Are you also going to replace the front bumper reinforcement? Progress looks great, looking forward to the pictures after paint!

 

That is the one thing I am going to let go. It is just a small bend on the edge and everything else is still square.

 

Little update- my buddy in our body shop got the fender brackets on the upper rail spot welded in. Also, I dented the brand new fender trying to get it to line up with the hood. I’m an idiot because it would have been fine once these brackets were in and held it down. Live and learn, getting that fixed too. Obviously we will get some paint on the welds.

 

SUBSCRIBING!

your making me want to buy a spare set of calipers to power coat and install when I do my brakes...lol

 

Nice job so far. Car is coming along nicely.

 

Was talking to the guys that are going to paint the car today. I currently am set up to paint both bumpers, passenger front door, passenger rocker molding, and the hood, along with blending the passenger rear door and left front fender. It’s going to be approximately $1k more to just got ahead and do the whole car so I am going to spring for that. The car has 106k miles and they pointed out some spots that that I wasn’t planning to paint that are showing some age. With this the car will be right and it will be better in the long run. At this rate I should have just purchased a clean title car, but it has been a really fun project.

 

First, finding a clean car is a fool's errand. Second, you know more about this car than 99% of IS F owners know about theirs, and it's not going to present any mystery issues like so many used cars do. My hat is off, and I hope you are able to enjoy the car now that it is whole again! Great job!!!

 

No big updates, but since I am getting the whole car painted I asked my buddy if he could fill in any dents on the car prior to the painting. I wish I had the ability to do this stuff myself, but I don’t want to learn on this car so that it’s right. I pulled off all the trim and even the gas door so there won’t be any tape lines around them. The only place there will be any tape lines will be along the inside of the door jams. I’m not going to get into pulling the doors off. Our guys in our paint shop have been really backed up lately, but I’m just waiting for them to catch up before they get to my car.

 

She's gonna be a beauty! Nice work!

 

Thanks! I'm trying to be patient, wish I had the skills to paint this properly myself but I know it is going to be done correctly.

 

I am the same way. I know I don't have the eye for bodywork/painting so I have it done by someone I trust. Anything mechanical I can do. Bodywork and paint take skill I just don't have and I have tried a few times before with mediocre results. My dad is the same way, I'm sure I get it from him.

 

Couldn't describe myself better, haha.

 

Been patiently waiting for them to get to my car for paint, it’s been there almost 2 months now. I walked over to our body shop yesterday and saw the car is getting prepped. Couldn’t find the light switch but my iPhone 13 Pro took some great low light pictures, there were almost no lights on over there. Hopefully this means in the next week or so I’ll have it back.

 

This may be a blessing in disguise. Oem Lexus paint seems thick, but it is soft. I’d love some harder paint.

 

It was FINALLY in the booth after 2 months and then the heater in the booth malfunctioned and they couldn’t move forward with paint. I’m pretty frustrated, but I know the painter was pretty irate about it as well because he had to undo some of the prep work. Hoping they can do something with it today, but it is likely getting pushed out to next week. Wooomp womp.

Edit - There was a miscommunication with me and the painter about the trunk emblem. That is going to be removed and replaced so they can have a solid painted surface. The idea is to not have any tape lines on the car.