Action.

Went out this afternoon and picked up a box of Ironlak.


And the colour is... *drumroll*






















Pose sushi. Picture is a bit shit there, but it's a bit darker than that and more purple looking.

I realise that this isn't to everyone's taste and ideally, if the shell were clean enough to begin with, I wouldn't be choosing quite a loud colour, spraying the car with pressure packs or molesting the guards, etc. But since the shell is already a bit beat up, I figured "Why not?".

Expect a little more progress in the near future.

L200 parts are plentiful over here, gimme a shout if you need any but shipping would probably kill it for you.
I even have a set of L502 front end panels lying around and as they are off a non-turbo Mira (no bonnet scoop for the intercooler), nobody seems to want them.

I just found this thread by accident! I'm a New Zealander and I drive an L80 Mira, 5 door, 1988. I love these baby cars and I love what you are doing with yours! I'm really looking forward to seeing how it ends up!

Thanks, man.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, here's how the painting came out...



I'm pretty pleased with the result to be honest. It's not perfect, but then again, the car was never meant to be. Also note that the windscreen there is the old one just resting in place to stop any weather getting in. I still need to source:

- Windscreen
- Gearbox
- Radiator
- Distributor
- Motor rebuild kit
- Tyres

I'll probably take a trip to the wreckers to get most of those items, but the tyres are still proving to be painful, as Australia doesn't seem to have any suitable tyres in 13" for kei cars.

Theres a looooot of parts for Daihatsu Mira over the ditch in NZ. I saw a 5 speed gearbox for this model for $40 a while back.

Also, how did you paint the car? Im going to paint mine and was wondering how? Did you sand it down first or just paint over the original paint? Thanks!

Yeah, NZ is kinda lucky in that regard. Finding parts over there must be a breeze for some things. Could be handy if I ever get really stuck trying to find some parts. Luckily a lot of the L200 parts are interchangeable, so I don't have to find L70/L80 specific parts for most things except the windscreen.

In regards to paint, I pretty much just sanded the whole thing back using various grades of sandpaper, bogged the guards so they looked a bit more respectable, gave it a quick wipe down and then started spraying. I used $2.50 tins of silver gal to undercoat for a bit of "rust protection" and to hopefully give the Ironlak something a bit better to stick to. I gave a light sand between the coats as well. It looks alright in the photos, but it's far from good in person. I wasn't after much of a show car finish, so this worked out cheaper for me (about $70 all up).

I had a stone fly through my windscreen and when I was getting it replaced, the guy said it was the same as a Subaru Justy windscreen. I can't confirm if this is correct but you might want to check it out, I think they should be a bit more common over there?

Yeah NZ is good for parts but we dont get the cars to put them on

Heres a big sorce of parts http://www.partsworld.co.nz/parts/daiha ... 283-other/

Ive been looking at Atlos as they are easier to get parts and engine conversions for over here since the Wagon R and Carry are quite popular here. Just need a flipping job

Also Mini tires are your best bet

That's an awesome paint colour. Have you thought about wet sanding it, then hitting it with clear? Even a spray-bomb clear, followed by a good wet sand and polish would really make that paint pop.

_________________
-Cam
1988 Mazda RX7
1980 Toyota Celica
a bunch of cool other cars I'm not allowed to list

what brand and type is the strut brace as i have an l70 4 door with weak strut hats and need it sorted for wof

by the way great job mate

It's a Cusco strut brace specifically for the L70 chassis, though I suspect L200 equivalents would measure the same.

thanks for that man whats the actual stud on theese ive been told 4x100 4x114.3 4x108 and 4x110

my 100s and 114s wont fit but do i just need to get it done professioonaly or is it some gay rx style stud pattern i.e 110/108

Stud pattern is 4x110. Same as early Mazdas and Corollas. The steelies I'm using came off an RX of some form.

Well, it's a bit sad to say, but it looks like this shell won't see completion.


... Because I bought another one.

Plans are to move all the good bits onto the new one when I pick it up in the next few days. For those wondering about the shell, as much as it's still salvageable, the new one is in much better condition with no accident damage, far less panel damage (dings, scratches, etc.) and less rust. All the initial plans for the original shell will simply be implemented on this new shell since it's in better overall condition and most importantly, runs!

Other details on the new one:
- 4 Speed box - Will look at swapping the old 5 speed box back in if I can fix the seals.
- Mod plated for 4 seat capacity - Originally 2 seat like the old shell.
- Factory air conditioning! Albeit, needs new seals and a re-gas.
- Fully intact interior.

Prior to buying this, I did some further upgrades to the rear suspension in the form of fitting some new (read: from the wrecker) dampers out of the front of a Daihatsu Feroza. I forget what year/model it was, but they're a good fit for the rear of the L70/80 and are ~2" shorter extended length as well as being very, very short when fully compressed. Perfect for running as low as I intend to. Damping rates are significantly increased over the standard items as well.

Anyway, more updates when I get the new car back home.

Awesome! Cant wait to see some pics!

I'll get some better pics in the morning. Runs well, gearbox is good, and no major issues other than a little bit of rust (less than the old shell) and the need for some new tyres.

Also, turns out it's a no-dice on the air conditioning. It's missing the compressor, haha. Not sure how I skimmed over that when I went to inspect it, but I'm not too bothered by it. I'll just pull all the excess gear out and swap in the non-A/C related stuff from the old shell.

Cool. What are you doing with the old shell? If I was over there I'd be happy to take it off your hands...

_________________
-Cam
1988 Mazda RX7
1980 Toyota Celica
a bunch of cool other cars I'm not allowed to list

I've got an idea of what I want to do with it, but it'll more likely than not just sit around and act as a parts whore to swap all the good bits back into the running shell.

I'll probably use the motor out of it to build up a little project motor later on to swap in. 882cc 12 valve monster on triple bike carbs! 11~12:1 Compression ratio should provide a bit of boogie too.

Hi,

I haven't looked into the forum for a longer time. I am owning some of the L2xx and L5xx Cuore (as they are called in Europe) and could eventually support you with some technical details.

To the suspension: you can interchange dampers and springs between L70/L80 and L200/L201 and L500/L501 (and the L600/L601 Move!), however you have to be a bit careful.

Using dampers from L5xx/L6xx on L70/L80/L2xx result in negative camber on the front.
Using dampfer from L70/L80/L2xx on L5xx/L6xx you have positive camber on the front wheels.

The front springs are interchangeable. At the rear you could have a little more height when interchanging parts. However it is not so much, as most aftermarket parts are often for "one for all" of the 4 models.

Cheers,

Daniel

_________________
Current cars:
Daihatsu Hijet S85
Daihatsu Charade G11 + G102
Daihatsu Cuore/Mira L201 + L501 + L701

http://www.Hijet.de/