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Reviving a One Owner '89 SHP 5 Speed Conquest TSi


theastronaut
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I've wanted a Starion/Conquest since I was a kid, a neighbor had a red widebody that caught my eye when I was around 10 years old. I'm 25 now and never really looked into buying one until recently- always been into older stuff. I have an original paint '64 VW bug as my daily driver and a '66 Chevy C10 resto-mod/pro-touring project truck but I couldn't shake the itch to get a Starquest.

 

We moved away from my childhood neighborhood but I recently drove by and noticed that our neighbor still had his red Conquest parked in the back yard. I stopped and asked, and eventually bought it and a '84 parts car. They're both too far gone to restore so I'll sell or part them.

 

Before I bought those two though, I found a one owner '89 Conquest on craigslist, but I didn't get a reply from the owner.... so I bought the first two and thought I'd save the widebody for a future project. But just a couple hours after loading the last of the two and towing them home I got a call from the owner of the '89 saying I was next on the list to come look at it. So I went, looked, and ended up bringing it home too- that made three Starquest within one week!

 

It is a white '89 Conquest TSi with maroon leather, sunroof, 5 speed, and the SHP package. He had the original sales invoice and other paperwork still, and the original sunroof storage bag. He parked it in 2000 when the clutch started slipping and never moved it again. It has 18X,000 miles on it, and he said it never had any mechanical trouble since new.

 

My plan is to get it driveable and detail it, keeping it mostly original and replacing only what's needed to make it road worthy. I dropped the gas tank and taken it to a radiator shop for cleaning, and will be installing a new fuel pump and flex lines next. I'll also pull the throttle body and rebuild it before attempting to start it. I'm reading through the "newbie" section and have printed out a checklist to go over before trying to start it.

 

 

That's enough talking, here are the pics!

 

 

This is the neighbors car that got me interested as a kid. The wheels were stolen at one point so he installed these to make it roll again. It is a 5 speed SHP car with black leather (it's trashed though) and no engine. The body is straight and rust free so it would make a good donor shell for a track day car or something similar.

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/63D0E682-A8AE-4B9E-B617-B2EE8F135592-12223-00000C11A174615A.jpg

 

 

The '84 parts car that is complete but rusty. Has a 5 speed, maroon cloth, and tons of rust. It had a full set of louvers; I wouldn't have bought them if they hadn't been in the deal. The side louvers are on ebay now to help fund the refresh of the white '89, and I'll clean up the back glass louvers before selling them as well. Not fond of them on these cars at all!

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/29CC166A-23D6-422A-A8CD-B2F8D33F2418-1404-0000010D6226CFFA.jpg

 

 

 

And the '89 keeper. This was at the guys house when we first went to check it out.

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/4FA77807-1C9C-4518-AB2B-D116F9F41CD9-410-00000020C14E3947.jpg

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/5DB78277-6ABA-4BAC-BFE0-5D72677DC590-410-00000020CC8C8FE2.jpg

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/EE135FEF-B37B-4B22-BCFE-792BF34E1DF7-410-00000020DD712FE2.jpg

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/CBDE1164-27E5-4B4B-9DAC-817236AD36D6-410-00000020FCE4C840.jpg

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/146F0693-FF7D-4FA7-B12F-1C089B09E990-410-000000210557263C.jpg

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/B33C3762-EF07-4E8B-BF02-9F57F6B99CDF-410-000000210DF8B910.jpg

Edited by theastronaut
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Id keep the louver set together if I was you, get more money that way since rear glass ones are much easier to find. Good luck with the project, I think I can speak for everyone here when saying that we love a car being brought back from the dead(with lots of pictures too!)
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Id keep the louver set together if I was you, get more money that way since rear glass ones are much easier to find. Good luck with the project, I think I can speak for everyone here when saying that we love a car being brought back from the dead(with lots of pictures too!)

 

Thanks tankbob! The side louvers didn't meet the reserve so that's what I'll do. I will post pics of the whole process of getting it road ready.

 

 

Great deal and good luck with the car.

 

Thanks Randy!

 

 

 

Lots of work ahead...I think I see the rare aero wheel covers

 

As I'm finding out... I'm used to working on aircooled VW's so this is quite a bit more complex than what I'm used to. Would have been nice to have a set of aero covers with the car!

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I picked the tank up from the radiator shop today and its way cleaner than it was- all the sludge and most of the rust is gone. To get rid of the rest of the rust, I picked up a couple gallons of muriatic acid from Lowe's. We've cleaned a few tanks this way before and they come out like new inside. I'll go back with PPG DX 579 Metal Cleaner and 520 Metal Conditioner which leaves a slight zinc phosphate coating. I don't like to seal tanks since they could possibly break down over time and cause big headaches, and if the car doesn't sit then it won't rust anyways- especially with the PPG 520 inside. The tank is soaking with muriatic acid in it now; I'll post pics once that is done.

 

Back from the radiator shop:

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/B4EC61C3-B412-4898-B301-E8C3B4E82C19-219-0000000BC8039050.jpg

 

 

I also pulled the fog lights out to clean them but the reflectors were corroded and the lenses were etched bad with mini rock chips. The lights in the red car were in great shape, so I'll clean those and swap them over.

 

 

Original lights:

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/353DB87A-29E5-4158-BA59-8699F764A28A-219-000000108C55E871.jpg

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/12CB92CC-7B12-43AF-9D2B-3D7F2C939B93-219-0000001098223887.jpg

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/6C466239-4D56-4E1D-B421-A1D108A7BE6A-219-00000010A4EC7B3C.jpg

 

 

Lights from the red '88. These have much clearer lenses, and the reflectors are still in great shape. I cleaned the fog lens with Amaz glass polish, and polished the amber lens with Mothers' Metal polish.

 

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/CBA9D912-2C53-4D3B-B620-47DBC43165AF-219-00000011A3900302.jpg

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/0C1A0118-1399-4A7F-A7A3-F5EC2947D4E6-219-000000119D262B31.jpg

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Here's what it looked like this morning. I sloshed it around a few times today to resoak it all over. I'll dump it out Monday and start the PPG treatment.

 

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/6242CEE8-352A-4232-97B8-669B148088E6-1193-00000111F67601EF.jpg

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I neautralized and poured out the muriatic acid today, rinsed the tank a few times, and put PPG DX 579 Metal Cleaner in it. This clears up the flash rust from rinsing the tank with water, and gets it ready for DX 520 Metal Conditioner. I'm out of DX 520 but will pick some up tomorrow.

 

 

First rinse after dumping the muriatic acid:

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/6C7686A8-E2BB-4C23-B675-F8E887D32274-3848-000003565D4AEB5D.jpg

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/C46FC861-0FD4-4CDA-8F3E-5C06F605C6A6-3848-00000356664E135E.jpg

 

 

 

Flash rust, you can see the DX 579 clearing that up where it sloshed.

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/E7220FC3-4CB2-488B-91DE-49D5D11FFED0-3848-00000356C23ABAC9.jpg

 

 

After soaking with DX579, very clean!

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/A712F56D-CAD0-4C8C-8E7D-0CC99178A953-3848-00000358097F80DF.jpg

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That is interesting the way you cleaned the tank. Impressive results. You said you did this to other tanks? When I clean motorcycle tanks I used bbs (beebees) and kerosenes. That I sloshed it around for a couple days. I also agree with you about the coating the tank inside. I never liked it and worried about it flaking off.
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That is interesting the way you cleaned the tank. Impressive results. You said you did this to other tanks? When I clean motorcycle tanks I used bbs (beebees) and kerosenes. That I sloshed it around for a couple days. I also agree with you about the coating the tank inside. I never liked it and worried about it flaking off.

 

I've done my dad's '57 VW and a '65 Chevy C10 the same way and both came out great. I did the VW tank about 4-5 years ago and it still looks good inside, that car gets driven maybe 100 miles a year so it sits all the time. We do use Stabil so I'm sure that helps tremendously.

 

I just dumped the DX 579 out, rinsed it, and dried the tank with a heat gun. It seems to have something flaking off the inside of the tank (the original plating on areas that didn't rust?) so I'll have to use BB's (great idea!) or something similar to knock all the scale loose and re-clean it again. <_< I may rig up a "rotisserie" driven with an electric motor to keep it slowly spinning with BB's inside.

 

 

Edit- link to the '65 C10's tank restoration.

 

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showpost.php?p=4678567&postcount=21

Edited by theastronaut
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I pulled the sunroof out tonight and started cleaning it and the seal. They had crud all over them from sitting under a tree for 13 years. I still need to unclog the drain tubes and clean out around the seal area before reinstalling the sunroof. Also need to detail the hardware.

 

 

Glass before:

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/CF542D9C-9893-4AB8-950D-81617021D60B-515-0000002651BD426F.jpg

 

 

Acid rain spots (hard to see) and a line around the outer seal area:

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/AB4BE642-FE94-43E1-8BC3-DB8E27C123E3-515-00000026674568FA.jpg

 

 

 

Polished with Amaz glass polish and a medium foam pad on a buffer. Most all of the line around the seal came off and the water spots are gone.

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/F4B6736D-3254-46E6-BC86-B280A18DB72B-872-000000429B11CEB0.jpg

 

 

Seal before:

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/7940223D-C12E-4F9D-81A1-AF503B14DA19-872-00000041ADCF34F6.jpg

 

 

Scrubbed with wax and grease remover and a maroon scuff pad.

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/2EEAF028-109B-4967-BABE-779AC1633DB3-872-00000041B591952A.jpg

 

 

Coated with Duragloss Vinyl and Rubber Dressing.

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/6BC9AC44-BD5D-4BDD-B5D1-4E0BBDA092B2-872-00000041BCC94E06.jpg

 

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/theastronaut/Random/Starquest/A1A5CD3F-6DB3-4E1E-A20E-4DE8DC7FFDAA-872-00000041C3809E00.jpg

Edited by theastronaut
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You got alot of rare stuff between the louvers and those wheel covers! Alot of good spares too im sure! God knows i've needed alot of spares for my car over the years so be careful with how much you part out and how much you hang onto!
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You got alot of rare stuff between the louvers and those wheel covers! Alot of good spares too im sure! God knows i've needed alot of spares for my car over the years so be careful with how much you part out and how much you hang onto!

 

I sure wish those were the rare wheel covers, but they are (I think) early Eclipse wheels. They're two peice welded aluminun with a snap in center cap. I'm going to hang on to the red '88 until I get this one back on the road so I'll have spares.

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Good luck with the project. Looks like a good car to work with. I went to High School in Anderson(long time ago) was there last Saturday and had lunch at Roy's Diner Tuesday on my way back to Huntsville. I have 89 white auto non SHP, no sunroof that I'm bring back to life. Just got off the jackstand from rebuilding the engine and installing D2's. Hopefully I crank this weekend. I come thru there at least once a month travelling for work. If I could be any help, holler!
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Good luck with the project. Looks like a good car to work with. I went to High School in Anderson(long time ago) was there last Saturday and had lunch at Roy's Diner Tuesday on my way back to Huntsville. I have 89 white auto non SHP, no sunroof that I'm bring back to life. Just got off the jackstand from rebuilding the engine and installing D2's. Hopefully I crank this weekend. I come thru there at least once a month travelling for work. If I could be any help, holler!

 

Small world! Which high school did you go to? Our shop is right beside Westside High. Appreciate the offer!

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I went to TL Hannah. The one that is now a middle school. I did not recognize Greenville St when I drove down it a few months ago. When I left for the Army there was nothing north of Liberty Hwy to I85 and the only thing there was a gas station and Catherine's Kitchen. Looking at the list of restorations I doubt I would be of much help but try to swing by next trip over. Mine cranks then dies, still working it. Not enough time in the day.
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  • 2 weeks later...

I went to TL Hannah. The one that is now a middle school. I did not recognize Greenville St when I drove down it a few months ago. When I left for the Army there was nothing north of Liberty Hwy to I85 and the only thing there was a gas station and Catherine's Kitchen. Looking at the list of restorations I doubt I would be of much help but try to swing by next trip over. Mine cranks then dies, still working it. Not enough time in the day.

 

I'm 25 and it's changed a ton since I was a kid! Soooo much traffic to deal with now, I can't believe how many more cars are on the road since I started driving 10 years ago. Not really a small town anymore.

 

 

Been doing a little to the 'Quest. Picked up another gallon of Muriatic acid, some BB's, and PPG DX579/520 to finish the tank. Rebuilt the throttle body using a Standard Motor Products 1529 kit and a Felpro base gasket with the silicone inlays. I picked up an injector from a guy in Greer SC to replace the broken original one.

 

http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t599/andersonautoglass/Starquest/412EB3AB-333E-4E28-9DE1-FB52E75FCD7B-1057-00000185944B2A1A_zps04b03ba0.jpg

 

 

I lightly bead blasted inside the connectors to clean the corrosion and applied dielectric grease.

 

http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t599/andersonautoglass/Starquest/DEB0100C-65CC-4588-B894-7564B2DADF08-1057-000001859AA33980_zps6f1ceff7.jpg

 

 

Bought the remaining roll of vacuum hose from the FLAPS.

 

http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t599/andersonautoglass/Starquest/02CC6A50-5AAF-4422-991D-4ECE52F67369-1057-00000185A91B8EBA_zpsee220730.jpg

 

 

Bead blasted the pickup tube.

 

http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t599/andersonautoglass/Starquest/C90DE6FB-8699-411E-B125-DC189B95203B-1057-00000185D0F22AF9_zps5640930f.jpg

 

 

Picked up a spare flywheel to have resurfaced and lightened, a clean filler neck, and a working fuel level sending unit.

 

http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t599/andersonautoglass/Starquest/FF766C26-11E8-42BE-8DEB-A2D452B92D8A-1057-00000185A2CD5270_zps108bb664.jpg

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