Car restoration Part 1 (Strip down) in March 2012

2012 was a great year for the ITR because the car got visual refresh that boosted its appearance tremendously.
You know the car was from mechanical point of view in great condition but its look already showed age on many parts such as the front bumper and windshield etc. First I decided to do just some touch up but ultimately ended up doing full restoration :-).

Lots of stone chips everywhere.

Accumulated dirt over the years.

First thing down was the front bumper with a 14 year old dirt behind it.

The headlights were due for restoration as well. My  ITR got A/C on board which is fine in other cars but not here. The additional 20 kg is simply too much therefore I have removed the whole A/C system. The Power steering pump was OK, but I decided to replace the O-rings as a precautionary measure. I removed it temporarily also because of the steering gearbox which had a little leak and I wanted it to repair.

Removed A/C compressor.

Removed P/S Pump and fluid reservoir. 

The front end without headlights and A/C cooler.

Then I removed the side sill panels, rear bumper and the rear taillights. The gasket of the left taillight was a little bit leaky, because sometimes after washing I found water in the trunk.

Accumulated dirt in side sill panels.

Removed rear bumper and taillights.

Dirt behind the taillight.

I wanted to clean the hood thoroughly and have better access to the engine compartment therefore I removed it.

The engine hood.

The last thing to do was interior striping. I wanted to gain access to some dings and hail damage on the roof.

Stripped interior.

The restoration work could now proceed to the full stage.