Samwise 155 Report post Posted March 3, 2018 So despite being a member on quite a few owner's forums for various cars I've never actually made a project thread, usually due to a lack of in-progress pictures or simply being too lazy but I guess I may as well make my first one a big one! 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. 1 Angelina reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Samwise 155 Report post Posted March 3, 2018 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... So now that the worst has been removed there's a couple of bit's im unsure about so I'm looking for a few second opinions! 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! 4 Stutime, Ulphy86, Stutopia and 1 other reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ulphy86 9 Report post Posted March 3, 2018 Looks like a big job, good luck! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sam534 62 Report post Posted March 3, 2018 Will be following this with a keen eye. Look forward to the transformation! Sent from my STF-L09 using Tapatalk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MartinT 514 Report post Posted March 3, 2018 You're a brave man! Will you be looking for scrappy parts to keep the costs down, or using new parts? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Samwise 155 Report post Posted March 3, 2018 31 minutes ago, MartinT said: You're a brave man! Will you be looking for scrappy parts to keep the costs down, or using new parts? New parts pretty much apart from colour reliant body panels probably I hate shelling out for paint work lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
will300 812 Report post Posted March 3, 2018 Sam, are you a member of the drivers club facebook group? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Samwise 155 Report post Posted March 3, 2018 7 minutes ago, will300 said: Sam, are you a member of the drivers club facebook group? No? why do you ask? I was probably going to join eventually but tend to wait a bit Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lauren 2259 Report post Posted March 3, 2018 Good luck with that, looks like a lot of work. Are you sure the chassis legs aren't bent? Worth checking on a jig just in case. 'Wings' not 'Fenders'! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
will300 812 Report post Posted March 3, 2018 3 minutes ago, Samwise said: No? why do you ask? I was probably going to join eventually but tend to wait a bit I posted the car in the facebook group a couple of weeks ago, as it'd was cheap enough for someone looking for a spare engine. So I was hoping it wasn't me who cost you some money Also check the chassis legs as straight. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Samwise 155 Report post Posted March 3, 2018 1 minute ago, will300 said: I posted the car in the facebook group a couple of weeks ago, as it'd was cheap enough for someone looking for a spare engine. So I was hoping it wasn't me who cost you some money Also check the chassis legs as straight. Oh right! fair enough no problems there! I will check the chassis legs now that i've got all the broken bits out of the way but they're looking okay from what i've been able to see so far. The only bits im worried about are the end of those arms that hold the wings. 2 minutes ago, Lauren said: Good luck with that, looks like a lot of work. Are you sure the chassis legs aren't bent? Worth checking on a jig just in case. 'Wings' not 'Fenders'! Haha I know, I got in to the habit of calling them fenders today as I was trying to look up how to remove them and far more results come back saying fenders rather than wings Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lauren 2259 Report post Posted March 3, 2018 Just now, Samwise said: Oh right! fair enough no problems there! I will check the chassis legs now that i've got all the broken bits out of the way but they're looking okay from what i've been able to see so far. The only bits im worried about are the end of those arms that hold the wings. Haha I know, I got in to the habit of calling them fenders today as I was trying to look up how to remove them and far more results come back saying fenders rather than wings Just remember this is England, we are not he 52nd state! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mikey P 32 Report post Posted March 3, 2018 If you haven't already seen it watch " B is for build" on YouTube. He has diy rebuilt 2 BRZs both from far worse crash damage, may be good for motivation and a few tips. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Samwise 155 Report post Posted March 3, 2018 28 minutes ago, Mikey P said: If you haven't already seen it watch " B is for build" on YouTube. He has diy rebuilt 2 BRZs both from far worse crash damage, may be good for motivation and a few tips. I've watched Bifb for a long time so im pretty familiar with his builds As much as I love to watch his stuff I won't be taking too many tips from him as I really don't want to diy build some of the parts like he did, alot of the 86 parts are fairly cheap (Atleast in my books lol) for the sake of £150 i'd rather just buy a new front crash bar for example, he can be a little sketchy at times lol. but I have recently gone back to watch some of his earlier vids, gives a good perspective on what parts go in to the front end of the car and where they all go, etc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stutopia 158 Report post Posted March 4, 2018 Good effort bringing one back, looking forward to the build. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bassett 48 Report post Posted March 4, 2018 Good luck with the build, out of interest have you done this kind of thing before or just into it as a hobby? Completely agree with the BIFB comments, interesting to watch but his methods often leave a lot to be desired. Can see why he's having a tough time shifting his 86 and other cars. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Samwise 155 Report post Posted March 4, 2018 12 minutes ago, bassett said: Good luck with the build, out of interest have you done this kind of thing before or just into it as a hobby? Completely agree with the BIFB comments, interesting to watch but his methods often leave a lot to be desired. Can see why he's having a tough time shifting his 86 and other cars. Its all just a hobby for me, I work in IT on the daily telling being to switch it off and on again but I always try and DIY any job I can on my cars with the exception of resprays and welding work. Mostly all my knowledge is just from my Dad and watching various youtube channels We bought a Vx220 a few years ago and since then we've done a load to it which has steadily built up my knowledge, everything from fitting a spoiler, to swapping suspension components/bushing to rebuilding & forging the engine last year! and so I've always had the luxury of being able to take my time with things, do my research and simply lock up and go home if things get a little tricky or frustrating. Although I don't want to break the bank with repairs I like to do things right as it's me doing the work and I take a little pride in it so it would be nice to have something to show off in that regard and be safe ofcourse! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Samwise 155 Report post Posted March 4, 2018 I want to verify that the chassis is straight on the car, at some point when its not raining i'll do some proper measurements and get some numbers down to compare the level of the chassis legs as well as the how they fair in relation to the rest of the chassis as well as probably the distance between the front and rear lower control arm mounting points diagonally to confirm theres no effects further down the car. but for now I decided to have another look now that its so much easier to check the condition of the chassis legs and get some pictures. Theres a few bent bits that need to be replaced however this is all part of the front rad support structure which i'll be removing and re-fitting with new parts, mostly the parts as sub assembly 4 and 5 here as well as both parts labeled 2: So other than that the only thing to worry about that I can see so far is that the corner of the chassis arm that bolts to the crash structure will need to be tweaked back in to place or maybe even replaced as its part of the sub assembly 4 I noted above: So other than that mos of everything seems straight, heres the face of the other side, again the parts from sub assembly 5 will need to be replaced as mentioned above: Other than that most of it looks pretty good, just going to chuck a load of images up Top/engine bay side of both chassis legs, no buckling to be seen and the seam sealer is still intact: Lower rad support is straight and true although the perspective of my phone camera makes it look a bit weird, i'll measure to make sure though when I get a chance: Inside of the arches looks okay: And the wishbones themselves don't appear to be bent, although the yare a funny old shape from factory. Sorry for all the boring stuff this time Just want to make sure everything is okay before I go ahead spending cash and bolting on new parts to a shagged chassis. Next week im going to take a few measurements to hopefully confirm this and then head down to Toyota to start ordering a few parts, first will be a new airbag set I think. I've seen a few from Breakers on ebay for roughly £800-1k and i'm hoping the dealership price will be similar but we'll soon find out. Does anyone know if new wings/bumpers can come painted from toyota? otherwise i'm going to be on the lookout for any red 86's being broken for parts! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sam534 62 Report post Posted March 4, 2018 Don't know if these help at all mate but though I'd send em anyways. This is all straight. Sent from my STF-L09 using Tapatalk 1 Samwise reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Falix 22 Report post Posted March 4, 2018 This was a bargain!!! I'm a little gutted you're just repairing rather than going mental engine, but should be a good read! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Samwise 155 Report post Posted March 4, 2018 40 minutes ago, Falix said: This was a bargain!!! I'm a little gutted you're just repairing rather than going mental engine, but should be a good read! Shhhh spoiler alert! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Samwise 155 Report post Posted March 8, 2018 Just a small update, bought some goodies for the 86 despite the fact its still in 1000 pieces 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 Going to get the rear lights installed this weekend but the 3rd light might take a little bit more work to get it to function as a fog light. 1 sam534 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sazabiskythe 4 Report post Posted March 8, 2018 12 minutes ago, Samwise said: Just a small update, bought some goodies for the 86 despite the fact its still in 1000 pieces 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 Going to get the rear lights installed this weekend but the 3rd light might take a little bit more work to get it to function as a fog light. These look really nice. How much were the lights shipped to the UK after taxes? Are they european spec lights? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nikndel 509 Report post Posted March 8, 2018 19 minutes ago, sazabiskythe said: These look really nice. How much were the lights shipped to the UK after taxes? Are they european spec lights? 19 minutes ago, sazabiskythe said: These look really nice. How much were the lights shipped to the UK after taxes? Are they european spec lights? If they are from the US they will need some changing the fog light is sometimes a 3rd brake light as I'm not sure if they run rear fog lights in the US Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Samwise 155 Report post Posted March 8, 2018 Just now, sazabiskythe said: These look really nice. How much were the lights shipped to the UK after taxes? Are they european spec lights? About £500 all in after delivery & taxes which I think is similar to what you'd pay from the likes of Amber performance, etc but i'm happy to be proven wrong. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites