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Restoring a UK 2.0 Widebody Starion Turbo


DrivebyDan
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Hi guys,

Well after covering a faultless 22000mls since April 2007, i decided to give the starion a bit of an xmas makeover. Anyone whos knows these cars will know they love to rot, everywhere. I knew when i got her there was small areas that needed sorting (back arches in particular).

Aslo the car had some accident damage to the front left wing and bumper, this will also be repaired during the restoration.

So managed to get her into FRD in middlesbrough to have the work carried out. Ive got them to take photos of the restoration as it progresses, so here goes.

 

The car as it was at a recent JNE meet

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/DSCF0014.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/Picture002-1.jpg

 

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/phone066.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/phone069.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/phone070.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/phone071.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/phone073-1.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/phone075.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/phone076.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/phone079.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/phone080.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/phone081.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/phone087.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/phone088.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/phone089.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/phone091.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/phone090.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/Picture006.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/Picture032.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/Picture035.jpg

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http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/Picture039.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/Picture040.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/Picture043.jpg

 

Bit of a distressing pic this next one

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/Picture044.jpg

 

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/Picture045.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/Picture047.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/Picture049.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/Picture050.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/Picture051.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/Picture053.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/Picture052.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/Picture054.jpg

 

 

Time for another installment of progress on the starion. This past month has been a bit of a revealing one as the guys have found that the rust is actually a lot worse than they first anticipated.

For a car that showed no signs of surface rust it has turned out to be pretty nasty underneath. Its taught me a lot though,

 

1) That it is true what they say, rust always starts from the inside and works out

 

2) That Eighties jap metal is crap and so was the rustproofing

 

 

1) This is the completely knackered passengers side chassis leg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/resto%203/resto3002.jpg

 

2) This is a pic of the passenger side floorpan, you can see where the chassis leg was before it was removed

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/resto%203/resto3004.jpg

 

3) The brand new chassis leg and surrouding floorpan

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/resto%203/resto3021.jpg

 

4)Passenger side outer sill and leading edge of the rear arch, doesnt look too bad really

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/resto%203/resto3013.jpg

 

But what is lurking behind

 

5) Not pretty

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/resto%203/resto3014.jpg

 

6)http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/resto%203/resto3009.jpg

 

7)http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/resto%203/resto3016.jpg

 

8) Top of the rear arch

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/resto%203/resto3012.jpg

 

If there was ever a good advert for Waxoyl and its benefits, this is it lol

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It was about this time that i had to go to Afghnaistan with the RAF, so when i got back the following had been done

 

Sorted Floorpan

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/resto%203/resto%204/DSCN1743-1.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/resto%203/resto%204/DSCN1753.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/resto%203/resto%204/DSCN1747.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/resto%203/resto%204/DSCN1762.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/resto%203/resto%204/DSCN1757.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/resto%203/resto%204/DSCN1768.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/resto%203/resto%204/DSCN1763.jpg

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/resto%203/resto%204/DSCN1765.jpg

 

 

Jobs left to do

 

Outer of both arches, note the shonkiness of the welding and the depth of the filler, i think the filler was holding the welding together

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/resto%203/resto%204/DSCN1756.jpg

 

Inside rear pocketts

 

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h68/sportka1/resto/resto2/resto%203/resto%204/DSCN1748.jpg

 

I cant even begin to tell you how jealous i am of all your cars that live in sun soaked parts of America, gives people an idea of what a damp climate and road salt can do to a car

 

DAN

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looks like you have your work cut out for you there :eek1bluegreen:

 

i live in greece, and im hoping to get my hands on a starion one of these days. What do you think are the chances of me finding one in the U.K or somewhere in Europe that hasnt been eaten away by rust?

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To be honest, pretty slim. I can only speak of whats happening in the UK but most of the surviving are either being broken for parts and then the shells scrapped. Or used as track/drifting cars.

They are getting to that age where finding a decent one is hard, the cost of restoring them fasr out weighs the price they demand when for sale. At the mo it's no economically viable to restore a bad example.

 

I did purely because i love the car and had contacts with a mitsubishi master tech, who kindly agreed to carry out the restoration.

 

DAN

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Yeah, you have to love 'em and have the money to restore it. I want to get mine restored ASAP so it doesn't get as bad as yours. lol. Mine is starting to go bad. My frame rails are getting more and more crunchy as time goes on.
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  • 2 weeks later...

Yeh your right guys about it being a labour of love, cheers for all your comments, Once all the bodywork and respray is done i will be fitting a selection of goodies i got from the US. modified parts are almost im possible to get hold of over here.

However i am trying to find a set of louvres for the rear of the car, rear window and the two side rear ones. If any of you guys know of any that are going spare let me know. i know the shipping costs will be high but that does bother me tbh.

 

cheers, DAN

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  • 1 year later...

Right i have been inspored by my sister ( starion- girl) on here and her boyfriend (Drive-By) to update this thread.

To behinest the car is still in the sme state, i.e. the rear arches need sorting and then a respray.

 

Im almost ashamed of myself but ive been away alot with work, have Lancias, Bmws and now a volvo 480 coupe all vying for my time and money. All this has meant that this resto hasnt progressed alot. THe car will definatly be ready by the end of this year, that i am certain of.

 

One intertesting development was the discovery of a mitsubishi competiton spec box tht plugged into the ECU. I conacted Dave Brodie racing in the uk and he suggested that it could be one of 8 press cars that mitsubishi fitted this too to give the car more poke for roadtesters.

 

Having checked the VIN number i can also now confirm that it is the 2nd to last 2.0 widebody to be registered in the UK. By 1989 we had the 2.6 and the 2.0 was history.

 

I contacted mitsi uk last week and they confirmed that F903 KCN was indeed a test car that was used for roadtests by the big car programmes and magazines back int he late eighties.

 

Even more reason for me to get her sorted now.

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I think the pair of us have alot to thank Livy for as it's her new Starion project that's breathing new life into our cars and making us pull our fingers out to get these ponies out of the stable Edited by Drive-By
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Nice to see that you've give your build thread a 'Bump' Dan, I can still remember the days when just when you thought you'd saw the last of the dredded rust more appeared, this car was like a never ending story it just went on and on and i was so gutted for you as she was your pride and joy. I can defo say that this thread im sure is a warning to any Starion owners of how bad these cars love to rust and more to the point can hide it so well!

Even though she hasn't been worked on for a while and is still a little way away from being completed she is so much better now than what she was, just think once shes done, up n running it will be one of the most rustfree Starions on the road! :D

Edited by Starion-girl
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  • 1 year later...

However i am trying to find a set of louvres for the rear of the car, rear window and the two side rear ones. If any of you guys know of any that are going spare let me know. i know the shipping costs will be high but that does bother me tbh.

 

cheers, DAN

 

Post on"Items Wanted", check "Parts for Sale" periodically and look on e-bay. You might find something, they do pop up once in a while Good luck with the hunt, that's half the fun.

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