone to rust.

Yesterday I made use of a rubber mallet, some rope and my 6n and attempted to straighten out the front & headlight panels, which worked considerably well. But rust was the main concern now, as you can see from the radiator mount. Inside was even worse, moreso than Dora

I figure if I want the car to last more than a few months, I need to replace pretty much everything. Being in a Primera owner's club helps, and I've sourced the bumper reinforcement & slam panel for free it's just the cross member, front panel, headlight panels and so I need now, and I think I've found a company nearby who stocks them. The next step is to take off all the spot-welded stuff, and then decide whether or not I want to spend another £500 or so on a spot welder that I may or may not use again, or if I'll just get the local garage to fit everything for considerably less.

And after that, with any luck it'll be MOT time

Edited 4 December, 201510 yr by Vio

Fair play to you for trying, but that's some serious rust.

Hehe - I had one of those last year as a stop gap, only mine was a specced-up 2 litre auto. Great car, you could go over speed bumps in it at 40mph and it just didn't matter. I paid £250 for mine, rinsed the 3 months of tax and test, and the tread on the front tyres, off and sold it to a banger racer for £225.

If you think the front end rust's bad - don't go anywhere near the back of your sills.

Come to think about it, going back to the other thread, I may have outfoxed a couple of coppers in a T5 with it

Aah mine's only the 1.6 but at some point I'd love to drop an SR20DE in it, and get some alloys, spoiler, etc etc. It's much more suited to my style of modifying as well. Everyone on here hates the idea of neons on my Mk2F, whilst over on the Primera Owners Club forums they have a guide on how to fit and wire up an underglow

Not to mention I had to pay £20 for clear side repeaters because they're the same as the ones used on the R34 Skyline. So it's made by the same company, uses the same parts... it practically is a Skyline tbh

Update

Got pretty much everything I needed on that 160 mile trip in the 6n - bonnet, bumper, headlights, front panel, etc etc. The new panel was in considerably better shape than mine, albeit still used with some rust which I treated with some hammerite.

I ultimately decided not to do the welding myself as it made more sense cost-wise to have someone more experienced do it. Car did need some cleaning first after 4 months sitting on a drive, which took up a whole day and was just about the most unpleasant thing I've ever had to do on a car. before/after

Neko came back home yesterday with the new front panel on. The garage were nice enough to paint it white for me (and half of the engine bay as well it seems)

Put everything back together - radiator, bonnet, slam panels & bumper. Found out I was missing a few screws and bolts in the process (the screws to connect the arch liners to the bumper were so corroded they weren't worth re-using at all). I was considering buying some new ones, but then I remembered it's a Nissan and that I could cable tie everything together.

And there we go. All that's left is to connect up the fog lights (I didn't get the nearside connector so that can wait) and the grill bits which are an absolute pain. But it was enough to get the car started again (with a jump from the 6n). Filled it up with coolant and took it for the first drive in 5 months (just once around the block as it's still written off and uninsured). Some minor things left to sort - power steering fluid was unusually low (but I didn't notice any leaks) and there seems to be a rubbing sound whilst driving which might be my cable-tied arch liners... but we're getting closer and closer to MOT time

Edited 19 March, 201610 yr by Vio

atleast your getting there. Wow is that mold on the steering wheel ?

what did the garage charge you?

Did you ask if they do cheap rates for taxis?

what did the garage charge you?

Danger money looking at that steering wheel

atleast your getting there. Wow is that mold on the steering wheel ?

Yep, it was literally everywhere - front and back seats, dash, carpets, boot... leave the car sat for 4 months and it grows its own ecosystem strangely enough I've had the Porsche and Dora off the road for the same amount of time though, and neither of them have gone mouldy at all. Why are the German cars mould-resistant?

what did the garage charge you?

£100. That's for towing the car to the garage, cutting the old panel off, welding the new one on, painting it, and towing it back to mine. I can't actually complain this time

Are you sure the taxi doesn't have a water leak?

Good for you vio, thats one on the road

Are you sure the taxi doesn't have a water leak?

Seconded on that. I'd be checking for leaks straight away - that's a lot of damp!

Are you sure the taxi doesn't have a water leak?

Seconded on that. I'd be checking for leaks straight away - that's a lot of damp!

When I got it back from my insurer's garage there was a lot of water on the inside of the windscreen for some reason, which might explain it. No mould since, so that's a good sign.

Took it for an MOT and got a to-do list, which I'll make a start on this week.

I'd just like to comment on how if your wiper blades are worn out you'll fail an MOT, but if your car does this

...that's just an advisory

Pretty surprised they didn't abort the test if it's loosing that much.

If you haven't got a code reader, theres a bit of a trick you can do with a bit of wire and the diag plug that makes it flash the ABS fault code on the fault light.

Thread here - http://www.npoc.co.uk/forum/p11-abs-system-diagnostic_topic48583.html - but you need a sign in to open the link.

You can read the ABS codes without a diagnostic computer by bridging the 4th pin bottom row of the diagnostic grey/black socket with a piece of copper wire in the socket and then to the door hinge(socket is located to the right of the steering wheel just behind the fuse box cover lid) then turn the ignition on and the light will start to flash,fast and slow sequences,count how many times for each.

Ah I'll just buy a scanner, seems useful to have one. Although I don't think I'll need it now because the ABS light has randomly gone off!

 

Bought a clutch kit and a Haynes manual, didn't quite get around to changing the clutch yet as I still need a few things (another jack, a 36mm socket, and a breaker bar the size of Wales). I did however manage to install the new indicator stalk and get all my lights working. Another item on the list crossed off

 

 

And with a relay and another bulb holder, soon I'll have front fogs

Finally got around to rebuilding the brakes. I also discovered a method of removing cylinders without an actual air compressor, involving a foot pump, some small clear plastic tubing and an o-ring.

 

 

Fronts were ok, rears were a bit trickier as they're the type that screw in and make you need to buy a kit to get them back on (dammit Nissan). Also neither of the rears had dust boots on the piston (and when I tried fitting one I understood why), which turned out to be the main reason for me needing to rebuild them in the first place. Old and new:

 

 

I considered painting them as well but ultimately decided not to as they won't be seen behind the steel wheels anyway (and later chrome spinner trims). Brakes back on, just need bleeding in the morning (and I need to fill up the gearbox oil), and then she's off to the garage for the last few things before MOT round 2 

 

What is it with spinners Vio? Do you actually like them over alloys? [emoji38]

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7 minutes ago, wizardmanjm said:

What is it with spinners Vio? Do you actually like them over alloys?

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

 

Absolutely, alloys are boring! Spinners are shiny and... they spin! What's not to like 

Haha, they look a bit cheap though I reckon, I would say what about polished wheels like BBS or others but of course there is a bit of a price difference lol

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You know how you're supposed to make sure you can get the gearbox filler plug off before you drain the oil? Guess what I didn't do 

 

So early this week I bled the brakes as planned, and garaged ended up towing it back to do the clutch and driveshaft, which sorted the ABS light. I also decided to cheat with the nail in the rear tyre and put on the full sized spare, and then we sent it in for MoT.

 

 

Passed, no advisories.

 

Well that was unexpected!

2 weeks in and Neko's doing great. Changed the oil, filter and air filters, got the tracking done and picked up a part worn tyre which solves just about all the running issues. I do recall having an issue with the MAF sensor early on which I can't remember if I did or did not replace, but it doesn't seem to happen anymore so I guess I did. There are a few little things left to do - new wheel trims (bought), new bonnet struts, new condenser (I have no idea where the old one went) and fix the adjuster on the driver's seat.

 

I'm also going to wrap this one as well. In chrome, of course. But first it needs a little bit of bodywork - there are a few scratches, dents and so dotted about which I wanted to make a start on today. I attacked a few with a rubber mallet which sort of helped, but only really got to filling and painting the boot.

 

 

Took off the GB sticker as well, but I don't know what's going on here. Looks like a previous owner did a half decent job of welding in some new metal, then just threw some paint on and called it a day.

 

 

A bit better. I just needed it to be a decent shape in prep for the wrap anyway.

 

Also I discovered UV sidelights/number plate lights are a thing.

 

 

Continued with a LED interior light

 

 

And finally upgraded the headlights and fog lights to LEDs as well

 

 

Best. Investment. Ever.

 

Edited 14 July, 201610 yr by Vio

 

Bodywork weekend had a couple things to do in preparation for getting the whole thing wrapped. Firstly was the back bumper which had the same problem as Dora - when I took it off, half the car wanted to come with it

 

 

Nothing structural, and I made 2 small brackets to replace both sides. The left side still doesn't sit quite flush as it's bent near the top, and I think it might be better just to get a new bumper (or maybe an aftermarket one.. hmm...). But that can wait. The rest of the day was spent tackling the two big dents near the rear lights (bashing with a mallet and adding body filler), then taking an angle grinder to every little rust spot I could find around the body and filling those (mainly the front arches). I also took care of some of the bigger holes in the bumper (didn't paint it or the bonnet though, knew I wouldn't have near enough paint so just gonna go straight to the wrap)

 

 

With all the rust out, I may or may not have gone OTT with the filler primer.

 

 

(the debaging is only temporary, I'll stick em back after the wrap)

 

And with a limited supply of paint, I decided to do even more and paint the wing mirrors (which after sanding it seems were orginally white anyway), the door handles, and removing the bump strips as I thought that was a really good call on the 6n. Of course the 6n doesn't have holes underneath, and Neko does. And so the body filler came out again...

 

 

Which also required me to take all the door cards off to cover the other sides, some of which were practically impossible to access anyway, but I got it done somehow. Finally at 3am on day 2 I could clean up and throw some paint on.

 

 

I had one can of primer and one can of paint to do basically half a respray with. I managed one and a half coats of each which looks awful, but at least it's nice and smooth now which was the idea - just prep for the wrap. Couple before/during/after pics

 

 

 

^ Dora looking jealous now to buy some vinyl...

Cat

 

 

Been pretty quiet the past couple months. Bought a few small pieces of chrome vinyl on ebay to road-test before committing to the full wrap, and after one day I realised it wasn't going to happen. You get what you pay for it turns out - even with decent prep & application the vinyl 1- cannot form to a corner or curve at all, with or without a heat gun - and 2- was peeling off after just the first day.

 

I've decided to go with my back-up plan and rattle can the car. Spent about £150 on paint (still cheaper than a respray) and I have the week of october 10th booked off from work, so things are going to get really interesting...

 

 

Also snapped a driveshaft

 

 

The bill for towing it back from 20 miles out of town was worse than a replacement driveshaft, but eh shit happens. Well at least now the car has a new clutch and 2 brand new driveshafts, and aside from tidying up some of that rust underneath, hopefully I won't have any more mechanical issues for a while.

 

Which means it's time to rice the shit out of this thing. First up I bought a ton of LED strips in the hopes of bringing the 90s back with neons, only to find out they're a bit too pink for my liking. Nonetheless I've decided to hook a few up to the grill pieces and behind the front number plate. Nice subtle touch, and once I refit a condenser and maybe get some mesh in the bumper it'll look even better.

 

 

(I've also gone back to white sidelights as the UV ones were a bit too dim, so at least the car's road legal now)

 

The other major issue with the outside was the rear bumper didn't quite sit well on the passenger side. They have some really nice aftermarket bumpers (and that's a first) but a bit out of my price range, so I settled for a facelift bumper which I picked up from a club member for considerably less.

 

I don't have a pic of the old bumper on the car, but it was this one...

 

which got replaced by this one:

 

Still doesn't quite sit flush as the problem is with the shell rather than the bumper itself (slightly skewed apparently), but it's an improvement. Longer, and has the bit that looks kinda like a valance which will work well for painting. But the best thing about it is this car has the number plate lights above the plate, while the facelift has them below on the bumper.

 

Which means QUAD NUMBER PLATE LIGHTS

 

 

Why? Because I can

9 minutes ago, Vio said:

 

 

 

 

Full on Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift right there!