FC Holden Sedan "Black and White Taxi Service Co-Operative" restoration

[pedro]

a pic showing the difference btw a standard spring height and 1 inch lowered, quite fascinating really - its one inch lower

Glad you told me that Deano i never would have picked it , is it my imagination or is that new spring slightly narrower too.
    Pedro
p.s. notice my restraint on commenting about your pink bits

[fe350chev]

Thanks guys   I hope to have the peak finished by next week.

[fe350chev]

I've decided to run a weber 32/36 carb on a new sonic manifold which I just bought to work out how I'm gunna match port the heads a bit. Might run a pressure feed regulator later on to assist with fuel delivery

[fe350chev]

Hi Yall.

Today was a day of sorting and cleaning. It's funny cos the day started out in town at the hardware store. I have got to know this young sheila and have been intrigued by her knowledge of paint systems and many other hardware knowledge. I just assumed that she was really into her job or the Mitre 10 training is bloody good.   Anyway for some reason today we got talking about different types of acid. Then I just happened to mention that I am making up my own hot tank boiler and using old skool methods of engine block conditioning and that I am trying to do everything with period methods like the original owner would have. I explained to her about the taxi and how the original bloke was from the country like we are and she was keen to know all methods going into the initial engine building stage. She piped up that she actually has a chemical science degree and she doesn't want to move to the shitty, so she cant use her degree. She not only has a degree, but she has done honours and guess what in    Rust removal techniques!   which surprised me. Anyway I explained to her how I was going to go about desludging the EJ block I have here. Given that I don't wanna use a commercial hot tank and I wanna do it better than that for the internals, we came up with a method we both agreed on that is using all natural edible producted but will be a staged thing and will take a month. Some ingredients I haven't used before are lemons, potatoes and flour slurry. The flour will be a key element in this weirdo paint stripper mix she told me to try. Anyway I wont give away all the secrets, but she has given me a system to try which should enhance my already enviro-friendly methods I have adopted in the past. So I got to pressure cleaning and stuff. Having a shed is sooo over rated .... . I mean I had great fun in the sun and the mud as any machine operator would. I recommend using an old bread delivery crate for pressure cleaning as a base, works a treat.




The missus is over the moon that she can now oversee the whole build from the kitchen   and there is no room to use the alfresco anymore that she has looked forward to for many years. She hasn't seen me paint in there, but cos I brush off the over spray before she sees it, it's all as harmonious as it can be under the circumstances  





Some pics I took the other day!  

[fe350chev]

I cant really walk into the garden shed anymore cos I have restored parts everywhere all in epoxy. Sometimes I think I am seeing double, but then I think how stupid I am to do 2 cars at once....with no real setup to do so.  




Anywho I then started thinking of the flushing method for the block and rigged up a 25mm fitting to an big ass Ebara Pump, putting out 70psi head pressure and 170lpm flow (fills a 9ltr bucket in 3.5 s.

[fe350chev]

Haven't been able to juggle everything that's happening atm.

[fe350chev]

There is evidence of the original owner putting oil underneath where oil shouldn't be for rust prevention I'm guessing. Old skool country methods of making things rust proof. He was from Broken Hill a real bushwhacker and did all his own painting on the cars. The old lady said the company complained cos he dug his heels in and wouldn't use their painter. She said he was a bit of a scally wag! I love yarns with old Sheilas.

[fe350chev]

Here is the neighbor of Stephen. She is the one who gave me all the info.

https://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=3+williams+road+hackham+west&layer=c&sll=-35.147078,138.520264&cbp=13,296.07,,0,11.19&cbll=-35.147164,138.520527&hl=en&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=3+Williams+Ave,+Hackham+West+South+Australia+5163&ll=-35.147082,138.520517&spn=0.007062,0.016512&t=h&z=17&vpsrc=0&panoid=RR-LKd3ZMFRnBPMnbVzzTQ

This was Stephens House, see the design with the double driveway, also see how the drive goes right up to the verandah. I can imagine him with a beer and working on the ole FC 

https://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=3+williams+road+hackham+west&layer=c&sll=-35.147078,138.520264&cbp=13,353.65,,0,6.23&cbll=-35.14744,138.520252&hl=en&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=3+Williams+Ave,+Hackham+West+South+Australia+5163&ll=-35.147433,138.52041&spn=0.007062,0.016512&t=h&z=17&vpsrc=0&panoid=zMOm5TcPO6w0xPKsdFop2Q

[fe350chev]

There was second house the owner built up the street, probably where the taxi was stored.

[fe350chev]

I did a quick bore hone on the Ek grey today and started measuring it up to see what I am working with.  Number 6 is 0.046 but the rest are under 40tho, so looks like ill have no choice but to go a 60tho overbore. That's ok, cos I have an idea for some modern pistons out of a turbo high performance car (not telling took me ages to find), but I am doing more research on the rods first before selecting a piston outright. If I can't find rods stronger rods (standards will be fine with this piston) with the right length to suit these pistons, I will use Holden ones and cap them.  I have in mind have the swirl cut edged pistons for better cylinder swirl and are deeper turbo dish which should give a 7.9 compression if I use larger valves without any chance of them hitting. Very light and only need to take half a mm off the rods I have in mind (honda) to fit the standard journal. Looks to me like the guys who did the previous orginal oversize build just whacked in oversided pistons with extra clearance or it has just been back yard re ringed at some stage 

[fe350chev]

I would like to get my hands on this, its down the back paddock and the owner has heaps of old stuff back there,these are my 2 faves
1934ish McCormick tractor (probably made in Melbourne by inters) and a Chevrolet 1941 pickup (probably made at holden).









http://s1182.photobucket.com/user/fewithrb40/media/IMAG0628.jpg.html

[fe350chev]

Today our garnet industrial blaster guy closed shop, so I took the guards there and he did a good job on the guards and now we have nobody.....not yet to do any blasting 

Anyway he did mine as the last 3 items so I had to paint them myself, so Just finished all the inners and Ill do the outers later. One of the taxi guards is quite bad, I would think worse than average. The other is more ribbed and rippled than a fancy glow in the dark condom, where all the bog was. Funny how the FE has a terrible body/frame yet the panels are much better and the taxi has terrible bolt on bits. But being a taxi, it probably had lots of little tidy ups and bog over bog etc.


Oh also I got a little present today 

[Old_Mt_Isa_Boy]

Nice pressie.

Regards

Wayne b

[fe350chev]

yeah, i bought it for myself, does that count 

[Old_Mt_Isa_Boy]

Yep   

[pedro]

Nice prezzy there Deano, should make the old girl run sweet, the guard looks like a bit of work though.
  Pedro

[fe350chev]

I did a lot more stripping and priming today. All the little bits and pieces like the front supports, various rods and front apron, a heap of stuff bare metaled and etched.

[fe350chev]

Today I felt creative. I have never been so enthusiastic to stay home with the kids during school holidays 

I'm doing a bit of a head job on the spare head I have. I am doing some custom work to it so I can compare torque figures at a later date.

[pedro]

Nice bit of polishing Deano.
  Pedro

[fe350chev]

Yeah, nothing too drastic, just trying to get a bit of swirl and vacuum to the off side of the inlet from the bowl to aid cylinder filling. I want torque so I will put a bit more lift on the exhaust side and keep inlet fairly standard. I will polish the exhaust port, the manifold is already match ported and I deburred and removed the casting inlets and began shaping an polishing it too. The taxi head will be bog stock. If its in good nick all it will get it a decoke and then stored. Depends on what valves look like.