177 replies to this topic

[racean69]

good stuff...get into it.

[blown308]

starting to take shape...

[TerrA LX]

Working is one thing, registering will be another.

[rodomo]

Yeah...............but.................surely not worth the aggravation/cost/peace of mind compared to an engineers report?

[rodomo]

allready registered

Yes......but I think this will stand in a court of law if someone is injured:

"Yeah of course he can - until he is involved in a serious accident (even if its not his fault) and then they find out that the car is not engineered with those changes and there goes his 3rd party insurance and the poor injured people don't get any medical payments etc etc ......."

It is your responsibility to disclose any modifications I think you'll find.

Good luck with it all though. I'm keen to learn/see the result.

[orangeLJ]

You have removed and replaced a structural member of the car (B pillar)

You're going to have to prove that the roof is still as structurally rigid as it was before and that the car is still "safe" for the road.

Id down tools and ring an engineer before you go any further, there may be a whole heap more involvement to getting it registered.

[S pack]

You have removed and replaced a structural member of the car (B pillar)

You're going to have to prove that the roof is still as structurally rigid as it was before and that the car is still "safe" for the road.

Id down tools and ring an engineer before you go any further, there may be a whole heap more involvement to getting it registered.

Spot on, (sorry to be a party pooper) but I doubt he will find an engineer that would be prepared to approve the mods in the manner that he is doing them.
I've seen the pics and am disturbed about the idea of just welding on the rear door skins and it appears that the leading edge of the original window frame is forming part of the new B pillar. There are a number of differences between the 4 door and 2 door body that will affect the strength of the car.

If he was grafting in all the correct parts from a donor 2 door body then he might be in with a chance of the car being as structurally sound as an original 2 door but alas I would hate to think what would happen to that car and its' passengers if the car was T boned or slammed into a pole. Also think about the emotional and financial toll when he is sued for killing someone in an accident.

As for registration and insurance, he should get rego if he can get an engineers certificate, however, knowing what insurance companies are like he will be extremely lucky if they will insure him. If he doesn't tell them about the mods so he can get insurance they will wipe him if they ever find out. One has to remember that the body tag identifies it as a 4 door Torana.

I reckon he has two options to choose from: A: Scrap the car and find a 2 door Torana. B: Find a donor 2 door (4 cyl body will do fine), find an engineer to certify the mods and find a reputable panel shop to do the work.


Regards
Dave.

PS: I'll give him 10 points for trying.

[S pack]

if the car was slammed into a pole?????? same welding as replacing the rear 1/4.....are you a panel beater looking for work???


wow what a bunch of party poopers...
There is no difference between welding the rear door and welding a proper rear 1/4..
its the same part really....
B pillar will be fully welded back in place and to the rear door/1/4..
its just moved back 150mm
perfect fit.....

B pillar is forming new window frame ..same as 2 doors....

never mind
cant please everyone
[/quote]

POLE WHAT POLE???????? Happened to Peter Brock didn't it. Maybe you won't be around to worry about replacing a 1/4 panel.
Think about your safety and the safety of your passengers. These cars have been built to comply with ADR's and with the mods your doing to your car it probably will no longer comply.
Really think you should consult an engineer on this project before putting any more time and effort in just so you're sure that the car will be legal.
No, I'm not a panel beater. Are You??
Just concerned you might not have researched this project enough before starting and may end up costing you or someone else more than a bit of money.

[Pop's-SS]

G'day All

Just thought I would drop in on the little Torana owner's Forum and see what was happening.

This is an interesting post and opinions on vintageholden's project vary quite a bit.

Basically for me, it is his car and upto him to do what he wants to do with it.

The only piece of advice I could offer is to have a look at the LC Parts Catalogue in the body/sheet metal section and you should be able to see the differences in panels and how it all goes together.

Some of you probably know that I owned an LC GTR for 4 years before getting the SS Hatch.
I did a bit of research on the LC GTR and had come in contact with a fella who worked at the Acacia Ridge Holden Assembly Plant in Queensland where my car was built.

mr5000 referred to the 3-door LC that was made so here is what Ron had told me about that car and you will find out what happened to it

Ron

Dear Barry,
Not a lot of the old GMH blokes still around in this area, I am one of the few, I was with the company from 1957 until the close in 1984, 1 worked on the Toranas, some operation on the control panel I think, no one did very much, only what could be done in a few minutes, it was hectic I can tell you. We called the GTR's "Country and Western" GeeTaR's.. You will be amused to know that we once built a 3 door Torana, 2 on one side and 1 on the other, it got as far as the trim section before it was discovered, it was then destroyed, we also built a Brougham/Premier, in that case only the vynil hood cover was wasted. It's unlikely that I can help you much with the project but I wish you all success with it.

Might be able to find some pictures if you are interested.
Cheers Ron ,

There was a book written by Henry Williams about a fella working at the Acacia Ridge Plant called "My Love Had a Black Speed Stripe".
It's a great insight into how the plant operated but the story was mainly about the first Monaro that came through the plant and this worker fell in love with it and ended up buying one.

I have a copy but there is one available in Sydney, Skipton Vic, Hamilton NZ and another in Aptos California. A top read and very politically incorrect but consider it was published in 1973. Unfortunately for Henry Williams he died a year later.

Good luck to vintageholden and I only wish I was 1/2 as handy as him

Regards .... Barry

[WhiteA9XS]

yeah i would talk to an engineer see what he says , i,m sure if its structured correctly in the frame similar to a hot rod you should be right , the engineer may say add chassis rails or reinforce behind the welded doors , anything can be achieved .

if worst comes to worst finish it off add a full rollcage and have some fun on the race track .

good luck .

[Neils LX]

Hi

I love this idea as 2 door 6cly bodys are around but 4 cy 2 door shells and 6cly 4 door shell seem to pop up all the time.

I looked on this thread
http://www.gmh-toran...opic=38870&st=0
and looking at the pics the body has bugger all behind the front doors as far as if your going to get t boned

Looking in old street machine mags showed a EA 4 door being converted into a 2 door using little else than the old rear doors welded in however they had a engineer from day one.

I would agree that its prob best to see if you can get it regoed before you get stuck having to undo anything.

But i love what you have done and worst comes to worst in sure you could use some ebay XU1 tags and rego it
(just kidding)

Chears Neil