4k GT86 Gets a Rocket Bunny Kit & LS3 V8 Swap!
Discussion
Anyone got some spare? should just need a bottle or 3...
Made a project thread for my new venture on the GT86 Forum's and thought i'd make my very first reader's car thread on here!
So a couple of week's ago I picked up my GT86, I wasn't planning on getting one so soon but I've been keeping my eyes out for a cheap written off one with just the right amount of damage and that's exactly what I got when this popped up!
Warning graphic images!
And it was in the exact colour I wanted! So less than 48 hours after it was listed I had placed a deposit and arranged to travel up to Lincoln to pick it up the following Saturday.
The car is a 63 plate and is registered as a Cat N (previously called Cat D) write off meaning that there is no structural damage to the chassis but it was beyond economical repair for the insurance company.
So the next Saturday rolled around and I was a little bit worried about what I was getting myself in to but I decided to just feign ignorance and rely on the Insurance insepctors classifying it correctly.
And when I finally got it back home and in the garage thats how it stayed for a couple of weeks as I didn't have the time to crack on with it.
Made a project thread for my new venture on the GT86 Forum's and thought i'd make my very first reader's car thread on here!
So a couple of week's ago I picked up my GT86, I wasn't planning on getting one so soon but I've been keeping my eyes out for a cheap written off one with just the right amount of damage and that's exactly what I got when this popped up!
Warning graphic images!
And it was in the exact colour I wanted! So less than 48 hours after it was listed I had placed a deposit and arranged to travel up to Lincoln to pick it up the following Saturday.
The car is a 63 plate and is registered as a Cat N (previously called Cat D) write off meaning that there is no structural damage to the chassis but it was beyond economical repair for the insurance company.
So the next Saturday rolled around and I was a little bit worried about what I was getting myself in to but I decided to just feign ignorance and rely on the Insurance insepctors classifying it correctly.
And when I finally got it back home and in the garage thats how it stayed for a couple of weeks as I didn't have the time to crack on with it.
Edited by Samjeev on Monday 15th February 22:53
And so finally today I was finally able to get my hands on it and see what was what!
My plan is to take it a little bit slow, not only to lessen the blow to my wallet but also to simply get things done right the first time rather than have to re-visit areas further down the line.
So I had already costed a few bits up before making the purchase, I know that the most expensive parts will be a set of headlights even if they are aftermarket and the Airbag set. Most of the parts im probably going to get from a Toyota dealer or online if they're cheap enough and legit.
So without further ado heres a few pics of my first day spannering on the car!
Here's how it sits in the garage, quite tight compared to the previous occupant and as you can see its still looking a little sorry for itself.
Couple of closeup of some of some of the damage
Quite a horrible sight! but with the fenders and the remnants of the headlights out of the way it was starting to look a bit better.
Those fenders are a bit of a pain to get off though!
The core support was a little tricky to get off with the washer bottle in the way and a few mildly bent bits of radiator support in the way but eventually after a few hours it was in a much better state and I could start checking out whether there was any further damage to be worried about.
Sorry for the blurry pic!
And the pile of parts that came off...
The Top "branches" of the rad support are clearly bent and I'll replace those along with the enter of it that holds the bonnet lach mechanism however I'm wondering if a couple of other areas are bent which I wasn't expecting, namely these areas:
It almost appears they've come ever so slightly away and bent downwards from the rest of the frame, thoughts on this?
As well as this the bottom of the rad support actually looks straight which I was not expecting, can anyone confirm whether this looks right?
So thats it for now, the battery's completely dead as well so that's a bummer.
I'm going to have to get a shopping list together and start placing a few orders as I hope I've removed all the bent parts so far that don't need their spot welds drilled out, those will come next!
My plan is to take it a little bit slow, not only to lessen the blow to my wallet but also to simply get things done right the first time rather than have to re-visit areas further down the line.
So I had already costed a few bits up before making the purchase, I know that the most expensive parts will be a set of headlights even if they are aftermarket and the Airbag set. Most of the parts im probably going to get from a Toyota dealer or online if they're cheap enough and legit.
So without further ado heres a few pics of my first day spannering on the car!
Here's how it sits in the garage, quite tight compared to the previous occupant and as you can see its still looking a little sorry for itself.
Couple of closeup of some of some of the damage
Quite a horrible sight! but with the fenders and the remnants of the headlights out of the way it was starting to look a bit better.
Those fenders are a bit of a pain to get off though!
The core support was a little tricky to get off with the washer bottle in the way and a few mildly bent bits of radiator support in the way but eventually after a few hours it was in a much better state and I could start checking out whether there was any further damage to be worried about.
Sorry for the blurry pic!
And the pile of parts that came off...
The Top "branches" of the rad support are clearly bent and I'll replace those along with the enter of it that holds the bonnet lach mechanism however I'm wondering if a couple of other areas are bent which I wasn't expecting, namely these areas:
It almost appears they've come ever so slightly away and bent downwards from the rest of the frame, thoughts on this?
As well as this the bottom of the rad support actually looks straight which I was not expecting, can anyone confirm whether this looks right?
So thats it for now, the battery's completely dead as well so that's a bummer.
I'm going to have to get a shopping list together and start placing a few orders as I hope I've removed all the bent parts so far that don't need their spot welds drilled out, those will come next!
Edited by Samjeev on Monday 15th February 23:04
I've already been buying some goodies for the car, albeit for the rear!
A Set of Clear/black/red Valenti lights from Ft86speedfactory in the states, these were my favourite over the smoked or red lensed offerings we get here and they were actually ever so slightly cheaper even after delivery and import costs
With these lights I had to do some fiddling to get them to work, had to do some soldering on the bumper/fog light to get it to function correctly as a fog light and I had to re-pin the connector for the rear lights properly as for some reason the USDM lights are wired with the indicator/main headlight swapped around, but I have to say im so pleased with them once I got them sorted!
Also got the last couple of bent pieces removed once I was able to drill out the spot welds, so all that's next is to order a new radiator support & arch pieces from Toyota!
That's where I am now, I must admit it's quite a luxury to be working on a car where I can simply buy all new parts from the factory. Hoping to have it all back in one piece & on the road by August.
A Set of Clear/black/red Valenti lights from Ft86speedfactory in the states, these were my favourite over the smoked or red lensed offerings we get here and they were actually ever so slightly cheaper even after delivery and import costs
With these lights I had to do some fiddling to get them to work, had to do some soldering on the bumper/fog light to get it to function correctly as a fog light and I had to re-pin the connector for the rear lights properly as for some reason the USDM lights are wired with the indicator/main headlight swapped around, but I have to say im so pleased with them once I got them sorted!
Also got the last couple of bent pieces removed once I was able to drill out the spot welds, so all that's next is to order a new radiator support & arch pieces from Toyota!
That's where I am now, I must admit it's quite a luxury to be working on a car where I can simply buy all new parts from the factory. Hoping to have it all back in one piece & on the road by August.
Edited by Samjeev on Wednesday 14th March 15:08
LordGrover said:
Shouldn't cost any more to insure. So long as it's MOT tested they couldn't care less.Best of luck - a nice project. Seem to remember several rebuilds on youtube - I guess you'll've seen those already.
My Vx220 is Cat D as well and it has never caused me any issues with insurance
I admire your determination, would like to think I could have ago at something like this but not sure I have the patience.....one question that has always puzzled me with airbag deployment - if the passenger airbag goes off does that mean you need to replace the whole dash?
A lot of the airbags seem to be buried in the dash and in an accident explode out through punching a hole in the surface??
Good luck and will keep an eye on your progress - did you chose a Cat N because you wanted to do engine swap or was it a money saving exercise?
Si
A lot of the airbags seem to be buried in the dash and in an accident explode out through punching a hole in the surface??
Good luck and will keep an eye on your progress - did you chose a Cat N because you wanted to do engine swap or was it a money saving exercise?
Si
SiT said:
I admire your determination, would like to think I could have ago at something like this but not sure I have the patience.....one question that has always puzzled me with airbag deployment - if the passenger airbag goes off does that mean you need to replace the whole dash?
A lot of the airbags seem to be buried in the dash and in an accident explode out through punching a hole in the surface??
Good luck and will keep an eye on your progress - did you chose a Cat N because you wanted to do engine swap or was it a money saving exercise?
Si
I wouldn't go as far as 'punch a hole in the dash' - they're usually behind a panel that pops out of the way. A lot of the airbags seem to be buried in the dash and in an accident explode out through punching a hole in the surface??
Good luck and will keep an eye on your progress - did you chose a Cat N because you wanted to do engine swap or was it a money saving exercise?
Si
The few i have seen seem to literally explode through the dash, appreciate some are actually behind a panel but some modern cars with leather dashboards etc. must suffer some collateral damage?
Only interested as a couple of times I considered a Cat D I was concerned about repairing the hole left behind?
Si
Only interested as a couple of times I considered a Cat D I was concerned about repairing the hole left behind?
Si
In the case of the GT86 they do punch a big hole in the dash, airbag kits come with a whole new dash which im dreading having to fit and avoid future rattles. All in a new airbag kit can be had for about £1000 or ofcourse if you were so inclined or wanted to make it a track-only car you could just go without.
Bought a Cat N as I plan to keep the car for the foreseeable future with a few plans for body & engine but I don't want to say too much in case circumstances change in the future.
The engine run's absoluetly fine, even without the MAF plugged im. It just needs a new radiator which i'll buy and fit once I've got something to bolt it in to
Seeing as people are asking about cash, I don't really mind saying how much everything has or will cost (unless its against PH Rules?)
The car cost me £4000
new Chassis/radiator support parts, headlight brackets, headlight washers are likely to cost me roughly £900
Airbags will be roughly £1000
£500 for new Aftermarket headlights
£500-800 for new bumpers/front wings (going to get them from a breaker because I would prefer they were pre-painted)
Going to get a carbon bonnet (because I've always wanted one so why not
) So thats another £900 roughly
then a few extra bits, Intake, Rad, AC condenser, front side indicators, brackets, grilles, etc
of course these figures are likely to change and im fully prepared for it to be more expensive than I'm expecting however my first step will be to get it back on the road and then tart it up from there.
Bought a Cat N as I plan to keep the car for the foreseeable future with a few plans for body & engine but I don't want to say too much in case circumstances change in the future.
The engine run's absoluetly fine, even without the MAF plugged im. It just needs a new radiator which i'll buy and fit once I've got something to bolt it in to
Seeing as people are asking about cash, I don't really mind saying how much everything has or will cost (unless its against PH Rules?)
The car cost me £4000
new Chassis/radiator support parts, headlight brackets, headlight washers are likely to cost me roughly £900
Airbags will be roughly £1000
£500 for new Aftermarket headlights
£500-800 for new bumpers/front wings (going to get them from a breaker because I would prefer they were pre-painted)
Going to get a carbon bonnet (because I've always wanted one so why not
) So thats another £900 roughlythen a few extra bits, Intake, Rad, AC condenser, front side indicators, brackets, grilles, etc
of course these figures are likely to change and im fully prepared for it to be more expensive than I'm expecting however my first step will be to get it back on the road and then tart it up from there.
I want expecting 4000, that seems an absolute steal! I'm an ideal world would you prefer top have two, one like you have now and another smashed from the rear and have all the good bits swapped over to the keeper car?
Seems like a cheap motor if you could do that then have a breaker car left over with expensive bits to sell (engine, 'box, interior) etc and come out the other side significantly better off then buying new bits?
I appreciate space is probably an issue with that scenario but if that wasn't an issue?
Seems like a cheap motor if you could do that then have a breaker car left over with expensive bits to sell (engine, 'box, interior) etc and come out the other side significantly better off then buying new bits?
I appreciate space is probably an issue with that scenario but if that wasn't an issue?
jsims1 said:
I want expecting 4000, that seems an absolute steal! I'm an ideal world would you prefer top have two, one like you have now and another smashed from the rear and have all the good bits swapped over to the keeper car?
Seems like a cheap motor if you could do that then have a breaker car left over with expensive bits to sell (engine, 'box, interior) etc and come out the other side significantly better off then buying new bits?
I appreciate space is probably an issue with that scenario but if that wasn't an issue?
Hmm, space and money no object I guess I would but I hadn't really thought of that. I hate selling car related things online to be honest so the idea of having to manage breaking & Setting a car is a nightmare.Seems like a cheap motor if you could do that then have a breaker car left over with expensive bits to sell (engine, 'box, interior) etc and come out the other side significantly better off then buying new bits?
I appreciate space is probably an issue with that scenario but if that wasn't an issue?
As you can imagine space is a big issue currently, it's verrrry tight in the garage and down the driveway, the 86 is roughly 30cm wider than the Vx220 which is now living on the driveway instead.
Samjeev said:
jsims1 said:
I want expecting 4000, that seems an absolute steal! I'm an ideal world would you prefer top have two, one like you have now and another smashed from the rear and have all the good bits swapped over to the keeper car?
Seems like a cheap motor if you could do that then have a breaker car left over with expensive bits to sell (engine, 'box, interior) etc and come out the other side significantly better off then buying new bits?
I appreciate space is probably an issue with that scenario but if that wasn't an issue?
Hmm, space and money no object I guess I would but I hadn't really thought of that. I hate selling car related things online to be honest so the idea of having to manage breaking & Setting a car is a nightmare.Seems like a cheap motor if you could do that then have a breaker car left over with expensive bits to sell (engine, 'box, interior) etc and come out the other side significantly better off then buying new bits?
I appreciate space is probably an issue with that scenario but if that wasn't an issue?
As you can imagine space is a big issue currently, it's verrrry tight in the garage and down the driveway, the 86 is roughly 30cm wider than the Vx220 which is now living on the driveway instead.
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