SC510

Just curious if you guys started with a SC that wasn't in an acceptable condition. Well here's my story:

A few years ago I bought a 99 SC300 that wasn't in the best condition. Fender and headlight were smashed in, passenger side mirror was broken and the door the wouldn't open. Smelled like newports for weeks and the thing was sitting on some really tacky 20's. This car wasn't at the top of my list, I was a 240 guy at the time But it was love at first sight and I got this feeling that this carwould be mine. ( Crazy I know) Bought it from a silent auction as my first car and with the little money I could save up, showed it some love.

Now the pics:

Before




How it looked after replacing the headlight and fender
















After:

ems

iTrader: (1)

This aint done done but shes being saved. Car was beat up, both rear quarters needed reshaping, interior- horrible hood and nose dented, dents on the A and C pillars!!! just awful.. $700 bucks
November


December


January


Febuary


March


So much more to do, so little time! Still gotta put on the new hood and a bazillion other things, but shes still here.

Ramblerman

I'll post pics one of these days of my 96 SC 400 when I have her to the point I want it, probably have to put it in the build thread as I have a whole series so far & not done, but I think most of us except a a few lucky ones, tend to save, or restore them as most people tend to drive them rather than store them in a museum.

oldManTan

yes i did, and still am






one quarter panel fixed, and the other is fixed as well, no picture of that one though


almost all the rust is fixed, the hardest part is the roof. my windshield is cracked as well, so i'm gonna get a new windshield soon, take the windshield out, redo the roof with fiberglass mat and paint it right there. can't wait to paint her

Kira X

iTrader: (24)

I don't think I have the patience to deal with a beat up SC. I've watched a few of my friends try to save SC's and it always ended badly.

All of the cars posted so far have made very impressive transformations. It takes a lot of work and dedication to save an SC.

oldManTan

yes indeed, it's been a year and i still haven't even painted my car yet.

G0TB00ST

I just got home from buying a sc300. I can safely say that this one is totally going to need jesus. I am a patient man and i love projects... so i will be sure make sure she cone out looking great.

ems

iTrader: (1)

Holy salt damage omt. I never knew you had to go through all that! MAAD props!

oldManTan

Salt is the devil, i wash my car almost every week in the winter to keep this from happening, previous owner, not so much.

SC510

Man i would have went nuts trying to repair all the salt damage

FSUsucks1

iTrader: (5)

Damn!!! That is just insane! Don't even want to know how much damage you have underneath! Glad we don't have to deal with salt on the roads here is SoCal.

Now I know the reason no one dares to buy a car that comes from the midwest or east coast out here!

Ramblerman

OldManTan: keep on Truckin, you have the guff & determination to build a fine car, restoration is a long process & your well on your way, like your innovations on the car so far, she was a blank canvas when you got her & just waiting for the right artist to come along.

Biddles

iTrader: (2)

I wish I could have saved my original 92 SC400 but it was a mess I should never have purchased in the first place. Interior was destroyed, engine was a replacement 1uz installed poorly, sat on crappy fake 20" benz wheels. Started over heating after a month.... I didn't have the money to fix it properly, hell it never drove good to begin with so I don't know why I bought it. Now though I wouldn't mind a project SC. I'd love to find a 5 speed that's in bad shape, whether it's body or interior I would grab one and fix it up slowly.

oldManTan

thanks for the kind words guys, when i bought the car i really didn't care for the damage, i was hoping it wouldn't be spotless because i wanted to learn how to do everything by myself. always been into cars and never had a chance to do anything to them, so this was it! i've learned more from this car then i think i learned in highschool lol.

the bottom of the car is actually spotless, and covered in that rubber bed lining stuff or watever it is. the frame rail seam, in the middle, gonna have to weld that though cz it got bent a little from bottoming out i guess.

i was really surprised how well it handled the winters, it's just those quarters and the roof that are effed. otherwise, everything else is good to go, except suspension bolts, man i do not wanna change anything, it will be broken and stripped bolts left and right, tried taking my bumper off, all the bolts were just snapping so i left it on without the corner bolts cz they broke off from the rust. also tried taking my rear caliper off to paint it, stripped the bottom bolt, it's just so damn rusty down there, i've been washing it as much as i can to keep it from getting worse but it's hard, especially with the winter we had this year.

advice for anyone trying to fix salt damage, get a nice drill and those rust removing drill bits, they're like black sponge looking circles, tons of sandpaper and an orbital sander, and use fiberglass mat if you're not gonna be welding, regular fiberglass fabric is too thin and annoying to work with, those mats are the shiznit, just use up a lot of resin but man is it stiff then, better than sheet metal lol.

ems

iTrader: (1)

was the windshield leaking into the interior from those holes?