What a Difference a Day Makes

So today I wanted to finish fixing up the car my son crashed. Yesterday I got the radiator put in and got most of the mechanical bits of the car put back together. This morning I finished that and started the car up and it runs fine. I had a leaky transmission cooler hose and the radiator cap needed to be replaced. Once I took care of those, I was convinced the car is worth saving.

I went to the salvage yard and picked up the more cosmetic parts needed for the repair, mainly the headlights, the header panel (which the headlights bolt to) and the hood. After a couple hours in the salvage yard, I had my parts. The only problem (if you want to call it that) is that the color of the hood doesn't match the rest of the car. We'll have to live with that.

Once I bought the hood, I was worried... would it fit in my Hyundai? Thankfully the answer was yes.



So, from last month,



To yesterday,



To today,



It's not a perfect job; there are some gaps around the headlights,



And the bumper fascia isn't perfect,



But the car works, and for an 18-year-old high school senior, that's the most important thing. Oh, and the other most important thing: It can assume its normal position in the driveway, so my Hyundai can go back in the garage!