Where to start?

[Paul Sobolewski]

Hi all,
I am new to this forum as I just purchased an EK that needs a fair bit of work.
I had an EK about 22 years ago and always regretted selling it, so when this one crossed my path I couldn't resist.
I've never restored, built, painted or anything on a car before so I am hoping someone might be able to point me in the right direction as a start.
Is there anyone living in the Blacktown area who has restored an EK that might be able to call in to have a good look at my car and perhaps give some advice?
Does it need a complete strip?
It has a 202 VK in it, not running yet, do I keep it or go a V8?
It just had a new floor put in by the previous owner, is the work ok?
Is the HR front end ok?
Door alignment?
Window seals?
I guess I am trying to establish if I NEED to or HAVE to do a full strip or a tidy up on the body.
I am happy to pay for someone's time.
Thanks in advance.
Paul.


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[Paul Sobolewski]

Hi all,
I am new to this forum as I just purchased an EK that needs a fair bit of work.
I had an EK about 22 years ago and always regretted selling it, so when this one crossed my path I couldn't resist.
I've never restored, built, painted or anything on a car before so I am hoping someone might be able to point me in the right direction as a start.
Is there anyone living in the Blacktown area who has restored an EK that might be able to call in to have a good look at my car and perhaps give some advice?
Does it need a complete strip?
It has a 202 VK in it, not running yet, do I keep it or go a V8?
It just had a new floor put in by the previous owner, is the work ok?
Is the HR front end ok?
Door alignment?
Window seals?
I guess I am trying to establish if I NEED to or HAVE to do a full strip or a tidy up on the body.
I am happy to pay for someone's time.
Thanks in advance.
Paul.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Paul Sobolewski]

Hi all,
I am new to this forum as I just purchased an EK that needs a fair bit of work.
I had an EK about 22 years ago and always regretted selling it, so when this one crossed my path I couldn't resist.
I've never restored, built, painted or anything on a car before so I am hoping someone might be able to point me in the right direction as a start.
Is there anyone living in the Blacktown area who has restored an EK that might be able to call in to have a good look at my car and perhaps give some advice?
Does it need a complete strip?
It has a 202 VK in it, not running yet, do I keep it or go a V8?
It just had a new floor put in by the previous owner, is the work ok?
Is the HR front end ok?
Door alignment?
Window seals?
I guess I am trying to establish if I NEED to or HAVE to do a full strip or a tidy up on the body.
I am happy to pay for someone's time.
Thanks in advance.
Paul.



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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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[Devilrod]

Welcome Paul, I guess you need to ask yourself some questions first. What do you want from the car? A cruiser, a full blown show car or somewhere in between. Stock or modified? It's already modified, so that may answer one question and the other is how deep are your pockets? If you plan to learn and do it yourself it'll take longer but cost less provided you know your limits and don't make things worse... Either way it looks like someone has started on dismantling it,but from the couple of pics it doesn't appear to be a complete basket case.

I'm sure one of the locals will drop in and help get you started. Good luck.

[Paul Sobolewski]

Thanks for the reply.
Preferably a cruiser and modified.
A V8 conversion would be great but that depends on what hoops NSW laws would make me jump through and of course cost in engineering.
Or do I just get it running with the 6 cylinder in it for now and do the conversion later or is that costing me more in the long run?
I have the grill parts, front blinker housings, ect. The bloke before me put a new floor in.






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[Blacky]

Welcome to the forum Paul, seeing as the car already has a red motor you will need to do most of the mods that are required for a V8 conversion anyway does it have disc brakes ? or is the front end still stock ? Best thing I reckon would be to contact the NSW club , have a look at the Whats happening in NSW section towards the top of the forum and get hold of WayneXG95 , he is the President and should be able to sort you out in that regard.

From what I can see in the pics it isn't too horrible , maybe post some better photos of any areas that concern you and we can give an opinion ??

Good luck with it mate

[Harv]

G'day Paul,

I'm out at Greystanes, and happy to take a look. Won't be able to though until the end of January (gotta work to pay for car parts ). Remind me mid January if you still want a hand.

Does the car have current rego on it with a HR front end/VK motor? If it does, then do not let it run out of rego. Many of the old red motor conversions were registered before the need for engineering. The popular view is that these old cruisers are grandfathered (ie do not need to be engineered). If the rego lapses, then they have to get engineered. Rego on a non-runner sounds dear, but is a lot cheaper than engineering ($3,000+ in NSW for the inspection alone ). Grandfathering is common practice, but you need to check with your insurer... some may object.

Putting in anything other than a grey motor (in NSW) is painful - almost any other engine has to be engineered. By the time you go through the drama for a 6-cylinder, you may as well throw in a V8.

A full strip is not for the faint hearted. Many, many people get half way through, then sell the project. Get it running, get it on the road and enjoy it with crappy trim and rough paint. You'll get attached to it, and find all the stuff that annoys you (eg you may not like the mirror bolted to the door). Fix small bits and pieces as you go... it doesn't feel as expensive, and can be pretty rewarding fixing odds and ends. You'll get attached to the old girl, and if you later decide to strip down for full pain/panel/trim then you are less likely to abandon it.

Cheers,
Harv

[Paul Sobolewski]

Thanks Blacky and Harv for the advice.
Yes it has a disc brake front end.
It's crazy you have to get engineering done on a 6 cylinder so if this is the case, I might as well look at an 8 cylinder which is my preferred choice.
Harv, I will definitely take you up on your offer to come and visit please mate. I will touch base in mid January and thanks.
I think your advice makes sense, get it on the road and go from there fixing up odds and ends.
I might be crazy but I actually like the rat look, so the matt black isn't an issue.
My biggest concern would be finding a decent engineer so any suggestions would be great.
Would I be correct in thinking that an engineer would provide me with all the requirements needed for a V8 conversion and I go off and do them and he then signs off at the end?
Here a few pics of some concerns

Chrome strips on doors.

New floor means no hole for auto shifter.

Will have to remove the clutch pedal, but will need an accelerator pedal.

Seats and mounts.


Chrome strips

And I don't even know if this cross member is ok or not for the VK auto box?

Might be all little things, but I am just wondering.
Cheers,
Paul



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[62MLOO]

Get it on the road the quickest and cheapest way possible mate and enjoy it and dont do what i did and pull the donk out for a rebuild or swap and run out of funds and time and wait 30 years to get it back on the road...not that mines even close to that yet.


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[Harv]

Think through what kind of driveline/brakes/wheels/front end etc you want, and write it down on paper. Take that paper to the engineer, and have a sit-down chat. The engineer then lays down some ground rules, and you build to those rules. Try not to change your mind mid-build. It then goes back to the engineer for an inspection. Some want to see the car along the build journey, others are happy to see it once it is done. I'd recommend Rob Elliot (he's out near Camden but will travel), who is doing my wagon:
Robert Elliot
VMC Engineering
0403 328 574
vmc_engineering@dodo.com.au

Rob was happy to have a sit-down chat, then wants to see the car assembled but before trim. I'm not too far from that now.

The chrome strips on the doors are the door belts. Can buy new from Rare Spares.

Easy to cut a hole for the auto shifter, but finalise your gearbox choice first. Some engineers will want a reinforcing strip added around the hole edge.

Easy to remove the clutch pedal, and a short length of steel pipe will space the pedal shaft out instead.

Looks like you have new floor pans, with no seat mount holes. Seats need holes drilled for the rear mount holes, then bolts and some reinforcing plates through the floor pan (easy to make up). Front leg of seat mounts have a C-shaped bracket that also bolts to the floor. Before you start, measure the locations from an existing car (mine or one of the other NSW guys).

Guard trim is easy enough to replace, and I probably have a spare one at home.

Gearbox crossmember looks to be a CRS one. Seems to fit, so can use it.

Cheers,
Harv

[In the Shed]

Hi Paul,

Looks like you've got yourself the basis of a good project there. Look forward to seeing your updates as you progress. Plenty of help to be found here too.

Regards
Stephen

[Paul Sobolewski]

Thanks again Harv, I will send VMC an email.
And yes Stephen looking forward to getting her on the road.


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[rosco]

Hi Paul, and welcome aboard.
From what we can see, you've managed to snare a sound base to work from.
As my learned colleagues above have posted - the first step is to establish what you want. It's all too easy to go "airy-fairy" with plans - we would all like to have "that" car, rarely does it materialise.
Aim for something which sits in well within you dreams, getting it to that state is not going to happen over-night - it most certainly will take much longer than you might currently believe, but - once you have your plan mapped out, you are more than well on the way.

I firmly believe you will move up to another level once you make contact with one of our forumites... you'll have a thousand questions, and remember to ask less than half of them. I might suggest starting a logbook plus a notebook.

Once you have the plan, and a much better understanding of both the detail involved and the likely ball-park costs - it's time for the engineer.
There will be things you'll have to pick up. For one, unless it has already been fitted - is a chassis rail kit.
Don't cut anything - you'd be surprised how many of us have done this, only to learn that it needs to be "undone".. especially the rear deck for speakers.. that is now a no-no..... along with the front radiator baffle, apparently.

Harv,Blacky, DevilRod,Wayne and a number of others here have been down this track.. some, many times over - so, rest assured - advice is not far away.

I might finally suggest that during this project - you find somewhere to store it... dry, secure and under cover.
It will be of great assistance to label everything you pull of... and attempt to do so with those parts which have already become a pile of loose ends.

Your digital camera is your best friend... take many, many pix of anything you are about to remove. Once they come out - you'd be surprised how some of them just don't seem to go back the way you "thought" they should...

Again, welcome aboard... by the look of your great find - another one "saved"... I expect the chap you bought it from had simply put it in the "too hard" or "too expensive" basket...

Keen to follow this thread - always here to throw in my two-bob's worth..

frats,
Rosco

[Harv]

Good advice Roscoe, especially the digital photos and notebook. I seem to pull stuff apart with the best of intentions to put it back together... then get distracted for a week (... month, year ). The photos and notes cost nothing, but are damn handy in fitting stuff back together.

Some homework for you Paul. Have a good look over the car, and make a list of the stuff you are missing. The photos show rear taillight lenses, and front indicators (maybe you have them stored somewhere). Post the list here (or PM it to me) and I'll see what bits and pieces I can pull out of the spare parts department for you. No promises that any of the parts will be perfect, but used parts are better than none at all.

Cheers,
Harv

[Devilrod]

Depending on what shifter you use for an auto you may not need to cut a big hole. A lot of aftermarket options that are cable so you only need a few small mounting holes and one for the cable. Or you can try and get an auto column and run a factory setup.

Harv covered the rest really well. Just adding my 2c on the tunnel, which looks to be an addition as it looks bigger and has no removable inspection plate.