It has begun,but will it continue...?

[Rusty_T]

 

Jamie ,here are some pics of the rust that I turn into a nice looking car.

Rusty

[Rusty_T]

 
Jamie,

As you can see the floor was totally not there .the guards were just MUD guards. It took a long time but the end result was well worth the effort.The car is not to far off being finished.Here is a pic of the finished floorand other bits.

Rusty

[TTV6FC]

Thanks heaps for the photos Rusty.I guess I had always intended to persist with the car anyway as it does have a lot of good points.The title was just a method of getting some opinions and thoughts on the project.Bootlid in nearly finished,will post photos soon.Cheers,Jamie.

[collecta]

Hey Jamie,
 we do have a club member with his own blasting business and has started soda blasting, Steve had a trade stand at the gazza nats with an xy ute half done and my 5 gal harley tanks half done brings metal back to a polished shiny as new appearance can blast car unstripped as you probably know it wont harm chrome or glass etc. and other positives.
cheers
Scott

[TTV6FC]

Just got back from holidays and did a bit more on the bootlid this week
,


only a couple of small dings to deal with,will start on the doors next week.Always hard to get a lot done at this time of year.....silly season...cheers Jamie.

[FX1975]

Hello,

     Mark Finney of Finney motor trimming removed and refitted my headling he is located at Kemps Creek NSW his no. is0417 669951, he did a terrific job as all other upholturers I spoke told me I'd have to replace it if I removed it but it didn't phase him one bit.

            hope this helps
                        Frank

[TTV6FC]

Hi Frank.I'm in SA and have since spoken to a senior club member (Super dooper profesional auto trimmer ) who has given me the run down.Thanks anyway.Cheers Jamie.

[TTV6FC]

Had a small chance to get a bit done on Sunday just gone....Got the boot lid Deoxodined and etch primed,the steering column and dash out and the whole front clip off.Man those front outer Y frame bolts are a pain as they had swollen up with rust and jammed solid.Unfortunately had to use brute force in the form of the grinder.The Diff....now that's another story.Not out yet,but will be soon.Front shackle bolts have the same problem,rusted and swollen I expect.Any advice on extracting these is appreciated.Shell will go off to sand blasters in a week or so.



More updates soon,cheers,Jamie.

[Sideplate]

Jamie,
             How bad is the subframe??  Ive got a ute I just picked up, sills stuffed, front bottom a pillars stuffed and more...... but its fixable and the old things are getting harder to get.  Ive only got a few patch jobs to do on the subframe.  I spose if your prepared to do it over time it pays off!!!!!  Good luck with it cause in the end its more than worth it

[TTV6FC]

Hi Tayz,whoops...sideplate.I am quite passionate about restoring this car since I first started because I want to make an example of what can be done to something that looks too far gone (I know plenty of people on this forum have already proved this...)The sills and floor are not great but from there up,the car is in pretty good nick.All the hanging panels except the front guards are almost spotless as well as the interior,so I am prepared to do what it takes to get this one looking real sweet again.Was a bit disappointed to find (tonight) that the engine is not original (B127114).Hadn't previously looked at the engine number,but from what I understand,an original engine should start with an L?Thanks for your reply,Cheers,Jamie.

[TTV6FC]

Well today after I finished work at 1.00pm,got home and went straight to the shed.Not too sure where my motivation came from as it was 42 degrees here today!The Black FC is now officially a "shell".Started building the rotisserie this afternoon.Stay tuned...


Cheers,Jamie.

[TTV6FC]

And just a couple more questions,what brand is this heater box which was originally installed in this car?Should I repair this box and reinstall it or just weld up the holes in the firewall?It is unique so I may just try to repair it (very rusty).



Cheers,Jamie.

[TTV6FC]

It spins!I finished the rotisserie last thursday and spent most of the weekend working so didn't get much done underneath except for the removal of about 15 kilo's of dirt and built up crap.Ordered the sills and floor today so should get them in the the next couple of days.Will have to fabricate a new piece of the subframe that fits in the tunnel as this is also rusted out and I dont think is available as a spare.Off to the blaster next week hopefully.



More soon,Cheers Jamie.

[TTV6FC]

Hi all.My floor sections and sill panels arrived on Saturday and I must say that I think the quality of these parts is average to say the least(they look OK in the photos!).The only problem is,what are the alternatives?NOS sills and floors are pretty thin on the ground these days and when you do see them,they are a million dollars each!Anyway it's just lucky that I have some metal fab skills to fix them.I would certainly caution anyone who thought they could just buy these parts and stick them in with no other work needed!I did a 67 hour week this week so all I got time to do was to unstitch one sill so the sand blaster can blast the inner sill.Hopefully I get this weekend off so I can get some more done....



More soon,Cheers,Jamie.

[Sideplate]

67 hour week??  sounds like more money for RUDD and some more for the FC   looking real good jamie.  I bloody gave away a set of nos sills a few years ago, Im trying to get them back, hopefully I will.  Your work looks like its going real well, keep it up!!!!!
                                                                                                      Paul

[Rabbitoh]

I'm about to build a jig like yours Jamie.
Did you create a 'cut list' of materials and follow a 'plan' or just build it as you went?

[TTV6FC]

Hi guys.I really appreciate your comments,was starting to think everyone had lost interest .You are absolutely spot on about the money Tayz.Rabbitoh,with regards to the cut list,as you can see from these photos,the front bracket was done on the fly and I think it turned out great.The back was made from the tow bar which was on the car when I got it.I just cut off the tongue and welded on the supports.I made sure that I didn't change the stands to a point where they couldn't still be used as engine stands.The extra height I added brings them up to a better working height anyway.


More soon,Cheers,Jamie.

[mikey]

was starting to think everyone had lost interest

Get stuffed, no way

Just because not everyone responds with comments does not mean we are absolutely loving following your build. I know I am. Keep up the photos.

Cheers M

[Johns]

Keep up the good work Jamie.

You're right about the floor panels, they are pretty ordinary. NOS is near impossible to find, for Nev's rebuild (here http://fefcholden.org.au/forum/index.php/topic,10350.0.html) I found some older repro floor sections ( at the time I thought they were NOS) which were excellent, don't know who made them. I used as little of Rares sections as I could get away with. The only option is to try to find a better floor .

Cheers
John

[FC_fer_me]

Good stuff Jamie, I am following your progress with interest as I hope to start on my project soon. The closeups of the rotisserie is a great help.I suppose the hardest part is getting started and pulling the first bits off the car! Anyway keep those pics coming, Cheers Dave