FC Wagon tidy up

[chriso-fc]

Hey everyone,

I'm new to the forum - been lurking a while but signed up to share the work I'll be doing on my wagon, and no doubt I'll be asking for lots of advice and help along the way.

Bit of background: the wagon was my first car at 19 (12 years ago), when it was patchy red, running on 5 cylinders and took as long to do 0-100 as 100-0. My dad and I swapped in a disc brake front end, red 173 and other bits and pieces, then rubbed back the paint, made some repairs and repainted it red and black to match the interior.

The poor girl has laid neglected in the garage for the past 18 months, and wasn't driven much before that. Mainly because she wasn't that enjoyable to drive. Something's up with the gearbox (it grates into 3rd, badly), and going over bumps is a painful experience. Anyway, the goal here is to address those issues, tidy up the engine (there's wires, oil and dirt everywhere), maybe a few hop up bits and finish off the interior.

Let me know if these pics don't work (I'm new at this).

Here she is. Up on axle stands, finally feeling happy she's getting some attention.


Horrible engine bay. The engine runs nice, doesn't burn oil, so I'll really just give it some basic attention (cleaning, some shiny bits and new gaskets).


Front seat (I need a black and red one!). This one is so far gone, and it's not the original.


Back seat. Not bad. The doors have been painted with a paint brush so I might rub them down and do them properly.


The view from behind.


As a warning - this will be slow and painful! I've seen some of you guys tear down a car in a day - I don't have that experience or knowledge.

Cheers,
Chris

[customFC]

Hey Chris
Looks like a good starting point.
Good luck with the rebuild, should make a tidy unit when done.
Regards
Alex

[Old_Mt_Isa_Boy]

Chris, great project. Hopefully when completed it will be enjoyable to drive.

Good luck and hopefully back on the road before you know it.

Regards

Wayne B

[Not Happy Jan]

Hi Chris
Nice wagon. Looks like a good solid base.
Keep posting and don't forget to keep asking questions.
Nick

[wayne.c]

Hey Chris,

Ur ride looks the part but even better there 's family history with the car!!!

Rgds Wayne C

[chriso-fc]

Well I've taken the rocker cover off to scrape half an inch of gunk off it. Turns out I could take the bolts out using just the socket - only one actually needed the ratchet.
It might be a good time to buy shares in some kind of degreaser supply company, cos it looks like I'll need a lot of it!



This is after a quick clean up. I'm on the lookout for a nice finned rocker cover and some stainless bolts.


This will be rested back in place until my gasket set arrives, i get a new rocker cover and the rest of the bay is tidied up. I've started a list of 'things to do' before starting the engine up again, as with the pace I work at I will have well and truly forgotten it's missing the gasket and is resting on there by the time I'm done!

I've been worried about the rear main bearing seal, but after seeing how loose the rocker cover was I'm hoping (praying) that the oil down there is from higher up. I figure when I change the oil and filter I'll give one of those additives a go which is meant to help seal it up and keep my fingers crossed.

Next step is to take off the carb, manifold and get down that side with a brush and 4 cans of degreaser. I've found one thing I'm missing - some decent hand cleaner! I work in an office in Melbourne CBD and grease covered hands and fingernails doesn't really go with the ironed shirt and pants.

Also thanks for the kind words and encouragement, I figure with a few people watching my progress it will be added motivation to get this done.

[FE 4 ME]

Welcome to the forum,
 this is the place for all those questions you have no answers for.... looks like you have a great start/base to work with

JUST A HINT RE: Dirty hands, i use either latex ( 2nd choice really ) or well fitted cotton gloves dipped in rubber ( you can get them from bunnings ) get at least 1 size down from your normal size so you get a tight fit and inturn still have good feeling when handling bolts etc.  Opposed to normal gloves that lose feeling when working on your car...... it works great for me....give it a go and see how it works for you

all the best with your resto

"Have A Great Holden ( FE ) Day !!!"


FE 4 ME

[holden1959fc]

wise words there about the gloves.... girlfriend won't winge as much when you put your hands on her..... Good luck with getting the wagon running good. Just a tip for degreaser. I recomend you try a product called RANGE CLEANER. it is a oven type cleaner and very guttsy. Dominant chemical make this but it cleans away all the grease and dosnt damage anything.... just remember the gloves and a mask when you use it..... I have used it for years and never had any issues from it. Good luck and keep the pictures comming

[wilburwilde]

As a mechanic I have tried lots of gloves, latex, leather, synthetic leather etc. The best i have found so far are Black Ligtning

http://www.kbs-coatings.com.au/kbs-workgear-black-lightning-gloves

They are nice and strong, give good feel and feedback, they do not dry your hands out or get really sweaty when wearing them. I get mine from Repco.

Hope this helps.

Will

[chriso-fc]

So, it was off for some shopping to get some gloves and hand cleaner. I went with Will's suggestion and got the KBs gloves - I can see why you recommend them, they're tough enough but still thin enough, and I was wearing them for hours with no problems.

It was time to tackle the intake and exhaust manifolds to make some room and do a bit of cleaning. I took stacks of photos so I can put this all back together later on. Most I won't bore you with.

This all went pretty smoothly. I had already taken the top hose off the radiator, as well as the thermostat housing. They were dry so I figured the radiator was pretty much empty. Here's a tip for the less experienced - drain the radiator first to make sure. I took the hose off which goes from the water pump to the intake manifold and green liquid sprayed out everywhere. Some quick bucket placement and we're good to go.


Choke cable off, carb accelerator linkage off, and I broke something.




Any idea what that clip thing is called? Gotta get a replacement.
Anyway, with everything disconnected, it was time to undo the bolts holding the intake and exhaust manifolds on. This is when I discovered something missing from my toolbox - a 9/16 spanner. The shifter did the job for some, but the others I need to get a ring spanner on, cos there's not enough room to get a shifter in there. I'd already been to Bunnings and Repco today, so the spanner will have to wait till next payday.

I figure it's time to get under the car and drain the oil. Lying down, I'm faced with this -


Not sure if you can tell, but there is oil EVERYWHERE. I'm not squeezing under there with it like that, so time to have a bit of a clean. There is a thick oily muddy gloop on just about everything. I made a few scrapes to try and show it:


After a bit of archeological work with the screwdriver, I discovered what looked like a recently painted HR disc brake front end.

I took the opportunity to check some of the bolts as well, after seeing how loose the rocker cover ones were.


If you squint, you might be able to see that that the sump bolt just below the sway bar is about half an inch out! All the bolts I checked were loose. The grease nipple on the lower suspension arm was loose too.
Lots more scraping and cleaning, and there was a pile of goop under the car. Taking a break, I had a peer around at some other bits. Uh oh:


The front crossmember/chassis rail (not sure what it's called) had two small rust holes in it. After a poke around in there they looked like the above photo. It was full of dust, dirt, bits of rust, leaves. Should I replace the whole thing or can I cut it out, hit it with some killrust and weld some patches over it?

Depressed at my find, I cleaned up and finished up for now.
I decided I'm going to use my original post as a reminder for my future self on things to remember, as well as a shopping list and log of purchases.
 
Thanks for reading! Next session: get a 9/16 spanner, take off the intake and exhaust manifolds, more cleaning.

Edit: Looks like I only have a certain time in which I can edit a post?
Reminders:
Fit the rocker cover gasket and bolts!
Fit the thermostat housing gasket before replacing the cover.

Shopping list:
Gasket set $82 delivered
Hand cleaner $8
Gloves $30
9/16 spanner
Some drop sheets to make cleaning easier
Engine oil
Rear main seal repair additive

[DN2168]

No chance of rust under there...lol. Keep at it & it will be worth the effort.

Don't foget to check ebay or the local 2nd hand shops for tools, you may pick up a good deal.

Dean.

[FE 4 ME]

Maybe it might help you if you have a full parts catalogue, i have a great cheap way to obtain one and all money goes into the FE/FC Club QLD...
It's great to know what each bolt and nut is and a part number for each of them...have a look at my thread regarding this parts Catalogue...it's up to you, i thought it might help, plus only $15 its cheap as chips..JUST A WARNING IT'S 758 PAGES OF GOOD READING    which is monies worth i reckon !!

i might check out those gloves too, mind you i also use mine for the garden, rigging and just about everything they are tuff enough to see it though, but those black gloves look great...

Just another helping advise, you might need a degrease bath..i use a cheap storage box ( you can get from cheap shops like Sams, Bunnings or the Reject shop ) i purchase 5 lt ( or more if you like ) bottles as its cheaper and you will need it, i than place the part/s in the bath, use a squirter bottle than soak, than scrub with toothbrushes/nail brushes or what ever does the job at hand. I than have a sink drainer type item i than leave to drain the rest back in the bath this perforated drainer is great for smaller items like bolts to keep in one spot and it's just lift out and they're right there ( A bit like a chip deep fryer type thing going on )...it's a very cheap and effective way to clean all that oil and grime off... and it looks like you will need it   .... i do like the sound of that heavy duty oven cleaner for that extra effort needed

i also use cheap plastic paint drop sheets laid on the floor so no oil or dirt soaks into the concrete, they cost like 80c a large sheet you can also get them just about anywhere, even supermarkets...hehehe also keep a lot of newspaper handy, it's a great way to soak up oil

just a few little things i've done that might help you along your way


"Have A Great Holden ( FE ) Day !!!"  


FE 4 ME

[ehsv6]

Rare Spares  CP1035

[FE 4 ME]

Clip-rod end spring  #3430  in the Holden parts catalogue but rears spares is the way to go

NOTE : All that oil is better than the fish smell of fish oil...plus means limited rust, but plenty of rags and scrubbing

you're doin great, keep up the good work

FE 4 ME

[steamman]

Love the colour combination, and well that oil leak has been like that for quite a while by the look of it, as others have said it stopped a lot of rust from happening.
Just treat each part of the puzzle as one project dont try to do ten different jobs at once that way it wont seem so daunting.
Cheers
Deano

[Not Happy Jan]

""Should I replace the whole thing or can I cut it out, hit it with some killrust and weld some patches over it?

Depressed at my find, I cleaned up and finished up for now.""

Hey Chris... you've got to expect a bit of rust so don't get too discouraged. Check out other threads for rust repairs and this will give you a pretty good idea of how to tackle the rust spots. Use the search engine. Get yourself a catalogue from Fe 4 ME. At 15 bucks a very valuable resource. I paid about 150 bucks for mine
You need to remove all the rust otherwise it will keep on rusting. KBS chassis coating or POR 15 are great products ( No affiliation  )and if you follow the process they say will eliminate future rust spread. There are a few people out there selling rust replacement parts. Again use the search engine or check out ebay or rare spares for their product range.
Can you weld.. sounds as if you can . As I've been told... just give it a go!!! You only have to cut it out and start again if its no good.
Oh yeah... keep the pictures coming. Always helps the thread to generate a good discussion.
Nick

[GMVAN]

Chris a few observations:   Your engine looks to be leaking a lot more than just your rocker cover by the look of oil in front of the front end, my choice would be to pull engine out and put complete gasket kit through it much easier to do it now than after you have painted everthing. Secondly when cutting rust out of K frame leave it on the car and leave the HR front end on it that way it will stay in the right position while welding without warping and twisting. Thirdly do as everyone else said, one thing at a time otherwise you will have too many jobs on the go.  Good luck    Grubby   

[FE 4 ME]

Clip-rod end spring  #3430  in the Holden parts catalogue but rears spares is the way to go

NOTE : All that oil is better than the fish smell of fish oil...plus means limited rust, but plenty of rags and scrubbing

you're doin great, keep up the good work

FE 4 ME

if you have not sourced this part here is a link to ebay for what you need/ed



http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HOLDEN-HK-HT-HG-ACC-LINKAGE-BUSH-KIT-6-CYL-EXCEPT-186S-/260836722458?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3cbb14871a



maybe you still might need them, hope it helps


how's your resto going ??

hope all is going well


FE 4 ME