243 replies to this topic

[yel327]

746 - Manual - So are you saying this is about as early as you can get in a HZ without it being a HX? that's pretty cool...

 

Sam - I've had one of the Davies Craig controllers before, it was great and the more I look around I think it's the best option. I liked that I could control the trigger temps. The one I had before was on a Toyota V8 which they like to run a little hotter so it was good to be able to raise the trigger temp so the fans weren't running all the time. 

In the end I was able to tune it pretty much spot on so that on a hot summers day, in traffic the fans kicked in after sitting stopped for about 10-20 seconds. Then once I was moving again they turned off. The idea being you basically want the temp gauge to sit at 1 third and the fans running as rarely as possible to achieve that.

 

I think I've just talked myself into it

 

In volume production terms it is early - you can tell that by the chassis number. Pagewood pilots were built on 11th and 12th of July 1977 but they were all Statesman as Pagewood was the only plant that did Statesman bodies. The bulk of Pilots were Elizabeth and built in July also with a few in June and August. Yours was completed as a stock order on 6/9/77, it looks like the first volume HZ's at Pagewood (and Acacia Ridge) were completed on 1/9/77. It wasn't actually delivered until November 1977, but there are cars built with PSN's around yours that weren't delivered until mid 1978. Yours was a bog stock HZ Kingswood or Kingswood SL.

[SmacT]

746 - Manual - So are you saying this is about as early as you can get in a HZ without it being a HX? that's pretty cool...

 

Sam - I've had one of the Davies Craig controllers before, it was great and the more I look around I think it's the best option. I liked that I could control the trigger temps. The one I had before was on a Toyota V8 which they like to run a little hotter so it was good to be able to raise the trigger temp so the fans weren't running all the time. 

In the end I was able to tune it pretty much spot on so that on a hot summers day, in traffic the fans kicked in after sitting stopped for about 10-20 seconds. Then once I was moving again they turned off. The idea being you basically want the temp gauge to sit at 1 third and the fans running as rarely as possible to achieve that.

 

I think I've just talked myself into it

 

Ha ha - yeah, and often the car temp gauge reads a little different to the fan sensor, etc, so being able to set it right is such a bonus. It removed all the hassle for me (had it in a VK) and let me put the controller in the engine bay. For my Torana, the controller is in the glovebox, so when I start driving it, I can set it up as you say, to keep the temp gauge where it should be! I am using AU fans too. Apparently the SPal controller is good too, but I have only used the Davies Craig and really like it, particularly for the price! It's one of the few bits of kit that just bolts on and works ...

[AbsynthHatch]

Are there any advantage using the BA fans over the AU?
Was there much trimming required?

[Redslur]

Ford Mondeo ones fit HQ/Torana radiators perfectly with very little mods and flow 4000CFM. Fitted a few sets now and those cars never got anywhere near being hot.

[SmacT]

I looked for Mondeo fans for that reason, but they were really exxy! AUs need some work, but so cheap. I was looking in covid times though.

[SHEEL]

The Shroud design changes slightly between EF-EL, AU and BA/BF. I've used a few different variants on different cars over the years. They always need trimming to suit the car you are putting them into.

 

I think the BA/BF shroud looks the slickest.

 

I got mine for $40 from a self serve wrecker. Doesn't get much cheaper!! Mine were actually out of a GT-P so they are more fancy! 

 

...ok, that's a lie, they are the same as a base model, lol. 

[FLY_LX]

Updates

Im loving this Kinga. its so Smooooooth

[AbsynthHatch]

The BA/BF fans do have the smoothest shroud & look real neat.

I really like this build as it resonates closely to me.

My very first car was a HZ Kingswood in Carribbean Terquoise, which looks very similar.

Beautiful colour & very classy.

[SHEEL]

couple more little updates

 

Got the Power steering all finished up and it works beautifully, I also realised I hadn't taken any pics of the headlining which I'm not really 100% happy with just yet. I'm going to try to gently heat and stretch it around the C pillars to get it a bit smoother. It's generally pretty good everywhere else.

I've still not glued it at the front windscreen so it's not stretched at the front at all... 

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[76lxhatch]

I also realised I hadn't taken any pics of the headlining which I'm not really 100% happy with just yet. I'm going to try to gently heat and stretch it around the C pillars to get it a bit smoother. It's generally pretty good everywhere else.
I've still not glued it at the front windscreen so it's not stretched at the front at all...

Are the sedans different to the utes? There's normally a barbed plate at the front, you push the headlining between it and the roof with a blunt flat scraper and the material catches, no glue required and adds tension. A guy who used to install them on the assembly line told me they used to swing on them to get tension at the glued sides too, although the factory material is a little more robust.

[SHEEL]

Yeh the rear screen is that same too. I've not removed the rear window at all during the whole build because I knew I could get away with leaving it in for this very reason. I just cleaned up that plate / trim and reinstalled it. it seemed to have glue before so I used the glue and the little barbs.

[SHEEL]

small update, I've decided it's time to get back into body and paint!

 

I spent about an hour after work today just having a little tinker on the front Drivers side guard which is a Taiwanese knock off, the shape of the body lines on the guard seem ok. A few poor quality items were the gaps which I've already sorted, plus the excess metal on the rolled edge which I've tidied up today.

The finish was really wonky along the whole top edge and when you have it fitted in the car when compared to the passenger side, it becomes very obvious this isn't a genuine guard.

I've put some old pics from a dummy fit years ago to compare.

 

I've used a tape line to mark where to cut and grind then made it as straight as I could.

 

I've also cut out some redundant lumps, bumps and holes on the inside surfaces which I'll be smoothing over.

 

I'll glue some patches in the holes soon and update...

 

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[Shiney005]

Is it one of the guards that Rares were selling back in the 90's? I bought one for a HQ back then and it was two thirds the weight of the original.

[yel327]

Is it one of the guards that Rares were selling back in the 90's? I bought one for a HQ back then and it was two thirds the weight of the original.

 

They were junk. Not worth 10% of the asking price. Same with the radiator supports and nosecones. I doubt an Engineer would pass a car with them today, but most are probably ignorant of how to pick them.

[SHEEL]

It seems to be the same weight and gauge steel as the original, so I think it might not be one of these "junk" ones you speak of. I might have got lucky. 

 

It's got me thinking though... Maybe my next best move is to block it down and do another test fit with a wet / prepsol test, to be 100% sure it's straight and I'm happy to commit to painting it.

 

I do have another spare original guard as an option, but it's in need of rust repairs at the bottom.

[yel327]

Guards off normal HJ to HZ aren't hard to find. Finding them straight and unmolested maybe so, but rust-free ones are certainly not rare. They are often on Gumtree reasonably priced. Sometimes you find dead straight ones with original paint and just a little bit of rust in the bottom for less than $50. Search for example: "Holden HZ Right Guard" on Gumtree, $50 but in South Australia.

[SHEEL]

Done some more metal work on the gaurds.

 

On the Fake guard:

 

1 = new improved straight top edge

2 = welded in the bonnet cable indent (close up in 2nd pic)

3+4 = filled in the washer bottle mounting area, needs a bit more filler than I'd have like but oh well...

 

On the Genuine guard it had a crack at the front corner so I've ground out the crack, plated behind the area and filled the front side with weld (carefully as to not get too hot) then smoothed everything out and sealed the double skin with POR15

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[SHEEL]

Done heaps of sanding the last few days and its been frustrating because progress is slow.

 

Thinking about it now, I'm realizing its so slow because on these 3 panels actually represent 6 surfaces that need finishing. All these panels can be seen from the inside and need attention everywhere.

 

 Anyway... here is the result of metalwork, filler work, 2 coats of high-fill primer. All I have left is wet sanding and they'll be ready for colour which should be the next update, might be a few weeks until I get time though.

 

getting close to the whole thing looking like an actual car! 

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[claysummers]

Good thing to get behind you, all that sanding.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[SHEEL]

Still got heaps to do though, Bonnet, inner guards, cowl vent panel which I'm smoothing in. Heaps of work still ahead. Why do I do this to myself! 

[yel327]

Because it’d cost you $40k+ at a panel shop.

[SHEEL]

Oh yeh... Thanks!! lol

 

sometimes I lose sight of that!!

 

plus I get to say I did it myself. That's important to me. 

 

I think "Hot-Rodding" is mostly about building it yourself, in your own garage, as much as possible. I like to try to embody that. 

[SHEEL]

Large update inbound!!

 

I've had some more days working on this thing lately and made some huge progress.

Very happy with the recent paint session, a couple of small runs (if you don't get any runs you aren't trying hard enough) which I can block out pretty easy.

Inside the guards was quite tricky to get access into all the little nooks but I'm pretty happy with the result.

 

I painted the inside of the Nose cone just with brush on KBS due to it being mostly out of sight, I just wanted it blacked out so it doesn't draw any attention.

 

I've included pics of the final "wet check" in primer stage, then painted guards on stands, then fitted to the car.

Still need to adjust gaps on the Passenger side, both doors need to come forward about 1mm. Overall, the fit and transition between panels is great, considering I did a lot of blocking as separate panels off the car due to my workspace limitations.

 

Happy!

more!

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[claysummers]

Man, I love it!


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[Ice]

Looks really good Daniel 

Nice colour transformed very nicely into a cool cruiser