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Title: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius on September 15, 2005, 11:17:50 AM A milestone reached today after two weeks working on the car (solidly for this week).
I hooked up the battery and it didn't make any weird sounds or start smoking etc. Then I turned the key over an knock me down with a feather if the bugger didn't start cranking. Nice and healthy too, with a hint of the straight-cuts to urge me on. The goal now is to finish putting the motor back together to get it running proper and finish off the wiring. (http://tinyurl.com/9rvnc) Fuse panel in near enough to the stock location. (http://tinyurl.com/9dc8s) Lost count of the times I routed and re-routed these wires and I am still not 100% happy. (http://tinyurl.com/cyttv) Cleaned out/up petrol tank and boot wiring, being an american kit, the wiring is a bit arse about. (http://tinyurl.com/djvv8) Bloody dash and gauges has been a source of frustration, at the moment the oil and water gauges go spastic with the battery connected and ignition off, grrrrr. (http://tinyurl.com/amadf) Spaghetti ala Stinky! BTW, I gotta thank the person who passed on the tip about using a battery charger as a power source to test wiring, I am sure without this advice I'd be posting photos of charred FE remains ;D Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: Ed on September 15, 2005, 08:31:13 PM Hey Stinky,
well done mate, that scene sure is a familiar site! No matter how well you plan I reckon it's inevitable the wires get re-routed. My latest saying for my car is "third time lucky!" since every job I do seems to be completed third time round, despite endless planning. make sure you have really good earths from motor to chassis and battery to chassis. I ran an extra earth lead from the dashboard to ground to ensure no strange electrical things happened. I also used the air-ride kit and reckon they are pretty good... being US suited me as my fuses are in the glovebox. Cheers Ed Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius on September 16, 2005, 06:47:55 AM Heh, heh, heh ..........DOWH!!!
Funny you should mention good earthing, I thought I had it all sorted, but the gauges were playing up because I did not earth to the body, only the motor. One thick piece of wire later and all was sweet, the oil pressure gauge was a worry for a while but it came good eventually. Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: Phantom on September 16, 2005, 07:02:15 AM Looking good Stinky,cant wait to see her at the nats mate
Cheers Rusty Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: fc_1958 on September 16, 2005, 10:02:27 AM Hey Stinky
The instrument cluster looks interesting, how about a photo of the front and some details. Thanks Andrew Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius on September 16, 2005, 10:22:52 AM Others saw the build-up of this ages ago, but never the completed piece. Unfortunately I didn't do a complete mockup before cutting gauge holes and paint, as a result I had to file a few mms of the plastic surrounds.
Speedo was almost made for this, an MDF adaptor was needed though. LED indicator lights are 12V from Jaycar, although your normal LEDs can be used with resistor (? or something like that). (http://tinyurl.com/dmwq9) Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: fc_1958 on September 16, 2005, 10:37:01 AM Looks great!!
Job well done :) Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: Martin on September 16, 2005, 12:26:21 PM Good onya, Stinky. Keep plugging away. I want to see the finished job.
Martin Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: gp on September 16, 2005, 08:02:54 PM Those instruments look fantastic! Can't wait to see the real thing at Phillip Island!
:D Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: 4hammers on September 16, 2005, 08:16:04 PM WHoa.
They look GREAT! Man, I think there may be some VERY cool cars at the next NATS. Can't wait. Rob J Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius on September 17, 2005, 11:29:05 AM Got oil pressure today, after fixing gasket "issues", I had managed to stuff up the rear sideplate gasket and lost a litre of oil to the garage floor! >:( A blessing in disguise as when I removed the dizzy to fix, I found that I hadn't put the dizzy gasket on at all. A few more bits and pieces to finish and check, a bit of water in the radiator and petrol in the tank, then I should be able to fire her up properly.
(http://tinyurl.com/8kgpy) (http://tinyurl.com/bjwfp) Thermo Fan and trans cooler bracketry. (http://tinyurl.com/9dy96) The old echlin coil doesn't really match the decor, but at least it was cheap ;D (pulled out of the old torrie when the motor came out) (http://tinyurl.com/8o53u) Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: Ed on September 19, 2005, 10:20:29 PM Hey Stinky,
looks like good progress is being made does that velocity stack have a re-useable filter? I am considering using the K&N short stack which just fits under bonnet (or at least the 4L paint tin I dummy set up did at 8.5 inches tall). are your brakes and everything working as well? my car is at a very similar stage.. I hung the front panels and fit the grille on sunday. Cheers Ed Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius on September 20, 2005, 01:13:06 AM The velocity stack has a washable foam filter held in place by another perforated metal plate on the bottom, kinda like a foam sandwich :P
Brakes are next on the list. Almost had it started last night if not for a flat battery. Flattened the first one before I realised there was no rotor button in the dizzy. I think the Holley is having a bit of trouble too, so I have downloaded the tuning manual and have a go tonight or tomorrow night. Progress slows down again now as I am back at work. Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: Bent on September 22, 2005, 10:45:10 PM Gday Stinky,
Love ya work. What is your booster and master cylinder out of, and what sort of brakes are you running? Scotty Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius on September 22, 2005, 11:12:41 PM LC/LJ Torana booster and brakes, the booster required some firewall mods and a bit of modification to the bracket inside the dash that the pedals swing on.
There's so much Torana gear in this car it should be called an FE Torana ;D. As I had plenty of Torana bits lying around, they made their way onto the car. Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius on December 30, 2005, 12:26:17 PM Long time between drinks.
I hadn't realised it had been so long since I worked on the car. The bumpers are now on, but the front passenger corner will need to come off again >:( . Fitted everything up, hit it with the metal polish and nice big chunk of chrome plate came off! Other progress and disasters include, - Rear parcel shelf and speakers in ;D - Test run of the motor revealed exhaust gasket leaks and top radiator hose problem >:( - Finished one of the kick panel speaker pods and it looks "the business" ;D Brakes should be happening soon, but I said that last time ;D (http://tinyurl.com/e32e2) ..... and no, I am not as fat as the bumper reflection would have you believe. Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: COL58FE on December 31, 2005, 07:11:49 AM g'day stinky,
i'am still in love with that racing dash, it's coming together real nice. but the front pic look's great. go the black paint. ;) cheer's col. Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: minifcvan on December 31, 2005, 08:17:08 AM hi stinky, love the dash wanna build me one lol ;D ;D
Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius on February 14, 2006, 12:30:05 AM Quote hi stinky, love the dash wanna build me one lol ;D ;D Sure, anything is possible if the price is right ;) Wanna sub box too? (http://i1.tinypic.com/nod646.jpg) Just finished it on the weekend, amongst other things, trying out some new trimming ideas. Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: minifcvan on February 14, 2006, 01:10:04 AM HOW MUCH ?? SEND ME A PM ;D ;D
Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: smithy on February 14, 2006, 10:52:39 AM gezz stinky ya going nuts with the needle and thread mate, well done keep it up ;)
your a braver man than i, i took a good hard look at a couple of trimming books Ed sent me down and well, put it this way, the trimmer is getting my seats in 2 weeks. ;D ; question though, did you replace the hessian and foam on the back seat or just stick with the original flocking? was there much drama involved. cheers dean Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius on February 14, 2006, 12:18:42 PM Unfortunately I didn't do the seats for the sedan, but it looks like the trimmer replaced all the old padding etc with foam and new stuff. If you closely at it, you can probably see that some springs needed replacing.
Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius on March 15, 2006, 11:55:47 AM How many big guys does it take to wire up a stereo system? ......
one, but only just (http://i2.tinypic.com/rcmves.jpg) Real cosy in there, trying to wire up the amps and mount them in a half presentable state. Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: SRVLIVES on March 15, 2006, 12:03:14 PM Quote (http://i2.tinypic.com/rcmves.jpg) "Now, if I knock that timber out, how long can he stay in there 'til he gives me more pocket money?" :-/ Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius on July 05, 2006, 06:07:27 AM A little closer now, took it to the Rego inspection and have a few small things to tidy up before they will pass it.
Like me forgetting to re-fit the fron bump-stops, dow! The clutch cylinder hole on the firewall needs to be plugged, the rear wheels need less braking force (locking up before the fronts) and I need to find the chassis number ??? Where the chassis number should be is clear metal and I have even sanded it back to see if it was bogged or painted over. Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: zulu on July 05, 2006, 06:25:42 AM Hey Stinky, Lookin good! did you check on both inner skirts of the sub frame for the chassis no.? FE had it stamped near the battery and if it has a FC front sub frame, it's on the opposite side about half way along.
With the clutch hole, on Hydra-matic EK it was just a plate with holes drilled to use the master cyl attaching bolts. Gary Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius on July 05, 2006, 06:48:59 AM Crap! Thanks Gary, I found it and according to my emails I had found it before because I had put it through the Website Decoder. What I had done was run some of the wiring directly over the top of the number so you couldn't see it, now I have to repaint the other side of the engine bay ::)
Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius on September 30, 2007, 09:47:20 PM Well I am still going with this project.
Finally : - Finished fitting the door rubbers last weekend. This all started with the saga detailed here - http://fefcholden.org.au/forum/index.php/topic,10080.0.html - Door locks are in. - Correct Temp sender is in. - Boot lock is in ( >:( bugger of a job with the normal boot trim deleted) - Painted the boot repairs and trimmed the reliefs(?) with some help from the kids ;D They drew out their own designs and I embossed them into the trim panels, I can hear some of the groans already. It's a family car though and now they can all say they have done something to it. (http://i24.tinypic.com/14jcemw.jpg) Next are plans to trim the boot with false floor and panels. Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: jack_fc on October 01, 2007, 09:39:04 AM Stinky, love the trim on the inside of the boot lid - very appropriate for a family car!! What do you intend to do about inner guard panels in the boot? Did FE/FC's have these as original? I'm in the process of making these panels from scratch, have spent many hours making cardboard templates, but have no idea what (if anything) was there originally... This is my first FC, and there are no others around here to check out for what the boot interior looks like, so I'm just winging it....
cheers jack Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius on October 01, 2007, 10:29:31 AM Thanks Jack, there's no panels in the boot of originals, only the floor mat.
Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: TTV6FC on October 01, 2007, 06:46:39 PM Great work Glenn,good to see how you're coming along.Having seen the car in the flesh, it will nice to see how it looks all finished.Cheers,Jamie.
Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius on March 17, 2008, 01:17:05 PM Well, Sunday before the Nationals I finally got around to finishing the boot install I mentioned back in September 2007 (6-7 months later ::) )
BEFORE Sub removed, wiring tidied and re-routed in places. (http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b137/stinky456/20080316%20FE%20Sedan%20Boot%20Update/2008-03-15FESedan004.jpg) AFTER Much better, apart from the rear panel which the sub mounts to the other panels are all interference fit and can be out in 30 seconds. (http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b137/stinky456/20080316%20FE%20Sedan%20Boot%20Update/2008-03-16FESedan023.jpg) UNDER Spare wheel, jack, brace, tools etc. (http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b137/stinky456/20080316%20FE%20Sedan%20Boot%20Update/2008-03-16FESedan025.jpg) .... and something for the youngest son ;D (http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b137/stinky456/20080316%20FE%20Sedan%20Boot%20Update/2008-03-16FESedan009.jpg) He's wrapped. (http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b137/stinky456/20080316%20FE%20Sedan%20Boot%20Update/2008-03-16FESedan011.jpg) Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: EffCee on March 17, 2008, 02:04:45 PM Geez stinky, love that boot, thats awesome, love the colour match of the booster seat too. Where did you get the trim to do the job?
Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: Ed on March 17, 2008, 02:08:20 PM impressive job their Stinky, makes a huge difference to the boot.
nice straight lines too Cheers Ed Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: Glenn 'Stinky' Stankevicius on March 17, 2008, 02:40:01 PM Where did you get the trim to do the job? Just ordinary automotive vinyl that I got from Daley's or UDA.Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: smithy on March 17, 2008, 03:27:27 PM looking fantastic stinky, and great to see the car or vinyl hasnt melted away with the heatwave youve been getting ;)
might have to get the number of your trimmer there mate ;D ;D well done dean Title: Re: It's Alive!!! ........ well almost Post by: TTV6FC on March 17, 2008, 07:48:02 PM Great job Glenn,looks fantastic :o
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