Filthy Former Human Trafficking Vehicle Restoration - Unreal!

Coach Steve

Coach Steve

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As the title implies, this is the story of a vehicle which was seized by the Border Patrol somewhere in the desert near the Mexican border which had been used to smuggle people from Mexico into the U.S.

My next door neighbor got the car for free due to the fact that no one would bid on it because of its condition. I was baffled by the fact that it wasn't immediately sent to the crusher. But, it wasn't and as a result, I have a story to share that will surely be one for the ages.

A couple of weeks ago, my neighbor and good friend came over and asked me to come give him a quote to detail a little car he'd just picked up and left it at that. As we approached the car, I noticed there was no shine whatsoever to the finish. As we got closer, I saw that the paint was so oxidized, it was incapable of reflection. It appeared the car had been primered with flat white paint. At this point, I look at my neighbor who now is grinning from ear to ear like he's about to start laughing. I asked him if this was some sort of joke and what the deal was with this car. He told me to hold off on my questions and to seriously look at the car and he'd explain when I was done assessing it.

As you will see in the following pics, this car was hideous from top to bottom, inside and out. When I finished my walk-around, I asked him flat out, "So, what do you want me to do with this piece of crap?" Before he could answer, I mockingly asked, "You're not seriously thinking about cleaning it up, are you? Are you?!" He then told me the story of how he came to own it and the back story and went on to demonstrate how well it ran due to the nearly new engine and tranny that had been installed just prior to it being seized - the car runs like a raped ape, it really does!
It was at this point that I realized he was serious and wanted me to give him a quote to restore it inside and out.

It took me a couple of days to decide whether or not I wanted to touch this thing let alone take on the arduous task of transforming it. If it were anyone else, my answer would have been no. But, he's a good friend and the more I thought about it, I might not ever get the chance to do this kind of unique project again and I sorta wanted to do it.
I told him I would do the job but that he would have to trust me on the price when I came up with one and that everything I needed would be paid for by him. Every ounce of product, every trim panel retainer, every part - all of it would be itemized and that my labor would be in addition to everything else.
(I seriously had no idea how much I was going to charge him because I had no clue how long it would take.)
He agreed to my terms and gave me the keys.

The Vehicle:
1993 Honda Civic EX Sedan 5 spd. Manual.
276,000 miles
White w/ Mystic Brown interior.

Missing or broken parts:
Both emblems
Glove box latch/lock
Rear-view mirror
Civic EX decal
Numerous trim panel retainer clips
Door pillar garnish
Shifter boot
HVAC selector knob
All 4 speakers
Radio head unit
Wheel covers
Various misc. things...

In addition to parts listed above, I quickly opted to replace the carpet rather than attempt to clean the biohazard currently lining the floor boards. Good choice, Steve!

Rather than cluttering up this thread with dozens of hi-res pics, I created a photo essay/video. I recommend pausing occasionally to examine the depth and extent of the filth and contamination present on any given area of the vehicle.

I will follow up this post with the details, i.e., time spent, products used, etc.

Enjoy!
I highly recommend you watch the videos in full screen mode. You'll be able to see the depth and intensity of the filth and carnage that way. :D
Part 1:
http://youtu.be/Vj8gWNNZgkY
Part 2:

Here are a few teaser pics...






 
Talk about trashy! I don't think I've ever seen a car so filthy.
 
Wow, good luck with that! Keep us up to date, would like to see the finished article


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looks to me it was in a flood and is still running very impressive
 
JohnMcFarlane said:
Wow, good luck with that! Keep us up to date, would like to see the finished article


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Click to expand...
The car is finished. The video shows the process start to finish with before and after pics.

axel06 said:
looks to me it was in a flood and is still running very impressive
Click to expand...
That was the first thing I thought when I saw all the silt and dirt in the trunk.... FLOOD CAR! But, nope. That's all dirt from the traveling the dirt roads of the desert along the US - Mexico border for years and years.
 
Coach Steve said:
The car is finished. The video shows the process start to finish with before and after pics.


That was the first thing I thought when I saw all the silt and dirt in the trunk.... FLOOD CAR! But, nope. That's all dirt from the traveling the dirt roads of the desert along the US - Mexico border for years and years.
Click to expand...

:doh::doh:
 
Incredible turnaround. Well documented video, great idea. How long did you spend on just cleaning the floor boards and trunk? Good idea on replacing the carpeting.

Ballpark what did it cost with all the missing/broken parts replaced, plus your hours of hard work? If you don't mind me asking. I'm guessing $750-1200 range.
 
I don't post much, just enjoy the info I get on this site but wow. If I were near by I'd buy you a 6 pack. Great job!
 
Whoever says you can't polish a turd needs to see this - wow, what a turn around.
 
LEDetailing said:
Ballpark what did it cost with all the missing/broken parts replaced, plus your hours of hard work? If you don't mind me asking. I'm guessing $750-1200 range.
Click to expand...
I'd charge more than that car is worth to detail it, that's for sure. Nasty.
 
Car looks AWESOME! I'd hate to see what would have grown on a petrie dish from that car! Lol

Just for the heck of it, KBB shows sale to private party is $938-$1224 (fair to very good condition) Probably best benefit was ability to do an extreme makeover. Glad you had an open tab on this recon job!

Again, beautiful job. BTW, how many hrs invested?
 
Total of parts: $380.00
(Including carpet kit, misc. parts, emblems, cleaning products, etc.)

Labor: $1,080.00
(I didn't actually charge him quite that much. This job would have definitely been charged by the hour @$40.00.)

Total hours: 27
(I actually spent a couple of hours more than that putzing around with various things.)

The NADA guide shows the retail value on this car as follows:


I gave this one a lot of thought before jumping in. I needed to be sure If I decided to commit to it that I would see it through to the end. I'll admit, there were a couple of times I seriously wanted to throw in the towel (pun intended :D) especially when I pulled the rear bench and saw how much dirt had entered the cabin.

Of the 27 hrs. I logged, about 30% of that was spent removing then installing everything from the interior of the car except the dash. everything else came out and wherever applicable, was then disassembled to its lowest common denominator.
The sun roof would not move due to the dirt that had accumulated and mixed with the grease on the rails. It had to be removed and completely cleaned then lubricated. That was a gimme since I had to remove the headliner anyway which is 80% of the process of removing the sun roof.

Cont'd...
 
Someone asked about the odors that might have been present...
Nope, the car had been sitting at the impound lot for almost a year before it got to me so any smells were long gone by then.

While the carpet kit was definitely a must, it definitely wasn't a walk in the park. The kit comes pre-formed and shaped but no holes are pre-cut. Normally you would pull the existing carpet and lay it over the new one and use it as a template to make your cuts. I didn't have that luxury due to the existing carpet being fused to the floor and having become the texture and hardness of concrete. I had to cut the old carpet out in pieces and scrape the majority of it from the floor. The installation of the new carpet took a longer because of it.

{Authors Note: If you ever are on the fence about the carpet in a car you are quoting and not 100% sure you can adequately clean it due to stains -or- if a customer's carpet is badly worn, torn, etc., you should always show them a quote inclusive of a new carpet using Stock Interiors as your source. They have the largest selection of pre-formed, exact fit carpet kits and their prices are awesome - $125-175 avg. and they have an iron clad customer satisfaction policy. Their customer reviews are over 99% positive. Turn around time is 3-5 days. A new carpet will do wonders for a car that has badly worn/dirty carpet thereby increasing the customer's perceived value of their vehicle. Charge them cost for the carpet and bill for your time. Show them the invoice to maintain transparency which will build trust and confidence in you. I've taken the replacement route for at least a dozen customers in the past few years and they couldn't be happier.
In the case of this Civic, I add some really cushy padding I had left over from the carpet upgrade I did last year in a couple of my bedrooms. That was a really nice touch. It feels sooooo plush when you get in the car.)

In my next post (tomorrow because it's getting late and I did honey-do's all day so I'm exhausted :D) I'll list all the products I used on this job. In this particular case, the objective of the exterior was to remove the oxidation and restore the shine. Paint defect correction and "best reflection shot" was secondary, although, I did get to spend some time with my rotary which I don't get to do that often. I'll discuss all that in my next post.

Thanks for the replies and the kind words!

Coach
 
Filthy and disgusting and probably dangerous to your health touching it.That car requires a tyvek suit.
 
Can find or see part 2. Would love to see the finished results


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