CB Series Spare Parts

[Vishiru]

Hello,

I own a Lancer CB8 1993 and recently met with an accident. My bonnet is badly damaged. (Refer the picture) Would I be able to fix this or do I have to replace the bonnet? (Looking for the cheaper option for now) What do you guys think?

Also, I need to purchase front left head lamp, front Bumper, Shell, Condenser and Bonnet (If fixing won't work).   
If you guys have came across any shop (Preferably in Colombo) which may have CB parts please do help me. 

TIA

Edited January 2, 2018 by Vishiru
Modification

[iRage]

The bonnet is fixable. The bigger problem is these days most body shops are too lazy to fix them and want to take the quick way out by just simply replacing the part. Also, tinkering is an art-form which most of the newbies simply don't seem to have any decent skill in (or don't care much about) to actually do a proper fix.

[Vishiru]

1 minute ago, iRage said:

The bonnet is fixable. The bigger problem is these days most body shops are too lazy to fix them and want to take the quick way out by just simply replacing the part. Also, tinkering is an art-form which most of the newbies simply don't seem to have any decent skill in (or don't care much about) to actually do a proper fix.

Yes my garage also recommended to replace. They told If I insist they can do fix but cannot guarantee the fine finish as it was. For now, I'd choose that option. Thanks a lot. 

[matroska]

32 minutes ago, iRage said:

The bonnet is fixable. The bigger problem is these days most body shops are too lazy to fix them and want to take the quick way out by just simply replacing the part. Also, tinkering is an art-form which most of the newbies simply don't seem to have any decent skill in (or don't care much about) to actually do a proper fix.

Very true. Some veteran little-known mechanics still do really decent repair jobs for dents etc. 

A friend of mine recently met with an accident on his Honda Fit and when he took it to the agent [Staf----] they wanted to replace the entire rear panel  later on a different place fixed it with little fuss.  

[iRage]

16 hours ago, Vishiru said:

Yes my garage also recommended to replace. They told If I insist they can do fix but cannot guarantee the fine finish as it was. For now, I'd choose that option. Thanks a lot. 

To be honest....replacing it would be the safer option for you because unless you hunt and go down to one of the very few good tinkering guys; you are probably going to end up with a crappy fix job where the bonnet will be filled with putty/cataloy, which after a few months will start to bubble and crack.

Edited January 3, 2018 by iRage

[Davy]

Although it looks like only a small area is damaged, the entire bonnet (along with the hinges) might be warped. If that's the case, I agree that replacing it would be the best option if you can afford it.

Having said that, there should be plenty of tinkerers out there who can do a decent repair job on that.

Edited January 3, 2018 by Davy

[Vishiru]

21 hours ago, matroska said:

Very true. Some veteran little-known mechanics still do really decent repair jobs for dents etc. 

A friend of mine recently met with an accident on his Honda Fit and when he took it to the agent [Staf----] they wanted to replace the entire rear panel  later on a different place fixed it with little fuss.  

That's the problem I'm worried. Even my garage is unable to fix it. They are bringing down this person from outside to get it done. As per them he's an old school fellow and expert in the subject. Thank you for your comment. 

[Vishiru]

6 hours ago, iRage said:

To be honest....replacing it would be the safer option for you because unless you hunt and go down to one of the very few good tinkering guys; you are probably going to end up with a crappy fix job where the bonnet will be filled with putty/cataloy, which after a few months will start to bubble and crack.

I get it. But as of now, I need a temporary repair as I can get some parts down from Japan in another 3,4 months. Until then I'll stick to this.

[Vishiru]

3 hours ago, Davy said:

Although it looks like only a small area is damaged, the entire bonnet (along with the hinges) might be warped. If that's the case, I agree that replacing it would be the best option if you can afford it.

Having said that, there should be plenty of tinkerers out there who can do a decent repair job on that.

Same thing was told by my garage. I too hope it would come out good. If not, I can replace a bonnet later.  Thank you

[iRage]

3 hours ago, Vishiru said:

That's the problem I'm worried. Even my garage is unable to fix it. They are bringing down this person from outside to get it done. As per them he's an old school fellow and expert in the subject. Thank you for your comment. 

Most of the garages, except some of the large ones, don't have full-time tinkerers and painters. They get the required "baas" for the job as and when needed. 

Even if the hinges are off and the mesh frame is damaged and it is warped...there are people who can fix these. Again, it won't be 100% but still pretty damn good.  After all it was done in the past before this whole "let's replace" business came along. Seen body panels in much worst shape being pulled out. 

On the other hand...how common are parts for your car ? The old Lancers are quite rare in Japan (in fact almost all 80s cars are and so are the 90s) so finding a bonnet for import might not be as easy as you think. In fact you might have better luck finding one in SL off of an old cop car or one of those govt. fleet cars or something. So if the part is not that easy to find...it might be worth to spend a bit extra and get a good job done with a proper tinkerer. 

[Vishiru]

16 hours ago, iRage said:

Most of the garages, except some of the large ones, don't have full-time tinkerers and painters. They get the required "baas" for the job as and when needed. 

Even if the hinges are off and the mesh frame is damaged and it is warped...there are people who can fix these. Again, it won't be 100% but still pretty damn good.  After all it was done in the past before this whole "let's replace" business came along. Seen body panels in much worst shape being pulled out. 

On the other hand...how common are parts for your car ? The old Lancers are quite rare in Japan (in fact almost all 80s cars are and so are the 90s) so finding a bonnet for import might not be as easy as you think. In fact you might have better luck finding one in SL off of an old cop car or one of those govt. fleet cars or something. So if the part is not that easy to find...it might be worth to spend a bit extra and get a good job done with a proper tinkerer. 

Parts are available but expensive here. I searched in Wijerama. Bonnet is around 20-24K and bumper is nearly 20K. My uncle has a yard in Japan. He’s found a few CB petrol models and he’s trying to send a complete set of body parts. So I’m awaiting that only.