trigger Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 (edited) I thought I'd start a new thread for my latest purchase on here, for a while now my wife has been asking for a little car for work and having been made to drive over the last 2 years first a 1985 Suzuki Alto, then a 1984 Triumph Acclaim and more recently a 1991 Mercedes 190E I decided i'd better keep her sweet and buy something a bit more respectable!. After missing out on a Yaris SR locally on ebay by £30 i saw this about a hour away also on ebay and decided that as she like K11 Micras (She had one YEARS ago and still goes on about it) and that this looks a bit like one but nicer it was worth a look. With only 3 owners and 76000 miles it was seemed a decent buy, It just needed a little TLC, it was the sellers daughters first car as she was upgrading so a deal was made. We drove up this morning to collect it, it the weather was pretty rank to be honest and the car didn't exactly look great, (I forgot how grubby black cars get) but money was handed over and i headed off home in it, after getting fuel which was mission on it's own as the fuel flap doesn't open without pulling the flap and lever at the same time we headed back across a rather wet Suffolk countryside back home. It's pretty good fun really, It's not very quick but it handles well into the corners, typically Japanese really. Once home the first job was to give it a bloody good pressure wash. It looked a millions times better afterwards (I never got any photos as the buyer for my Merc arrived), I gave the engine bay a good soaking too. Again I'll get some after photos tomorrow of that, there's a sticker there for the cambelt which wasn't done that long ago, always a bonus. After this i popped to ECP and got some service bits, 10 minutes i finished servicing it!, It took long to try and find the oil filter! what a easy car to work on though, so the next job was to get the mop out and polish the hell out of it. it's took out a load of the old scratches but there's a big one along the offside annoyingly, tomorrow I'll give it a good pressure wash again and a hand polish before moving onto the inside which needs a good going over, it's a bit doggy smelling plus i need to change that crap CD player, are they easy to remove?. The parcel shelf needs some TLC, the strings are missing, the wiring for the shelf part is missing and one of the speakers as a hole in it, I'll have to source some 6" speakers for as my old 6x9's didn't really fit very well. The last few owners have been women and both bumper corners are scuffed and need painting. I'm sure this isn't connected... ;) and lastly were the old bonnet sticker was someone must have masked it off to paint the bonnet so now the stickers are missing it's left with this outline, I'm ordering a new set of stickers so hopefully that will be hidden soon. Tomorrow I'll crack on finishing the outside and doing the inside. Once it's done i'll whack some more photos up if you like. Edited January 10, 2015 by trigger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FMuscle Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Nice car! The CD player is easy to get to. the surround trim has 2 screws above the heater controls, and 2 clips at the bottom. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RoryWebb432 Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Nice. Is the cd player a toyota cd player? If it is and you're changing it id be interested in buying it? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trigger Posted January 11, 2015 Author Share Posted January 11, 2015 No, sadly i think it's some JVC thing with the world's most fiddlest volume control that can't decide if it's going up or down when you turn it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bluebear Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Nice little base, many plans for it or is the aim to get it back to it's former glory and leaving it? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ro55ifumi Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Nice project John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RoryWebb432 Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 No, sadly i think it's some JVC thing with the world's most fiddlest volume control that can't decide if it's going up or down when you turn it.Haha that sounds really annoying. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rich-k Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Great buy mate! Sr are fantastic cars Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trigger Posted January 11, 2015 Author Share Posted January 11, 2015 Thanks for the kind words guys. Nice little base, many plans for it or is the aim to get it back to it's former glory and leaving it? I'm getting a little old for mods these days, the most modified car I have is my Mk3 Cortina and that's only because it has Gaz shocks! I just plan on getting it nice and enjoying it really. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
206wasstarletpower Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Was this car in beccles....near great Yarmouth....was going to try and view it but could not until the following weekend. From the eBay ad it looked a bargain.Hope its as good as it looks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GlanzaJim Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I see this. How much you get it for!? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trigger Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 (edited) Was this car in beccles... Yes, that's the one. I gave £650 for it which i don't think is too bad. I made more progress on this today, First thing this morning i pressure washed all the polish spits of the plastic and bodywork, it gets everywhere then after that i spent a few hours with the Autoglym super resin polish it's transformed it now, it's amazing what a difference a good hand polish makes to it, I should have waxed it too but by this point i couldn't be arsed. I also spent some time cleaning the inside so now it looks fantastic. I was also planning on swapping the dodgy tyre with the spare but they are directional and sod laws it's the wrong side so i might as well just get a part worn fitted plus i think the tracking could do with being checked anyway as the wheel is off centre and it doesn't quite feel right. 1998 Toyota Starlet 1.3 16 SR by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr 1998 Toyota Starlet 1.3 16 SR by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr 1998 Toyota Starlet 1.3 16 SR by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr 1998 Toyota Starlet 1.3 16 SR by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr Miles better, the last time i had a black car was a new Renault Clio 9 years ago and i can remember why, it shows every little mark, The front bumper really needs painting but i can do that later on, more annoying is this key mark down the side, that would explain why it was so dirty when i saw it. 1998 Toyota Starlet 1.3 16 SR by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr Still it's a cheap old car so it's to be expected, still annoying though. The interior came up well and now smells much more inviting. 1998 Toyota Starlet 1.3 16 SR by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr The engine bays better now too. 1998 Toyota Starlet 1.3 16 SR by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr So there you have it, I drove it to my dads this afternoon which is a 60 mile round trip and it's great fun, it's surprisingly quick and handles really well, It's just the loud, boomy engine and tinniness that lets it down a bit, Once I've bought a decent stereo for it and fixed the rear speakers it shouldn't be quite so bad. I've paid for the sticker set now too so hopefully i'll be getting them fitted shortly. The wife's over the moon with it so that's gained me some brownie points anyway! Edited January 12, 2015 by trigger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
206wasstarletpower Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Gutted...lol.Looks so much better now you have showed it some love.You could sell it on for more now with it looking like that!! The sr stickers will transform it.I used to have a black sr with the stickers and but it had the TTE exhaust, people always commented on how smart it looked. You will get the same comments!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
5T4R7ET N/A Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Welcome,Nice to see a starlet getting some proper tlc. Did you sort the petrol flap out?? Normally the tab on the flap gets bent so you just bend it back and it's like new again Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trigger Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 That's exactly what's wrong with it! The only trouble is that when I bent the tab back it snapped off... I'm hoping the main dealer sells just a replacement tab rather than having to buy a complete new flap. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
5T4R7ET N/A Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 You might have to get a second hand petrol flap in black Quote Link to post Share on other sites
morgey Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Just get a bendy bit of plastic with a bit of spring in it slag that in there n jobs a good'n Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trigger Posted January 15, 2015 Author Share Posted January 15, 2015 (edited) So yesterday i decided to get the knackered tyre changed, what a mare that turned out to be, the last person who put the wheels on done them up so tight (no doubt with a air gun) that the garage couldn't undo them, and then they did the locking wheel nut snapped all it's lugs off, FFS. It took over 45 mins to get them all out, hammering off the outer casing with a screwdriver, hammering a smaller socket over it and having to hammer the old nut out of the socket, thankfully the garage didn't charge me anymore!. Eventually it was all sorted,thankfully there was a pair of old nuts in the boot which I've fitted for now but i can't use the car with missing wheel nuts, whilst i was at the garage i also had the tracking laser aligned. Pretty niffy piece of kit that, it was well out and out explain why it pulled left and one of the front tyres had started scrubbing out. Afterward i went to Toyota to order some new nuts and the spring for the fuel flap, the spring was available for £4, expensive for what it is but i need it so that's on order for tomorrow, the nuts on the other hand were £15 for two! Sod that, I ended up buying a complete set of new ones of ebay for £16, much better. Once they arrive I'll be able to use the car again. Edited January 15, 2015 by trigger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Billy SR Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 Commented on this over autoshite, you got a great deal man and keeping her standard, the value is only going to go up! CD player is easy to ket out, there's a few screws and the facia pretty much pulls off, followed by a few screws on the tray and it's out. Don't forget a toyota to ISO adapter off ebay though, about £2.50 off the top of my head. Going to look great with a new set of graphics! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trigger Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 (edited) The postman arrived this morning bearing numerous gifts... Namely the CD player of ebay, new wheel nuts and the SR sticker set, along with the paint and the fuel flap clip that I'd already got I cracked on this morning getting the car sorted. The clip was a easy fix and now the flap opens with the lever as it should, As you said Billy, the CD player again was very easy to fit especially as it was plug and play too and has made the world of difference to the choonage, it picks up more stations, sounds much better and it's easier to use, £30 well spent. The wheel nuts also went on fine too although the old one's were 21mm and the new one's 19mm so i had to faff about with a small bar, and lastly i polished it again with some black polish which is excellent at hiding scratches. The problems all started when i fitted the sticker kit though, I'm useless at that sort of thing and should have got some help really, I managed to fit the front one ok although it didn't cover as much of the old paintwork line (where it was painted around the old sticker before) as i hoped but the boot one was easy, the worse was the side ones, I'm not sure if the stickers aren't quite the right size but i couldn't get them to fit, then one of them creased and it's now started unsticking itself, The more i rubbed it down the more the colour started coming off too Bugger. I had to trim around the edge as the moulding was bigger than the cutout and it wouldn't tuck into the edges. But it's never going to be a show car and once they are covered in dirt you won't notice them. It has smarted the car up a lot though. 1998 Toyota Starlet 1.3 16v SR by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr 1998 Toyota Starlet 1.3 16v SR by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr 1998 Toyota Starlet 1.3 16v SR by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr 1998 Toyota Starlet 1.3 16v SR by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr 1998 Toyota Starlet 1.3 16v SR by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr 1998 Toyota Starlet 1.3 16v SR by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr The Honda Civic is also mind so i parked them together, there's not much difference in size!. 1998 Toyota Starlet 1.3 16v SR by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr 1998 Toyota Starlet 1.3 16v SR by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr Edited January 17, 2015 by trigger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
206wasstarletpower Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Looks mega. Still annoyed i missed out on this lol. Are you going to get the paint work on the bumper sorted?If you can find a TTE exhaust and you will have a nice original looking sr. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trigger Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 The bumper is currently primered ready to flat and prep for painting in the morning. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
morgey Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Sorry the stickers were a slightly on the small side we thought we had them pretty accurate, how much too small would you say they were and was it just on the bit around the bump strips? Ill get the design tweaked so it doesnt happen to the next person. They are a pain to fit at the best of times though, Mine have a very similar crease and are lifting where the text goes between the 2 teardrops.Looks great in the pics though, you're doing a great job kf restoring it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trigger Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 (edited) I shouldn't worry about the stickers too much, the are slightly the wrong size around the moulding but can be cut to shape with a stanley blade, I'm a bit more worried about how long they will last stuck for, only time will tell on that one. I've now fixed the front bumper too, it has come out better than i expected it too. After running a DA over the corners I plastic primed them. Then after flattening them and keying them up I whacked the paint on. They still need a polish but they look much better i think you'll agree, 1998 Toyota Starlet 1.3 16v SR by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr 1998 Toyota Starlet 1.3 16v SR by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr Bonus interior shot. 1998 Toyota Starlet 1.3 16v SR by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr Edited January 19, 2015 by trigger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
morgey Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Did you polish it before you stuck them down? If you did that might not help the matter, I've had one on the boot of my car for 8 months and its been fine. Worst case dude hit us up and ill sort you another pair. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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