Paint, stance and stickerbombing

Finally I have had the opportunity to get some serious work done. The '55 now sits 3" lower in the front thanks to some recompressed Pedders sports rider springs. The front guards and beaver panel have also been resprayed in the original Toyota 'AZ / buff'. I also had the chance to install some fender mirrors while the guards were off. It is really beginning to look the part (finally) with the new stance, and now that the car is actually the one colour.

Stance baby. Note the minimal guard clearance - simply guess work on my part. With some minor guard rolling, it worked out well.

The next mod is truly a love or hate thing. I picked up a KE30 rear bar for $5, though I probably paid $4.95 too much for it. Described to me first as "surface rust" before pickup, when it came to purchasing the bar, it featured rust holes the size of a 50c piece, hardly any decent chrome to speak of, deep scratches, random paint, and general neglect. So where's the attraction? -  It was straight (at least structurally). It was beyond repair, and could never be brought back to its former glory, but I thought I could do something with it. With some rust-kill, spot welding and filler, primer, a red basecoat, 20 sheets of "JDM EBay special" stickers/decals, and about 3 layers of clearcoat, I had a go at "stickerbombing" - a major love/hate trend, I'll admit, but I am of the opinion it can be done tastefully. Here's the result:

Love/hate indeed. It might look out of place now, but it will suit the overall look of the car eventually... Still beats the stock bar with ruined end caps.

Next stop: Dump the rear 3" on blocks so it doesn't look like a flatbed. The lower leaf mounts need to be drilled out to make way for the thicker u-bolts, but hopefully it'll be done by the weekend!