Bigbird's FB Rebuild...FINALLY UNDERWAY !!!!!

[Bigbird]

This is what my FB looked like over ten years ago when I bought it.



This is what it looks like now



This car has been parked since Picnic @ Hanging Rock 2006 as last week I finally committed to resurrecting the old girl.

She has a 138 red at the moment but my plan is to refit a grey and somehow mate it up to a trimatic auto.

I don't think I will be going as crazy as some of you, I just want a neat cruiser that is back on the road by the time my kids are old enough to drive. (My eldest is so I have some time up my sleeves.

I was a little dissapointed to find the smallest amount of rust in the floor, I am sure it wasn't there when I bought the car, so I reckon I have now found the starting point of the rebuild.

I hope to be able to post with regular monotony and the photo links actually work.

[TAYZ 58]

Rodger HANCOCK from Melbourne makes kits for greys to match up to trimatics bigbird, worth a purchase. Ive got one as a few others I know also have one. Nice FB you have there.

[mrs ratbox]

yor eldest is cool is he need to put a space between the 8 and the ) i'de be pretty happy to find only a small amount of rust don't worry i think if everybody really got into there cars they'de find some rust somewhere, i think stewart's old timer EK wagon and any other cars on here that have had a thorough pull down would be the only truly rust free egzamples

looks like a good one and as tayz said about the tri conversion possably the same guy that regularly has them on ebay, has the floor hump already been done?

[Bigbird]

Thanks for the heads up on the trimatic conversion, and I have to do the hump.

It is really wierd, looks like the car was completely rebuilt about 30 years ago to almost original spec with the exception of a 138 red motor and a non-standard interior, I only know this because I found some reciepts when I bought it.

Who would have done that back then, they even went to the extent of trying to make the interior look standard.

The other really funny thing with this car is that it has been previously registered as a 1958 model but it has an EK chassis number that is stamped in upside down with an 'S' suffix. The front subframe appears to be the car's original merely based on my own assessment of what I have found under the guards and the chassis number area has never been cut.

If anyone out there can shed some light on this one it would be appreciated.

Sunnytim, the Green FB in the Background is Craig's old car. I bought the car from Craig if memory serves in 2005 (Craig will probably remember it better) and I have spent the best part of 5 years fighting with Vic Roads to get the car registered as they had no record of the car having existed and a bunch of other cars with the same engine number.

Fortunately I now have a written admission from Vic Roads that my story is true, I am on the level and they are prepared to register it as a 1960 Holden and not a 2010 Bigbird Special ICV.

So, I still own the car, and love it immensely, it is the FB I have always wanted (except for the colour), but it is original and it isn't too bad for an unrestored car.

Here is a picture I took a couple of weeks ago



I went nuts a couple of years ago and brought the car up to roadworthy, drove my mechanic crazy in the process, mind you he charged me near enough to $2500 for all the trouble; apart from that, a fox tail on the ariel and an alloy rocker cover under the bonnet, and I just drive it every now and then when the weather is good and I am in no rush.

Thanks for the interest.

[mrs ratbox]

even though it may not look like it i'de say yor subframe's been off (more than likely 30 years ago with the rebuild ) if it were changed that long ago and the car used i doubt you'de pick that it had been changed, i'de also say the red conversion was due to driveabillity also back then people weren't so worried about originallity so much and they definately weren't kool back then they were prolly just interested in a smoother running motor with a bit more power

[Bigbird]

Tim,

The signage is just Vinyl that comes off with a bit of hot water, The car gets so much attention when I take it out I figure I may as well use it for advertising.

The Handersyde sticker is still inside the door jam. I actually tracked down the old dealer principal when I was looking for info on the car to get it registered.

Craig did remove the sunvisor, I am not all that sorry about it. Due to my height I find it much easier to see out of these cars without the visor, the only issue is it has left a bunch of bolts in the roof and pillars. (If i ever do a resto I would have to fill these)

Ratbox, your theory sounds plausible, but how do you explain the upside-down chassis number?

[Baz]

Upside-down chassis number.....I assume that you mean that you read it by looking over the drivers side guard ?
This is how they did them at the
(S) Sydney plant.
Cheers,
Baz.

[mrs ratbox]

like baz kinda said different plants did them different ways, some are readable over the guard looking down on them others are readable from say over the radiator looking to the side

[Bigbird]

Made a bit more progress over this long weekend, including finding space to store most of the bists I have removed.

I was rather proud of myself, pulled the entire loom out as one unit so I can use it as a reference when it comes time to electrify it again.

But still happy to just take it slowly. It's been 18 years since my last teardown, the difference this time around is that I would rather get it right than fast.

Also considering that my garage buddies are 7 and 8 years old and insist on helping and we are using it as an opportunity for them to enhance their writing skills and teaching them fractions (can't do that Stripping Down a Japanese Car), we really have no other option than Slooooooow.







I thought I would also attach a photo of the worst of the rust in the floor. There are about 1/2 a dozen spots like this throughout the floor.

I was thinking about punching them out with a hole saw and replacing the small circular areas instead of cutting out all 4 floor pans.

How does this sit with the experts?

Now I know most of you will will tell me to stop whining as you have had to replace everything from the belt line down, but I was really hoping not to have to spend any more time fixing the floor that simply putting a new hump in.

[EK283]

MR Bigbird,
I would clean the floor up as much as possible then cut the small rusty bits out and weld in new plate.
If the floors are rusted like most you would be better off to replace the whole section instead of a bit here and a bit there. I have also replaced small sections of floor with repair panels just cut the desired size out and weld in. It really depends on how bad the rust is.


Regards Greg

[V8EK4us]

Good progress Bigbird, I agree with Greg it is usually better and easier in the long run to replace the floor sections.

[rosco]

Hi BB,
do it once - do it right - and you'll never have to concern yourself again.....
Take a peek at Stewart's refurb..... "oldtimer"

frats,
Rosco

[Bigbird]

OK, OK, I'll do it right.

ROSCO!!!! my old friend.

Good to read you are still with us.

Let me just say at this point in time I have so many crazy ideas about what I would like to try doing to this car and everybody's other really good ideas are only fuelling the fire.

Is it possible to have a "really good, or out there idea" moratorium for say...the next 5 - 10 years while I try to get this car back on the road?

I just want the voices to stop.



It is a long way from here.

[Harko]

Get the floors sand blasted big bird and it will blow away all the weak areas , then you will know exactly what youve got.
The replacement floorpans are not factory spec , they are thinner and dont allign properly so repairing small areas might be alright depending how many.

Sills hold lots of fine dust from years of use so some advice would be to try and get some compressed air in the sill and some wire to free up anything in there , then fish oil or equivilent after painting the car/

[Bigbird]

Thanks for that Harko,

Probably not a bad idea to get the floors blasted, there is all this hemp underfelt stuck to it.

The idiot who did the last resto probably started laying carpet b4 the paint on the floor was dry, so if I am going to weld may as well remove the fire hazard.