S13 restore and respray (Garage style)

[villain]

This is actually my first time ever doing bodywork and painting so if you see anything done wrong, you're more than welcome to call me a noob and give me some advice.
What I hope to do by the end of all this is have a nice straight looking S13 with a fresh coat of paint (Well, as fresh as it can be, being done in a backyard).
Details about the car:
'91 S13
Originally midnight blue colour - Being changed to same colour, just a bit more 'pearly' and slightly lighter.
It's been in 2 (?) maybe 3 crashes since we've owned it and probably another few times before that.
Originally auto SR20DE converted to another SR20DE engine taken from a 2000 model S15 Varietta, this time with a 5 speed manual.
Aftermarket extractors and exhaust for dem extra kw of raw drive-thru power.
And now for the bombardment of pictures:


Just some memories of what it used to look like.


And now it's naked


First guard done with primer and base.
This guard had a huge hole cut out of it for an indicator. It seemed to patch up nicely.

This guard had a crack which also patched up nicely.

One quarter not sanded.

All sanded.


I did a shit job with sanding the primer and it showed in the paint.

Another thorough sand and layer of primer.


Bumper sanded down and plastic primer applied.

First rough sanding job all over

A second wet sand


Blaaaaack

Getting it more naked.


Blaaaaaaack

A cracked dash in an S13? Never.

Attempting to fix the dash. No idea how it will turn out.

[villain]

Might be 'taking a break' from all the painting/body work while I try to figure out why the speedo isn't working.
If anyone has any idea, please let me know.
It's an S15 gearbox, but as i said, taken from a NA and it's 5 speed. It has a wormdrive and a spot for the speed sensor.

The speedo used to turn on when we'd hit potholes and speedbumps etc so we thought it might've been a faulty sensor. We got a new one (S13 sensor) and now it doesn't work at all.
The speedo also worked when the car was jacked up and the tyres off the ground.
If you're a magician, please tell me what's wrong with it and how to fix it <3.

[baldolera]

Wow, pretty good painting for the first time! That front fender looks pretty good. Can't wait to see how the dash will turn out. That speedo is really funny, but I have no idea about it, sorry.

[villain]

Thanks dude.
I primed the dash today, it turned out better than i expected to be honest. Still need some fixing up though.
I'll post some more pictures tomorrow.
Hopefully I'll be finalising the sanding tomorrow and then the real painting can get underway!

[villain]

Alright, here's the dash all primed.


As you can see, there is still a faint crack line and a few spicks and specs here
Better than i thought though. I might attack those faint cracks and dots with some spot filler and see how that goes.


Edit: Done as i've said. Pretty happy with the results.

[baldolera]

The dash looks great, other than the dust. Painting outside in an open place has much less dust. At least you are a better painter than me, because I had to paint a blasa-wood car with rattle cans. I primed and painted and clear-coated it, but it looks like someone painted it with a marker! I think the wood is way to absorbant for this kind of thing... I am glad you are DIYing this MCM way, MAAAAAAD

[villain]

Not bad for a rattle can job but i could probably do a better one with a gun.
We'll see how much time and effort i have and i might redo it.
The car is nearing completion as far as prepping goes. Just the rear bumper left to sand down. I'm trying to find the time but I keep having to work.
I hope to have the painting done by Thursday so we'll see how it all goes!
This build's not getting much love on the forums But oh well. It will be a nice archive for myself.

What's left to do (Apart from painting):
Cut new carpet to fit
Buy a pair of S15 seats
Blaaaack the second half of the backseat
Blaaaack a few other parts of the car that have been blued from a terrible previous paint job.
Blaaaack up the trims to make it look shiny and new
And the biggest and worst task of all of them, get the motherflippin speedo working.

An update on that!
Now the Tacho doesn't work!! YAY!
I refuse to let a car's electronics defeat me though! I WILL CONQUER YOU!

[evil80e]

remove and replace s13 dash = death, you must be dedicated alright haha,
i sold some parts to a dude who had a 180sx with an s15 sr20de with the same speedo problem as you, i think he is going to hit me up for some other stuff in the next week or so ill see if he worked out how to fix it.

cool ride dude

[KillerBunnys122]

I've been lurking your build. How rude of me to not post eh?

Loving the effort you're putting in, I would be too chicken to paint my car like that.

[villain]

Yeah, i'll admit. The dash was a lot harder to take off than i had initially planned. I was like "lol, just unscrew the bolts and it will come right out!". Yeeeeah, it took a while.
Did the guy with the 180sx have a 6 speed S15 gearbox or a 5 speed? If it's a 5 speed, I wonder if he fixed it.
My brother's been dealing with that and he reckons we might need a new cluster. There's power going out from the ECU and the sensor but none going into the cluster.
I'll let him sort it out.
Thanks KillerBunny. I'd be lying if i didn't say i was a bit scared myself but hey, an experience is an experience. Hopefully it doesn't turn out too shit.
I have a day off work tomorrow! I'll get some work done on the car then.

[villain]

Car's all primed now. Had a few issues with the paint gun so there are a few spots that need a bit of work.
Hopefully I'll get the colour on soon.

[xXSpike69Xx]

I found removing and replacing my dash in my s13 easy as, took less then an hour all up i believe i also cleaned up all wires behind it, easiest removing frount seats.

[villain]

It wouldn't be a bad idea to clean up all the wires while the car is stripped. The wires are a jungle of electricity at the moment.
I suppose no one will see them but for someone with a mild OCD, it will be a good piece of mind.

I've just been sanding the primer to glassy perfection and hope to get the colour on tomorrow after work (around 1ish).
I was tempted to do it today but it would be a rush job as i have to leave for work in a couple of hours and i'd much rather take my time with it.
It's nearing completion which is exciting but there's plenty more to do after the painting.

[baldolera]

MAAAAAD, can't wait to see how it will turn out!

[villain]