Car restoration expert Anto Mbugua who specialises in paint and bodywork has explained how he was able to restore a rusty Toyota Tercel to a Ksh1.05 million fancy car.
In an interview with Kenyans.co.ke, Mbugua who is famously known as the Junkyard Diver has made a name for himself restoring cars and doubling their market value.
The paint and bodywork expert revealed that he transformed the Toyota Tercel at the request of a Mombasa-based client who approached him and requested him to work on a budget.
Mbugua travelled to the Coast to collect the car with the restoration taking place at his Junkyard Auto shop in Nairobi.
The first task after taking on the project was to strip the filler and rust with the bodywork taking three weeks.
The Restoration Process
In total, the Junkyard Auto shop owner spent less than Ksh500,000 to restore the car, including setting up the interior upholstery.
To turn the rusty car into a ‘beast’, Mbugua bought tyres and 17-inch 8j rims at a cost of Ksh100,000.
“The body kit was custom so the price amounted to Ksh20,000 with an additional Ksh10,000 for modifications,” he explained.
Besides this, Anto Mbugua bought coilovers at Ksh35,000 bringing the total cost of the first phase of the restoration process to Ksh200,000 which included expenses for mechanicals and suspension.
The second phase entailed adding aesthetics to the car, which he wanted to achieve at a very high level, including the car's lighting and tint.
Mbugua installed eagle lights at a cost of Ksh70,000 and a Llumar tint that gobbled up Ksh15,000 of the total budget.
The Toyota Telcer was also equipped with a 10-inch Android universal car radio that was bought at a market price of Ksh15,000.
“We painted a custom 41v Mazda red but made it dark at the client’s preference. We also opted to paint the rims white to brighten the dull maroon red,” Mbugua explained.
The paintwork cost him Ksh95,000, a price which was inclusive of a ceramic finish.
For upholstery, Mbugua outsourced the job with the leatherwork costing Ksh74,000.
