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Hello from across the sea here; I live in the Netherlands. Learned about RR from some of the events you organize and hope to visit one shortly. I like OEM and OEM with some modifications when done in the right spirit. So period correct at least. There seems to be enough of that here and above all respect for all different tastes. Very nice!
I have a few classics and some "youngtimers" as they are called here (anything in between 15 and 30 years old) and I'll make a thread about them as well.
To satisfy any need-to-know: - 1979 VW LT35D campervan
- 1982 Suzuki SC100
- 1988 Corvette
- 1997 Alfa Romeo 164 Super TwinSpark
- 2003 Volvo XC70 2.5T
But now, back to the little Suzuki. Well... the key to being married and to collect cars without getting a costly divorce; keep her happy. So I bought her as a gift her own classic car to enjoy. And this could be none other than the Suzuki she always liked so much. And to be fair, I always found it a great car too. I bought it as a neglected project with some spares. They are pretty much extinct now, and the really good ones are priced very high. So naturally ours looked shabby and has rust, but with just under 50.000km (and having been on the road for a few months about three years ago) all the mechanics are in great shape.
The first target was to buy it and store it. After winter we would start the project. Then I found out it is small enough to make its way to the backyard terras (really only designed to get your bicycle to the shed) so there is enough room to work on it. So yes. Work has started on it already.
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Last Edit: Aug 7, 2019 7:25:35 GMT by engineer
V-8: 1988 Corvette - 5.7 TPI
V-4: 1973 SAAB 96 - 1.5
4-boxer: 1975 Alfa Romeo AlfaSud - 1.2
2-boxer: 1965 Panhard 24BT - 0.8
4-line: 1997 Alfa Romeo 164 Super - 2.0 TS
4-line: 1982 Suzuki SC100 Whizzkid - 1.0
4-line: 2021 Citroen campervan - 2.2 HDI
4-line: 2022 Alpine A110 - 1.8 Turbo
4-line: 2010 Renault Wind - 1.2 Turbo
2-line: 1973 NSU Prinz 4L - 0.6 --> for sale
2-line: 2021 Honda Rebel 500
EV: 2024 Nio ET5T
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In for updates.  Mrs engineer... "Do you have to spend all day in the garage again?!?!?!?!" engineer ... "It's your car I'm working on dear"  |
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As stated mechanically pretty good. It started and ran. Was even possible to drive. The radiator was leaking, and the battery was dead. I started to fix some of the electrics as it was a fire hazard at some points. Some of the fuses were even bypassed.
In doing so, I had to dismantle parts of the interior. And since it smelled bad the dismantling went a bit far. So needless to say I have fixed up the interior first. I got almost a complete 2nd interior set with it, but both sets were very much full of dirt. Many hours with a steam cleaner later, it looked great again.
The rear seats can be used as long as you don't have a head or legs. Joking aside, it is better than expected. This thing has about the same dimensions as an old Mini but with a much lower roofline.
Now time for a little mod. Since it is a car for my wife, she has some wishes that need to be fulfilled. One was to have at least a half-decent sound system. Originally the Suzuki came (as standard equipment!) with a dash integrated AM radio with a dash-mounted mono speaker. At least the speaker was placed smartly so it uses the reflection off the windshield. On this someone already cut up the dash to make a 1DIN opening where previously the AM unit was. By the looks of it, speakers were mounted under the dash and just above/behind the rear seats. I did not like that look, so time to get creative. The radio used is one of these retro units. All modern features with an old look to it. Where the original mono speaker was, I placed two stereo tweeters next to each other. And I placed 3-way speaker boxes under the front seats. So I have reached the decent sound levels, have all the modern features, have music coming from the original speaker grill in the dash, and the wife is happy with it. Priorities have been set and handled!
The tweeters and their location in the dash
 The placement of the speaker boxes under the seats. As you can see, there is, despite the rear engine and rear-wheel drive, some kind of driveshaft hump in the floorplan. Not so much for the gear linkage but this is where the coolant pipes/hoses run through the front. It is water-cooled with a radiator in the front. If these hoses ever burst, the interior is filled with steam and hot coolant sprays over the driver and passengers... I wonder whose brilliant idea that was. |
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Last Edit: Aug 7, 2019 7:24:02 GMT by engineer
V-8: 1988 Corvette - 5.7 TPI
V-4: 1973 SAAB 96 - 1.5
4-boxer: 1975 Alfa Romeo AlfaSud - 1.2
2-boxer: 1965 Panhard 24BT - 0.8
4-line: 1997 Alfa Romeo 164 Super - 2.0 TS
4-line: 1982 Suzuki SC100 Whizzkid - 1.0
4-line: 2021 Citroen campervan - 2.2 HDI
4-line: 2022 Alpine A110 - 1.8 Turbo
4-line: 2010 Renault Wind - 1.2 Turbo
2-line: 1973 NSU Prinz 4L - 0.6 --> for sale
2-line: 2021 Honda Rebel 500
EV: 2024 Nio ET5T
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After the interior, I started work on the front half. It needed to come apart to replace the radiator and the rusty panels required replacing. Who knows how much more rust would be hiding there.
First, there is a legend to confirm. It was said that due to the heavier 1.0 engine for the export models, a counterweight was placed in the front bumper. And yes it is. That is not just a mounting bracket for the chrome bumper. That is a near massive iron tube. I reckon 40 to 50kg. Does not sound like much but the whole car is just under 650kg.
Starting to get that project car look. I've been told that on the left-hand configurations the headlights used are the same as a Chevy van foglight unit. Not sure if that is really true, but it is the same dimension.
Suspension and brakes in pretty good condition. Some rust is starting to show. Nothing bad.
Same here. Surprising the other side was in better shape. I always noticed the right-hand side of a car to be in worst conditions (that be the left-hand side for you guys) as it is exposed to all the gravel and dirt at the edge of the road. This was the opposite despite having a history of spending all of its life in the Netherlands. Some of the owners must have had a carport or something.
No welding was needed so after some grinding the rust treatment and prevention could be applied.
Some work was involved in making the donor panels fit properly.
Currently the boring task of sanding of the panels is ongoing. They will get (a proper) spraycan paint. When the whole car is done and everything is working fine, we'll probably send it off for a professional respray at some point.
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Last Edit: Aug 7, 2019 7:49:18 GMT by engineer
V-8: 1988 Corvette - 5.7 TPI
V-4: 1973 SAAB 96 - 1.5
4-boxer: 1975 Alfa Romeo AlfaSud - 1.2
2-boxer: 1965 Panhard 24BT - 0.8
4-line: 1997 Alfa Romeo 164 Super - 2.0 TS
4-line: 1982 Suzuki SC100 Whizzkid - 1.0
4-line: 2021 Citroen campervan - 2.2 HDI
4-line: 2022 Alpine A110 - 1.8 Turbo
4-line: 2010 Renault Wind - 1.2 Turbo
2-line: 1973 NSU Prinz 4L - 0.6 --> for sale
2-line: 2021 Honda Rebel 500
EV: 2024 Nio ET5T
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village
Part of things
Always carries a toolbox. Because Volkswagen.......
Posts: 567
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bookmarked!
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"The White Van is strong with this one...."
Chris "Chesney" Allen 1976-2005 RIP
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When I was a lad, the Dad of a mate of mine had one of these. I remember being really amused that i could open all the windows sat in the drivers seat. Funny the things you remember!
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Its not broken, its resting!
Max signature image height: 80px
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Yes, you can reach everything from the driver's seat. The frunk is even funnier. It's an OK amount of space. But then Suzuki decided that the coolant reservoir, the wiper motor, windscreen washer reservoir, jack, jack handle, and spare wheel also needed a place somewhere.. With the spare wheel in place, there is room for two beer bottles, no more. The Suzuki brochure, however, still mentions it as the luggage space. If you want to store more things, the rear seat folds down to a flat floor. Well, it did. Mine was missing the hinges for the back seat (how on earth... who takes these things off anyway?) so I made new ones based on guessing. Folding down works great but putting it back up is a bit of a jiggle before it catches in the lock.
I didn't have a spare with it, so I decided I will tidy the frunk and make it into usable storage.
I did some tidying up of parts when I was waiting for a new used radiator. Really new is unobtanium, so I was happy with a known good one. Took my (mildly leaking) radiator out (found some rust underneath) and before mounting the known good, I checked it by filling it with water. I planned to leave it overnight to see if it remained dry. No need; took 2 minutes before I saw a drop of water on the core. Yeah... the known good one was leaking more than the one I had in there (that only dripped when properly hot). I've been promised a replacement so let us see. If nothing works, I'll have to try and find (and repair or reduce) the leak on the one from the car.
BTW; the coolant that came out of the system. Honestly, don't know what was in there. Brown-blue for the bulk but a lot of brown-yellow as well. Would not be surprised if it had been in there for 30 years. A little cleanup is in order
Took most of the dents out of the bumper with some wood blocks, hammer and C clamp. A little bit remains but is allowed to stay; don't want things to look too new.
Results after lots of polishing. The plastic bumper corners were mildly sanded, polished with black shoe polish and finished with some of this black bumper trim.
All the lights mounted to the grill had some cracks and damages, so bring out the glue!
The lenses themselves received a few rounds in one of these jewelry ultrasonic baths. Works great with very little effort.
Back in black! The little silver stripes turned out to be silver tape. Oh, these Japanese! I painted them on after this picture.
Result! Looking sharp again. The Suzuki logo had received an upgrade at some point in life. I have an old photo from around 2000 where it was already like this. Looks cleaner and the blue matches the paint. So it is allowed to stay this way.
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V-8: 1988 Corvette - 5.7 TPI
V-4: 1973 SAAB 96 - 1.5
4-boxer: 1975 Alfa Romeo AlfaSud - 1.2
2-boxer: 1965 Panhard 24BT - 0.8
4-line: 1997 Alfa Romeo 164 Super - 2.0 TS
4-line: 1982 Suzuki SC100 Whizzkid - 1.0
4-line: 2021 Citroen campervan - 2.2 HDI
4-line: 2022 Alpine A110 - 1.8 Turbo
4-line: 2010 Renault Wind - 1.2 Turbo
2-line: 1973 NSU Prinz 4L - 0.6 --> for sale
2-line: 2021 Honda Rebel 500
EV: 2024 Nio ET5T
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piguin
Part of things
Posts: 136 
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You are really doing things thoroughly. Lovely car, love how it comes back to life |
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Aug 10, 2019 15:34:41 GMT
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Thanks. I have learned a lot from projects over the years. And as nearly all of these have rusted away I really take a deepdive; even if it will not see winter roads anymore. But I'm not scared of driving it in the rain. And; not to forget that as my wife will drive it a lot it needs to be reliable.
Some rust appeared under the radiator. Nothing to weld; only surface rust
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V-8: 1988 Corvette - 5.7 TPI
V-4: 1973 SAAB 96 - 1.5
4-boxer: 1975 Alfa Romeo AlfaSud - 1.2
2-boxer: 1965 Panhard 24BT - 0.8
4-line: 1997 Alfa Romeo 164 Super - 2.0 TS
4-line: 1982 Suzuki SC100 Whizzkid - 1.0
4-line: 2021 Citroen campervan - 2.2 HDI
4-line: 2022 Alpine A110 - 1.8 Turbo
4-line: 2010 Renault Wind - 1.2 Turbo
2-line: 1973 NSU Prinz 4L - 0.6 --> for sale
2-line: 2021 Honda Rebel 500
EV: 2024 Nio ET5T
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Aug 10, 2019 15:38:58 GMT
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Seriously cool little car and well worth saving. It looks really quite solid for one of these. Bookmarked!
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Aug 10, 2019 17:35:51 GMT
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Bookmarked
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Still learning...still spending...still breaking things!
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Dec 12, 2019 13:05:41 GMT
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Our little car did not make it in time to the winter storage. Was still on jack stands.
No issue, I was able to place it in my backyard (the access to it was targeting bicycles; still with the one mirror folded in we could get it) and I was able to buy the (expensive but good) all-weather car cover for it. Definitely the smallest size they made. So it is protected against the elements good enough to survive a Dutch winter.
The benefit is that I can actually get some work done if the winter is mild.
I was able to source a non-leaking radiator on the 2nd attempt. I also have the rear fender sheet metal for both sides now. So all that is needed now is to buy a welding machine. I have not been doing welding myself for years but did learn the basics before.
A little setback was that I found that the car was once resprayed (no surprise) but in a slightly different tone of blue. So at least for now, I will let a paintshop make some paint based on scanning. There is a full respray in the future but first, we want to get it driving looking somewhat decent. A little more sanding and painting is all that keeps me from finishing the front half of the car and putting it back together.
I had refurbished the front wheels and send them off to get new tires fitted. A little issue; nobody makes tires this size anymore. There were only three suppliers; all unknown names from Chinese origin. The workshop had experience with one of the three and called it "not bad" - alright I'll take those then.
I also wanted new wheelnuts as the old ones had suffered before. Same issue here; too small of a size for any car parts or tire shop to have them. Tried trailers, nope. Go-carts? No they are one size smaller. Off-road 4-wheel Quads do however use the same size. And what a miracle they even have the right shape.
Yup; the tiny one is full of stories by the time it is finished!
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V-8: 1988 Corvette - 5.7 TPI
V-4: 1973 SAAB 96 - 1.5
4-boxer: 1975 Alfa Romeo AlfaSud - 1.2
2-boxer: 1965 Panhard 24BT - 0.8
4-line: 1997 Alfa Romeo 164 Super - 2.0 TS
4-line: 1982 Suzuki SC100 Whizzkid - 1.0
4-line: 2021 Citroen campervan - 2.2 HDI
4-line: 2022 Alpine A110 - 1.8 Turbo
4-line: 2010 Renault Wind - 1.2 Turbo
2-line: 1973 NSU Prinz 4L - 0.6 --> for sale
2-line: 2021 Honda Rebel 500
EV: 2024 Nio ET5T
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As winter is mild some progress is being made. First of all, I have a few old pictures that have shown up. The pictures are for a sales advert that might have been from around 2012. The license plates on the Suzuki, however, were phased out around 2000. So if the years are correct it was off the road for 12 years then. It looks pretty nice and fresh in the pictures. Also, it looks (apart from a black interior versus tan now) the same. Together with some other history the picture becomes clear. In the 1990s the car got an engine rebuild and a modified exhaust. Likely that is also when rust was taken care off and it got a respray. The engine rebuild looks like it was done properly. The rust.. already in the old pictures here the rust had already started again likely but just was not visible.
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V-8: 1988 Corvette - 5.7 TPI
V-4: 1973 SAAB 96 - 1.5
4-boxer: 1975 Alfa Romeo AlfaSud - 1.2
2-boxer: 1965 Panhard 24BT - 0.8
4-line: 1997 Alfa Romeo 164 Super - 2.0 TS
4-line: 1982 Suzuki SC100 Whizzkid - 1.0
4-line: 2021 Citroen campervan - 2.2 HDI
4-line: 2022 Alpine A110 - 1.8 Turbo
4-line: 2010 Renault Wind - 1.2 Turbo
2-line: 1973 NSU Prinz 4L - 0.6 --> for sale
2-line: 2021 Honda Rebel 500
EV: 2024 Nio ET5T
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And the project itself:
A 3-step process... I am wondering if the foam in there is OEM or just someone not knowing what they were doing. Regardless; the foam matches perfectly with the worst rust. The fact that some rust repairs really consisted of body filler also did not help.
I bought a welder so I can do my own work on this. It has been at least 15 years ago since the last time I used a welder myself so I'll do some practice pieces first.
Luckily I did get my hand on replacement pieces for the outer sheet metal. And as seen that even when it is just hanging on there for the photo the fitment overall is good. So it'sd only the little repairs underneath for which I have to make own replacement pieces.
The front also received some work
Replacement radiator is in and all hoses have been cleaned, some replaced and new hose clamps used. Also the overflow tank has been cleaned. Same for the windshield washer bottle. To reduce a little the noise and mostly to be able to make actual use of the frunk I have added carpet to it. I used floormats as they are easy to work with and ok in a sometimes moist environment. They got their first test as I placed those black ventilation pipes. I put them in warm water to make them a little softer so they would not break. Still wet I put them in place.
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V-8: 1988 Corvette - 5.7 TPI
V-4: 1973 SAAB 96 - 1.5
4-boxer: 1975 Alfa Romeo AlfaSud - 1.2
2-boxer: 1965 Panhard 24BT - 0.8
4-line: 1997 Alfa Romeo 164 Super - 2.0 TS
4-line: 1982 Suzuki SC100 Whizzkid - 1.0
4-line: 2021 Citroen campervan - 2.2 HDI
4-line: 2022 Alpine A110 - 1.8 Turbo
4-line: 2010 Renault Wind - 1.2 Turbo
2-line: 1973 NSU Prinz 4L - 0.6 --> for sale
2-line: 2021 Honda Rebel 500
EV: 2024 Nio ET5T
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Feb 21, 2020 15:31:16 GMT
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Step by step... I have learned I am pretty good at spotwelds. And pretty bad at the other welds. Meanwhile I have improved a little, also after another round of adjusting settings on the welder.
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Last Edit: Feb 21, 2020 15:32:26 GMT by engineer
V-8: 1988 Corvette - 5.7 TPI
V-4: 1973 SAAB 96 - 1.5
4-boxer: 1975 Alfa Romeo AlfaSud - 1.2
2-boxer: 1965 Panhard 24BT - 0.8
4-line: 1997 Alfa Romeo 164 Super - 2.0 TS
4-line: 1982 Suzuki SC100 Whizzkid - 1.0
4-line: 2021 Citroen campervan - 2.2 HDI
4-line: 2022 Alpine A110 - 1.8 Turbo
4-line: 2010 Renault Wind - 1.2 Turbo
2-line: 1973 NSU Prinz 4L - 0.6 --> for sale
2-line: 2021 Honda Rebel 500
EV: 2024 Nio ET5T
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urbanaw
Part of things
Posts: 249
Club RR Member Number: 17
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Feb 21, 2020 19:14:32 GMT
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I was wondering about that little thing in your avatar. Now I know why it did not look like anything I have ever seen before. Because I have not!
Looks cool tho. What motor is this? Any resemblance to 1l motorbike engines? Air or water cooled?
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I was wondering about that little thing in your avatar. Now I know why it did not look like anything I have ever seen before. Because I have not! Looks cool tho. What motor is this? Any resemblance to 1l motorbike engines? Air or water cooled? They are quite rare indeed. But UK was the biggest market in EU at the time. Suzuki UK had a waiting list for these.
The Euro export models had a brand new 1.0 car engine, watercooled. No relation to the motorcycles. This engine was also used in the SJ/Samurai and later in the Alto. In the Whizzkid it is a rear engine but it is tilted so far forward that the center of weight is close to a mid engine. Downside; you can only change the sparkplugs if you take out the rear seats. Combined with that front bumper counterweight (and that it is independent suspension all-round) it is quite capable in handling.
The JDM versions had a 3-cilinder two-stroke (watercooled). They are a little slower an more noisy.
Since the oil tank for the two-stroke was in the engine bay it is quite roomy. So there is enough room for engine swaps, like from a motorbike. But since they are so rare now (and have gotten expensive) you don't see that being done anymore.
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V-8: 1988 Corvette - 5.7 TPI
V-4: 1973 SAAB 96 - 1.5
4-boxer: 1975 Alfa Romeo AlfaSud - 1.2
2-boxer: 1965 Panhard 24BT - 0.8
4-line: 1997 Alfa Romeo 164 Super - 2.0 TS
4-line: 1982 Suzuki SC100 Whizzkid - 1.0
4-line: 2021 Citroen campervan - 2.2 HDI
4-line: 2022 Alpine A110 - 1.8 Turbo
4-line: 2010 Renault Wind - 1.2 Turbo
2-line: 1973 NSU Prinz 4L - 0.6 --> for sale
2-line: 2021 Honda Rebel 500
EV: 2024 Nio ET5T
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Making some progress
Rustproofing
And testfitting. Just a few more millimeters here and there.
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V-8: 1988 Corvette - 5.7 TPI
V-4: 1973 SAAB 96 - 1.5
4-boxer: 1975 Alfa Romeo AlfaSud - 1.2
2-boxer: 1965 Panhard 24BT - 0.8
4-line: 1997 Alfa Romeo 164 Super - 2.0 TS
4-line: 1982 Suzuki SC100 Whizzkid - 1.0
4-line: 2021 Citroen campervan - 2.2 HDI
4-line: 2022 Alpine A110 - 1.8 Turbo
4-line: 2010 Renault Wind - 1.2 Turbo
2-line: 1973 NSU Prinz 4L - 0.6 --> for sale
2-line: 2021 Honda Rebel 500
EV: 2024 Nio ET5T
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Mar 16, 2020 10:31:43 GMT
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Fed up with Suzuki parts all over the place I decided I needed to get somethings back together first.
The front-end was pretty much ready apart from some final sanding and painting. Painting by spray-cans. In time the whole Suzuki will be resprayed as all the paint is a bit shabby. So therefore I knew I could get away with slightly less quality then my perfectionist self would demand. I already learned that although close the blue isn't the Iceland Blue of Suzuki anymore. It turned out to be a Renault paint from 2002.
Front panel (this will be behind the chrome bumper)
Front fenders from a donor vehicle (but without rust!) needed a little work to be decent
Right fender painted and mounted. Also the lower part of the windshield frame was cleared of rust and repainted.
And some assembly is ongoing already
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V-8: 1988 Corvette - 5.7 TPI
V-4: 1973 SAAB 96 - 1.5
4-boxer: 1975 Alfa Romeo AlfaSud - 1.2
2-boxer: 1965 Panhard 24BT - 0.8
4-line: 1997 Alfa Romeo 164 Super - 2.0 TS
4-line: 1982 Suzuki SC100 Whizzkid - 1.0
4-line: 2021 Citroen campervan - 2.2 HDI
4-line: 2022 Alpine A110 - 1.8 Turbo
4-line: 2010 Renault Wind - 1.2 Turbo
2-line: 1973 NSU Prinz 4L - 0.6 --> for sale
2-line: 2021 Honda Rebel 500
EV: 2024 Nio ET5T
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Mar 16, 2020 11:15:26 GMT
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Looks great! Bright blue really fits the weather these days. |
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Current:
1983 Volkswagen 1200 Mexico
2021 Kia Niro Hybrid
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Former:
1989 Volkswagen Jetta
1990 Volkswagen Golf Madison
1996 Volkswagen Golf Wagon Happy Hour
2006 Fiat Panda 100HP
2006 Toyota Avensis Wagon
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