703 replies to this topic

[notna]

Aaaahhhhh crap... thanks a lot mate... now I want a rotisserie. That's quality work from your young bloke mate!!!! You need him to finish your car off... does a better job than you!

[notna]

OK.... and for day 2 of my 1 month holiday (I will finish the car at this rate!) I got quite a bit more done.

Both the driver and passenger side wheel well had had a bit of "tap tap" done in the past to accomodate bigger wheels. The DS needed a minor rust repair too, the passenger side was very sound.

This is how my SL/R was....

 SLR_01.jpg   183.07K   1 downloads

And after a little touch up with my grinder....

 SLR_05.jpg   181.37K   2 downloads

And then a spray with my MIG....

 SLR_14.jpg   182.13K   1 downloads

And yarda yarda.... all ground flush and looking sweet. Funny thing is.... I will be running stocko rims and SL/R hubcaps! So I won't even need this mod... but since it was half done I felt it right to finish it properly.

After this, I spent a while looking at the windscreen and thinking to myself, it has to come out eventually, and I need to do repairs in that area soon.... so why delay it any longer?? Well ok... I was shit-scared of what I would find under the screen seal!! I will never forget popping out a rear screen back in 1992 and ... OMG!! How was that held in there???

I took before pics... and braced myself.... (only one little lump there to worry about, and that was all for the whole screen area!)

 SLR_25.jpg   188.46K   1 downloads

And then... TA-DA!! I can't believe there was not a single spot of rust under the seal (except for that hole there that I stabbed with a screwdriver)..... the whole way around!!! Nothing! What the??

 SLR_31.jpg   191.92K   1 downloads

Happy!!

More tomorrow, maybe.... I'm thinking of a day out instead

Edited by notna, 21 June 2011 - 08:18 PM.

[notna]

Been progressing this every day still for the past whole week, but saving the pics for now. When I have finished the engine bay and under the guards I will post the lot. It's really coming together well!

On another note.....

The car came with Hotwires, which I had always planned to keep and use. Upon close inspection, the fronts were a different style to the rears, and one of the fronts was out of round

I had 2 pretty decent stocko 13" steelies already, which would be OK on the front of an original resto, and 2 reverse center 13" x 6" popped up on eBay, which I thought would be perfect for the rears, so I snapped them up.

Here you can see the offset difference:




Then..... the most immaculate set of SL/R hubcaps popped up on eBay with a B-I-N price I thought was half their worth, so I snapped them up to finish the whole stocko look I am after. Apparently these were removed from a genuine black SL/R 5000 after 1 year, in 1978, and kept in a shed in country NSW until I bought them. I was VERY pleased with these.....

 SLR_01.jpg   198.56K   2 downloads

 SLR_02.jpg   199.05K   1 downloads

I don't usually get excited about wheels when a resto is so far from complete, but i got sucked in this time.... Sorry guys!

More substantial updates next week !

[TerrA LX]

My suspicions were true, and I soon found that the front apron didn't like the alignment of the aftermarket radiator support rust repair section. The bolt holes on the very bottom were not lining up too well. A little bit of adjusting soon got that right.

I thought that replacement section may have given you trouble, where did you score it from again?

[notna]

Rare Spares. I don't think the part is bad in any way at all. My problem was that the previous owner had cut out the original piece already, and I didn't have another car to copy off when fitting the replacement section.

I little mod either end of the repalcement section and it fits excellent.

[notna]

More progress.... very notable improvements now. I love it when a plan comes together.

I'm not a fan of "bogging" as such, but I'm not a panel beater and will never be able to flatten out panels like the pros do, so a "skim fill" here and there is what I end up with.

Here I gave the engine bay a skim. Remember, I had welded back on the chassis rail lips and then ground all that flush, so I was always going to skim this.

 SLR_01.jpg   190.83K   2 downloads

Once this and a few other small areas were smooth, I hit the lot, under and over, with PPG Etch Primer. Remember, I'm not going for the smoothed street machine look for my engine bay, I want as per factory, with ripples and all that factory produced goodness (or badness... lol)

 SLR_25.jpg   195.1K   1 downloads

 SLR_28.jpg   196.25K   2 downloads

 SLR_29.jpg   162.18K   1 downloads

 SLR_33.jpg   167.21K   2 downloads

Now i was ready to call it a day, but I had a bit of time left so soldiered on with my factory look. Out came the brush on seam sealer. Never used this stuff before, and never again either! It's horrible, disgusting and just plain ugly! I only used it coz they did in the factory.





Anyway, after this I was quite worried that I had ruined my super clean under guard areas. But.... I had a feeling that the stone guard would cover all sins, and sure enough, it gave me the exact look I was after. I am VERY pleased with how all of this turned out. The chassis rail repairs, the replacement of inner skirt panels, the cleaning of under guard areas and all coatings. It's when you start to see the rewards of hard work, that you gain motivation and want to keep going.











I have to say though..... that stoneguard is MESSY stuff. Mask off everywhere and use lots of drop sheets. Reemember that you are aiming upward too, so any slip ups and your ceiling is wearing it!

What next? 2K Hi Fill primer for the engine bay, and GMH Satin Black for the trans tunnel and floors. Coming soon.....

[TerrA LX]

Love your work Anton.

[notna]

Cheers guys. Appreciate the comments.

Normally I am a sponge for info, asking lots of questions in my quest for whatever I am doing. I cannot believe I didn't ask about the 3 welds! I had nothing to copy off, and I had a hunch it was 2 welds, so I went with that. Lee.... no way in this world am I grinding that back and putting 3 on! Actually..... dammit.... now I think about it, I could probably do it.

[notna]

Satin black done on the trans tunnel and rad support. I also did the inner face of the chassis rails. The rest that's still in green etch primer will get Hi Fill and colour a little later on.

 SLR_01.jpg   213.69K   4 downloads

But next on the hit list, and continuing to work from front to back on the car, is this nasty piece of work.....

 SLR_33.jpg   229.14K   1 downloads

Can't wait to tackle that one!

[notna]

You are too kind guys.... thanks heaps for the praise. This build is an obsession that began in 1993 when I butchered a totally stock L32 SL/R. If I don't do this, and do it right, then I may not get to see those pearly gates when I die. That's what I tell teh wife anyway

Berro, this car came with a QR 253 that was a bit iffy, and a fully reco but not yet used M21 box. The box is a keeper, the QR motor was replaced for a HR 253 that was cast the same month/year as the car. Good enough to satisfy me, and thanks again to the forum member who sold it to me

[notna]

Matt, that kind of thing interests me greatly. Would love to see. It will probably make me change what I have done, but so be it. That's just me. Thanks mate!

[notna]

Come and do it for me Lee, if you are feeling so sympathetic.... .... hehehe.