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

[fe350chev]

U ave 2 go 2 baseball 2 get pitchers, no pitchers ere..

[fe350chev]

DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep the taxi original & get something else to V8! With all the documentation the Taxi has it would be a shame not to bring it back to it's former glory.  

Dean.

I am keeping it original. It's just so rare to have a surviving taxi in such good nic (compared to the Breton Blue FE) that I think I will put the EK grey into her and try to bore it out a bit and do a strong little grey, perhaps with better carburation. I can't wait to track down the kids (now adults) who used to go down the beach in it and Christies (in SA) and show them some pics. Then I will find out some more details, such as whether it was all completely black or whether there were some white outs. Also, other stuff like whether they have some original photos, surely they would given that he used it as a taxi right up to 1970 odd.

I did a bit more on this one today. I must have been a good boy, santa came early to my joint!

[fe350chev]

All the above parts were blasted and Epoxy coated.

[JB]

Hard enough doing 1 car!!! Couldn't do 2 at the same time.

[FCRB26]

Dont mix em up 350 powered 3sp crash box with a banjo diff.

Ill be quiet now..

[fe350chev]

I've already done that on the bloody forum threads lol. Today my son is home sick, I've never been so happy to go get my sick kid from school.  so got some more done on the taxi

[fe350chev]

Did some more today cos my boy came home from school sick. That's my gain  . I painted all of the suspension bits their final colour and now ready to assemble the taxi front end.

[pedro]

Looking good Deano, as JB said we are having enough trouble keeping up with one project, doing two at the same time is mind boggling
    Pedro

[fe350chev]

I actually have 3 on the go, my 1956 austin 7 ton tipper (gvm 12 ton). Doesn't need much work at all though.





I wanted something very rare and I like trucks.

I started out as a diesel mechanic at 17, but when I was 16 I got lung disease and had 20 percent of each lung removed due to many lung collapses, so I have 20 metal staples in each lung. My nickname at work was "blowout" because putting a gearbox into a transtar truck once, I had a blowout under the truck. You can imagine how a bunch of diesel mechanics thought that was appropriate for an apprentice! They just got to me in time (the ambulance) and they jabbed a big pen type thing into my chest to relieve the air pressure from my heart. Anywho, cut a long story short, I struggled through and finished trade school, but at the time could not continue because I developed "thoraco-scopic pain syndrome" due to all the nerve damage from the many tubes and ops I had in my early years. It can come on at any time but has got better over the years. It still affects me, mainly in cold weather. It's like being stabbed in the chest but around the back. My lungs have basically fused to my chest wall and are one, which makes it uncomfortable bending and laying under cars. Anyone who has had plurisy on the lungs would know what I mean. So I really had no choice but to seek another career, so I ended up doing a Criminology degree whilst staying home with the 2 boys when they were babies and studied nights. So I suppose now that I am feeling the best I have ever in the past year in terms of pain management, I am battling on getting into the resto's again. The wife doesn't like it cos I have run myself pretty hard doing the whole outside of the house since xmas by myself and doing these projects, but I can't sit around feeling miserable. I did that years ago cos of chronic pain, got a bit depressed and stopped doing the things I enjoyed, but I don't want my boys thinking I am a quitter or a looser just sitting around (not that I sat around not being employed, still functioning as a normal person would), so I am on the go all the time again. I try not to take things too serious because my step dad was 42 and I watched him die in front of me very suddenly of a heart attack (he was only 42) with no warning just 4 years before my near death experiences (leaving his only baby child fatherless), so yeah, you can go two ways I guess. I chose doing as much as I can while I can! All the pain drugs I was on post op (I haven't used pain drugs for years as I just have learned to push through pain) have caused my teeth and bones to go funny (brittle, my bones are developing spurs like a 50 year plus bloke) , so I have bloody osteo in my knees, lower back and getting some in my hands I think. I feel like an old man....sorta sucks.

The only thing is I have to make sure I post the right thing on the right thread! At least my boys will have some hand me downs in case I die prematurely   which is my biggest fear. Feels like my lungs are a time bomb given all the shit they have gone through before adulthood. My one message to people is to NEVER SMOKE IN A CONFINED SPACE WITH YOUR KIDS PRESENT and ALWAYS WEAR A MASK WHEN USING CHEMICALS, PAINT or FINE DUST.

[fc4me]

Brilliant outlook, never ever give up your dreams!!!!!!!!!!!!

[NES304]

F@#k me...
I feel lucky after reading that...
I learnt to drive Fire trucks in an old acco so I can relate to it.

I have motor neuron disease in my family as well as Alzheimers so if I can't do it at least i'll forget it.

The Acco I learnt to drive in was an old military one when I was a RAAF fire fighter so it brings back good memories!!!!

[fe350chev]

Forget what    The forum might come in handy then 

[NES304]

Forget what    The forum might come in handy then 

Dunno what it was I was supposed to remember....

[pedro]

Shit Deano , I never would have guessed with your positive attitude, mate you are an inspiration to all of us who have been struggling with life, if you can get through all that without falling to pieces then we can get through our problems too, I agree totally with the not taking life too seriously bit I've always had that attitude It's just been hard to see lately, as they say laughter is the best medicine, thanks for sharing your story with us and i swear from this day onwards every time i get down i'll think of you and count my blessings for being healthy , love the old Austin she's in bloody good nick for her age, I'm sending you a PM with something that might help with your colour choice.
   Pedro

[FCRB26]

Theres a tidy "Austin 7 screamer" near work in a shed 1 owner 26 thousand miles
And another one with 15 thousand miles was bought to hold a water tank and pump for fires on the property still original owner and still goes at lovedale NSW imaculate condition .



Pete

[fe350chev]

Yeah Hoon, they struggled with build quality....apparently, but they seem to go ok compared to these Holden, so perhaps cos they were Pommy they got a bit better rust and paint treatment. Working in mud and all sorts of crap! Most stored in barns with dirt floors too. Funny how I hate most Austins, but I love the look of these trucks side on. I love the vaccum split diff it has to make it 8 speed, this is a 4 speeder GB, The grain bin is way above average and the tray is drop sided, what more could ya want in a farm truck. Hardly any rips in seats. I am encouraged that it is still registered too so no bullshit with inspections etc just a straight changeover to me and Dad joint names, so its garaged at his address  ....hum hum, but I have property in bush and am "working on the tipper mechanism for Dad so he can take it in the classic Adelaide officer". 

[fe350chev]

Not able to do much ATM.

[fe350chev]

Inner sills arrived today, even though the floors are pretty good, there's too much risk of fine pin holes developing, So it will be a matter of trying to save as much NOS sills to be same both sides if I can, if I cant both inners and outers will be replaced. I think just the front and rear of inners will need doing but full outers. Also, I got the four new floor pans for it ready to go and I found 2 spare cross members  when sorting more stuff out, in a tool box of all places, so will begin taking more off in the coming weeks and look into doing a dodgy rotisserie.

[fe350chev]

May be interesting to some people, a pic showing the difference btw a standard spring height and 1 inch lowered, quite fascinating really - its one inch lower   





Getting some other bits together, will start working on the worst guard, the other guard I am hunting around for!  I can't remember if it is blasted yet or not, I found the other 2 blue ones in Mum's shed  Hmmmm

[brett_f]

Hope you get to live your dream for a long time to come dean.
Brett