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Kush's Hatch

Started by _Kush_ , Mar 31 2011 07:21 PM

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140 replies to this topic

#1 _Kush_

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Posted 31 March 2011 - 07:21 PM

hello fellow members,
I'm Kush, you might remember me from such inspirational and life-changing threads like "what's with the shameless advertising?", the history-defining "I've got an ugly lump on my body" and the epic "easiest way to repair plenum".

�I think it's about time I showed you all where I'm up to on my project. But firstly, a bit of a background story about the car and me......

I bought this car in 2007 from a panel beater/painter who had to sell it due to an upcoming house purchase.�

I couldn't afford an LX at the time and they were really hard to find, so a UC would have to do. The hatch presented well with nice new shiny paint and an interior trimmed in suede. It had a 202 and m20 but they weren't fitted. I was impressed and gave the guy $2500 for it. Due to lack of funds it sat around untouched right up until late last year.�

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During this time, the nice new shiny paintjob that the previous owner did, started to reveal it's dodgeyness with bubbles appearing in heaps of places.�And the more I looked at it, the more bad things I found.

I have never done any car repair stuff in my life except oil/water and tyre changes. I tend to have a nasty habit of frOcking up everything I touch, so this build is a bit scary.�

However, to combat my "passion fingers" syndrome , I've taken to a new concept called "research" and I use this method before I pick up any tools (especially the sharp or heavy ones). It seems to be working as I haven't broken/damaged as much as I usually do.....so far.�

Plans are the whole UC to LX conversion
383 chev
9 inch
Slightly improve Holdens interior design
FLARES!!!
And all the other blah blah blah that we all do to our cars

So I hope you enjoy reading, criticising AND contributing to this thread. I'll need all the help I can get. (Dirtbag, you'd better be reading this!)

I've got quite a few pics so be patient while I go through them

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#2 _Skapinad_

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Posted 31 March 2011 - 07:25 PM

Looks pretty bloody good in those pics.... Glad you will changing those ugly bloody taillights !

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#3 _Bomber Watson_

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Posted 31 March 2011 - 07:28 PM

Cool!!!

I'll take the 202 off your hands....

Cheers.

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#4 _Ozzie Picker_

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Posted 31 March 2011 - 07:31 PM

dirtbag is a very good car repairer,

but i,ll give some help from time to time,bubbles in paint not good,is it 2 pack or acrylic?

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#5 DanWA

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Location:Southwest W.A
Car:LS1 LX 4 Door
Joined: 27-April 06

Posted 31 March 2011 - 07:34 PM

another uc being advanced into a lx

i like this

nice car kush

i need to roll my hatch out the shed for some pics

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#6 _Kush_

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Posted 31 March 2011 - 07:35 PM

dirtbag is a very good car repairer,

but i,ll give some help from time to time,bubbles in paint not good,is it 2 pack or acrylic?

Thanks mate,
I assume it's 2pac but I know bugger all about the stuff anyway, so it's Anyones guess :dontknow:

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#7 _Ozzie Picker_

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Posted 31 March 2011 - 07:42 PM

what i would do first is fit up all your running gear so its a driver,then remove engine,then repair body again,

usually when fitting new components damage may occur to paint,so start buying your parts and fit them,i may have a new sump for your car with pic up,bought and engine that had only done dyno runs,the project fell in a heap,lh torana.it has the large pan,for extra oil, looks flash.

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#8 _dirtbag_

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Posted 31 March 2011 - 07:44 PM

Cool!

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#9 _Bomber Watson_

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Posted 31 March 2011 - 07:47 PM

what i would do first is fit up all your running gear so its a driver,then remove engine,then repair body again,

Best advice anyone could give.

*cough202cough*

Cheers.

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#10 TempesT

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Name:James - JImmy or Jim
Location:Snowy Mountains
Car:LX hatch
Joined: 08-November 05

Posted 31 March 2011 - 07:52 PM

good starting point,

look forward to progress

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#11 _Kush_

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Posted 31 March 2011 - 08:23 PM

Ok, first thing needing attention was the plenum....

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I started a thread ages ago seeking a simple fix, but as it turned out, there is no such thing....... So off came the plenum cover!

I found this.......

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It was a bit scary because I knew I'd have no choice but to fabricate virtually a whole new setup. So being that my panel making skills were (and still are) non existent, I had to do it as simply as possible. I just cut out pretty much all of it and welded in new plate.

I've often heard of clearance issues under the dash for this and that so I thought I raise the level of the plenum while I was at it.

Here's the pics......

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I had to put the original drain thing back in because when I did the garden hose test, a small pool formed here. Following the second test, all was sweet and it works perfectly

More pics tomorrow :buttrock:

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#12 _Kush_

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Posted 31 March 2011 - 08:48 PM

Oops! Forgot a pic

Posted Image

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#13 Neils LX

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Posted 31 March 2011 - 10:37 PM

Looks like a good project. should be interesting to see whats hiding behind c pillars. I see the seams dissapered.

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#14 Statler

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Name:Col
Location:Mackay Qld. Whitsundays for all you back packers!
Joined: 20-May 06

Posted 31 March 2011 - 10:53 PM

About bloody time~!

If you are going to make another UC/LX, why not change the dashboard frame too?

*suscribed*

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#15 _Kush_

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Posted 01 April 2011 - 04:41 AM

Looks like a good project. should be interesting to see whats hiding behind c pillars. I see the seams dissapered.

Yes, indeed.
Its not pretty, I stuck a mirror and torch up behind there to have a look.

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#16 _Kush_

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Posted 01 April 2011 - 04:46 AM

About bloody time~!

If you are going to make another UC/LX, why not change the dashboard frame too?

*suscribed*

Statler, that's the plan.
They are really hard to find. I hope I'll be able to locate one so I don't have to go through the nightmare of trying to make something up.

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#17 _Kush_

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Posted 01 April 2011 - 08:30 AM

ENGINE BAY TIME!!!!!! :buttrock:

I want the smooth look, so this is what I've come up with so far....

Here's the battery tray stuff. If you are wondering why it's cut a funny shape, it's because I couldn't get my grinder close enough to the radiator support panel.

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Next up is the chassis rail circumcision

More to come

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#18 _Kush_

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Posted 01 April 2011 - 08:59 AM

Hmmm.....
Relatively little rust behind this bonnet hinge

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I wonder the other side is in the same condition???

GAAAAAHHH!!!! MY EYES!! MY EYES!!

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Passenger side fixed

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#19 _Kush_

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Posted 01 April 2011 - 11:28 AM

Removing these things on the wheel arch.....

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#20 _Kush_

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Posted 01 April 2011 - 11:54 AM

After dollying the lumps out of the wheel arch, where the brake lines go trough.

This was so much easier than I thought it would be.
I had to cut the x into the arch to get the shape better though.

Posted Image

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#21 _Kush_

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Posted 01 April 2011 - 12:08 PM

Some filler plate thingos to add to the smoooothness

And blanking out the heater hole

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#22 _Kush_

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Posted 01 April 2011 - 12:21 PM

This is how it is now,
but I still need to put the odd smear of spot putty on a few imperfections here and there.

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So what do you think?

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#23 TempesT

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Name:James - JImmy or Jim
Location:Snowy Mountains
Car:LX hatch
Joined: 08-November 05

Posted 01 April 2011 - 12:34 PM

I like it i recon it came up really good, esp round the battery tray and chassis lip.

so what colour is this hatch going to be?

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#24 _Kush_

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Posted 01 April 2011 - 12:47 PM

Dunno about the colour yet. Red or green maybe? I really like the poison ivy colour that is on the new commys but the paint will be the last thing i do so i might be over the poison ivy by then .
blackouts definately. Which rules out painting the car black

Edited by Kush, 01 April 2011 - 12:52 PM.