nose panels

home at last - for now!

brakes, motor / gearbox and steering column next - then back to the panel shop for more
the motor will go to Bendigo engine reconditioners for a tickle up. Despite the relative expense of parts (piston kits @ $700) the motor will certainly be under $3000. Three gorillas would mean new everything, lets hope we do not need to spend this much!
Firewall is painted in my interpretation of Nankeen cream - there is a little less yellow in my colour - it looks like a rich vanilla ice cream - yummy for the rounded panels of this model car

rear quarter - hi fill

It's been a long time between drinks but the ute shell will be ready for pick up this week - 14 months is a bit too long but at least we are making some progress I suppose
More frequent updates should ensue from now on..........

V8 fuel economy

11,000 kilometre average of 10.3 litres per 100 K's, not bad for a big 8 cylinder
71 KPH average indicates that this includes town & open road driving.

fraud - opps - Ford

massaging the rear quarter

it will take two days to straighten the passenger rear as this is the worst panel on the car, after that - clear sailing
we used a lip from a sedan rear quarter to replace the rusted arch, the fit is very good
the HQ is in the background - still in magic order with flawless paint

correct colors etc.

these images are made from top "stock' show vehicles - they are correct in every way, especially colors

humpys younger brother

took a trip to Kerang this weekend to visit some lovely people who have neary finished a restoration on an"FJ"
they were very sharing with their knowledge and experiences
it is inspiring to be motivated by similar people with similar interests and I thank them

showroom decal

56 years on and the glovebox decal is still readable
I think that I will have a reproduction made for one of the finishing touches of the resto, what a nice thought
Click on the image to bring it up larger on your computer (believe it or not, not everyone knows it is possible to actually do this!)

VE - will I buy one .....UMMMM......

Something I found on the web, slightly re-written by me! no author to credit.......................
"The new Holden VE Ute faces its toughest challenge ever. The Commodore may have been the biggest-selling ute since it was resurrected, but ute sales are facing the same downward trend as the wider motor vehicle market. The rising cost of petrol has recently been getting the blame but is not the only factor. Ten years ago, imported vehicles accounted for half of all new vehicles sold. Today, they make up more than 70 per cent of new-car sales. A decade ago, imported passenger cars attracted a 25 per cent tariff. Today it is just 10 per cent - and the Federal Government is looking to drop the import tariff on passenger cars to 5 per cent in 2010, in line with the tariff on recreational vehicles. The same pressure applies to the ute market. With this in mind, the VE will have to be a lean machine that is cheaper to build and free of any excess cost if it is to survive among the hordes of imports from Asia. Pressure from it's own Rodeo, other Asian produced 4WD tray and Crewcabs and the looming Chinese entry is a real issue for GMH. With these pressures we must ask ... could this be the last Australian-made Holden Ute?"
I for one hope not!!!!!

buggy

therapy

lovely old photograph

pic compliments of "oldholden.com"

tailboard

we went to the Castlemaine Lions club swap meet today - scored a tailboard skin for $65, it's a beauty in quite heavy guage steel with what seems to be a perfect fold
the inner is more than repairable and is in fair order considering that the vehicle was a farm ute

cool pix

www.seriouswheels.com

panel shop

of course it rained on the way to the panel shop, it has not rained in 9 years but it rained today! oh well, it shouldn't hurt the car I suppose. we will work on one panel at a time and will pay as we go.

nice ute

found this photograph on the net. this is what I would like my ute to look like - nice, original and clean

roller again

diff is back under, front subby and front end are now in place. bolts are missing in the photo and the rubbers shown are original, they were simply too good to replace
just the steering column to go and humpy is off to the panel shop - bless her soul!

before & after

blast and a coat of POR15 does wonders

bare metal

nothing like bare clean metal on which to work. I am using POR 15 to coat the sandblasted areas - this product is strong and dries to a gloss finish, it is self levelling which means it does not show the brush marks - there is no need to spray

lots of sand - no beach!

central victorian sand blasting did a great job today - front end, diff, front sub frame, underbody of shell and floor of the interior. 3 hours and $550 later we have a result

front end pre sandblast prep

hardened grease has to be steamcleaned off as sandblasting does not remove grease or oil
I will not re-build the front end as it is incredibly tight, will tape over the king pins, wishbone elbows and tie rod ends before sandblasting to prevent garnet entry

bathtime

first wash in 40 years!

training wheels

this is my simple solution for moving the shell around the shed, and for getting her onto the trailer to the sandblasters.
the ute is perfectly balanced, the system is not welded or bolted to the shell and so has not compromised the ute at all. note the rear stay arms - a feat of engineering!

buggy fun

my mates Justin & Jason took my buggy to the extreme today, cant believe that I caught this on camera and fortunately they were wearing their seatbelts - awesome

rear end removal & disassembly

Diff out and springs apart. Went to see the local acid dipper -he informed me that caustic does not remove rust, I didn't know this, he suggested soaking metal parts in a tub of molasses. the things U learn!

rear quarter

things look good panel wise, though there is always going to be some rust - here is one of the 3 areas on the shell

silhouette of the rear end

diff is about to come out, leaves are in extremely good order so will only need the Dulux overhaul!
will pull the centre out and inspect, lets hope that we can get away with just a clean

humpy's stable mates

'73 HQ in sunburst gold restored to original

2005 VZ ss with leather. nice toy!

original repair manual

While very good at pulling things apart, will need all the help available to put things back together, this book may become my ute bible

door bits!

I think that the dog has been locked in the ute at some time!
cream leather inserts will be much nicer!
door & window handles are removed using a file to push the release pin

rear tray

except the spare carrier, the first holden utes had no metal floor under the wood paneling, just bracings as can be seen.
few rust traps and easy to clean and paint

55 year olds start to show a wrinkle or two!

the quarters on utes always get knocked around - north central panels will weave their magic soon enough

rust free vent

the below windscreen pop up air vent was an awesome 50's symbol but it was inclined to be a rust trap.
Fortunately the ute has no rusting in this area, I certainly am lucky to have a virtually rust free project

I.D Plate

Utilities were originally designated the model number 50-2106 (STYLE NO.), as opposed to the sedans being 48-215. The utes however today are also universally known as the 48-215 or FX
This tag tells me that the ute is painted in Brewster green, was fitted with walnut brown trim, and importantly the body number tells me that the vehicle was made in October 1951, all original, all genuine

guages

the old guages look great. The speedo still works a beauty - I put the drill on it and clocked over 40,600 miles!

rear springs

The 48-215 and early FJ's used narrow rear leaf springs which were enclosed by gal. covers, don't think that I can use these again!!

dash

dash is now stripped, everything unbolts easily. On the front of the glovebox is the name of the original GMH retailer in Lonsdale st. Melbourne!
Beadblasting of the interior will be easy, then one coat of red oxide followed by satin black

front glass

Wow! - fossilized windscreen seals, thank God all rubber is available repro!
Imagine if Holden went retro with commodore utes and fitted two piece glass?

front subframe

Front is off - bottom bolts were very tight. Will sandblast & paint the front subframe in black
It is so light, I wonder how V8's can be put in these cars?

front end removal

front end is out. It seems very tight and in good order, i.e - no play in the king pins at all
everything is coming apart with ease, no nasty surprises as yet! Next - front subframe

tag & bag

It is best to bag and tag everything, otherwise when things go back together there are always bolts or nuts or bits left over!

open heart surgery

everything has to be removed, replaced, repaired or simply cleaned and repainted
ratchet ring spanners are brilliant and I highly recommend them!

engine out

Removing the gearbox first made the donk removal easier. In total, a simple job that took around two hours
everything (except the handbrake arrangement!) is so simple - a pleasure to work on

front end texture

nothing that sandblasting wont fix!

donor car

loading a '51 48-215 sedan which will be ideal as a template in putting together the ute after painting.
car would be good except for significant sill rust. what is tired on the ute, is good on the car and vice-versa!

more dust than paint!

These old holdens were painted in NC(nitro-cellulose) lacquer, a type of acrylic
lots of coats and polishing from the factory to make the paint shine. being a farm ute at Culgoa, polishing , yet alone washing, was rarely a consideration
the paint simply faded away in the sun, exposing surface rust, adding to the fact that not many good examples exist today

intro blog!

my new project, its a 48-215 ute, made in 1951.
the ute has had a short life on the road, having been retired before I was born (I am 39)
fortunately it was put in the shed due to a blown motor and has not seen rain since the mid sixties
will keep you posted