Lexus V8 with NOS in a Renault Espace - yeah lets do it !

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That is basically what I’m doing at the moment , I knew a lot of the Lexus interior wouldn’t fit back , although with the benefit of hindsight I should have kept more of the carpet/flooring/padding/sound deadening as it’s making my job a little harder not having it but such is life , I did keep a lot more of the Espace interior which is being refitted where it can , and I’m having to make the rest up as I go along .
I never really wanted ultimate luxury but neither do I fancy the stripped bare racecar style either

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So a little update , I have spent most of the week working on it - finalising some parts , reverting back to previous unfinished parts , starting on new parts , and it is all going well but immensely time consuming for what I consider very little visual progress , however after standing back and having a look this afternoon- I can see progress and that’s the main thing .
I’ll post pics of the interior where all the work has been done , rear electric windows now working and also cup holders installed lol

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So again , visual progress is limited but plenty more jobs ticked off the list, panel behind the rear seats installed , rear seat belt mounts mostly complete , front windscreen wipers completed (modified Espace mechanism operated by Lexus controls) washer bottle fitted and operational , horns fitted and operational , electric rad cooling fans fitted and operational , front spot light wiring completed , NOS wiring reinstalled , boot locks now working and just waiting for switch to arrive to complete , rear camera wiring completed and working ...... I think that’s about it , lots of work but doesn’t look any different. Hoping the weather gets a little warmer for the rest of the week !

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Just a small pic update on the dash area which is where most work has been completed this week

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Morningside said:

Does that mean you straddle the tunnel. Is that comfortable or a necessary requirement?

yes , you do straddle the tunnel , its not uncomfortable , its part of the cars character lol

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So lockdown for me ended a couple of months ago and back to work it was so progress slowed but it is continuing..... slowly lol , the front wheel arches are completed , I didn’t however manage to get a pic of them completed but here is the taped on mock up pic

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I have also fitted a new cam belt , which as you will see from the pics was ready for a new one , and alternator which had stopped charging , with all the front end removed this was quite easy and also gives me access to complete some welding required on the front end before reassembly

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I got distracted lately with another little project started ages ago , but I’m quite happy with the results

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So another good weekend spent working on the car , all the front end welding completed and the underneath of the sills welding complete too , quick sentence to type and read but actually involved a whole load of work lol , I’d say the welding is 80% completed now , even sent a couple of front end bits for powder coating this morning , I’m actually getting excited to be working on it again , as rough as 2020 has been it has helped my project
Sorry no photos to show but soon there will be ....

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So another good weekend on the car and some parts back from powder coating which I have trial refitted tonight , most of it has probably got to come off again but I was excited to see what it looked like , I love fitting the shiny new bits

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To answer the question, the pipe is the power steering cooler solution by Lexus .
Now for probably the most boring update photo ever lol , these are the front suspension bushes I have been tackling today , all the suspension is now removed and going for powder coat this week and new bushes are waiting for when it returns

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mwstewart said:

I've just done similar on my car. I had a few stubborn ones that required heat.

On the fiesta ?? It’s a build I’ve always followed with great interest , glad to see it’s got going again too

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Shiny parts alert !!!

All the front suspension is back from powdercoat and it looks stunning , they did a great job for me , can’t wait to get started assembling it this weekend

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More shine ! Rear suspension bolts back from plating
Before and after