THE returning Australian National Show and Shine is set to be a big one, with a huge list of vehicles on display, including Justin Read’s Crown. The Crown is a luxury Japanese car, aimed at competing in executives market with the likes of Mercedes Benz and BMW.
Justin took delivery of the car in October 2020, having it imported from Japan out of the USS Shizuoka Auctions. It arrived in serious need of some TLC. He began replacing aged engine components that looked like they had not been touched since the car rolled off the assembly line.
Once the car was more mechanically reliable, he turned his attention to the presentation of the car. This involved sourcing a new set of headlights and replacing several interior trim components showing signs of wear and tear.
He replaced the original suspension struts and purchased a set of Work Meister M1 3-piece wheels, with more aggressive specifications to fill out the wheel wells. He then had the car professionally paint corrected and ceramic coated.
“The result was fantastic. The paint had come up nearly flawless and I finally had the car in a place that I was happy with aesthetically,” said Justin.
That lasted just four weeks before all going down the drain. Justin returned home from work to find the car a disaster area with the rear quarter window smashed, key barrel broken, and the dashboard ripped apart. Some would-be thieves had attempted to hot wire the car.
Luckily, it wasn’t stolen, as the immobiliser prevented it being started.
“After going back and forth with my insurance company, the car was ruled a total loss. I was told that the parts to fix my car were too hard to source and therefore would not be repairable. I chose to buy back the car as salvage and decided to give the repair work a go myself.”
Justin searched for months and found another black Crown that was written off. He travelled to Geelong and was able to source all the parts he required for his. After a few weekends and some challenges (like translating Japanese wiring diagrams) the Crown was back.
Needless to say, for all his efforts, the Crown will be proudly on display at the Australian National Show and Shine in Euroa on Sunday, October 2.
