We're fixing my first car to drive down the same first road

What a cool story behind your ride. Hang in there and keep posting updates.

 

Thanks SR. It is a bit of a story. It's gone a little dark lately in that we suspect the fish oil I sprayed all over this thing in '84 is harbouring some weird bacteria. Both my bro & myself have suffered an intense bout of dermititis on our hands since working on this car. Most all of it (oil) is covered over/ gone. Some droplets that remained were still translucent and pliable, after 40 years.

 

Bloody hell, that's a new one on me. I was aware of Hanta virus so when I discovered the mouse house under the rear seat of my car I put a mask on and disinfected the whole car before repairing the rust (mouse pee, yes) but who would have expected bacteria to still be alive 40 years later... Maybe you could find some bacteria-killing disinfectant and treat all the areas?

 

My suggestion would be to weld the rear doors shut (make a 2 door) and mildly chop the top while adding some large rear tires, mild lowering. It has the natural look of a gasser with a few mods added.

 

Man, who knows what's going on. The illness(es) could be totally unrelated. I've been following the Covid aftermath- nothing surprises me anymore re illness. Bro seems pretty set on the idea that the fish oil is to blame. It's unresolved. He got it first, me a few weeks after. Contagious? Who knows. Needless to say, my brother likes staying away from the car lol. I'll go look at this henta business, thank you.

 

Something like this? I do like it, but;

• The car is historic to my family , my city, my country- I now like the idea of people relating to it in those contexts
• My nephew is building a Holden six- powered gasser
• My build budget is miniscule
• This is my first, and possibly only project. I'm over 60 y.o- I'm impatient.
• I'm building this car remotely- keep it simple
• I live in a nanny state- I have to have an engineer inspection/ pass to put a seatbelt in this thing. So you can imagine the red tape a chopped top draws.

I'm going super mild custom, basically like a bomb style. I want to take my ageing mom for a drive in it. And use it as a Sunday Cars & Coffee cruiser. It will carry my art gear- I draw & paint cars on Sundays, all week in fact.

 

These were the most popular gassers in Australia.

 

Hump This, Harrop's Howler, Moore's Missile, Mr Terrific, Mr Shifter, Pulsator... still a few around

Agree though that there is no way you would get a humpy gasser past Aussie registration.

Cheers,
Harv

 

Who knows Harv, it may go any way but simple improved- stock for now. I like 'em as customs. But I also like bumperless, hot grey, Celica 5 spd/ Centura rear with mags out back and 3 1/2 FX skinnys in white paint on front.

 

Here's the first etch coming off LHS to make way for the 2K hi fill. Help! How am I going to get this thing into paint by mid/late May with little/ no bodywork skills? I have some ready-to-hand advice (advisors). I've even considered the 'fauxtina' cheap trick, but no, not that. My original vision with the low budget was nice paint in the interior and engine bay. Anything else a bonus.

 

Cool car, and great job bringing it back. I think your plan of getting it back together in running condition is wise. I wouldn’t worry too much about it being completely straight before painting it. Key is to have fun and it will still outlast all of us. Your kids can make it perfect.

 

The hard part is done all ready. Sanding blocks and your hands are your best friends now.

 

I'd be super happy with this kinda approach re paint. Trouble is, this is Australia- land of the over-officious nanny state that thinks primer is a crime. So I guess I'll persist with the stock paint to get it through registration.

 

Autumn (fall) here. The leaves will fall soon. Winter is in mind as it approaches. The race is on to at least get this thing sealed in undercoat before the wet weather sets in.
I'll be glad to see the back end of this KBS black sealer. It's great stuff, but you must be so careful around it. It's nasty without a mask, esp if spraying. Mask up. Tv-Vek suit. It gets everywhere. It oxidises HARD, so when you scoop it out don't get any on the can lid or you won't get it open, and whatever is in the can will solidify. I've thought of argon-ing the can lol.

Masked off the front clip and painted it as well as hood baffle, engine mounts, fender stays & engine fan. There were logistic fuckups- I ended up brushing it on with a 1" brush. Any grit in my prep got dug up & ended in the paint. I was distracted and did not stir it well enough, so it went on thin.
There is grit all thru it. I thought it would take possibly a long time to cure, but it is hard now.
I will regroup, and go back when I can, cut it with #400, and re-coat with a gun, and finish with gloss black in the bay. Hopefully it all works out this time and we have a nice glossy black bay. I have shutz to shoot on the outside of the bay. It's grey, too bad. It's all I have. Prolly rattle it in black later.
Messing around with other bits & pieces all while readying for undercoat session looming in a week or two.. Hoping the clutch is OK- has a minute scuff on one disc, and some tiny pit on the face. I think it will be OK?

 

Loaded FJ seen at recent GM day, same spec as mine, 1 year older, this 1955 one in leather, mine has the new wonder fabric - vinyl.

 

So it's been a few weeks trying to get on top of how to paint this thing using the 'driveway method' in a now-winter season. I still want to use Epotec 2 pak as a base foundation over the bare metal. Everyone is telling me I need 25 deg celcius, except the Epotec TDS which says I can go down to 10 deg, as long as I'm not within 3 deg of dew point, or 80% humidity. The stuff will take quite a few days to cure if I can get it onto the car at all. The spraying window even on the best day will be small- midday-ish prolly. So I'm watching the weather charts like a sailor.
I've been recommended a sealer- type primer called Florite by my paint shop, but cannot find any info on the stuff so far. I want to abandon 2K at this stage of the job. Going with Dulon colour top coats over a (hopefully) white primer.

 

Nice work…

 

That black paint is the rock hard stuff, and it's got fish eyes all thru it. They are little fish eyes, so I'm happy they are not big ugly ones. I/ we don't know how- suspect includes old degreaser wipe I did just before painting. As it stands I'm going to live with it, I want to keep progressing and it wont be so bad once mill & junk is in there. I may lacquer over it later. I'm done with that crazy hard black goo.


I like how you see the 3 attach points here for the front clip. Six point attach. The top attach is 2 or 3 bolts, great pressing. A couple of big bolts underneath on each foot. No chassis, just an exo-skeleton, like an ant. Basically a progression from the pre-war Opels & smaller Vauxhalls- and a precursor to things like Corvair & Nova.