The cost of obscurity

So I wanted to have the rear bumper redone on the wagon. Mine shot, beaten, rusted, bent and will never come back to life. (See the previous posts) Through my friend in Japan, he got in contact with Moon Eyes http://www.mooneyes.co.jp/crown-classics/ to hunt down one for me.

Looked ok...





...except for the rust in the corners, on both ends and a few dents.

But then again, these are almost non-existent in the world so to find one, any one, was good.














And so I bought it. For 70,000 YEN. Yes, that roughly translates to the yearly income of several small villages in Africa put together. In U.S. dollars that is $700.00.

Ouch.

I wanted a car no one else has so parts are going to be obscure. But that is part of the fun. I know the parts are out there... Can't wait to find more parts!

Progress being made

I have remiss in getting pictures up and working on the car as well.

Got the front end bits of and to the chromer. Everything is coming apart with little hassle.







Tail lights are going to be a bit harder to come by. I did find some nice used lenses on Yahoo Japan and they were only $40! Now I am trying to find the trim and the housings as well.








Found this great NOS piece from Japan, complete with gasket, trim and backing plate. This was $30!









Great to find these are still around sitting is box in someones warehouse or garage, just waiting to be found.









Removed the fenders and doors. Some rust along the top of the fender liners but most of the bolts came out without a hitch.









Looks good except for all the rust. Seats come out next and then the rusty dash. I'll used the dash and all the workings from the 67 Sedan parts car as these are rusted beyond saving.








Small pile pine needles and a nice rats nest came out of both side of the fenders when I pulled the fender and the liner.
Luckily the piles didn't rust out the front fenders, the bottom two bolts on both sides came out super easy.With this much rust on the car it is odd that the bolts come out so nicely.