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26-07-2018, 10:00 PM | #1 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Germany
Car: '94 Astina hatch, '93 Astina, '94 NA8C Roadster, '96 MX-3 V6, '00 Astina 1.8
Posts: 178
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HMT's daily: '00 BJ Sportive - The xero fux given 323
I thought I might as well show my daily here that I bought last year as a write off. Got it for two reasons: I wanted a pre '01 BJ because of bad rust issues with later years and specifically a '00 Sportive since it came with the JDM Sport20 interieur. With that in mind I looked around for about a year one and off, and this was the best one I could find in terms of rust issues.
Why a BJ in 2017? (the following section is C&P, hence slightly redundant). Well, I needed a new daily for commute and transport of the offspring as well as the occasional movement of building material. After buying and selling two Xedos 6 V6s last year (yes, I desperately wanted a V6 in my life), I decided I'd go for the practical compact kinda hot kinda hatch that is the 323F BJ Sportive. I chose the 2000 model year because it combined the JDM interieur with a less rusty shell than the later years. Still, it took me months to track down a suitably candidate and actually the best I could come up with was silver (omg) a beat up unloved thing of ugliness which I acquired for the sum of 250€. I stress again, this was the best i could find including all offers up to 4000€. Oh, i should mention that I had to travel about 200 miles one way (twice actually, so a total of 800) to buy it and bring it home two weeks later. Makes sense, right? I only drove a few miles like this towards a mates garage where i picked up a bunch of parts and ghettofixed the front end a bit. The trip home took about 4 hours due to the worst weather conditions and a somewhat limited top speed because accident damage and dead tires. Still, we made it. Safe to say, my wife was a bit underwhelmed with my purchase ^^ But this was the least rusty 323f BJ I could come up with, that has an engine that's not terribly slow (i.e. no 1.5 or 1.6), has a nice interior and the variable passenger seat and rear bench option, which is really awesome. The morning after: A few more detail shots. Apart from all the filth, the interior was actually really nice. Some accident damage: After vacuuming the mess on the inside, I quickly put in a 626 wiper stalk with variable interval control. That's actually very useful in german winters. After that we found a space for the car where it would stay for a few weeks during repairs.
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26-07-2018, 10:02 PM | #2 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Germany
Car: '94 Astina hatch, '93 Astina, '94 NA8C Roadster, '96 MX-3 V6, '00 Astina 1.8
Posts: 178
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First steps while waiting for spare parts:
new rear wiper JDM emblem The original remote was completely dead I could restore the connections on the board and pair the remote with the car again. But i still was lacking a case with buttons The doors were the only parts with rust: The car still sported the original radio! ...which was replaced by this. Also added the Touring Computer from a 626 Started changing the illumination from green to red (weirdly, the speedo dials already were illuminated red) Changed the interior air filter And received the new suspension Ok, after that, i started dismantling the front end It turned out that there was more damage than I originally anticipated but that's just life...
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26-07-2018, 10:03 PM | #3 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Germany
Car: '94 Astina hatch, '93 Astina, '94 NA8C Roadster, '96 MX-3 V6, '00 Astina 1.8
Posts: 178
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Test fitted a facelift bumper:
Installed the antenna bit from the Mazdaspeed 3 Tried to find out what happens if you pull on the fugly black bumper bits And went through my stored parts to find a set of barely used Fondmetal wheels in 7x15" Next steps: Getting parts from a donor (including a remote) Repairing both remotes (as described above) Receiving moar parts
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26-07-2018, 10:06 PM | #4 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Germany
Car: '94 Astina hatch, '93 Astina, '94 NA8C Roadster, '96 MX-3 V6, '00 Astina 1.8
Posts: 178
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Cleaning up the mess behind the fugly black stripe things
Becoming motivated enough to start pulling on the other fugly black stripe things on the car And deciding to put that on hold until i'm able to remove the sticky glue that held them on. Replaced the front wipers completely Prepared the suspension The bonnet opener was destroyed by the dealer so i had to replace it. Used this opportunity to do some rust proofing Removed some rust on the windscreen frame
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26-07-2018, 10:07 PM | #5 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Germany
Car: '94 Astina hatch, '93 Astina, '94 NA8C Roadster, '96 MX-3 V6, '00 Astina 1.8
Posts: 178
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Also at the sills
And the doors And the front fenders and under: Replaced the door sills Installed new brakes all around because well...
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26-07-2018, 10:36 PM | #6 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Germany
Car: '94 Astina hatch, '93 Astina, '94 NA8C Roadster, '96 MX-3 V6, '00 Astina 1.8
Posts: 178
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Then had some fun with paint
Ok, soon after, i received a "new" bonnet Unfortunately, the paint has seen better days and there was some rust beneath. Direct comparison Rusty rust Treated that as shown before and painted it grey Test fit, meanwhile, new parts arrived
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26-07-2018, 10:37 PM | #7 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Germany
Car: '94 Astina hatch, '93 Astina, '94 NA8C Roadster, '96 MX-3 V6, '00 Astina 1.8
Posts: 178
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Tried a spinning rubber bit to remove the glue under the side protection things
Worked well. Therefore i removed all the stripes Started changing brakes and suspension old vs sexy Implemented some corrosion prevention measures Random Pic And got some updated rear lights
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26-07-2018, 10:38 PM | #8 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Germany
Car: '94 Astina hatch, '93 Astina, '94 NA8C Roadster, '96 MX-3 V6, '00 Astina 1.8
Posts: 178
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Next up, I continued to change the switch illumination from green to red
Sandblasted and painted the strut brace mounts I had two sets of head lights: one with blind covers and one off the donor with "as new" covers but cracked housings from the accident. So swap it is. And black! Dipty dip Winning 's winning Add more wax! Put new Conti winter tires on the wheels and this: Since i couldnt make the facelifted front bumper fit to the car in a reasonable amount of time, i went back to the donor to get the bumper and a few more bits Since this bumper had seen at least two accidents and had been repaired as cheaply as possible, I decided to go full #nöfuksgvn Glued the bumper in 9 places with epoxide and added color matching jdm stitches Added EZ lip for additional street cred Also glued the front grille and fog lights - nothing goes to waste Then I pulled the front crossmember back out...
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26-07-2018, 10:38 PM | #9 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Germany
Car: '94 Astina hatch, '93 Astina, '94 NA8C Roadster, '96 MX-3 V6, '00 Astina 1.8
Posts: 178
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Over all it's ok for this application. I was able to make all parts fit so that you couldnt see the damage from the outside.
Added new radiator and aircon condenser and dryer. Added yellow for light bulbs The engine received fresh coolant and oil, a new battery, coolant hoses and OEM iglition leads. Topped it off with a OEM strut brace, powder coated valve cover, dipped front grille, Corksport finish panel and an AutoExe Carbon Airbox. The engine bay was filthy as... Then cleaned the interior (so dirty!), added wiring for an amplifier and new carpets. Was left with this Finally, the new indicators arrived Next up, i covered the holes in the bumpers Added new spray nozzles Radio and TC working Found covers for the roof trim Added some color in form of stickers Received a large parcel
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26-07-2018, 10:40 PM | #10 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Germany
Car: '94 Astina hatch, '93 Astina, '94 NA8C Roadster, '96 MX-3 V6, '00 Astina 1.8
Posts: 178
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Center console and rear bumper off the BJ2
Unfortunately the bumper was damaged. But the rear lip still intact... Direct comparison of center consoles Hand brake lever wouldnt fit the new console, so got one of those as well Now all fits fine. Added some Xedos sound deadening Much better Almost ready to take over for winter duty Aand got it registered and washed! The front suspension made some weird noises...turned out the aftermarked upper bearings were slightly tighter than oem, rubbing on the spring seats and tensioning the spring when steering, resulting in a "boing" noise. Put the OEM ones back, problem solved. New parcel arrived A dealer option sport exhaust with mazda engraving Some evening fun
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26-07-2018, 10:41 PM | #11 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Germany
Car: '94 Astina hatch, '93 Astina, '94 NA8C Roadster, '96 MX-3 V6, '00 Astina 1.8
Posts: 178
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At new years, a heat wave struck - so i decided to put on the rear lip
Added some audio to the front doors Then at cold winter days, the starter motor decided to not reach the flywheel when trying to start the car. After a fey days of keeping a hammer in the car and gently motivating it to work, one evening I manned up and removed the motor for some much needed cleaning After that, the starter worked like a charm. It's the little things sometimes. And more recently i added a new bonnet mat that I got cheaply So we got snow again I put on summer wheels Changed the thermostat Added gauge rings A set of new rear speakers The car made itself useful transporting heavy materials And finally, I test fitted more Sport20 aero Fitment is spot on so i will paint them and get more pictures once they're on. I have to say, with the new wheels, suspension and audio, the car is actually quite fun to drive and still it doesnt hurt if I have to transport stuff or get a little dirt inside. So i guess, for now, it suits me well and gives me the opportunity to look after my other cars whilst they are off the road Transport duty:
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26-07-2018, 10:41 PM | #12 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Germany
Car: '94 Astina hatch, '93 Astina, '94 NA8C Roadster, '96 MX-3 V6, '00 Astina 1.8
Posts: 178
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Redid the front turn signals
So this... ...became this Much better After a quick hand wash (the first one since i got it and probably in the whole life of the car), it looked quite nice Should have been like that from the factory. Prepped and primed the skirts Test fit - almost there Most of this happened in October 2017 and a bit during last winter and spring. The current status is this: Side skirts are on for a while now and i added a front lip as well: More pics can be founr here: https://driving-culture.blogspot.com...for-daily.html From here on, it will mainly be maintenance and driving since I really prefer working on the BA, BG, NA or MX3... Still, hope you like the little rescue story Cheers, Chris
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27-07-2018, 09:19 PM | #13 |
E74A
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Sydney
Car: SP20
Posts: 1,248
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A lot of work so far
But good progress, never seen anyone repair rust like that haha |
31-07-2018, 05:09 PM | #14 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Germany
Car: '94 Astina hatch, '93 Astina, '94 NA8C Roadster, '96 MX-3 V6, '00 Astina 1.8
Posts: 178
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You mean the doors? That's merely cosmetics and trying to preserve the rest that is left over - not really a repair ^^
Was in the mood for pictures this morning... https://driving-culture.blogspot.com...o-fux-323.html
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