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Looking for advice on where to start with my Rav4

1K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  hd72m 
#1 ·
Hey guys! Im a new member to the forums as I've just gotten my moms Burgundy 1996 4 door Rav 4. It's an automatic so I'm not expecting to be hardcore by any means, but I was looking for some advice on where to start with the old jalopy. It's been in my family since the year of production, so I am looking into doing a "Restoration" of sorts. The car has a little less than 215k on it. My older sister was the last to drive the car and she didn't take good care of it at all. The car hood paint is peeling off, most of the parts under the hood are rusting. It's in pretty bad shape. I know it's not ideally worth fixing, but this car has a special place in my heart. I have a lot of fond memories with this car and it reminds me a lot of my childhood, so I'm willing to put the money into it anyways.

As far as upgrades, I've read about the 3GSTE Celica swap; which is great but I actually prefer the concept of "Driving a slow car fast". Im not looking to blast through roadways with it, just fix it up and upgrade the suspension and embrace it more from a handling aspect. I'll be honest, I'm not exactly mechanically inclined as I grew up in the city with my mother. Never had the time or space to learn to pick up a wrench and learn, but I'm willing to put in the work to learn on this car.

Sorry for the long post and babbling on, just wanted to let you guys know where I'm coming from. Thank you for having me and I look forward to being a part of the community! :D
 
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#2 ·
First thing you need to do is make sure is under side is not rusted to the point of being unsafe.
All front and rear bushing will need to be replaced as well as all suspension parts front and rear,you can keep it stock or upgrade parts for a little better handling.
If under hood is rusty all nuts and bolts will be hard to get off. To do this you need some good tools or pay someone and they will charge extra for the extra time.
Find a friend with the know how and a shop or plan to spend a LOT of money.
 
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