Time to dust off my EK!

[Mick]

don't worry when i'm sanding paint/bog every time i walk from the shed to the house (6 + times a day) what ever i'm working on is going straight on ebay

if you have a 4" grinder get a strip disc they kinda look like coarse plastic steel wool the paint just dissapears but be carefull they can create heat

[Marty K Bird]

Hey Marty,

I've just seen your thread. Reading it brought a warm smile to my face. Like your car, my EK is Shalimar Blue/Snowcrest White, with the Viscount/Zenith Blue interior with Stardust Grey bolsters. I also found mine in a shed very much like yours too. Being an impoverished student at the time, I also did a rolling resto so that I could use it as a daily driver. Your quip that you've lost weight due to every spare coin going on the EK rather than junk food made me laugh as I did the same. I remember picking up a set of Jack Myers headers for $275 and a Speco triple carb manifold for $120 and having not much left in the bank afterwards! All I could think of was "one day I'll put these on..."

Thanks for this thread and best of luck with your project.

Andrew

Hi Andrew, thanks for your comments! Mine is actually Argosy Turquoise ... a bit more greeny but i have mistaken the shamilar before as being the same. It's funny how much can be spent doing these things ... and im not even any where near the put it back together stage. Need to buy a new angle grinder and some scuff discs this week so that will eat my hamburger money lol.
Do you have a build thread on yours as id love to check it out!
I need an new exhaust system too but i am trying hard to only buy whats needed when needed .... I need the seat redone but at the moment there isnt much point as the body work is the bigger fish to fry.

don't worry when i'm sanding paint/bog every time i walk from the shed to the house (6 + times a day) what ever i'm working on is going straight on ebay

if you have a 4" grinder get a strip disc they kinda look like coarse plastic steel wool the paint just dissapears but be carefull they can create heat

Hi Mick, I can already see this job as being a love hate relationship lol.... Im kinda happy the grinding wont be as much as some of the builds i've seen ... Stewarts in particular ....that build is always good inspiration.

I do need to buy a new grinder this week ... still undecided on a 4, 4.5 or 5 inch model ....The shop has the purple scuff disc and im very keen on one!

I guess the trick is not too long in the one spot so the heat build up isnt as much.
On days like today the metal is already nearly hot enough to cook an egg on lol.

Looking at a Einhell 5inch @ $85 1010watt or a Roc 5inch variable speed for $69 1200w. Or maybe the smaller ones are easier to wheel!

[Mick]

yeah don't sit in one place to long not so bad on old cars with thick steel
a mate that does alot of fab work bought himself a 5" and loves it over the 4"
i just keep buying ozitos i use them alot they have a 2 year replacement waranty and mine have allways made it past replacement tim anyway and they're cheap as sh!t

[Stygian]

Mine is actually Argosy Turquoise ... a bit more greeny but i have mistaken the shamilar before as being the same.

Yeah, on closer inspection the paint around the boot area certainly looks like Argosy, but the dash really seems to be painted in Shalimar. You've probably already checked the ID plate paint number (assuming of course that the car is in its original paint).
Sorry, there's no thread on my project. Just take your time, it may turn out to be more work than expected. Keep track of all the little bits and pieces (sandwich bags with labels are a beaut way of filing stuff away). Take plenty of pics and keep the other EK assembled to act as a guide when you start piecing it back together. Stay positive and listen to advice but always make your own decisions.

[Marty K Bird]

Been slowly chipping away at the paint removal (have half the boot and the top of the fins done).... and like most things i do I have researched the heck out of it (including searching this forum) and spoke to a few people about it.

My process was scuff it with a strip it disc (i have a purple one at the moment) put paint-stripper on and then cover with glad wrap and wait a while .... then remove and scrape it off. Then remove the rest of the paint down to mostly just the red oxide (and some bare metal) then i sand it down some more from there and clean the last of it off with paint stripper and a scotchbrite pad.

I had a run-in with the local hardware man the other day who laughed when i brought the paint stripper... saying he didn't think it was right and he suggested i went and had a yack to the local panel beaters.

So today I paid them a visit to talk about stripping paint and a few things..
I really like the shop as i get along with everyone there really well. It's a family business with Dad (Bernie) in the office and 3 sons, the oldest being the beater, second eldest the spray painter and the youngest floating about. I went to school with the beater and have over the years got to know the painter fairly well.
It's a good vibe and they also recently recommended me to someone to do car detailing which was good of them.

Theres also a bit of history with my dad being a signwriter and he used to always signwrite their tow-truck and him and Bernie got along well. He gave dad a few pointers when dad did the body work on the car 22 years ago... he also sprayed all the undercoats and guidecoats and gave it its final lick of paint.
I also had my VN sitting there for over a year after i hit someones wandering cow and battled with the farmers insurance mob to get it fixed .... in the end i brought another VN for $100 and fixed the guard,bonnet, bumper and light myself.... still owe a carton for a years storage and a tilt truck home.

So anyway I chatted with the boys and it was interesting ... i mentioned paint stripper ... and they said they wont allow it in the shop (I know it works for a lot of people) as they do all the paint removal by hand with 80 or 140 grit then finish with 420 i think. They also don't remove everything as I had started to do ... its close to bare metal but not quite ... and if filler is still holding ok they leave it ... I had been starting to wire brush it out.

I mentioned one arm Ron (who i was going to employ)... and they said if i wanted their help to never speak his name again lol ... I told them how he was going to lead wipe some bits and they were not a fan of that and suggested filler instead.

So we talked about beer payments and they are keen to help me out which is awesome!! I have the beater coming up on the weekend to have a look at it for me so there might be a new plan of attack!

I can see i'll probably learn more this way and be doing more of it myself which is what I have been after and id be silly not take the help and advice from these guys who do it day in and day out.

It has seemed like a long road just to get started and id have to admit im not the most confident person in uncharted waters but i believe with the right hand and a plan i can do it!

Yet to ask how many cartons of XXXX Gold a session in the paint booth is worth!

[Marty K Bird]

I haven't done a lot to my car in the last few weeks but i have had a few other developments!

I scored myself a job selling computers and cameras at my local Harvey Norman store and started 2 weeks ago today!
It's funny how things work, i think working on my old rig helped me pull my finger out from a bit of a slump.

It helped me get some motivation back and it got me into the swing of things again and it made me try even harder to find a job ..(i have to pay for parts somehow!) lol.. and I landed what has always been a dream kinda job for me.

I spent my last couple of days off cleaning out more of the clutter from the shed my car is in .... it has been a prerequisite for my beater mate to come and do some work.
I can now have all the doors opened without hitting anything! And hopefully the bodywork will be full steam ahead in the next couple of weeks.

And now the money is coming in my to buy list is coming together!
The Tax man is going to give me 2 or 3 G soon so that will also be very handy!

In the next week i should have all my original rims blasted and powdered coated and new rubber following not far behind. My bench seat will go off to the upholsters for repairs soon and I'm going to pull the heater out for a service and replace the hoses and get the heater controls unstuck before i get ready to put new original floor rubber or carpet in (still undecided) and also some stainless scuff plates.

My old holden mechanic mate says he has some headers for a grey motor that i should be able to get then its off for a new exhaust system whilst the front guards are off for repairs and paint.

I'm also thinking about pulling the motor out for a clean, service and paint and perhaps putting in a steel timing gear setup for a bit of peace of mind.

New brake shoes and drums machined and the running gear should be sorted.

I have already booked in to have a few days off for the nats weekend so fingers crossed it all happens in time!

Now some questions.....

Id like to replace the original old heater hoses with ones that look similar .... are the cloth wrapped type readily available?

Is a twin exhaust from the headers to the rear a really naff idea?

Can new diaphragms be purchased for the fuel pump or is it a replace the lot type deal?

My car has been hard to start if it has been left for a while .... is it just the heat evaporating the fuel out of the bowl..... starts well with some pored down the throat. ?

[Marty K Bird]

My Panel Beater mate just left after having a look over my car and I now have a new plan of attack. (yeah i know i have had more plan changes then a paranoid architect )

I had told him about my plans to try and do the back end then the front end and leave the doors for now so i could make it to the nats this year.
He asked me want i wanted it to be like .... if i wanted just a daily driver or the lot done properly. My answer was what has always been my final goal ... having it looking straight with new paint so i can polish it and have it looking smick so i can show it off at local shows.... basically i want to restore it.
He said well its best to maybe not worry about trying to rush it to meet a deadline and to do it all properly all at the same time.
So now the plan is to de-badge it and take all the moldings off, windscreens out, headliner out, seats and trim out and leave the guards and bonnet on for now and start sanding it back by hand. He will fix the rust bits and then start beating some of the sections into place.
The guard that has a big crease in it will stay on and be fixed at their panel beaters shop so the gaps line up properly before the guard is removed for finer finishing.

His best advice was probably ... take your time ...
But im off to the shed to get a start on it lol..

[fbtim]

Any updates Marty?

[Marty K Bird]

Nothing major, just working on rubbing it back and I'm probably started with the worst end first with the rear end. I have removed the rear quarter molds and half the letters off the boot.....

it will be few more sessions before the rear is rubbed down and i move on to removing the rest of the molds.
Have everything bagged and tagged.

Also found a neat rust free FB barn find that i want.....pictures next time!

Those little metal clips on the badge letters are a pain to get out ....any tips anyone?

[WayneXG95]

a good soak in WD40 and be very carefull.

http://www.fbekholden.com/forum/viewtop ... s&start=75

Page 6 mate

Maybe someone can find steve jackson thread on this for you...

[Marty K Bird]

Hi Wayne, gosh those FB top molds look like a pain omg ! I have been ok with the molds so far the problem i have is with the little metal clips on the individual Holden letters on the boot. I have carefully wiggled them out but a few still have the round metal clip in the hole ......I'm probadly going try putting a screw in and pulling them out. they are pesky ill suckers!

[WayneXG95]

Don't tap them with a hammer the pins will snap....

[parisian62]

the little metal clips on the individual Holden letters on the boot

Hi Marty

To my knowledge these are not currently reproduced so if can save them that would be the aim. Once the letters are off....carefully tap the clip out from one side or with long nose pliers gently and pull them through. Take your time and bag them in a zip lock bag and label.

Stewart

[Marty K Bird]

Here's my barn find FB .....i think i want it!
It belongs to a friend of mine, she brought it 10 year ago as is and it has sat in the shed ever since.
The roof of the shed was about to fall in on it so i told her to get it out of the shed before it was fd. ...and now it sits like this. The motor looks seized and the gearbox is out and it's missing a couple of bits. The body seems fine besides the front guard bingle. The floors look neat and there doesn't seem to be any rust in the usual places.
Seats are need stitching but all trim looks ok.
It belonged to a little old lady from Gundagai apparently lol.

She wants $4000 for it but i am not sure it's worth it...... i could shed it to keep my ek company

[Doc Bob]

Bejeezus mate.............for 4k I'd happily take that home!