The Big Trip South a couple of weeks ago...photos just come through...


Headed south from Bridgetown where I met up with Daggy (Chris).   Came to this sign, think we know which way to go!?



Yep, think I can see the ocean now...



Came across the Bibbulman Track...a walk trail between Perth and Albany...who'd want to walk when you can drive an FC?



Found Walpole, must've made the right turn....



Valley of the Giants???



Oh......giant trees....sheesh, they grow them big over here!!


Next stop Albany!!

TORCH

Hi Roxy,

I used K&D in Davison St Maddington, but that was several years ago now...

My honest opinion now is that you are far better off to spend your time (instead of your money) to seek out good original chrome pieces unless you have access to a re-chromer that is highly regarded....if the original stuff has lasted 50 years, its likely to continue to last with some extra care.

It's not impossible to get good re-chroming done (and I can get an update from other WA members that have had it done more recently), but it can be dissappointing when part of the bumper goes rusty after 6 - 12 months while the rest of it is really nice and shiny.  I had 1 piece out of the 6 get surface rust and replaced it with an original piece.  That was after 3 trips back to the shop with assorted other bits I had done that were, on closer inspection, not up to standard.

cheers...Brad

Hi guys,

I too used the HQ type channel in my FC....I used spray on silicone lubricant for the narrower section that goes in the division channel to make the winding easier....with one of those applicator tubes you can "saturate" the felt/fabric with the liquid silicone and get a good dose applied without getting it on the paint...

worked for me, could be a little less messy that graphite, but I'm sure graphite would work too....

regards....Brad

Hi Guys,

I have a HR column in my FC.....there's a couple of points with it though.

As Ken has mentioned in other posts, the HR column has only two mounting holes for the FC's 3 holes, one lines up perfect, the other requires a little adjustment, along the lines of what Julius mentions above in this post.  The third hole in the frame becomes redundant.

I have my column hooked up to a Powerglide though, so the shift pattern is OK for me.  For a Tri-matic, it will depend on which side of the trans the shift lever is as to how difficult to make the movement of the change lever on the column match the required movement of the shift lever on the trans and what bits you'll need for the set-up, but the shift pattern is nearly correct.  

The Powerglide only has 2 forward gears so the change gate doesn't allow for L2DNRP....but if you get the leverage and travel distance right for the change lever, it should be a simple case of cutting out another notch in the selector gate to allow for the 3 forward gears (or, less favourably, not be able to clearly select "L" with the change lever if you don't modify the selector gate)....

The other downfall is that you cannot easily fit an FC steering wheel to a HR column, the spline is at the back of the HR steering wheel hub instead of at the front of the steering wheel hub like on the FC, so the wheel goes too far over the column to make the splines meet and everything else fouls....it may be possible using aftermarket sports steering wheel adapter hubs, but I haven't investigated that fully....

A positive is that the HR box is a higher ratio gearing at 16.8:1 vs the FE-EH being 14:1.....poor man's "power steering"....haha

cheers......Brad

Hi Mark,

my bonnet letters came with the tubular clips to receive the small studs/tabs....I think I got them from Restorer's Hotline (Rare Spares) too...

regards....Brad

Hi Mark,

I thought the "Special" script was avail from Rares as a repro as well....certainly the ones on my white FC sedan were in very good condition (pity about the rest of the car) and I doubt they were original....

I'd be thinking you can get the combined article from Rares and if my memory serves me correctly it was about $60 per side.....for badge and script..

regards....Brad

Hi Mark,

I'll have a look too, mine would be similarly rusty and I doubted as I wrote the previous reply that you'd want them....I'll sift out what I've got, we're coming down on Fir - Sun so hopefully we can catch up...got some other goodies for you too...

If they're not good enough, as Smithy says, they are a template for making some "fresh" ones.....

cheers....Brad

Hi Mark,

do you mean the ones that hold on the "wide" section of the flash trim on the rear door?  

cheers.....Brad

Hi,

great additional info, thanks RET, Ken, Dr Terry and Geoff.  I'll share this with the owners when I make the journey to get more info and pics....

regards......Brad

Hi Alex,

I have to confess that Ken got a bit of a preview of this one and he has asked for the chassis number if I get a chance.

We plan to do a club run up there some time or other in the new year, hopefully before the Nationals, and I'd like to bring a story board type display of the car's history to the Nats to possibly be a part of the 50th Anniversary stuff...

I wrote to the owners yesterday and tried to impress them with the car's rarity and the importance that it has in this upcoming 50th anniversary year....I'll see how interested they get about that...or not...

The really cool thing about this car is that its a daily/weekly use car still.....I'd be interested to know how many engines it's had for the 300,000 miles it's done...!!

cheers.....Brad

Hi FC58q,

very perceptive there.....that's actually Trev Robert's wife's FB Ute...she and my wife joined in on the Vintage caravanner's trek in the FB Ute....it is a very nice original ute, twin Stromberg grey motor...sweeeeet!!

regards....Brad

In September, whilst on the Spring Wildflower Tour with the vintage caravanner’s group, some of our club members happened upon a rather rare vehicle.  They had pulled up in a wheatbelt country town and along came an FE Standard Station Sedan.  Rare enough in itself, but wait there’s more!!  This car is a special production option vehicle for the Dept of Civil Aviation with compliance plates to match.






Our members got chatting with the owners and there’s quite a story to the car.  It was bought from City Motors some 34 years ago by the present owners. Apparently a lot of haggling went into the deal and when the husband had finished dealing, the wife began.  So the car came back to the farm and stayed.  It has done over 300,000 miles in trips all ‘round Oz.





The car has had some modifications including Peugot bucket seats.  The wind deflector on the back of the car is not an original production option but a device installed by the owners to keep dust from collecting on the rear window.  There are some openings in the baffle panel under the grille and what looks like an accessway for a crank handle for those cold morning starts at the airport.  The centre panel from the dash is missing, which may have been the place where a two-way radio had been installed.  But the colour is original (despite some re-applications of paint) giving rise to the car’s nickname, “Sunflower”.



The owners once went to have the front springs replaced and ordered FE front springs, only to be told they didn’t fit…it seems FC springs were required.  This may indicate that the front axle has been swapped out at some stage, or, the car was a late FE Station Sedan that could have received an FC front axle from the production line as the FE ones began to run out.  In any case, this vehicle was a great find and one that will arouse a lot of interest.  We have made further contact with the owners and will see if we can learn more about its history.  34 years no doubt provides a lot of stories about classic FE motoring in the WA countryside.

By the way…it’s NOT for sale!!!!!

enjoy................Brad

....hmmmmmmm, by my reckoning it has an FC grille, an interesting look!!

Hi Bob,

checked out my local Rares on-line....the price was similar to what I paid, so I'm happy...thanks though, I didn't think of Rares for this one.....

Hi Flamed,

You may be right about the tube around the manifold...but I've gone with the manual choke one.  Couldn't find anything about them in my HR manual, only the X2 carby specs.....and you're right, the non Holden manuals say nothing about either of them....the HK manual's the go I'd say....

cheers.....Brad

thanks Jockster....good to know, but I'm running with the manual choke this time.....for better or for worse...

after suffering the weber that's on it for the last 15 months, I'm well used to temperamental manual chokes...

cheers....Brad

Hi Rob,

is this item still for sale?

regards...Brad

Thanks guys....

I've sourced one from Xtreme Fuel Systems (mentioned elsewhere on the Forum) at what I think is a great price....I'll be ahead of what I was up for here in Perth.  It's coming to me reco'ed, adapted to manual choke & jetted for my 202.

The issue with the auto choke is simply about whether or not there is a tapping for the exhaust gas to carby connecting pipe to open the auto choke once the engine warms up....in my view, it may be worth having, but too hard to do the drill/tap/fittings bit to make it work, my workshop is not that well equipped....so manual choke it is.

thanks again for your input....I'll put up a post about how it performs compared to the non vacuum advanced twin bbl Weber that comes off to make way for it....

cheers....Brad

Thanks for the replies fellas...

On the auto choke issue, is there a problem with leaving it auto choke....I seem to recall the guy in the workshop here in Perth quoting to convert to manual choke but I can't remember why....

cheers....Brad

Hi,

Was wondering if anyone can tell me the general availability of WW Stromberg carby's, I'm told they were off 186S motors....

My FC has a twin throat weber mounted with an adapter plate to a WW Stromberg manifold and I was wanting to put a Stromberg back on to it.  Also, would anyone know what jetting would be required for a "warm" 202?

I know I can get one done at a carb place in Perth for between $500 and $600 including carby, overhaul, new air cleaner, filter, new custom throttle cable and labour.....but was looking to see what other (cheaper) options there might be...

cheers.....Brad

Hi Burnsy,

my White FC has a Weber on it, the pic of yours doesn't look very familiar but I will check it out.  In any case its coming off soon so that I can put on a WW Stromberg as that is what my manifold is to suit.....if it is what you want you are welcome to it.....

cheers....Brad