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Here is the single most thing that has nearly brought me to tears on this build .
Decided that I would make a mini dash to hold a couple extra gauges , cut down an old dash and weld it back together , easy .

Has taken me 5 hours to make this , the cast alum in the dash is that brittle as soon as you try and weld it it cracks , if you try and bend it a little after you weld it it cracks , have had it fully welded twice and just tried to bend it a fraction and cracked it right in half again .

If you get too much heat in it it cracks and just falls off , so have been slowly weld a bit ,cool it weld a bit for 5 hours , had to build it all up behind to get enough strength in it , Determination or stupidity ?

Here is the little mongrel .




On a lighter note , I have to put windscreen washers in , don't want to put the bottle in the engine bay and there is not much room under the dash , has any one figured a nice hidden spot to put one ? or have used a nice compact unit .

Was thinking about in next to the back seat behind a panel , but not sure how far the little pump will push , will have to get one and have a play .

i had a ute with a V8 in it i put the washer bottle in the back under the floor

chris the hose on them is only small
they will pump for metres
we used to run a bottle under ther bonnet and run oil to the rear wheels
so we could skwirt them and lite up the back wheels good fun

Love the 'mini dash face' that's just too cool!!! It WAS worth the trouble..(to me anyway!)
Ever think of putting the washer bottle behind your center consul?? just a thought, or under the radio grill on top of the dash and make it open up like my sat-nav door?? (Kinda like a van's brake fluid container door).

Scotty.

G,day Mick , sounds like they will pump that far then , so in the back might be the go

G,day Paul , you Hoon if they pump oil that far should have no dramas

G,day Scotty , I like it too but if I didn't already have the hole cut out for it , it would have been thrown as far as I could get it today , thought about the console but , you will see the back of it sticking out , so unless I find a smaller unit it might look a bit funny and some crank welded the hole in the dash up

My rodeo 2008 has the washer bottle under the front guard and just the filler cap is in the engine bay , standard GM set up

that is looking real good rusty .cool plus .there's gunna be some sore necks down here when you get her on the rd.

Have got three different ones now tm50 , was thinking about under the guard , plenty of room in there , will have a play during the week and decide .

Shane , you have been quite , you been working hard on your Ute ? Did you get your sandblaster working and how are you going with her .

computer carked it 6 weeks ago .a mate up north built another one for me picked it up yesterday .blew the side out of the sandblaster on off ball valve got another one now and am back at it on the week ends .got to fire the wood heater up its two degrees out side to night and man that sheds cold .being a woose.

Computers , I know how you feel about the cold , couldn't make myself go down to the shed tonight , brrrrrr

Not really an update on the Ute , but Winter is in full swing down here this week , yesterday we had 75mm of rain , hail storms and its been cccccold , was standing in the door of the shed watching a hail storm and felt sorry for poor Pinky out in it , so today she has taken up residence in the corner where the Ute came out of , Just have to decide what to do with her , am thinking back to Original , original colours ,maybe skirts and white walls and have the 138 out of the Ute that used to purr very nicely , maybe drop that in , keep the restorers happy or CHOP IT





What the ? What is all this metal under here ? He He the joy

ITS SHMEAGAIN HMM i see you have a lot off pink bits IS it pink in side

Hey Rusty,

What about poor old bluey !!!!!

Regards Greg

Shme ,It is pink inside , just how I like them

Greg , old bluey can stay right away from the shed , she is infested with tin worm something bad , even I am not stupid enough to tackle her ,and I am pretty stupid and I don't wont them tin worms in the shed crawling around , guy round the local shop gave her to me , she is going to be a lounge , but there is not much else on her , very sad

it's not the restorers you have to keep happy (they're usually not happy with someone eles's car anyway allways quietly picking faults )it's yorself that has to be happy
only prob is you may get bitten by the restorer bug after doing a modded one and having to make everything fit a resto where you just bolt parts on will be a walk in the park