Help A Beginner With His 96/p Starlet.

[koe_182]

OK guys, had my basic 1.3 96 starlet for about a year now and decided to start doing a few mods, starting basic if possible.

just wondered if anyone could help me out with where to start! ive never done any car modding in my life, got a couple of mates who are good pratically but dont know much about starlets. High on my priorities is changing the wing mirrors one's knackered after a accident, how easy is that to do? anywhere i can get something a bit different than the standard black plastic ones?

also, thinking of taking bump strips off sides as well.

any suggestions greatly appriciated! go easy on me!

ps.. aint got money to burn so a good comprimise between value/quality is a must

[glanzajim]

hi mate there is a recent post about the bump strips commin off as my lady is having hers done by me prob at the weekend

as for the mirrors its a real tough 1 as you cant get the base plates for the such likes of the dtm and m3 style for the starlet. you can get a universal plate which u gotta cut youself or ive bin told i think its astra mk3 plates are very close.

Jim

[starletsy]

Just getting them colour coded will make it look so much better, as long as you get the correct plastic primer and paint them your self then start looking at other bits you can do.

Simon

[Boro Sera]

I agree with the colour coded option too..cheap, relatively straight forward to do and looks great.

Another cheap improvement you can do is to detail the engine bay. Not as obvious as most things you could do, but a really worthwhile job.

Rich

[nrgizerbunny]

I would go for more practical mods instead of the cosmetic mods.

high on my shopping list would be getting back Speakers if you ahven't got them already. also ditch the front fujitsu ten Speakers, they are $hite. err CD Player?

and Bucket seats.

just my 2penceworth

[koe_182]

ive already got some rear Speakers and a cd player, gonna get some wheels soon, probably some 15's.

whats the room for lowering on the starlet??

also, bumperstrips coming off tonight. also trying to source a new wing mirror before i colour code them. probably get one from breakers, cant be more than £10-15 surely?

also whats the process for colouring it? could i do it myself quite easy?

also, how hard to get the badges off on a starlet? just trying to do some tidying up before i spend any serious cash.

by the way its a 96/P reg Starlet 1.3 CD...what specs this?

[starlet01]

I kno the specs of this car, but the other questions are just a mystery to me as im a noob of starlets myself.

1.3 CD:

1332cc on 4 cylinders (16 valves)

74bhp

103 top end (probably can get more)

0-60 = 11.5s

43mpg

845kg

[koe_182]

cheers for that starlet01, you any idea if the spoiler i have came as standard? ive seen it on other starlets but seen CD's without em on. is the CD rare or something cos i dont seem to see as many as the other models...

so anyone got any tips on spraying?

[sotal]

Make sure the wing mirrors are very clean first, wash them well with fairy liquid and rinse well to get rid of any wax and dirt.

Next you want to remove the mirror glass, practice taking it out and putting it back in - imagine trying to put it back in without rubbing paint off!

Next give them a rub down with wet and dry paper to provide a "key" for the paint to stick to. Pay particular attention to difficult corners etc. The longer you spend preping the longer the paint will stay on before it flakes off.

Now buy a can of plastic primer and a compatible paint of the correct colour. Some types of paint can't be sprayed over different types of primer, stick to one type.

Lightly spray the wing mirror with the plastic primer from the distance stated on the can. Lots of light coats work better for me than trying to rush it. Leave about 10-15 mins between coats (should say on tin). Then leave to dry fully. Then do the same with the top coat. Try to get as many layers as possible, as you are supposed to rub the top couple off.

Once the top coat is dry (leave it as long as possible) you should rub it down with 1200 grit wet and dry very gently or use rubbing compound. Then once you are happy with it polish it.

Make sure the room you are spraying in is warm - if you leave the item in the cold it will bloom.

You may need a clear laquer to go on top of the paint depending on the colour and type of paint.

[streetracer_starlet]

Someone smashed my mirror last weekend so i went to a scrappy...........£15 only problem was it was purple! Spraying them this weekend also my door handles. Get the strips off pronto the diffrence is unbelievable ! Also get the clear indicators and reapeters.Dont take the toyota emblem off coz theve got spurs behinde them (leaves a hole)