Hi,

Just wondering if anyone recognises these engine mounts?

I went into Rare Spares today to find some new ones. They are from the HR front end of my FE ute and, as its running a red motor, I assumed they were HR engine mounts but...

the ones the Rare Spares guy produced were 5-10mm wider at the fitting and so wobble around on my mounts.  The ones I have are 4.5cm wide. He reckoned that he didn't have ANYTHING that looked like these.

So, what are they from??

thanks, Jonno

Try 'Historic Car Covers', Vic   phone Nola Gibson on (03) 97032604 or 0412 559706

I picked up a flyer at a swap meet. Covers are apparently custom made of breathable, water repellant fabric with reinforcements around 'sharp areas', elastic around base etc, etc $125 each.

The one they had on display looked nice..as long as its for indoor use (they aren't weatherproof).

Jonno

folks,

there's a book, just published, on how to get the most out of eBay, both as a buyer and a seller:

'eBay HACKS' by David. A. Karp (ISBN: 0 596 00564 4)

makes very interesting reading...there's even people out there who will do the 'sniping' for you, for a small fee (e.g. http://www.esnipe.com and several others) so you can sit back and let it all happen....

cheers, Jonno

Hi Mick,

I have just been through a similar exercise and, after a quick lesson  (thanks Ken!), think I have fixed up my door hinges good as new. Its unlikely that the steel pins have worn much, more likely the (brass?) bushes. Good pins and relatively unworn bushes can be obtined from rear door hinges of wrecked cars but I found some remanufactured bushes at Scotts Old Auto Rubber in Melbourne (phone 03 9563 3023).  These have to be ordered in but only cost $3 each and seem to work real well - cat number is 376.007. I think American Autos may also sell them?

All you have to do is knock the old pin and bushes out with a punch, fit new bushes, load up with grease, and hammer in a pin. Mine are a bit stiff at the moment but I think they just need a bit of use and my car is current in a million bits...ho, hum.

Jonno

Hi Edward,

thanks for that.  No, I'm not sure whether any of the dipping was done properly as its the first time I've had any parts done this way. All I know is that the place does a lot of business so I assumed it would be OK. Panels may have been sitting there a day max before I picked them up.

I have sanded off the surface rust and currently have them in lanolin which seems to have stopped any further reaction. Large, relatively smooth parts like the guards appear to have come out of the phosphate dip OK...they are a uniform dark grey with almost a granular texture (I assume this is the iron phosphate coat).  Its the more fiddly bits that were streaky, no uniform coat and plenty of surface rust.. Who knows what is inside some of the cavities like the tailgate...

I guess as a newcomer to this I'm still a little confused about the differences between all the basic products. For example, a phosphate dip (which I assume forms an iron phosphate coating....marketed as 'rust removal' by the dippers), and rust converter solutions which I think are normally zinc phosphate (is that so?). Is the latter more stable than the former?

Also what does an etch primer do? Some products like PPC 'Metal Ready' seem to be just another form of zinc phosphate converter.

Would any of these products leave the panels in a fit state to be left for ca. 3 months as I can't get the bodywork done until March. The guy at the bodyshop reckons he has stuff sat with lanolin on it for 6 months without any problems so maybe I should leave this on until nearer the time??

many questions (sorry)...

jonno

Hi Folks,

Looking for some advice on bodywork preparation.

I'm stripping my ute back to metal prior to getting the body fixed up (this is the first time I've ever done anything like this). So far have been doing all the major panels myself using paint stripping disks on an angle grinder. Metal comes up great and, to stop it rusting, I have been using a light lanolin product (on the advice of the panel beater who will work on the rust repairs eventually).

However, I've just had some other stuff (e.g. bonnet, doors, tailgate etc) dipped and they came back looking pretty grim...very streaky and a fair amount of light surface rust (even though they were picked up immediately after the process).  I think they have just been stripped and then into a phosphate dip...but I suspect this only forms an iron phosphate, not zinc??

Question is what to do now with these bits. Should I:
a) sand them back to 'shiny' metal, and cover with lanolin (could be very difficult in some of the recesses where panels join)
b) spray with a zinc phosphate rust converter and forget about it
c) some other thing?

Guess I don't really want to get the stuff primed yet since this will obscure some of the repairs which need to be done.  Just looking for some advice on how to stablise them and what sort of condition a painter will expect them to be in before he will touch them. Also I assume dipping always results in this kind of thing because the stripped panels get wet during the process...is this so or should I never go there again??!

thanks, Jonno

here's a new FE bonnet badge

Jonno

all five bars have separate part numbers so I assume they are all slightly different in detail(?):

7410546 centre
7410545 inner left hand
7410544 inner right hand
7410543 outer left hand
7410542 outer right hand

though most of them look the same to me!

jonno

its pretty easy to become disillusioned when buying remotely.  I had similar feelings when the FE ute I recently bought turned up.  I had the car inspected by a well-known company, but they failed to find the rust in the sills and floorpans!  However, once you get started fixing things up (however slowly) I think you will feel better about it.  If, as you say, the ute is entirely rust-free, I would say hang on to it as its quite a rarity.

Jonno

Hi Adam,

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you…been away from the computer for a couple of weeks.  I haven’t got much further with investigating panel beaters since I’m still in the middle of taking my car back to metal (far fewer free weekends than I thought I would have)..

I did do quite a bit of searching for Bill Scott and Aussie Rods and Customs but didn’t find him.  On the other hand I think Moonshine motors are still in business.  There are a few other possibilities I have come across since if you are looking for a panel beater immediately although I have not contacted any of these folk yet so can't confirm they are what you/I are looking for:

1. a post on this site back in July 2002 about a guy near Macedon…just do a search on ‘panel beaters and spray painters’

2. Steel’s Real classic restorations, Wallan. See ad on Australian hot Rods website: http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/4757/vendors.html

3. Dinkum Classic Auto (http://www.aurorasolutions.com.au/sehc/dinkum.html)

Would be interested to hear how you get on.  Otherwise I hope to be making my own investigations in a few months time, and could get back to you then

Cheers, Jon

I would also like a pair,

thanks, jon

thanks for all your replies everyone. looks like the HR rims are definitely out there.  I would still be interested if anyone has found a part number?  Probably just paranoid but I can see some dealer saying 'yeh, they will fit' and I'll only find out later that they were really for HR drums or some such...

jonno

try http://www.rodshop.com.au

phone (03) 5472 2853

OK thanks guys. looks like I'm going back to the drawing board for a while...

Jonno

Has anyone recently fitted a CRS chassis kit to an FE/FC? I've just been test-fitting one and, well, it doesn't seem to fit. The gap on the U-section at the front of the main rail is about 42mm whereas my floor crossmembers (FE ute) are about 47mm.  Doesn't sound like much of a difference but the rails certainly don't 'slip over the floor member' as the instruction suggest they should.

I will contact CRS about this but just thought I had better make sure that my car did not have a non-standard floor cross member fitted first..

any comments most appreciated.

Jonno

thanks guys, those leads are just what I need

Jonno

can anyone recommend a good place for body-restoration work in the Melbourne area (I have searched the site but can only find refs to Sydney contacts)?

Looking for someone to repairs sills, floorpan, front subframe rust (usual stuff I think?) in my FE ute.  Talked to a few panelbeaters but they don't seem to want to know about classic cars..reckon they can't make any money out of this.  I'm not sure why this is (i.e if they can't make a profit, why don't they charge more money?!) but the problem remains.

If anyone knows of someone with old holden experience willing to take on jobs like this, could they let me know please.

thanks, jonno

thanks guys.
I thought it unlikely that they would still be in production, even for trailers. Re. 'hole in the centre between the stud holes', I guess I will recognise this when I find some!

cheers, Jon

HI,
I've been advised to find some HR wheels to fit on to my HR-brake (disk/drum) equipped FE.  Was also told (by someone else) that these were probably still available new since they are of the type often used on trailers.  Does anyone know if this is the case and, if so, whether the original FE hubcaps fit? I assume there is only one size of HR wheel?

Jonno

and it arrived safely too!

Jonno