Enzee's 1984 KP60 Starlet

[enzee]

This was my first car that I picked up sometime in 2003 when I was 16 years old at high school, and when the Trade & Exchange was the best place to pick up a deal. I took the Thursday off school with my old man to go check it out. 

It was completely factory original and head been well cared for and garaged. 2K, K40 and U-code diff, DX trim level,  98,000k with mostly original paint. Most importantly, having already looked at a number of absolute rusty shit heaps this one was rust free. 

 

We paid a deposit and came back later that day to pick it up. The lady cried as we drove it off. Some pictures taken from the finest Sony digital camera at the time.

 

 

[enzee]

I got my restricted licence and drove it for a year or so. Did a few little bits and pieces tidied up the front and brackets powder coated, recored the radiator, took the side graphic off.

 

 

and put these Enkei wheels on it to complete the roller skate look.

[enzee]

About 2004 I took it off the road for panel and paint. I was lucky enough to be working an after school job at a full engineering workshop with a panel shop, paint shop, sand blasting booth, reconditioning shop and some talented old school tradesmen that were keen to help.

 

It was stripped right down to pretty much a bare shell with all the running gear removed, the underside sand blasted painted with POR-15 and under coated. A couple small bits of rust fixed up under the hatch rubber and drivers side door inner and the shopping trolley dents straightened out.

 

Some more shaky Sony digi cam pictures of it in panel stage:

 

 

 

Because it was the early 2000's and RX-8s were new and cool I picked Mazda winning blue for the new colour. Some Pictures of it painted in the booth:

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the same time one of the painters noticed the KP in the panel shop and said his step son had a rusty 4 door that had failed its WOF and he needed to get rid of. $120 was exchanged for an 83' GL trim with a 4k and k50 which I intended to swap in.

 

 

 

[enzee]

So end of 2004 the paint work was finished, the standard suspension tidied up and put back in to get it rolling. I finished high school and the awesome after school job. Unfortunately the Sony digi cam also stopped working and since cell phones didn't have cameras yet there are no photos from 2004 to about 2012.

 

In all honesty next to nothing photo worthy happened on the car in this time. I sold the 4K and K50, and brought and sold, traded, wrecked about 10 or 12 other KPs.

 

I still collected parts and pieces for this car, tided up all the interior boxed it safely, had all the nuts, bolts and brackets blasted and replated, imported new molded carpet from US, picked up some new wheels etc etc, but for the most part it just sat on jack stands in my parents garage.

 

In 2017 I quit my job and decided I was going to move to the UK. I had a 6 weeks before I flew out and spent sometime working on the KP. Made good progress and some serious decisions about what I wanted the car to finish up as, but its still a long way form done.

 

The specs are roughly as follows, which I'll probably change my mind on before its done...

- Flat front conversion, full headlight panel graft and front and rear metal bumpers etc (this still needs to be fitted and painted)

- Rebuilt 7K with Kennelly Cams street grind and brand new 32/36 DGA weber

- K-T bell housing with 20 spline T50 and forward shifter position

- U code diff (Imported a TRD lsd from Yahoo but not sure if I'll fit this)

- AE111 master and calipers, E30 front rotors & S14 rear rotors, wilwood prop valve

- Bug eye steering arms, T3 RCAs, cobra super low springs (what are these like to drive on?), KYB gas struts to suit

- Recaro fish nets (cant have the early 2000s escape this build now can we?), factory sprint rear seats

- Refurbished 14x6 +15 Gallop Racing welded 2 piece 

 

This is the only photo I have access to at the moment of its current state. I do have some more photos from the work I did in 2017 which I'll update later.

 

 

So this sharn down memory lane pretty much brings it up to current state. I've just moved back from the UK (4 days left in MIQ) and I'm hoping to take 3 or 4 months off before starting a new job to get this finished and back on the road. The to do list is still pretty long and there is another KP to finish, but we will see if I can finish in 3 months what I haven't been able to do in 18 years...   hopefully this post isnt on page 14 by the time I update it next.

 

Discussion thread here: 

Keen to hear your thoughts on wheel centre colour, cobra springs or how this will still not be finished in 2031

Edited August 29, 2021 by enzee
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