2012 Paint Touch up Project

[sowsley]

I've been getting ready for this moment for 5 years. I've taken the car in for paint touch up, and to replace the hatch and sunroof panel. I'll be able to pick up the car on Wednesday, but will have to install the bumpers, mirrors, sunroof panel myself. I have a new Toyota seal for the sunroof, a new gasket for the hatch lock and a 1982 reproduction hatch decal from Bob Shapton's run a few years ago. The painter was able to get a great match on the white paint and was able to get single stage paint just before the supplier discontinued it. Most of the white original paint was in great shape, so the painter has done a lot of chip touchup on the door edges and front of the car, and buffed the rest.

There are a few things I could use that are discontinued from Toyota, so if you have anything NOS kicking around or in great cosmetic condition, let me know. I need a 1) hatch lock cylinder, 2) fender flare gasket,3) interior sunroof molding strip (the fuzzy molding that snugs against the headliner) in ivory color 4) hatch struts 5) front parking light bezels (mine are ok and will buff out - but would love a couple that look new) 6) maybe a fog light housing that does not have any discolor at the perimeter seal.

Here are some progress shots

[Sandy]

Looks very clean anymore pics of the engine bay and interior

[sowsley]

Not until I have the car back together. There are older posts of mine that show the engine bay and interior.

[Greg G]

Looks beautiful Steve!

1. Unless the cylinder is damaged, buff the face... it will look better than new. Buy a new rubber gasket though.

2. Buy the KBOX kit. I bought some of the last OE flare gasket pieces, and they were hard, brittle and basically unusable right out of the pkg.

3. Spray dye what you have, or seek out replacement "windlace" from a good upholstery shop. They are offered in a multitude of colors including white/cream/ivory.

4. No suggestions here. Aftermarket seems the best best route nowadays.

5. By bezel, do you mean the amber lenses? I know the 84+ wrap-arounds are still avail via Mark... perhaps he can get you the early ones too. Ask for them without the harness and they will be fairly cheap. If all else fails, buff em out as you mentioned.

6. As a last resort... heat the glass and separate the reflectors to restore from within. Then you can silicone it back together without the brown edge. Ive never done it, but Id like to try one of these days.

Keep the pix coming!

[sowsley]

1.) For the lock cylinder, I did buff the face with my dremel and some metal polish and it looks great, except that it is a little dented - I have a new rubber gasket in hand.

2.) I ordered two of the flare kits from Toyota - I hope they are pliable and useable. I wish I had known about the KBOX kit - Do you have a link to that? (I can google if not)

3.) I will look into replacement windlace, I had not even thought of that. Thanks for the tip!!

4.) Liftsupportsdepot.com has the proper hatch struts for the Supra (stronger lift due to the wiper motor extra weight) - good price and I got them today. I had a pair of the aftermarket sold for the celica and they just don't have the lift to push the hatch up without my effort. I will give you guys an update after I install them.

5.) Yes, the square amber lenses for '82/'83. My Toyota parts dept says they are NLA, but they couldn't find the fender flare welt until I provided them with the part # [aaargh]

6.) I will probably deal with the foglight later and try to separate as you suggested. They are pretty expensive and not sure if still available from Toyota or not.

I pick up the car tomorrow and have an appointment with the glass shop to do the hatch glass. I haven't seen the car in real life since I dropped it off - just the pictures and an e-mail from the painter saying how well the white paint matched (and how difficult it is to handle the bumpers off the car).

Looks beautiful Steve!

1. Unless the cylinder is damaged, buff the face... it will look better than new. Buy a new rubber gasket though.

2. Buy the KBOX kit. I bought some of the last OE flare gasket pieces, and they were hard, brittle and basically unusable right out of the pkg.

3. Spray dye what you have, or seek out replacement "windlace" from a good upholstery shop. They are offered in a multitude of colors including white/cream/ivory.

4. No suggestions here. Aftermarket seems the best best route nowadays.

5. By bezel, do you mean the amber lenses? I know the 84+ wrap-arounds are still avail via Mark... perhaps he can get you the early ones too. Ask for them without the harness and they will be fairly cheap. If all else fails, buff em out as you mentioned.

6. As a last resort... heat the glass and separate the reflectors to restore from within. Then you can silicone it back together without the brown edge. Ive never done it, but Id like to try one of these days.

Keep the pix coming!

[Greg G]

KBOX - Jody Collicutt
14073-2408 Lakeshore Blvd
Toronto, Ontrio M8V 4A2 Canada

info@kbox.com
416 574-8537

Jody (male) will sell you a roll long enough to cut down the indicual pieces. Save your originals as templates. You will need to glue the rubber to the flare. I used rubber cement

[AJ]

Steve theres a nice set of fogs on eBay right now but $130 for the pr IIRC??

PM sent...

[SuperSubs]

Great job Steve! Very nice and small details that will make a big difference in the overall presentation and functionality of your car!

-Mike

[sowsley]

Got the new hatch installed today. Ran out of time and wasn't able to mount the spoiler, but the hatch snaps shut like a dream now - no more slamming!! I got the new hatch struts today from Liftsupportsdepot.com - these things really have the boost. I think they are going to be much better than the undersized Celica ones. He has struts specifically designed for hatches that have the wiper motor and spoiler. I haven't seen them anywhere else. Can't wait to see it with spoiler, bumpers and decal.

I am using the glass rubber from the 1985 model - no metal strips to discolor or crack - just solid rubber.

[sowsley]

More photos including the Strongarm hatch struts. The Strongarms are really beefy and provide a lot of lift. Thanks, Curtis for helping me get the rear bumper on today!

'82/'83 decal coming soon....




Strongarm Lift Support - I got mine from Liftsupports.com