FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

Hi Everyone.  I'm John and I purchased this project a few months ago. I've been following the Forum for a while, read a few builds, and really enjoy the conversations that happen here. I'm new to car restoration so a little nervous about the whole thing, however I'm going to give it a crack with the help of people like you.  I've picked up heaps of tips & info but still have lots more questions.  I've posted a few pic's pf the day I brought her home, and a couple in the shed on the rotisserie I built for her. Anyway, Happy New Year to all & I look forward to learning heaps from you and sharing my adventure.  Cheers,  John.

 (http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/ah199/frodo43/Holden%20FC/download%20to%20forum/Arrival9_zpsf440da1d.jpg?950) (http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/ah199/frodo43/Holden%20FC/download%20to%20forum/Arrival11_zps42adbafa.jpg?107) (http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/ah199/frodo43/Holden%20FC/download%20to%20forum/Arrival_zpsf166f0fd.jpg?340) (http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/ah199/frodo43/Holden%20FC/download%20to%20forum/Arrival2_zps5a512981.jpg?780) (http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/ah199/frodo43/Holden%20FC/download%20to%20forum/Frontseat_zps3439920d.jpg?509) (http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/ah199/frodo43/Holden%20FC/download%20to%20forum/RotisserieFrontEnd_zps8beb591c.jpg?342)
(http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/ah199/frodo43/Holden%20FC/download%20to%20forum/RotisserieRHSide_zps2ad065ae.jpg?200)
(http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/ah199/frodo43/Holden%20FC/download%20to%20forum/RotisserieUnderneath_zpsdc95c1c2.jpg?476)
(http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/ah199/frodo43/Holden%20FC/download%20to%20forum/Frontendremoved_zpsbb9d5759.jpg?604)  
(http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/ah199/frodo43/Holden%20FC/download%20to%20forum/Nameplate_zps75c09036.jpg?921)

Welcome John
Awesome body one the old girl.
Looks like a great start.

Great car. Hope it goes to plan.

Regards

Wayne b

Welcome aboard John, look like you have a good starting point. Another Granite Grey/ India Ivory car to add to the list. All the best for the resto and keep the photos coming.
Jim

Gday John. Where bouts are you (sometimes profile info is old) and have you owned other earlies? That looks like a bewdy. There's more wagons out there than I ever imagined. I hope you get the satisfaction of learning by experience like most of us and you have made a good start by setting everything up!

Hi Dean, I'm in Shoalwater, Western Australia.  This is my first old car. I was originally looking for an FB sedan, as that was the first family car I grew up with as a kid. Mum & Dad had a Ford Zephyr when I was born, but got the FB soon after (followed by the HQ and then the VN). I've always liked wagons and when I saw this FC, I just loved the look of it.

G'day John,  Must admit, the wagons always look good either stock or modified.  Good luck with your build and hope all goes well for you.  Cheers, Graeme

Clean looking project John, is it a local Perth car?  Can you find a chassis number on the engine bay skirt (drivers side)

Regards.   Ken

Welcome John;
As the other guys have said it looks like you have a good start for a project there mate.

There are some nice FE FC's in Perth John and people willing to help so dont be afraid to ask your questions as you say plenty of good ideas and support on here.

Regards
Neil H

Hi Ken, as I understand it, according to the chassis number it's a Perth assembled car, and manufactured in Adelaide according to the Body ID Plate. In case it's not clear in the photo, the chassis number is FC101201P.  Cheers, John (http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/ah199/frodo43/Holden%20FC/download%20to%20forum/GEDC1184_zps253a7ac2.jpg)

Thanks, Neil.  I've read your build - great job and good luck with the ute. As you're in WA, I've got an engine question for you. Originally I was interested in putting a small V8 in, but soon found out that the laws don't allow that any more.  I've got the 138 grey that came with the car and may still put that in, but I'm interested in the V6 mod's a lot of people are doing. However, as I see the Regulations, the largest size allowed is less than 3.3 litres (3 x 1068kg standard sedan kerb weight). Is the one you used a 3.8 litre?  If so, how do you go about getting it passed for rego?  I spoke to a local Club guy a while back who said a 186 motor would get passed fine, but he even had trouble getting his 202 (3.3 litre) through.  Does it just depend on who inspects your car on the day?  Thanks heaps, John.

Thanks John, but there must be one to many numbers in the chassis number. It should only have 5 digits.

Regards.   Ken

Just went and had a look, Ken.  It's FC10120P, there's no 1 on the end - just looks like it in the photo.  Thanks, John.

Hi John;
I'm not sure where you got the info from re engine sizes but I will make some enquiries with the engineer that I used and get back to you.

You've got me worried John it will make life a lot harder for a lot of people if this info is correct I myself am wanting to V6 my ute and yes my sedan is a 3.8 series 2 motor.

I wil get back to you re this problem
regards
Neil H

John
I just checked ADR14 Section LA and came up with the below this was dated 2011 so unless it has changed these are the current rules as I see them I am still trying to get a hold of my engineer to confirm and yes I think it does come down to your engineer and who does the licensing inspection.

Table LA1 Recommended Maximum Engine Capacity
MASS OF VEHICLE
Maximum Engine Capacity (refer to notes below)
Naturally Aspirated Turbo/Supercharged

All vehicles originally weighing less than 800 kg.
Normally Aspirated - Original mass (kg) x 3.0 = max. capacity in cc’s
Supercharged - Original mass (kg) x 2.5 = max. capacity in cc’s

All vehicles originally weighing between 800 kg and 1100 kg.
Normally Aspirated - Original mass (kg) x 4.0 = max. capacity in cc’s
Supercharged - Original mass (kg) x 2.75 = max. capacity in cc’s

All vehicles originally weighing more than 1100 kg.
Normally Aspirated - Original mass (kg) x 5.0 = max. capacity in cc’s
Supercharged - Original mass (kg) x 3.0 = max. capacity in cc’s

Happy to show you my Sedan and its mods if you are interested and I'm in the process on my EK ute so it is easy to see on it at the moment.

Regards
Neil H

 Thanks for the effort Neil. I should have checked again myself, but for some reason I thought when I last looked it was 3 x weight for under 1100kg and 5 x weight for over 1100kg. Anyway, that's good news and, YES, it'd be great to meet you for a chat and see your cars - that would no doubt save me heaps of time on my project.  I'll PM you.  Cheers,  John

I reckon these things ought to be deleted from everything because the people who wrote these and the people in admin roles aren't qualified to make such rules and that's why an engineer is adopted to ensure the car is safe. Otherwise why would a new car with better power to weight than that formula be allowed to be sold here from overseas? In practice that's what is happening, the engineer is making allowances to increase capacity through the mods that are done to facilitate a change to higher capacity. But none of us can say for sure. I think it would be great if some engineers have info on more popular car mods so that it states a guideline. In Adelaide I sent a spec sheet into the people at motor reg and they sent me back a guide as to the mods required in order to use that particular engine. That was very helpful and the start of the process.

Hi Everyone, Happy Australia day.  I'm looking at making my own chassis kit, similar to what's in the photo, as I'm considering going down the V6 route.  I've noticed that some kits show the weld-on "Y" pieces that attach to the k-frame (bottom of Photo) and some don't.  Is that because they're not necessary (or perhaps only required for a V8)?  I don't mind making these if needed (I've got a beaut little Plasma Cutter) - can anyone tell me the plate thickness, please?  Also, are the rails that go from the cross member back to the spring hangers normally attached by plug or stitch welding to the floor pan for more stiffness?

(http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/ah199/frodo43/Holden%20FC/download%20to%20forum/fc_ek_chassis_kit2_large_zps5lcgrkuy.jpg)
Cheers, John

Hi. We put them on mine for v8 and they are advertised for all conversions on eBay etc. On torries for racing they use 6mm thickness but the fc and fe ones for street v8 and v6 are 3mm thick. I just double checked with the spares I've got in the pic below for you. I was going to put them on my taxi build if I find stressed metal but thats an original build. My build page is "Breton blue 327". We strengthened the front end by inserting more metal gussets into the box sections and replacing rooted bits with thicker steel. We also added the strengthening plates below. The rod shop kit is a bolt in and I've heard many ppl say that engineers prefer bolt on although I think welded is better.

I can trace a template and send it to you if it helps. Heres mine I just dug up. You can buy them for $100 off eBay. I'm sitting on these ones for the time being.  (http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/26/53d90c3c941d9613c1a448e41755f353.jpg)

Hey Deano I would love to copy them lol.

Drop ya front end out and make a cardboard template. Then get out Gary Grinder to help you on a piece of 3mm

I did mine out of 50mm rhs. 200 in materials
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/26/61a55d9585de861fd179462286784e94.jpg)

I'm sure he would like the measurements of my kit too (@Frankie) lol. The one that you have. Yeah I found these the other day and forgot to tell you. Easy if I just get a large bit of thin cardboard and spray them with weld through primer and send it dry to you guys as a template. I can see my poor mum becoming Frankies postal service and storage lol. Next thing you will want the smiths heater.

Nah Deano got one already that I might want to sell lol, and a good service it is mate.

Thanks Dean & NES. Dean, thanks for the template offer, I'll PM you. 

Sorry if I'm asking dumb questions, but I can't find any pic's of these bits mounted on a car, so

1) Do the plates have to be bent to follow the kick down of the k frame legs and,

2) Are they welded to the subframe from where the front end mounts are to the "Y" bit. It looks like the larger holes fit over the front end rubber mounts, so I'm wondering that if not welded, any movement might cut into the rubber mounts? (and if they do need to be bent, they would try to straighten if stressed). Hope this makes sense. Thanks, John

It's fairly straight forward. Check with the engineer if they will allow you to clean up welds. I've chosen not to clean up the welds because sometimes they want to see them. (http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/26/515039a8d07ee32188d7160e7a76b6bb.jpg)(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/26/f77d0991af364f19c493cee99c4556b4.jpg)(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/26/ddba86c058be5f6566186adc4e8d5d0c.jpg)

Wow, that was quick. Awesome Dean, thanks.

The bits you mention are the tie in subframe members. Thanks for copying the pics. The pics will give you an idea of trouble spots to look for. What you could do is go along your tie ins with a large set of multi grips and do a crush test rather than screwdriver etc. I think that works better and tapping areas to hear the sound it makes. I'm no expert either though. I'll find more pics that I have somewhere for bracing but you really don't need to be too fussy with yours. As you can see mine was folding in on itself, very bad. Just weld to body mate then grind off later. It's more a common sense thing. You really gotta put doubts aside and methodically do the build in sections. Always ask yourself "do I need to do that now over this" etc. I have learned so much on here but sometimes it can cause self doubt or stifle your own creativity. But I think the more opinions the better.

Thanks Dean, I've saved the pic's.  Did you get my PM?
I'm hoping my sub-frame's ok. I was told by the seller, who'd done nothing with it, that the previous owner had installed the new HR disc front end, and the sub-frame, firewall etc. had been repainted and look ok.  However, when I removed the K-frame from the car and stood it on its end, I got a nice little pile of rust scale and dirt come out (see pic) - there's still some in there. You've got me a bit worried now, though, and probably should get the paint off and have a good look.  I was also told the floors were all good, with a few patch repairs, but my Stanley Screwdriver didn't think so.  I've ended up buying all 4 floor panels and replacement L & R cross members (the ones that go across the car from the front of the sills).  The outer sills look like newish ones. I used Gary Grinder to get the drivers side one off to check what it was like inside and it looks pretty good. The inner sills had been repaired in places using thicker flat sheet rather than with the replacement ones that have the pressed circles in them. Looks strong enough - not sure if I'll replace them.  There's been some pretty serious work around the front of the sills where the outer k-frame legs attach - looks like all new brackets, etc. in there (similar to what you've done).  I'm hoping this is all good, as the car was a roller when I got it and the door gaps seemed pretty good.
I had a look at your build, really nice work, but my head couldn't keep up with all the ideas and changes you talk about. I'm glad you know what you're talking about :)  How did you, or anyone else reading, do your bracing when replacing floor pans, sills, etc.  Dean, yours looks something like 30mm x 3mm square tube tack welded to tie in the A, B & C pillars, and then some cross pieces? How did that work for you? I was thinking of making and bolting brackets to the door hinge bracket / strike plate mounting points and then welding tube onto these, rather than welding tubes onto the body itself - bit of a confidence thing with me I guess.  Cheers, John

(http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/ah199/frodo43/Holden%20FC/SubframeRustPile2_zps97d0d1fc.jpg) ($2)

Yes that's right. A, b and c. It also depends if you are doing one bit at a time or not with floor pieces. You can create a reference point from a centre b pillar cross bar and then with some rods attached however you wish, go diagonal to a lower a pillar or corner spot of your choice and Mark it up so that you can keep an eye on it as you go for twist etc but if you try to follow the article that's in the technical section on the club home page you will get an idea if you are concerned. A rod put through across to a central point as in the pics I'll pm you will give you an idea of important areas. But pls let me know if you share those. http://www.fefcholden.org.au/techinfo/index.html

Hi John;
Better to strip your sub chassis and make sure there are no issues better now than later mate you might have been very lucky and if they had done repairs elsewhere they may have taken care of any in the chassis.

I got the pressure washer and blasted up all the K legs etc with the one I'm using for my ute they get so much dirt and crap up there and then it get wet and just starts to rot them out as I said to you the other day I have a couple of rust repair bits that you are welcome to if you need them.

Regards
Neil H

Thanks, Neil. Yeh, I think I'll get it blasted when I do the body. Anything special I need to check other than a bare metal visual and attacking with my Stanley screwdriver rust finder? Cheers, John

Mate I think Stanley does a great job
Have a look under the radiator support, around the area where the sway bar bolts, underneath of the K legs and under the battery box if you have one not sure if you told me yours was still there.

Regards
Neil H

Hi All,
Can anyone please tell me what the 3 small holes (~3/32") are for in the "C" pillar of the FC wagon? Looks like they take self tappers. I'm going to try and fit seatbelts here as done by CoolFCWagon in the Blue Standard as it looks pretty neat. Just wondering what the holes are for prior to drilling and cutting.
(http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/ah199/frodo43/Holden%20FC/GEDC1190_zpsc4mg77nj.jpg) ($2)
Need to cut slot between pillar and seat catch fitting, and make brackets and backing plates. The belts are from a VS commodore and just so happens that the inertia reels work at this angle. The tongue's facing the wrong way, so I'll have to get that sorted.
(http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/ah199/frodo43/Holden%20FC/GEDC1189_zps9uhwtdmd.jpg) ($2)

The holes are for the screws that hold the  painted trim piece that goes there

john
       zulu's right   its the same as the front pillar trim
       metal trim with a dogleg shape

A metal trim goes from the wheel tub to the roof. It is painted body colour.

Ken

Here's another image in my wagon that may help.

Let me know if you need any other info.

(http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu126/coolfcwagon/DSCN3762_1.jpg) ($2)

Thanks for the replies, fellas. Does anyone have a pic of the trim? I've been plowing through photo galleries, but can't seem to find any decent close ups (could be my eyes), so have no idea what they look like.  Are new or repo ones available, or if I see one are they too difficult to make?

CoolFCWagon, congrats again on your car. I think the car looks great even without the trim. Venetians will be cool, too.

Hey, with your seatbelt installation, a few tips would be handy:
1) Did you end up putting some sort of protection in the slot to stop the belt fraying?
2) How did you get the backing plate in?  I was thinking about cutting a slot to make the opening bigger where the wiring harness comes through the pillar above the wheel arch, and then either pulling it up with fishing line or flipping the car over on the rotisserie and lowering it in.
3) I've cut some backing plate at 22mm wide which is a guesstimate, is that about right?  It's pretty narrow in there.
4) It looks like you've welded nuts onto the custom bracket (very nice) to attach the seat catch to and give more support to the bracket. Does that mean you've removed the original nuts behind the panel?  If so, how did you do that?
5) Have you been cruisin' around in your new girl, with the elbow hangin' out?

Thanks & cheers,
John

John, the pic posted by coolfcwgn has the trim in place. It's main purpose is to hold the wind lace in place.

Ken

John,

1) I used a pinchweld from Clarkrubber to go around the slot . I'll postup some finished images .
2) Yes as you have described, I opened up the hole and pulled it up with a thin wire.
3 ) I'm pretty sure my plates were around 22mm x 6mm.
4) I drilled out the existing nuts for clearance , then ground the remainder of the nuts off using rotary burrs in a drill.( Awkward job).
5) Yep, loaded up the family and went for a cruise last night , thanks :) .

Ian.

Here's a couple of images of mine finished. The pinchweld is not overly attractive. I'm also going to chase up covers for the top bolt.

Also a couple of images of the trim piece. Hope these are useful.

Ian.

(http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu126/coolfcwagon/DSCN4702.jpg) ($2)

(http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu126/coolfcwagon/DSCN4703.jpg) ($2)

(http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu126/coolfcwagon/DSCN4705.jpg) ($2)

(http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu126/coolfcwagon/DSCN4693.jpg) ($2)

(http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu126/coolfcwagon/DSCN4692.jpg) ($2)

Looks terrific inside too.

Almost makes me want to put seat belts in the FE wagon, such a neat job, a real credit to you Ian. :)

Cheers Stewy   8)

Thanks for all the replies.  Looks real good Ian, and I found those two bits of trim after going through a box of bits I got with the car - couldn't see the "A"pillar trims, but still more boxes to look through.  Can you let me know how you go with the bolt covers, please?
When I do my rear belts, I'll take measurements and post them in case anyone wants to do similar.
Cheers, John

Hi All.  I've been looking at how to tackle my wagon's sills and have read through a few very helpful threads on the forum.  I've copied a couple of pic's from the threads.
I noticed that in the 1st pic below, there is a brace under the floor beneath each "B"pillar (left of left hand clamp in picture) - mine doesn't have these. 
(http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/ttv6fc/Picture919.jpg)

In the second pic, there's a ribbed metal plate "thingy" under the "B" pillar that lives between the inner and outer sills - I don't have these either.
(http://i.imgur.com/wmwue.jpg)

When I got the car, the outer sills had been replaced and the inners patched up. I decided to remove the rh outer just to have a look - glad I did as there's more cancer here and I might redo some bits. If the missing bits in the above pictures are meant to be there, I guess they were removed during the patch up job. Do I need to make & replace these bits, or were they on some cars and not others.

The next two pic's are my car. As you can see, the rh "C" pillar dogleg area needs some work (the hole in the inner sill was covered up by the new outer that I removed). The lh side has been repaired at some stage (sorry for blurry pic). The repaired side has a "step" from the dogleg onto the top of the sill - is this correct or should it flair smoothly onto the sill.
(http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/ah199/frodo43/Holden%20FC/GEDC1192_zpstuw68svf_1.jpg)

(http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/ah199/frodo43/Holden%20FC/GEDC1194_zps0d56fkw0_1.jpg) ($2)

Thanks everyone, John

John, only sedans have the jacking point under the B pillar. Sedans had the scissor jack.
All the others had the bottle jack which was placed under the axle or front suspension.

The little piece between the sills is not essential in my opinion - it was on all cars originally and was probably removed previously as you suggest.

Ken

Thanks, Ken. Another thing learnt. Cheers.

You are doing this with a lot of care and effort which will show in the end result. I appreciate the pictures people have contributed in regards to the seat belts and the tips I am learning about wagons in particular. I have seen a fair few wagons in the past few years. There is something about them that is rubbing off on me.

Cheers

Deano.

Haha, that first pic does look very familiar.... 8) Cheers, Jamie.

Yeh, Jamie. People like you who detail their builds on the forum are a massive help and inspiration to people like me who wouldn't even contemplate doing a car from scratch.
When I first started looking for a car, I wanted a runner, preferably licensed. I knocked back a well priced EK sedan, almost ready for licensing, cos it had a couple of dents and a little rust - I thought it would be too hard to fix.  I then started reading various builds on this and the FB/EK forum and saw what could be done.
So I went and got myself an FC wagon full restoration job. Good move? I wonder sometimes but I'm enjoying it so far and learning heaps, including how to weld and shape sheet metal.
So, to all of you who have inspired and helped others to take on this type of work -THANKS.
Cheers, John

Ok, I notice you still didn't get an answer about the dogleg? I waited cos I don't have a wagon but should be the same the offset of the lip. So here's the original fc taxi. Your just lucky cos I have it home ready to lift it off the trailer with the excavator for blasting these areas. The reason ppl aren't rushing in with pics is cos they can't show u what u wanna see properly, if i am understanding your question. (http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/02/20/42cce32184f0bbfa4970cb235b2f4b8d.jpg)(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/02/20/41316a0e24160246a866d04dac73183c.jpg)(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/02/20/4ec5b3424e75fc7d892837f504732c7a.jpg)(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/02/20/90795ff3a48105e55745973db54abb22.jpg)(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/02/20/b3bf500c999e91dcce7ac59fc00f4ab3.jpg)
Here's pics of how they line up sideways view and the one that is finished is my fe custom on the other car. I'm gunna go around and dye grind it all nice once the bodies are completely repaired.

Thanksalot Dean, just what I needed. Cheers, John

;)

Bump. Any progress John?
Cheers
Clay


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Haha, you know what I've been doing Clay, trying to get the FB on the road so I've got an old Holden to drive while I work on the FC, which is a longer term project.

Cheers,

John

👍me too😈


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