Project Mutant: Resurrection of an 82 FI basket case

Project Mutant: I can see it in his eyes.

I now have two functioning headlights. They turn off, they turn on, they are bright, and they look pretty slick. I am pleased so far, and even found some 'hidden' ground connections that I cleaned and straightened out. When it gets cooler, I will put the taillights back in, and see if we can get some better function from the turn signals..

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Seats.jpg


Just noticed that you got the same seats I did, just a different upholstery design. I just got mine a few days ago and I gotta say, for $269 they're great. I've got mine in my X120, and they fit very well. I also like the way they look. My ass just barely fits. Right after I took the seat out of its shipping box and set it in the car, I immediately laughed out loud at the fit. I think they're built for the people who have the thumb size for my iPhone...
 
I’ve been thinking about buying a pair for my X1/9. Do you think they’d fit a 5’-11”, 170#, 33” butt?

Chad C. said:
View attachment 16228

Just noticed that you got the same seats I did, just a different upholstery design. I just got mine a few days ago and I gotta say, for $269 they're great. I've got mine in my X120, and they fit very well. I also like the way they look. My ass just barely fits. Right after I took the seat out of its shipping box and set it in the car, I immediately laughed out loud at the fit. I think they're built for the people who have the thumb size for my iPhone...
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Mark said:
I’ve been thinking about buying a pair for my X1/9. Do you think they’d fit a 5’-11”, 170#, 33” butt?
Click to expand...

Apparently, the X that came along a year or two after mine had lower floor pans under the seat. I am only 5'5", and I am SERIOUSLY considering cutting out the floor pans under the seats and lowering them by 2".

With the seats and the way they are mounted, I think the weight and butt size would be fine, BUT the height issue would be BAD. I actually brush my head on the headliner with the top on. Would not be good for anyone taller, nor if I wanted to wear a helmet, for instance.

One other thing to consider - The seats I got are fixed-back. Which means that access to the spare tire well is compromised. I will figure a way around that as well, but definitely something to consider.
 
Project Mutant: 10 octopus in a wrestling match... continued.

Pulled the front wiring harness out from the two headlight areas and from the radiator box, and stripped it back, removing all of the tape, and proceeded to identifying wires. Trying to figure out what to keep and what to get rid of. On one of the marker light wires (I think it was the black/yellow one), there was a junction with a separate blue wire plugged in. The blue wire goes from inside the frunk back towards the fuse box area. I unplugged the blue wire and PRESTO!

Now, ALL of my lights work. Right turn signal no longer causes marker lights to blink in sympathy. I now have running lights, both turn signals, brake lights, and headlights working.

I will be pulling the wires back that I DON'T need (headlight motors, high beams, etc) back to the fuse box, and disconnecting them. Then, removing the no longer needed relays for headlight motors, etc. Finally, I will be removing extraneous connectors, labeling, and cleaning up the remaining wires and routing them inside the frunk, instead of through the radiator box.
 
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I would leave them in the radiator box but thats me.

Glad you were able to parse out the problem induced by the PO. We all hate the PO and hope to never be that hated one...

Here’s to seeing the light!
 
kmead said:
I would leave them in the radiator box but thats me.

Glad you were able to parse out the problem induced by the PO. We all hate the PO and hope to never be that hated one...

Here’s to seeing the light!
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The odd part, which I fully expect to figure out someday, is that the junction in the wire for the marker lights is a factory junction, and the blue wire is a factory wire. They were both inside of the original plastic wrap on the wiring harness that has been on the car for 36 years. Once I figure out where that blue wire goes, I'll post an update on it.
 
Got the new LED turn and running lights installed on the front of the car (small amber lights below the led bar headlights). All exterior lights now work. The front turn and marker lights are 'temporary', until I get around to re-designing the front of the car. Next up - Get the dash lights working, and start figuring out how to clean up and button up the rest of the wiring.
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Project Mutant: And other projects as well...

I broke down and purchased a set of paint guns.

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Now next weekend we will be working on my daughters 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer, sanding and then painting the severely sun-damaged roof, trunk, spoiler, and hood. We'll see how that goes. We'll be using single-stage urethane paint.

Then, when the time is right, I will attempt to paint the X1/9 myself. Will forego the metalflake, and simply use a nice deep purple metallic color. Gloss as I can make it. Haven't decided to go multi-stage (color and clearcoat) or single-stage urethane. Will make that decision when the time comes.

Harkens back to one of my favorite sayings: Experience is a heartless teacher. She gives the test first, and the lesson afterwards.
 
I found the cheap gun fine for 2K primer, since it goes on so thick anyway. With the smaller nozzle for base coat, it had 'flutter' & uneven spray pattern/volume. I broke down & bought a Devilbis for the base & clear. Much happier.
 
I finished the painting of the Mitsubishi. Turned out OK, and for what was spent overall, was a massive improvement. Learned a few things that will come in handy when I paint Mutant. At least with the urethane paint on her car, it no longer looks like a rust bucket, and should last another 3 or more years before it needs any more body work. Need to teach the kids to use some wax and elbow grease occasionally. We will probably do some cleanup sanding to smooth a couple rough spots, and then hit it with polish and then wax.

Project Mutant: Time for an update...
The Porsche style seats I got to replace the sport seats I initially got suffered from the same problem - Too Tall in the bottom area, leaving my head brushing the roof.

I removed the Porsche style seats, and have decided to go truly old-school. I now have a pair of Jegs poly racing seats (at least I got seat covers for them).

Now, even with the sliders installed, I have around 4" of headroom, and they are wide enough for my bottom. Sure, they're not 'pretty' in a conventional sense, BUT they are comfortable and sturdy, and practical. I can actually sit comfortably in the car now. AND if I decide I want even more headroom, I could take off the sliders, and install the fixed seat brackets, and gain another 1.25" of space.

And, though this may make some people feel that they have to comment, I am glad that I was able to get purple seat covers!

For now, I'm happy.

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Mechanogeek said:
I finished the painting of the Mitsubishi. Turned out OK, and for what was spent overall, was a massive improvement. Learned a few things that will come in handy when I paint Mutant. At least with the urethane paint on her car, it no longer looks like a rust bucket, and should last another 3 or more years before it needs any more body work. Need to teach the kids to use some wax and elbow grease occasionally. We will probably do some cleanup sanding to smooth a couple rough spots, and then hit it with polish and then wax.
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So.... where are the pics?? :D
 
Project Mutant: Waiting is the hardest part.

The process of filling in the pop-up headlight buckets has gone in fits and starts. I got one of the filler plates pretty much done, then realized I didn't have any more 20ga steel. Ordered some more steel off the internet, since lowes/depot didn't have 20ga. More steel should arrive tomorrow, then cut another filler, and then fine tune the fitment, and finally weld them into place.

I also purchased an 18" sheet metal brake so I can easily bend right-angles in pieces.

I'll finish the headlight buckets, then finish the frame rail ends, and then I am ready to begin finishing the body work.

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One trick I found when home garage painting is to get a garden sprayer/mister and wet down the floor before painting. This helps keep any dust particles from getting stirred up and landing on your fresh new wet paint, unless you've got a fully decked out paint booth. Or maybe I'm a just a bit retentive.
 
Project Mutant: My, what different eyes you have...

Cut and shaped both of the panels to fill in where the pop up headlights used to be. Painted inside and out. Sanded off the edges back to bare metal. Tack welded in and final welded. Ground off the welds, and smoothed everything over.

Now just giving the (admittedly too thick) layer of body filler time to harden, before I start sanding down to smooth. Then I'll start doing some more body prep.

Removed the sliders from the drivers seat, and mounted directly to the floor. Now I have at least 5" of clearance between my head and the roof. Puts the steering wheel into a position where it belongs.

I think I'll work on getting the wiring bundle back under the dash and into its proper place later this week.

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Project Mutant: Second update in one day!

I do not profess to be a craftsman, and much of my work is shoddy. However, having better tools and supplies makes up for some lack of ability. The new body filler I purchased (Thanks Amazon!) hardened correctly. Now, after getting rid of the massive amount of excess, rookie mistake, there is between 1/32" and 1/16" of filler over the plates. I still have some more sanding to do so that amount will be reduced, and then another skim coat of filler, and I should be able to finish this panel.

The in-line sander I purchased works pretty well. The rolls of self-adhesive sandpaper strip works great. The filler does not clog as much as Bondo brand. The block sander was more expensive than I thought it should be, but is definitely worthwhile. Feeling pretty positive now.

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Keep at it mech,

Body work is more art than science in my opinion. I try, but I don't have the touch. My work leaves a lot to be desired. :(
 
No hard lineage, but a loose ancestry search indicates that the family name originated in 1680's from Gwynedd county in Wales. DNA seems to confirm that presumption.
 
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