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      01-05-2008, 04:52 AM   #1
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What was your first car? & what was the best diy job you did on it?

Following the post about 1st New Car, Im sure his has probably been posted before but here goes anyway.
What was your first car, and what was the most ambitious diy job you attempted on it?

Mine was a 1972 Austin 1300 (in 1983) and despite any mechanical knowledge, I managed to remove the engine, remove the gearbox (it had had sex) replace the gearbox and refit the engine.

Started first time and lasted for about a week as I forgot to reconnect the oil pressure sensor!!

Over to you..
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      01-05-2008, 05:10 AM   #2
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My first car was a ten year old 1.1 sx fiesta in 2001.

I bought it already modified with 15" alloys, lowered on Bilsteins and a smoothed bonnet with swage line and badge hole removed.

Had a mk4 wiper arm and a Banging stereo system



(Autotrader pic from prev owner and previous owners house not mine)

wrote it off stupidly two months later into a Iron Gate. Nice.

(I was still racing at the time and was hairing about like a goon on the road too)



Carlos
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      01-05-2008, 05:13 AM   #3
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First car - 1982 Toyota Celica GT
I installed a full Mitcom body kit during my 2nd year in college and had it painted. It turned out excellent (pat on the back).
Also removed the tranny and torque converter just to do it. Well, not true, had auto tranny issues so I thought I could take the tranny apart and find the problem. Couldn't find anything obvious and put the car back together.
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      01-05-2008, 05:40 AM   #4
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A gold 1982 Renault 9 TC 1.1 in 1990 (£700) - 0-60 = yes

No fixing required as in ran flawlessly for 4 years but added Cibie spotlamps, airhorn, and car stereo and speakers.
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      01-05-2008, 05:46 AM   #5
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1973 Ford Escort 1300E in Purple Velvet, which was treated to entirely new running gear (Tweaked and rebuilt 1600GT X-Flow engine, custom exhaust sounded the biz, uprated clutch, new gearbox, new prop, new 3.54 diff - new front and rear springs/billstein suspension/spaxes, tramp bars added, uprated bushes all round, alloys and 185 tyres, lower fogs to compliment the square eights) - all done by myself, lots of skinned knuckles and swearing. Basically a Mexico.

Added a cassette radio (! non of your logic7 nonsense here ) and separate graphic equaliser with 4 muckle great speakers. Aerial removed and wired through the rear heated screen (with a big capictor fix). Smooth.

I think the technical term is : it went like the clappers And cornered brilliantly.

D.
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      01-05-2008, 06:07 AM   #6
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This has been covered many times before, but it's always interesting.

I was the proud owner of a Y reg 1982 Ford Cortina 1.6L MkV in Rio Brown

I toured the local scrapyards and managed to get most of the interior from the 'crusader' special edition. I risked my life to get the armrest out of a car balanced precariously on top of 3 others.

I also had the solid wood dash and door panels, never found a decent set of velour seats though.

I liberated a wooden gear knob from a citroen BX and some alloy wheels from a capri laser fitted with 185 remoulds.

I fitted a stonking sound system, driving lights, electric aerial etc all myself and resprayed the chrome window trim.

I loved that car, limited grip and rear wheel drive - perfect first car.

I managed to get it to 106mph and learned how to handbrake turn in it.
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      01-05-2008, 07:35 AM   #7
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The only thing I had to do to my first car was rebuild the carburator and replace the voltage regulator.

My second car was worse. I got if with half the engine in the back seat, two front tires/tyres, no brakes, and an automatic transmission full of water and a busted torque converter. I rebuilt the engine, replaced the brakes, had a mechanic rebuild the transmission, reassembled the whole car, and forgot two important facets of the job. I didn't rebuild the carburator and I don't think I torqued down the bolts to the oil pump. A year and a half later the oil pressure light came on even with a properly filled sump. Later, I ran the engine and the light wouldn't go off. When I checked the oil filter it was dry (the car had been sitting through the winter untouched).

The final indignation of it was having it towed to a dealer as a trade-in on a brand new piece of junk called a Chevy S-10. I think I got ripped off.
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      01-05-2008, 07:35 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by needforspeed View Post
This has been covered many times before, but it's always interesting.

I was the proud owner of a Y reg 1982 Ford Cortina 1.6L MkV in Rio Brown

I toured the local scrapyards and managed to get most of the interior from the 'crusader' special edition. I risked my life to get the armrest out of a car balanced precariously on top of 3 others.

I also had the solid wood dash and door panels, never found a decent set of velour seats though.

I liberated a wooden gear knob from a citroen BX and some alloy wheels from a capri laser fitted with 185 remoulds.

I fitted a stonking sound system, driving lights, electric aerial etc all myself and resprayed the chrome window trim.

I loved that car, limited grip and rear wheel drive - perfect first car.

I managed to get it to 106mph and learned how to handbrake turn in it.
Also had a Cortina as my first car!! - 1978 Mk. IV (XVT 479S....how sad is that, lol)

Was Venitian Red and had already been played with a bit by the last owner. Came with Capri S alloys fitted, bucket seats (fitted with black furry seat covers to disguise the fact they wer f*&ked ha ha) and high level brake lights on the rear parcel shelf. I removed the brake lights ans replaced with big speakers. Added a Matsui stereo and graphic equaliser! Then added a complete Ghia interior c/w real wood dash trim and door cappings!

Smashed it into a tree one evening (did not spot it even with 4 Cibie fogs fitted to the front of the thing )

I loved that car.......all my mates named it the funky-red-cortina
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      01-05-2008, 09:44 AM   #9
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A 1990 Seat Ibiza 1.5GLX System Porsche. Utter crap and the most ambitious DIY job I attempted (and succeeded with) was selling it.
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      01-05-2008, 10:03 AM   #10
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      01-05-2008, 11:44 AM   #11
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A two year old Escort 1.4LX two tone black/silver in 1994. I remember being an LX it had electric windows and a spoiler. Which at 75bhp or so, just slowed the damn thing down. It was the mark of Escort they only made for 3/4 years as it was so crap. Still, first car is one you remember fondly.

The most adventurous thing I did to that was fill it up.
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      01-05-2008, 11:51 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redE93cab View Post
Also had a Cortina as my first car!! - 1978 Mk. IV (XVT 479S....how sad is that, lol)

Was Venitian Red and had already been played with a bit by the last owner. Came with Capri S alloys fitted, bucket seats (fitted with black furry seat covers to disguise the fact they wer f*&ked ha ha) and high level brake lights on the rear parcel shelf. I removed the brake lights ans replaced with big speakers. Added a Matsui stereo and graphic equaliser! Then added a complete Ghia interior c/w real wood dash trim and door cappings!

Smashed it into a tree one evening (did not spot it even with 4 Cibie fogs fitted to the front of the thing )

I loved that car.......all my mates named it the funky-red-cortina
Mine was RNL713Y

Unfortunately, my friends were less kind than yours and called it 'the shit brown cortina'.

Went sideways very well though and I'm glad I wasn't the only one upgraded the interior trim.

Fine cars they were. Proper mans car the cortina ..

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      01-05-2008, 12:05 PM   #13
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Infiniti G35. best DIY i did on it was: kept it 100% stock
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      01-05-2008, 12:36 PM   #14
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1976 Vauxhall cavalier coupe in yellow - MRA510P. 1.9 ltr engine, about 94,000 miles when I paid £1500 for it in 1984 (I had just started my career). I loved it, at the time, as it was Vauxhalls version of the Opel Manta. Needed a new engine within 12 months, thanks go to my dad for finding and fitting a later 2.0Litre engine from the scrapyard. Stayed in the family until about 1988 went it went to that big junkyard in the sky!
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      01-05-2008, 01:21 PM   #15
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my 1st car was a citroen saxo 1.5D, the only reason i got that was becasue of the 2 years free insurance they were offering at the time, a huge consideration when your only 17 I think the saxo was one of the most written off cars back then ( and yes mine was one of those statistics ... but not by me at least, some stupid women ran into the back of me in a landrover discovery - WHILST PUTTING ON HER LIPSTICK ) the most adventurous thing i did to it was hmm probably installing a 'SONY' sticker in the back window yeah i know stupid eh , well i was only 17 .. and then my grandma asked in all seriousness if Sony was the name of my girlfriend awww old people

.. then after the saxo years came the Corsa Years , but thats another story

Chris
(whos girlfriend now isnt called sony )
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      01-05-2008, 01:29 PM   #16
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everyone needs to mention, how old they were when they got therer first car and what year it was.

i was 17 and it was 2001
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      01-05-2008, 01:43 PM   #17
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I was 12 - the year was 1999

seriously Carl - Why?
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      01-05-2008, 01:47 PM   #18
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My first car was a 1998 Fiat Punto, in black with grey interior. You could only ever have the fan on speed 3 or 0!!

It was an awful car which had its fate sealed when i drove it into a brick wall in Tesco's (it was dark).

I owned the car for a total of 14months at the aged of 18. I then got a E46 320Ci SE in 2002, px that in 2004 for a E46 330Ci. And now in 7days, the new baby is coming
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      01-05-2008, 01:49 PM   #19
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      01-05-2008, 01:57 PM   #20
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This is going well..

17 in 1983, kept the Austin 1300 for about 2 years until is was scrapped.

Next came a £50 Talbot Sunbeam which lasted for about a year after which a mate and myself went banger racing in it.

Prep included removing all trim, glass, seats, carpet, moving rad and small fuel tank into cabin and fitting a home made roll bar made from 4" steel pipe.

Scariest thing we ever did lining up on the start next to 3.5l rover v8's and xj6's.
We only rolled it twice and then sold it for £50 at the end of the day. Top Fun
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      01-05-2008, 02:13 PM   #21
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My first car at the age of 18 was my grandfather's 1970 Rover 2000TC with an amazing 124 bhp. It was maroon with a black roof, 3 speed auto box, full leather, walnut trim and dash and had chrome hub caps. It drank petrol like a bloke I know drinks spirits. Only had it about 14 months and it went straight through an MOT. No work done apart from routine servicing. Car was purely for transport and shite weather. Motorbike was the adrenalin giver. I feel old now!
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      01-05-2008, 02:32 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by beemerbird View Post
My first car at the age of 18 was my grandfather's 1970 Rover 2000TC with an amazing 124 bhp. It was maroon with a black roof, 3 speed auto box, full leather, walnut trim and dash and had chrome hub caps. It drank petrol like a bloke I know drinks spirits. Only had it about 14 months and it went straight through an MOT. No work done apart from routine servicing. Car was purely for transport and shite weather. Motorbike was the adrenalin giver. I feel old now!
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