As I focused on the RX-8 race car and a fix-and-flip MR2 project, the Justy didn’t get much attention. Not that it needs a whole lot to keep going—it’s been problem-free since the engine rebuild—but it does have many smaller needs to just make it a better car. I’ve been slowly trying to address these, and I hope 2019 will be The Year of the Justy.
Once it was done, I started rolling it into regular tasks. Like carrying my bike on my way to a ride somewhere.
It’s also great for long-term airport parking, because it’s not worth breaking into. I like parking it next to expensive cars, like… a Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet with a car cover over it.
Unfortunately, I can’t judge the CrossCabriolet owner. I also own a stupid, useless toy car. But it was through these duties that I decided the badass, almost unmuffled side-dump exhaust was not practical.
So, rather than continue to blow out my eardrums trying to beat Grandma’s 4-cylinder Camry away from a stoplight, I decided a more reasonable muffler made sense. I had my local muffler shop weld up the rest of the system. This muffler has decent sound, so it’s actually got a bit of a sporty tone. It’s not completely silent.
Another thing I had to take care of in the name of practicality was the car’s terrible headlights. I had tried better bulbs in the factory housings, but it still spread out a useless blob of short-distance light. Anyone behind me at night would cast a Justy-shaped shadow in front of me. It looks like the reflective material in the factory housings is flaking off, but I wasn’t eager to heat those housings and pull them apart to spray fake-chrome paint on it.
I took more drastic measures and bought a pair of proper LED driving lights. I drilled and tapped holes in the bumper support and just ran the supplied bolt through there.
They’re mounted low, which reduces their range, but I think that makes them usable all the time rather than just together with the high beams, as is recommended. The aim is currently a bit wall-eyed, but I have at least made sure they’re pointing downward so I don’t blind oncoming traffic.
The improvement in nighttime confidence and visibility is immense.
That about catches you up with this car.
As for the MR2, I sold it to my sister-in-law.
Project Car SOTU: Justy Little Project Car
By Alan
Sep 11, 2018
By Alan
I'm a giant nerd and lifelong iconoclast who happens to like cars, especially terrible ones. I've built many low-budget race cars, driven in many Lemons races, worked at a Real Deal Print Car Magazine, and gave up that lifestyle in the interest of life balance. I also wear khakis and ride bicycles, though rarely at the same time.
Jeff Glucker 
William Byrd
Year of the Justy coming, huzzah!
Selling cars within family is risky business, but good luck to you and your s-i-l.
Great to see this still going strong.
Whatever happened to the AMC Eagle?
I sold it to someone as stupid as me, who has since become a good friend. He’s put a lot of work into it and is about to make it his daily driver.
Glad to hear it found a good home.
I’ll try to take some photos next time I see him and post an update. I miss that car.