Picked up this early FB van yesterday, which I am eying off for rear quarters for the other one. In some ways, it is better than the EK van was when I picked it up, mainly in the passenger rear quarter, roof, and window surround. I will strip it down and consider its future. Firewall forward is toast, though bonnet may be OK. Uppertailgate is ok. Lower is probably salvageable if anyone needs one. Has a tank but dented. Smells like varnish, which may be a good sign. Nothing in the way of an interior but the remnant of a head lining, EK special dash, good wheel and horn bar. Another front window. Now have four.
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getting my FB ute on the road
EK van on rotisserie
It is even earlier than the Sydney FB215 I used the dash out of in the EK van. It has the heater hole over where the regulator normally is. The coil is mounted to the inner guard. The dash above the ashtray doesn’t have any ribbing. Floor looks better than the EK on initial glance but sills are well gone of course.
FB ute fixer upper, EK van on rotisserie
getting my FB ute on the road
EK van on rotisserie
When you're faced with an unpleasant task that you really don't want to do, sometimes you just have to dig deep down inside and somehow find the patience to wait for someone else to do it for you.
Foundation member #61 of FB/EK Holden club of W.A.
Agree Blacky. Commercials usually started production months after the model run began so you'd expect to see this on more sedans, except you wouldn't notice on specials. I'd want to put special trim on it if I was using that dash . Pretty fancy having indicators fitted though.
Front floors and doors are rusty but jambs are there. Above the doors and screen are full of nesting material, but no poo or carcasses yet. And mmum still hasn't noticed it yet. Living on borrowed time.
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getting my FB ute on the road
EK van on rotisserie
The good......and only reason I bought the thing really.
The bad:
The rear floor is mainly ok as vans generally are and will yield a good repair section for anyone with a rusty ute rear. The front floor is rusty, but I've seen worse, my EK van, for instance. The rear seat area above the front leaf spring mounts is bad as it often is. Tank looks ok from the top, but I know it is dented underneath. Doors are rusty. Roof looks good on top but heavy scale underneath, and the upper side panels where the vnts are are rusted away on the inside.
It is definitely for the chop....
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getting my FB ute on the road
EK van on rotisserie
Yes it depends what sort of an eye you cast on it Neil. The rear floor and inside panels are not as good as the EK was when I got it. Most of the cover plates are rusted at the bottoms, as well as the rear pillars and cornice bits. Front floors, plenum, window surround and A-pillars are a bit better. All the hanging panels and front clip are pretty bad, other than the bonnet. The guards are about 50% rusted away. Subframe is very bad. Upper tailgate repairable. Fuel tank has some minor dents but looks ok. Lower tailgate is very bad. Haven’t had a good look underneath yet but the inner and outer sills are stuffed.
FB ute fixer upper, EK van on rotisserie
getting my FB ute on the road
EK van on rotisserie
Errol62 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 26, 2023 6:10 pm
The rear floor is mainly ok as vans generally are and will yield a good repair section for anyone with a rusty ute rear.
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Clay I might be interested in the floor and tailgate.