NEO - aka the chosen one

So I recently saw a Jimny for sale in Manchester. It looked good on the photos. 2inch lift. black wheels that were visibly a bit battered (didn't bother me too much as I was happy to re-spray them anyways) but bodywork looks great on pics. Interior looked worn but ok. I called up, asked about the condition and whether it was sound mechanically or not. I was told it was and at that point I made an offer, significantly under the ask price. I was told that I wouldn't get an inclusive service, MOT and warranty for such a price to which I said, no problem, will be servicing it myself, it allegedly has 6 months MOT (it has 1 not 6 btw) and I have no interest in driving about back and forth to Manchester for warranty issues. So i went through and picked it up.

Now, I've only owned the car just over a week and the issues have become increasingly apparent:

• 4WD fault
• lumpy/stalling idle
• weed stink inside
• pulled to right after increased time on road (front bearings apparently)
• pulled hard to left upon braking (both right brakes not working at all and a leaky rear drum cylinder)
• Unusual head unit wiring that works without audio with everything except the one that came with it
• No rear view mirror
• Paintwork is dreadful, clearcoat missin on much of the panels which I didnt know until I went to polish it.

There may be more but I cant remember off the top of my head. The thing is, this is a 20 year old car, so I wasn't expecting anything exceptional, but I would say I was expecting a better foundation to build on. In the week or so that I've had it, I have:

• Cleaned carb, ICV and PCV valves and taken up slack in throttle cable
• Changed DS kingpin bearings
• Changed pads, disks and calipers on both sides
• Changed shoes and cylinders on both sides
• Painted roof lining black
• Replaced interior with a leather interior
• Sourced a good condition carpet as there wasn't one, painted black and installed
• Painted wheels
• Painted one door without clear coat + wing mirror
• Tried and failed numerous times to fix head unit issue

The car is looking and feeling much better but still a long way to go. Must admit, the dire state of things has been keeping me awake at night haha! Still. It's getting better and I do really love the car. Reminds me of my old Suzuki Swift so much. Anyway, enough waffling. Still got a long way to go on the exterior but thought I'd share some shots.

Oh and if you've made it this far and wonder why I've called it NEO, well thats in the number plate for one, but also, I think anyone else might have scrapped it, so I decided to call it the chosen one given how much time and money I've chucked at it...jokes/comments welcome.



 

You have been busy! What is the body work like behind the headlights and in the jack pocket in the boot?

Yes, as someone that sits in front of a computer for a living and doesn't really do mechanical stuffs. I've found this forum and YouTube to be an excellent aid.

The under carriage, boot and lamp area are all dirty but rust free. One of the drums was caked up in what smelled like sewage and tbh I'm surprised this car got me home in one piece. The brakes were all kinds of bad.

Will be glad when I manage to sort the 4WD aspect, as well, you know. Main bit. Interior feels like a much nicer place to be atleast too. Won't be an off roader every day, might use it for some journeys as opposed my other motor but this is mostly for winter to get out and about with the snow.

Looking very nice and I'm a big fan of the how the new carpet looks. I need to replace mine as it's worn through on the drivers side and generally looks sad. You've done a lot of work in a short time.

As for the 4WD, it looks like someone has realised the vacuum system doesn't work and has replaced the hubs with manual locking hubs ( www.jimnybits.com/jimny-free-wheel-hubs.html ). A lot of people recommend these over fixing the vacuum lines.

However, I wanted to use the gear knob instead of it just being sat there. I bought some silicone vacuum tube off eBay and tee's and just retrofitted those to the vacuum solenoid and left the old hard lines in place. It works a treat now.

Thanks TeeJ.

It's just the standard Autoglym Black Dye I used on the carpet, i sourced a decent one from a scapyard. Gave it a thorough clean then sprayed and installed - www.autoglym.com/black-dye-450ml?gclsrc=ds

Put a couple of mats down to protect it but seems to be holding up well. I also did the roof liner and since then the plastics. All seems to be holding up well.

I have since done the same thing with the 4WD system, does appear to be working although I still must have a leak somewhere as it flashes when engaged. Interior is finally done - replaced all the bulbs behind dash yesterday.

Will be vinyl wrapping the car as bodywork is dreadful. Fitted some new headlights too....not be much left of the original car soon ha.