I was trying to find a pair of new bumpers for Wagon. It wasn't supposed to be a very difficult task, but it got a lot harder when spare parts storage og Nissan Club of Finland burned down. Luckily, after some hunting I now have NOS bumpers and brackets for them. Front one had waited for a suitable buyer for some time, label had a date of 12.6.1998.
From front to back: front, back and US-Sentra front bumper. I don't know why someone had that kind of part in Finland. It came with right kind of bumper bracket. Those will be installed in some distant future. Next goal is to get this inspected (needs a little bit of welding and re-adjustment of rear brakes) and wheel alignment check. Perhaps I could drive it to Nissan club summer meet in couple of weeks?
It wasn't all that bad though considering the time it has stood still. Front brakes were still too sticky and uneven and engine runs a bit too rich. That is all. I have to make a suitable carburator tool by filing a notch in flat screw driver. No more rust was found, two patches were welded before testing.
After failing inspection I drove Wagon to my home for "happy family reunion". Pics taken with my 5 € back up camera, they are a bit unsharp.
House and garage are a still unfinished, but there is my parents new Passat already bought, so those are from around 1996. That's me in the front seat.
Yesterday I visited inspection center again, now with better results. There were still some difference in brakes between front corners and I had to fine tune fuel/air mixture with CO-meter. It is good for one year now and I can pat my own back for saving this to be exhanged to a electric bike, in part of scrappage scheme.
Last evening I glued traditional red stripes around the car and this morning the wheel alignments were adjusted.
Pictures lie a little bit, it is not as tidy as it appears. There is some rust bubbles, dents and dings but I still think it is cute. N14 Sunny's wheels do fit nicely on Micra also.
Something small, part 1: I changed rear hatch gas struts. Lesjöfors branded struts had bolt-on brackets on them, which was nice. Hatch stays now open without the special holding up stick (aka broom handle) and I don't have to watch my head any more. That gray parcel shelf was a scrap yard find, might have to change colour later. This one also has both hanging ropes intact.
Something small, part 2: Speedometer needle was bent and scratched its background. It didn't reach zero at all. With some fine tools I bent it back on its original shape and now it moves freely.
While the meter cluster was on the table, it got a set of new bulbs. Now all of them are working. They seem brighter in picture than in real life, actually they are pale shade of green. I really like that miniature tachometer.
Extra bonus picture: Do I have heart to drill some additional holes on this NOS tail light panel? It would need some new holes to match Finnish plates hole pattern to be firmly attached but I'm afraid that it will crack in the process. Maybe some good double sided tape would do the trick, I don't know...
I just realized they put the parts number for the gauge cluster on the actual speedometer dial, and made it backlit even.
This can be compared to certain VW Group cars that make you split the gearbox and transmission to find out who made the flywheel before you can order a new clutch kit.