NEW PROJECT FC UTE

[Mal W]

Next was to finish of the welding on the front subframe.
Started with the strengthening plates on the underside of the subframe.






Once that was done I made a gusset for the back corners of the subframe












Also I ended up changing the lower radiator mounts to drop the radiator Dow a bit giving me more clearance to the bonnet lock panel.










Next I just have to remake the top radiator bracket.






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[Gman]

Geez, looking good!!! You are quite the master with metal!! 

[Mal W]

Last bit of rust to do has been done, RH front guard needed a new top, rear lower and headlight area.




Inner and outer both needed rebuilding






Corner all done




Lower section wasn’t to bad



Headlight area needed a little bit more work














Then to tidy up the inside bolt edge by adding a return lip





Now I know these aren’t everyone’s cup of tea but I like them



I changed the front and back of the insert panel so it lined up with the angles of the lower guard section’s










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[Mal W]

Recently I had the opportunity to purchase the wheels I originally wanted but couldn’t get at the time.
Weld wheels, fronts 15x5, rear 15x10.










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[Jolls]

Hi Malcolm.

A mountain of work there and the ute is truly a one off!  It doesn't matter what anyone thinks about the modification but you; it's your ute!

I'm about to start work on the body of my ute. Nothing drastic just repairs to bring it back to life; but I sure wish I had some of your metalworking skills.

Looking forward to seeing the end result.

Cheers
Jolls

[my8thholden]

Thanks for the update Mal ...certainly a credit to you , I just love that " FAT " rubber , it just wouldn't be right 6.40 x 13  ...Vern

[Errol62]

Fantastic Mal. Thanks for the update.


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[Mal W]

Been busy in the shed now for a while and some good progress made.

Starting with my bonnet hinges, I wanted something different that wasn’t so big and bulky.

Did a bit of experimenting with a couple of different styles.
A fair bit of trial and error, but got there in the end.

The first one was a modified boot hinge, but just looked to big and couldn’t get a good clearance where needed.






Next was a temp plate of a sissor type version, but that was crap.






A lot of measurements and drawings was done along the way.

What I ended up with is a consealed type hinge with the pivot point and gas ram under the dash.

These hinges I made out of 2 pieces of flat stainless welded together then ground up, sanded and polished.




Firstly I made up a template of the hinge to make sure i was going to have enough clearance where I needed it.




Hinge pivot and gas ram is all fitted up under the dash






Then I clamped the 2 sections together and start welding.










A lot of checking and changing as I go.




Welded together with stainless wire in the mig. Looks crap but got there in the end and nice and strong.










Very happy with how they polished up.






I had to move the bolt location in the bonnet to line up with the hinges.








That part all done. It took a while to get the gas ram position sorted but the bonnet opens and closes nicely.






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[Mal W]

Part 2 of the bonnet hinges.

Now the hinges are done I have to make it look like they should be there.

I did a fair bit of modification around the hinge area making a box section around the hinge that incorporates a seal around the hinge and a trim around the top where the hinge comes out.
















Still in the process of making the hinge seal and top trim.


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[Errol62]

Great to see an update Mal. Amazing work as ever.


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[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

Those hinges are a work of art!
It'd be interesting to get some time frames on some of the work pieces.

[Mal W]

Finally got the bonnet hinge surrounds made.
I made these out of stainless as well and then just polished.











Now to do a few finishing off bits on the subframe and I can finish off the bonnet and front guards.


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[Errol62]

Thanks for bring us up to date Malcolm. Very clever stuff.


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[Stewy]

Spectacular work as always Mal, This sure is a work of art.

Cheers Stewy  8)

[blacky]

 That is next level cool Mal, how do you go sealing them up regarding water/heat/noise ingress into the cab ?

You never fail to impress with your innovative ideas 

[Mal W]

Thanks for the comments fellas,

The hinges have an outer rubber seal that goes under the stainless surround, behind that is a very thick and dense underlay type wadding packed into the hinge pocket. Then there is another rubber seal and a retaining bracket.
Inside the hinge pocket at the bottom is a drain hole incase any water does get in.

Hopefully another update will be coming soon.

Cheers

[blacky]

 Any updates Mal ????????????????

[my8thholden]

Yeah !!! come on Mal , need some more engineering master piece revelations , TV is boring ...

[Errol62]

Patience grasshoppers 🙃


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[Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius]

He's been posting updates on Facebook, the body is in primer with all panel work completed.
https://www.facebook.com/malcolm.whittaker.9