Plans

So when is my car ready, to me? I have a lot of plans and sometimes they change but the overall direction is that I try to balance with the costs and the results. I've long wanted to buy stuff like D2 Coilover set (800€) and give a painter a 1000€ to get the car painted in a fancy color, pay a carpenter 1000€ to redo the interior in leather etc. But none of that makes sense.

So these are the main things.

SUSPENSION AND BRAKES
Some of you may remember how I took apart everything in the rear. I bought new links and got the parts sandblasted and powderpainted. I want to do this to the front as well, and while I'm doing it, I will probably buy Mazda 6 brakes (direct fit), Eibach lowering springs (or 2nd gen Probe springs which lower a bit) and KYB Excel-Gs. The rear Monroe shocks were pretty new so I'll just use them until they pop and get the Excel-Gs to rear then.

Pic of 2nd gen Probe with Mazda 6 brakes

Mazda 6 brakes ~400€, Excel-Gs 100€, Eibach springs 150€, sandblast, powderpaint and change links and/or bushings 50-150€

INTERIOR
I want to finish what I started with the semigloss black theme. I'm also looking to change the door fabrics to red leatherette and the floor carpet to red as well. I'll either change it, or I will sew new stuff over the old carpet with my gf. I will eventually want to have the Sparco R100 seats, I will probably get them one at a time to distribute the costs. The LEDs in the instrument panel need to be redone and I'd like to replace the broken bits in the interior (caused by the moron who used to work on my car)

I'd also want a wideband gauge and maybe an oil temperature gauge.

Super quick Photoshop to try out new colors. I don't think I'll paint the instrument cluster or the middle vents or the door handles red after all, though. Obviously those rubber mats in the pics are rubbish. :D

The Sparco R100 seats, they are available with that red stripe or without. Don't know which one would be the one for me.

I also have a cool aftermarket steering wheel thats been laying around, and I will want the hifi system done ASAP.

Costs; Leatherette, paint and fabrics; 100€, Seats 150€ per seat, wheel 50€, HiFi 300-500€, gauges 200€, interior bits 50€

EXTERIOR
The paint in the car is horrid, and there's a few rust spots in the outer body. I will probably try to paint them myself, I've done that a few times with success, but if the garage proves to be too dusty I will have to see a professional to it, in which point I might change the color of the car altogether. Then there's small stuff like the weather strips are all worn and I will try to Plastidip them or something.

There's also a front bumper I've looking at for a while, don't know what to do with rear bumper though, probably just keep it or mod it with fiberglass. I would too need proper daytime running lights so I don't have to ride with the air brakes on all the time.

And the rear window tints, I want them bad.

Costs; Paint job 100€-1000€, Bumper 200€, daytime lights 90€, tints 150€

ENGINE DEPARTMENT

I have some plans for the engine too, but somehow they don't seem that urgent to me, as everything is working quite well in there. I'd like to do a hard piping from the turbo to the IC to the TB. Also I'd like to change some vacuum lines and paint the valve cover and small stuff like that.

I'm thinking of relocating the battery to the trunk so I could divide the weight and create a better airflow to the cone air filter. I've also been toying around with the idea of moving the VAF to the other side of the car, which would make the piping so much shorter, but there's a lot of issues involved.

Then, if the turbo or the engine at some point needed attention, I'd consider upgrading them while at it.

Definately get the MBC and the solenoid system I've been planning pretty quick, but thats cheap.

Costs; Hard piping 70-150€, vacuum lines and cover 50€, MBC/Solenoid system 75€

TOTAL COSTS & SUM UP

So, I don't even wanna know, but for the readers delight, the total sum would be about 2500€. That doesn't include painting costs because it very much depends on how I do it, to what it's gonna cost.

Overall, it's not too bad when you think that thats how much I spent so far, so I'm halfway to my "dream car" come true, sort of. Of course the amount is this "small" only because I've drastically downgraded my plans for the car, and decided to skip on some expensive goods. And then there's always that one thing, whether or not I really like this car that much.

If I did, though, and rode it for like 5-6 years, it wouldn't be so bad at all. And I do admit this is probably the last chance I'll ever ride this old car this serious, as the rust work is just too big of a job to ever go there again. Now when you ride a newer car the rules in Finland are much stricker to what you can actually do to your car and it would involve a lot more driving, less time at the garage. That might be good, but not much of a hobby,