aja540i

right rear door card glued back together and re- installed, window works mint, rear speakers replaced, started filling and sanding smallish dents in front bumper, new plate holder ordered, put some diesel in it, rear seats back in and belts all working, heavy rubber floor mats water-blasted, rear window cleaned, stickers installed on rear window, fog lights removed from old bumper and opened up to let all the water out. A few quick squirts up and down the driveway suggests the trans needs a full service, it takes a few revs to get it moving, and the turbo is a bit louder than I am happy with but they can wait until its road legal.

Nissan ENV200.

Rear door window mechanism replaced, semi- pro tip : the instructions in the Bentley manual are WRONG!! you DO need to remove the glass to get the mechanism out, top bolt is behind the glass, and it needs to come out. New cheap Chinese lifter is not as nice as the original, but it is also not 22 years old and broken, so should be an improvement. Makes me laugh when the Chinese copy stuff like this and try to make it cheaper but they don't quite get it, original was a steel runner with pressed aluminum brackets top and bottom, which were riveted on, nasty copy has pressed steel brackets top and bottom to save money, but instead of just spot welding them on to the steel runner they have punched holes and riveted them on.

Seat back / rear seat center belt all sorted, bit of a blonde moment, turns out the car having the front wheels up on ramps was enough angle to engage the locking mechanism of the seat belt, tilting the seat forward a fraction released it!! Rear window lifter mechanism arrived so tomorrows job is replace that and hopefully paint the bumper. Then WOF time....

I'm in the process of dismantling the rear seat back now, can't seem to get the back cover off though, if I pull it any harder something is going to snap!

The plumbing for the headlight washers has been mucked around with, so I might leave them for now. Updated list of what needs to be done: Rear center seat belt not pulling out- fixed Right rear window lifter needs replacing - fixed Boot floor panel handle needs replacing, new part ordered, Bumper repaired, painted and fitted - fixed. Front number plate fitted - parts ordered Towbar wiring plug needs replacing - fixed Front control arms need replacing - parts arrived, to be installed Transmission service - oil changed, full service to come Oil and filter change - done Good wash, polish and wax Hang air freshener on mirror fixed

Tailgate struts replaced with new genuine items, bit annoying to do but worth the effort, don't know if the spring broke while I was removing it or some time previously, most expensive job so far!

Intercooler pipe powder coated, chrome of course, intercooler back in, handbrake all adjusted and tested, boost gauge plumbed in ( gets to 15 psi in the driveway), trying to decide whether to re-use the headlight washers, means hacking holes in a very good front bumper skin, but it means it will have headlight washers, also need to source the center bumper trim / plate holder to fit NZ plates as neither of my bumpers have one at all, stereo tested speakers all work and don't sound completely destroyed but will probably get upgraded anyway (priorities right)....

Yeah, everything is getting a good scrub, inlet manifold was cleaned while it was out, not too keen to get elbows deep in the engine before its road legal, but given how it drives I suspect there's nothing major wrong with it, only smoked excessively while it was cold so turbo oil seals are probably old and worn but not terminal yet. Bumper test fitted, stereo adaptor harness arrived so that is working, steering wheel controls work as they should, intercooler pipe modified for boost gauge piping, starting to look a bit Pimp my Tractor...

Replacement front bumper thanks to Zebra Manukau, wrong color and one small dent , otherwise very good condition, a bit of fixing and throw some paint at it and its good to go...

Intercooler and plumbing out, have to modify pipe to attach boost gauge, and it needs a bloody good cleaning, quite a bit of oil in the bottom of the intercooler, quite a lot of crud on the outside of everything. Pollen filter housings back in with new filters, discovered the center rear seat belt doesn't retract properly so will have to dismantle the seat and have a look at that, plugged in a few bits in the engine bay that had been unplugged, a few steps closer to being a decent car again.

Not 100 percent sure, I used an Auto thane 2 pack clear that is for automotive 2k use so it should last ok, not sure how much, if any, effect it will have on stopping the headlights yellowing, but I had it in the spray gun to do the interior trim anyway so that's what I used. I have used a proper headlight sealant in the past and within 12 months it was peeling off and useless so I won't use it again.

K & N filter arrived so that has gone in, tried to de- grease the engine bay but ran out of de- greaser before it ran out of grease!! Just need to adjust the handbrake and sort the front bumper and it should be ready for a WOF... I should probably do the tailgate struts as well so it doesn't decapitate the WOF inspector.

Headlights got 2 coats of clear on the weekend, re-attached the seals and put them back in, centre console back in, got some extrusion to make some roof racks....

Decided to bin the cigarette lighter in favor of a USB fast charger, dismantled the original and modified the housing, glued the USB charger in, and modified the wiring loom, the purple wire will go to the light in the boost gage, the charger has its own orange led so win-win!!

Bunged the hose in there and flushed a whole lot of muck out, will put some cavity wax in there once it is all dry.

20 years worth of accumulated dead stuff had totally blocked the drains in the pollen filter housings, probably accounting for the damp carpets and at least one of the funky smells! 2 minutes with the water blaster sorted that out, gave the floor mats a once over ( or twice over) while I was at it, yet more coffee, I know the e39 cup holders are crap, but you don't have to just tip it on the floor!!

Body color door trims back in, rear doors need a good clean and right rear is waiting for a new window regulator. Next up, clean the seats and put them back in, finish stereo fascia, degrease engine bay, fit handbrake shoes, attempt to get WOF....

A couple of hours with the carpet cleaner, I must have removed at least 2 full cups of coffee from the floor carpet, plus who knows what else....

Yeah, I had to double check when I painted the wood trim, looked like a totally different color, but just horrifically neglected! It needs a solid weekend of work just to clean and polish it decently.

Passenger seat out, very disappointed, same filth, no cash!

Great painting weather so finished the wood grain delete.

Still available?

Another issue fixed, the rear rh door wasn't opening from the outside, flicked the kiddy lock off and hey presto, chucked some lube at the mechanism to stop it squeaking and job done. This car is one of what I assume are the majority of these, suffering from decades of neglect and ignorance, but has nothing seriously wrong with it. Its a shame that most of them will end up at wreckers because people aren't prepared to spend a little bit of money every now and then.

Forgive me if this is a silly question, but do these run a vacuum pump, or do they just use manifold vacuum?