Haha, He has kept it beyond the "few days" he suggested it would take so I am starting to wonder...I better "be amazed" in a good way, especially since I had some fall sightseeing drives planned for this week and next
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Haha, He has kept it beyond the "few days" he suggested it would take so I am starting to wonder...I better "be amazed" in a good way, especially since I had some fall sightseeing drives planned for this week and next
I was amazed when I picked up the van today and they handed me a bill for $1500. The co-owner who quoted me 800 and did the work wasn't there, but after a brief chat with the other owner I drove my van home for $800. It wasn't going to end any other way.Quote:
Originally Posted by Previologist
He seems to have done a pretty good job. Its not perfect but the reinforcement fits, my hood closes and locks, he got the new used headlight in and it all looks squared up. You can hardly tell the tie bar was mangled. My fenders sit snug at the windshield again. The LED headlights spray all over the place, but they did that before, so I can't tell if its better or worse or exactly the same. I doubt that I could have done as good a job, so overall I'm happy with the work. Not sure what to think about the "misunderstanding," so I'm not sure if I should risk going back for my hood support, which is missing.
I need heat so first order of business is putting in the new PS reservoir so I can replace the blower housing, and seeing if I can mount the radiator properly and remove the ratchet straps currently holding it in.
At least they honored the original quote (very few do that). I've had that happen too on outside work. I wouldn't hold it against them unless they were jerks and/or refused to budge. I'm sure the guy talks to a lot of people and probably just forgot (it happens). Glad it's back to spec. Tim
Well his partner honored the quote, and he was very understanding. I still don't know what the partner who did the work thinks and I might never know, because I found the hood support in the back. I told them he should call if he had a problem and he didn't, so I presume we are good. I suspect it was just a mistake, or a very feeble effort to get more money in case I forgot the original quote. I didn't. :yes: And there's no way I was paying more than 800, I would have driven the van home yesterday no matter what they said. I carry a spare key in my wallet. :rol:Quote:
Originally Posted by timsrv
Got the radiator and ac/condenser mounted but I haven't hooked the ac lines up. I figure it will need new o-rings that I don't yet have, at the least, and maybe professional servicing. I don't know, but in October it doesn't matter anyway. I had to do some ratchet strap tugging to get the rad and ac mounts to line up and seat properly.
I may have to lash the grill to secure it, because its a about 3/8 inch shy of the mounting clip holes on one side when it lines up on the other. Or maybe I can enlarge the holes and make it work. The grill slides into the metal wings that come off the medial side of the headlights. Maybe there is a way to adjust those instead but I don't feel like taking my headlights out right now. I'll either lash the grill in or keep birds out of my condenser with hardware cloth until i figure out a permanent solution.
I cleaned the crud out of the new used PS reservoir with brake cleaner and rinsed it out with tranny fluid, and will install it and refill the coolant today. I have a bad feeling about how well the ventilation hood will fit on the tie bar. I think that's going to be my biggest problem.
It ain't gonna be perfect anyway. I never wanted a maroon-silver Previa but that's what I'll have. Tim, did you sell your front end cover when you got rid of your Previa? I really wish I had bought that one on ebay a few weeks ago...I really hate the Le Bra ones...
Boom! I scored an OEM bra. I paid through the nose for it, but anything to preserve my pride. :LOL2:
Yeah, when Toyota quit making them I bought 5 or 6 extras and then we moved and I sold my Previa. They are stored in boxes.....somewhere, I just don't know where and I've been swamped with other things so no time to look. I'm glad you scored one. I probably would have given you one, but who knows when I'll find time to clean out my shop and my storage container. I'll probably post them here if I ever get to that point. Probably a job for after I retire. Lol. Tim
Well if you ever stumble across them I might still need one and I'd be mighty obliged, because the seller canceled my order due to nonavailability.
Thanks for lying on your website, getting my hopes up, and letting me order something that didn't exist, charging my account for it and then cancelling it after you have my money ToyotaPartsDeal.com. That's the first and last time I order from you.
That's par for the course for literally every online Toyota Parts site. It's like they don't mark NLA items as NLA until someone tries to order them, then they realize it's NLA, cancel the order and finally update that item's status.Quote:
Originally Posted by Previologist
Yes, I have placed many orders with them, many in excess of $1k. Lately it's been like 9 out of 10 parts that are NLA. FWIW I've had several orders with over 10 items that they completely cancelled due to all items having a "Discontinued" status. It often takes weeks before they mark those items as NLA. Sometimes just to be a PITA I will order them over and over again until they finally mark the items NLA. But this isn't exclusive to them, everybody does it. Oh the joys of owning older obsolete vehicles, and it's way, way worse for the older vans (which I still use as daily drivers). Tim
PS: I'll pm you if/when I run across these.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gareth
The funny thing is, a couple weeks ago they didn't list any. So when they said they had them, I figured they really must have some. I never order from online toyota websites because they always show things that I know are not available. I let my enthusiasm get the better of me this once. :wall:
Thank you Tim.Quote:
Originally Posted by timsrv
Not promising anything, but put your bra part number into these folks' website? I purchased an inductive Previa ABS wheel sensor from them a while ago I couldn't find anywhere else.Quote:
Originally Posted by Previologist
https://autoparts.beforward.jp/
Nope, nothing there, but thanks. I searched a bunch of other Japanese websites too and no luck.
On the bright side I think my ventilation intake hood is going to work fine. It may not fit perfectly on the tie bar due to some lingering anomalies, at least the screw holes line up!
I managed to install the filler, but it wasn't easy. The posts line up with the bumper, but not with the posts on the tie bar wings becaue of everything being a fraction too far apart. I had to grind a slot on each side of the wings so I could bend the posts backward, out of the way. I only consider this a test fitting, I might bend them back and drill new holes in the filler for a more permanent fix. But knowing me, I won't. I have the tie bar and grill zip-tied in, and it looks pretty good but not perfect. I need a new turn signal light on one side because the flimsy little tab that screws it on broke off. I haven't found a solution other than buying a new one, but maybe one of you has figured one out.
By last night I was all ready to take a long colorful autumn drive today. I took it for a short test drive but afterward when I squeezed the upper radiator hose one more time to get any lingering bubbles out I felt something I didn't like. Turns out that the alternator pulley had nicked the back of the hose. I was going to blame the shop but it may have happened before I took it in, before the tie bar was fully pulled out It was bad enough that I didn't want to risk it. No hoses could be had until sometime next week, so I had no choice but to cannibalize the 93 and take its hose. What a freaking pain that simple job was! But a few hours later it was done, and now I should be good to go. I will probably get a new OEM hose and replace it when I flush the coolant.
You've come a long way, baby, from this
https://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/...5&d=1722362412
to this:
Attachment 12949
A couple who saw me one day thought the van was the bees knees, they stood with dropped jaws and seemed to love it, asked me questions about it. I think they thought it was a "Toyota Van" not a Previa
TBH, I kinda like the naked bumper look, except in side view, but I will try to put the cover on at some point soon. I have to fabricate or order a support. I have come to sort of like the 2-tone look too. So this could have ended a lot worse.
And this happened:
Attachment 12950
I think it happened when I was taking the van into the shop, and I never noticed until afterward. :no: But she made it! :silvervan:
It actually looks kind of "tough" without the plastic bumper cover. Maybe you should just bolt a nice big steel bar to the front to save those parts in case it happens again :)>:
I would suspect you're better off with the styrofoam padding and plastic cover. God forbid someone scuffs their Louis Vuitton on the rough edges of your reinforcement.
OR... maybe a softer look is more in order - may I suggest a nice ash wood with a dark ebonizing finish and a few coats of polyurethane? :thmbup:
(From the WI 305.18 (2) (b) Standards for Vehicle Equipment:
"No required bumper may be constructed of wood except that an additional wood bumper may be added to a legal metal bumper. "
Toyota may run afoul of this if they ever use their patent for a bumper made of wood (well, now we know what all those free thinkers who designed the Previa mechanicals went on to...)
Stop giving me bad ideas! I'd love a big metal moose-catcher, but they are expensive and most won't fit. But heck I could build a custom rebar-reinforced 2x6 moose-slower for a few bucks and a couple hours in the shop. :drool:
Dan, this isn't yours is it?
Attachment 12951
Might as well be - mine's still in the garage without a windshield. For a time the rear bumper supports were a couple of 2x4s before I got bumper parts from TX.
Btw you don't want a moose-catcher/roo bar on the front unless you want all that force in a front-end collision to be transferred to you rather than the front end crumpling.
Previaologist!
Great job on the repairs. I've just read through the thread this morn.
Newbie here. Just found the forum yest.
wanted to shout out ta hellooooo the long time members
👋
Thanks. I'm not done yet.
My drier arrives today, and should be installed tonight. Then I can put my grill back on.
I had to suck it up and pay $49 for new soft bumper cover supports from Japan, which will probably take a couple weeks to get here. I probably could have cobbled something together for free but have too much else to do. Hopefully I will have time to install it before I leave for warmer climes. If not, I'll go naked bumper.
Quote:
Originally Posted by man_btc
I take it its holding up still, if its years old? Looks like I am going to have to do this. At least one of my tabs is broken off just like yours, and other damage. Found out the 93 cover will not work. It won't go on far enough to bolt into the underside of the reinforcement, among other things. So I will have to make do with my broken, cracked, wrinkled and Suburu-smeared cover until I get to some fine western state where I can pick up a better looking one.
Gah, I did a color test last night with what I thought was black and clear plastic bonder but the clear was actually clear weld, a different, quicker setting epoxy. Tis a shame because I got a perfect color match but I don't trust it in use. Picked up some tan today and will see if I can make a gray from tan and black. I'm not clear as to whether Dan did that or not, but I'll know very shortly if it gives me gray or gives me the blues
Edit: test results are in. Tan with a little black gives a perfect gray
As I recall I used tan as that was the only color available (I thought at the time - maybe it was?). None of the tabs on mine show when assembled, so color didn't matter. Congrats on the color match!
And, yeah, it's held up so far.
Also, maybe you could make an extension for that mounting hole that doesn't reach with a piece of aluminum bar or something. I assume it's not visible - and you could always paint it to somewhat match?
If you are talking about the mounting holes on the 93 cover that don't reach the reinforcement (I'm not sure what else you might be referring to) there were several of them and multiple other issues. I definitely could have made it work somehow but it would have been a bigger pain than repairing my old one which not in as bad shape as I made it out to be. I can probably even get the Subaru smear off of it somehow and then it will just have a crease-wrinkle. I might even be able to heat that and smooth it out some. I spent today repairing all the small cracks which are mostly out of sight and just need to create 2 tabs like you did and it will be good to go.
However I will have to fabricate at least one lower corner support for that, or go without.. That support 52115-28050 is not available in the US (despite what all the Toyota sites say) and despite showing it in stock Japan now tells me it will be backordered for several weeks. But I want this cover on the van and 1500 miles from here by then. I do have one that should work and hopefully I can fab up another. So I told them to cancel my order.
Well this thread is almost wrapped up I hope. Here is the latest. Not perfect but good enough to get me away from that white stuff in a few days.
My left turn signal keeps popping out though, so I am at this moment reconstructing the broken screw-holder tab that I didn't want to reconstruct before, using the plastic bonding skills I learned on the bumper cover.
https://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/...9q3jShOOoJM//Z
This site is misbehaving tonight.
Attachment 12980