hello i need advice

[gav]

hi i started useing this forum over a yr ago & at that stage i was just about to go on a farm hunt to find me an fe or fc , well i found a few gold mines which led me to bring home a 58 impala which has gone on to a new home now , another story ...
on another property i am able to get an fe ute that has no floor pan but seems pretty intact , but missing a few odds & ends ! i am really interested in aquireing this ute , if i get this ute , am i able to source out a new floor pan & after visiting alot of places it seems panels etc are very thing on the ground to get , can i get this stuff for this ute ? can i join the fe/c nsw club with out owning a going model ? sorry if this is alittle bit of an ask but i need to start asking questions sumwhere.
Regards; Gav

[RET]

can i join the fe/c nsw club with out owning a going model ?

Absolutely, in fact, highly recommended.  A lot of people join once their car is finished, but it's smarter (IMHO) to join first.  Learn from other people's mistakes and experience.  You'll also find the club a handy source of info and possibly parts you'll need.

I'll leave the comments on the floor-repair to others.  Plenty of forum users with current experience on this front!

Welcome aboard.

cheers
RET

PS Next meeting is Tues Dec 14, here.

[Ed]

Hi Gav,

Im still building my project, and the club had been a valuable resource of info, experience, parts etc.

on the ute topic tho, I think it's a false economy to buy a cheap car needing work as the hours required to restore it to its former glory can be HUGE.

Unless you already have access to another car with a good floor and poor panels, Id probably leave it alone... of course dependent on ur skills and patience.

having no floor is not a good start for a monocoque shell!

the sills are most likely requiring replacement too if this is the case.

i was surveying my car last weekend and realised Id spent most of my energy replacing rust and this turned out to be...

bonnet
guards
doors
tailgate
front floor
firewall
transmission tunnel
both outer sills
B pillar
Quarter panel,
dog leg
various other x members.

this excludes any body mods too.

As u can see.. the entire car almost was replaced!!!!

if i had a clean base, I would of not had to chase down all those panels, and spend hours repairing it to standard spec.

u can see the time/cost saving in a good base...

now for the crunch.. with all those repairs to the floor, it isnt ever going to be a show car, but having it rego'd eventually will be a sweet taste to a hard project (without a doubt the most difficult life project I've ever tackled).

Cheers

Ed

[gav]

thanks guys , i should have noted the car is totally free to me if i remove it from the property ! i can get sum sedans from a neighbouring property for free too , but as i understand it , doors etc are different ? i'm not after any show car by any standard & i dont intend to restore ! just keep the classic shape & well modenize the running gear , for an everyday driver  ..
i shall come to a club meeting & pick peoples brains out then   thanks for the imput so quick

[Wayne]

Hi
  Be good to see you at next meeting when I joined the club I did not own a car and was able to find a good car through the club.
WAYNE