365 weeks...

[hsv-001]

Can someone direct me to this person who is complaining about these cars under construction posts being too detailed . I'm on here for the detail . That's what its about . My old car suits me and if I want to go to a show I will .I don't get any trophies but lots of people still look at it . I can tow a load of rubbish to the local tip or drag a car trailer around, or I can park it at woollies and not stress over door dents . Everyone builds their car the way they want to and over time the way its used reflects in or on the car and that's interesting .Cheers

[JB]

So after having a look at the ute... I come away after 4 days a lot frustrated.

Paint job was fantastic, but not all was completed by the fabricator before it was handed over, so now have a list of jobs to do for the painter to repair/finish and then paint again.
After being away for 12 months and not able to project manage, leaving it all up to others to do things has its downfall. Being nuts and bolts purchased new either missing or damaged. Nicks or scratches in new paint when others come to fit things like brake lines and air cond. so not picked up and no one I to blame... I hate no pride or respect for other trades.
So all that was achieved in 4 days was to shorten the steering column, get the engine going again, clean the inside of the car from wet rubbing of the paint, and fit the wipers... Plus notes.
Still can't wait to get into my brothers to stop the boats bills and take back control of the work that gets done!

The photos of the hinges above... They were flogged out, Dino has started the quality control, taking the rusty pins out and will weld in new ones for me and then they can get painted.
He will also get the new front springs to set the ride height and the guards can be put back on and gapped.

Rant over...
Cheers

[NES304]

 >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(

Here's my angry faces for you. Must be a pain in the backside to find all that.

[FCV08]

JB

I to ran into this and still have some things to sort.

My problem is the guy who did the work has now moved back to Sydney so I am sorting through the issues with another painter.

Keep up the momentum.  ;)

Regards

Craig D

[JB]

Hinges fixed...

[pedro]

Looking good JB, don't worry about what the loser who gave you the minus you can't please everyone and there are plenty of people on here who love your build and the amount of time and effort you have put into getting it right.
   Pedro

[FC_fer_me]

Starting to come together JB, how did you go with the front end?, were the springs you got off me any good? Keep the updates coming , love em!. Cheers, Jack

[JB]

Hey Jack,

Still sorting the springs out, but the shockies that I got off you seem to be the correct length.
I had 250lb springs on them but were coil bound, so have sent them away to confirm the setting then most likely go to 340lb springs.
Hopefully that will sort it.

Cheers
JB

[FC_fer_me]

My mistake JB, yes it was shocks you got off me not springs. I am running 500lb springs on mine so I reckon you might need about 550lb springs. It is a bit of trial and error to get the right height. Best of luck, Jack.

[fe350chev]

My son Corey (11) loves the paint colour JB. He wanted me to do mine that colour now, but I have already just picked the colour!

[JB]

So its been nearly a month already since I have been to the car and we... I should say Dino has ben running around trying to get the front shocks sorted to have the front wheels able to clear the guard.
Started out with the front springs which were coil bound as they were not strong enough to hold the weight of the new engine, and the shocks supplied with the front end not having enough travel to wind the car up far enough for the wheels to clear the guards.
The springs had 250lb written on them, but after getting them tested they came in at under 200lb.
The next lot of springs we got were 340lb but still not enough travel to raise the car enough, and in the process found that 1 of the Avo Pro shocks was leaking.
next step was to see if they could get reconditioned, and promptly found that no one was willing to touch the English brand. Except McDonald Bros. But the cost of reconditioning to a new pair was weighed up and decided to go with the QA1 shocks and set up with 400lb springs each side.
Credit goes to Dino here as he must have spent over 16 hours on the road running back and fourth between Bacchus Marsh, Hillside and Thomastown after each time he found that the set up was again wrong... All of this for what should have been a simple process!!
So end result is this... plus another month of dust on the car at the panel beaters.

[fe350chev]

Great that you got that sorted. All the head f#$ks won't matter one day when your cruising in the warm wind of a summer night inj your cool 50's machine.

[brett_f]

JB, You all know what i think about McDonald bros from earlier posts.i tell you i went back to them recently as the back seemed to bottom out on moderate bumps. They got me to check heights and where the shocks were positioned. Everything was ok. They told me to take out the shocks (qa1) and let them have a look at them. Well when i pulled them out the springs had i think 180 lbs written on them and i pulled out my receipt which said i paid for 25o lbs springs. They didnt know what to say. They told me they would have them reset to 250 lbs. Well they are better but still bottom out. Wouldnt be surprised if they are still softer than what they should be.
Brett

[JB]

Just ended up with the shocks from McDonald's, the springs I had already started with before we found out about the leaking Avo pro.

Cheers

[JB]

So after many delays the car is finally painted, and I have been told... Finished.
Looks like it will be finally at my brothers house after early 2 years in the panel and paint shop... Excited? Not really, relieved yes! Now we can find out what pieces are missing, which bolts have been misplaced.
Here are a few photos my brother took today, will put some more up when it arrives at his house.









Cheers
JB

[Ole]

Looking good JB. Funny how the enthusiasm ebbs and flows. I'm  at a similar place at the moment. Hopefully when you are reunited it will reignite the passion.
Regards Ole

[Crumpsnr]

Having just gone through some of the earlier posts in this thread, I'll throw my 2 bobs in and say I appreciate the level of detail that's recorded by others doing builds. The more info the better! I might not always see something done the way I'd do it to my own car but I can certainly appreciate the effort and skill that goes into the work people show on here.  I wouldn't want everyone to do a car the way I'm doing mine. Who would I get ideas from then?!! This is a great build and I'm enjoying it come together. All the best for finding those missing bits! Martyn  :)

[NES304]

Bout time!

[customFC]

Amazing ute.
I hope to get the chance to see your creation when complete.
Regards
Alex

[DJ]

Looks great. I can relate to finding the missing parts next. I discovered that after a few years, bits & piece seemed to go missing no matter how well I labelled & stored everything. They were normally the rarest small items that drive you nuts & cost heaps. Hope you do OK gathering it all together. Look forward to seeing further progress.