The answer is always, Not Much.
We are going to have a red hot go at getting this early Mazda 323 and get it back on the road and looking ok. It has been sitting under a tree for a few years and has all the marking of nature taking over, but it had not been subject to hack repairs so, it is a good start to this project.
What have we got here.
Early model 4 door Auto with cloth seats and 16 valve engine. 125,000kms on the speedometer. Service books confirm that is about right. Battery is ok and the car started without any valve train rattles or bottom end knocks.
- The body is very straight with no scraps or dents and no signs of repairs
- Headlights lenses and reflectors are in good condition and still sealed
- The paint is completely gone from the bonnet and front guard upper surfaces
- the front tyres are worn and may not pass rego. spare tyre is almost as bad
- CV joints are slightly noisy but the boots are ok
- Seats are dirty but not threadbare or sun damaged
- We can’t tell what the roof paint is like as it is completely covered in dried out dust and lichens
- exhaust system is not leaking
- engine is not leaking oil
-
Before images
Clear Coat completely burn’t off
Midway through the project.
- De-craped the car and pressure cleaned everything
- Used NDG’s Bio Crystal Magic to clean the seats
- Installed hubcaps and resprayed the rims Black
- Aggressive Clay Bar process using Mega Gloss wash as the lubricant
- Sort out small mechanical roadworthy elements
- Car ready for Registration inspection
-
Looking a lot better
Final stage of the project
- Register the car for street driving
- Remove drive shafts and re-grease CV joint
- Respray Bonnet and Roof
- Hyperseal the exterior
- Clean the stains off the carpet
- Remove dent from door
- NDG Fabcare the interior
- Shield 120 all the glass and wing mirrors
- Looking a lot better
Final stage of the project
- Register the car
- Replaced both drive shafts
- Respray Bonnet and Roof
- Hyperseal the exterior
- Clean the stains off the carpet
- Remove dent from door
- NDG Fabcare the interior
- Shield 120 all the glass and wing mirrors
-
Before and After Hyperseal application.
Summary
What a great project.
The Mazda was so good it was kept as a company run-about and is currently being used for some of our young drivers to get their hours up before they sit for their drivers license test.
It has been renamed the “Gold Bar”. Very suiting.
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