Art's FC Sedan Build 2.0

[Corey05]

I knew inevitably that I would have to tackle the front A pillar bottoms. They seemed OK originally, however once I put the wire brush to them, they fell apart.  Luckily, inside was in good condition, it was only the outside that needed fabricating. Like a jigsaw, old removed, new built up piece by piece, job done. Plenty of rust converter and rustproofing sprayed inside though!








from the look of the panels are they from a donor car or have you fab them as I'm trying to find a wreck to cut both sides off. I feel spoilt looking at yours as I only have minimal rust but it had to be in that spot

cheers corey

[Longman]

Good luck finding rust free ones. Mine were all tabbed by hand in 1.6mm steel. Take your time, piece by piece.

[Corey05]

you have done a nice job, patience is definitely the key.

[NES304]

Awesome read. Great with what you’ve achieved so far.
Can’t wait for the updates.

[Longman]

Awesome read. Great with what you’ve achieved so far.
Can’t wait for the updates.

Couldn't have done it without your help, you got me started.

[NES304]

Couldn't have done it without your help, you got me started.

Ps the computer update is only 195kw.

[Longman]

Ps the computer update is only 195kw.

As long as one day it is enough to make the wheels go round, I will be happy.

[hsv-001]

I cant help noticing the steering arms on the rack ,are they original HR and if so have you noticed if the steering lock has been shortened [lack of turning circle . I understand that you are putting some weight over the front end and therefore need the leverage but have you considered shorter steering arms or maybe 2 extra teeth cut on your steering rack ,this may maintain the original steering lock . Just a thought . Haydn

[Longman]

I cant help noticing the steering arms on the rack ,are they original HR and if so have you noticed if the steering lock has been shortened [lack of turning circle . I understand that you are putting some weight over the front end and therefore need the leverage but have you considered shorter steering arms or maybe 2 extra teeth cut on your steering rack ,this may maintain the original steering lock . Just a thought . Haydn

Thanks Haydn. I've not done anything with the front end other than put it together. I will keep your tip in mind when I get to installation phase.

[Longman]

Grabbed a few hours over Easter to get a couple small jobs done on the floor. The donor floor came with pre-installed shifter and handbrake holes that I don't need, so got in an welded them up. I'm no welder, but I am happy with the results and I improve with each weld. I had to use 1.6mm steel as that's all I had, was much harder to shape and bend but it did the job, the welds are solid and it will be covered by Dynamat/carpet on top and a dirty big auto gearbox on bottom.

[JB]

Where you up to Art?

[Longman]

Hey Jason,

Been doing a lot of the boring stuff, stripping and coating, welding little patches and holes if I find anything. I've also collected the remaining patches and panels I need. The floor is fully stripped and coated, ready for some seam sealer. The boot area has been fully stripped and coated ready for some sealer and some tidying/finishing around the welds.  The rear valance and bottom of quarters are the last pieces of the shell to be done, just waiting on the time and a mate to help.

I did also manage to get the missus on the tools! She did a great job on the boot lid.

Where you up to Art?

[JB]

Fantastic that it is ticking along nicely mate! Great to see some pics too.

[Longman]

I've been lucky enough to pick up some nice cuts to repair certain areas, these will cut down the working time, which I'm grateful for.

[2brite]

looking good

[waynos]

good stuff keep it up!

[GMHwagoon]

 happy to help out with parts   arthur.
                 nice to see parts being reused into projects keep up the good work mate

[Longman]

Speaking of parts.  Had a couple of good days in the shed and am happy to say that the last of the rust in the shell is gonski! It's only taken just over a year.  Yesterday saw the rear valance panel replaced. I was lucky to get a rust free cut (thanks Greg!) which made the job so much easier. With the help of a good mate, we bolted on the bootlid and got to work cutting out the old and welding in the new(er). A coat of Fibral fiberglass filler to seal the welds ready for bodywork and the job was done, for now.

[Longman]

Next job was rear driver's lower quarter. We cut away the bad stuff and found it was really bad, the entire lower needed replacing, including the bumper mounting bulge, and the inner boot well.  Thanks again to Greg, I had a rust free boot well ready to go (see earlier post). I bought a replacement outer skin from Rare Spares and I have to say, the fit was dreadful, the angle of the curve was completely wrong and required a lot of remedial work to get it right.  In the end, the outer was finished in 3 parts, I scored a decent set of bumper bulges a while ago, they certainly came in handy. Again a skim of fibral to seal it all and a coat of protectant until the bodywork starts.  A shout out to my mate Micka, I've never seen someone fabricate complex curves out of 1.6mm steel so fast and precise with no special tools. Dude got skillz.

[Longman]

the passenger side quarter needed similar work to the drivers, but only on the outside, the inner boot well was solid and rust free, thankful for small mercies.  We used the top part of the driver's side Rare Spares skin to fill in this side, curved in a vice to fit. Bumper bulge again was replaced as was the curve below the tail light.