83 WB_Ute's Ultimate Shed Thread

[83 WB_Ute]

Well, I have been working away on the GTS dash... I have bought the paint markers that [MENTION=771]V6HQUTE[/MENTION] told me about, and did the white and the red on the guages... It has come up pretty good... But it has had 3-4 coats of each colour... The red is definatley heaps better than it was...



I got a silver paint marker and did the "HOLDEN" badges that go on the b-pillar... I am only fitting them to cover up the small amount of paint that got pulled off when they were removed.. But they come up really good aswell.. I have to put a clear coat over them, but they would fool anyone 3 foot from the car..



I decided that out of the 2 GTS dash fascia's neither of them were good enough... So I decided to make 1 good dash out of 2 GTS fascia's and 1 WB kingswood one...

Mine was in worse condition than V6HQUTE's one.. :( Mine was completely smashed around the headlight hole, and the radio area was cut out very badly, the 2 mounting lugs were broken off (bottom left) plus it also had a few cracks under the heater controls... I'll let the before pics do the talking...





I have spent the past 2 days cutting the replacement pieces out and getting them to fit in the fascia.. It is a prick of a job without the right tools... It took me about 8hrs with a hacksaw (often only using the blade..) and 1 file... I got the bits to fit in pretty good, but the radio area still needs a little more work, and then it should be all good...

The 3 dashes that are going to become 1...










I had a bit of a problem with the radio part, with it breaking while I was cutting it... :( But I can bear with it and fix it...

Hopefully tomorrow I can get in and get the headlight switch in like V6HQUTE has done it and atleast the radio bit and the mounting lugs tacked on... If I feel like I'm getting somewhere (and don't want to watch the cricket.. ) I may get the whole lot done...

Anyway, I will put some more pics up when it gets finished...

Ohh, and it is an original GM fascia so it is worth saving...

I have also bought a full set of WB kingswood body mouldings for $100 + 1 spare door mould.. They are in good condition, but are definatley worth more than $100..

[83 WB_Ute]

Well, I got another part of my 18th birthday present in the post today...

We bought this GTS steering wheel for $250 and were told that it came from a HZ sandman panelvan... I got home and opened the box and had a look and thought those spokes look thicker than 3mm, so I measured them and sure enough they are 5mm thick.. So I now have a HQ or HJ GTS steering wheel..







It has a HZ horn button, but I am going to get an early plastic type one (as they look the best..)

The grain on the rim is slightly smooth, but it is just visible so it isn't too bad..

I am going to give it a good clean and then it will probably go onto the car with the GTS dash..

I also met Bradie (HX76King) and exchanged a lower fascia for a set of chrome and black body moulds.. 1 side of the chrome has been worn off, and I am contemplating fitting them the way they are, or getting new stuff...

I am thinking that I should do it right the first time, and have been trying to source some new (or better) body moulds...

If anyone has a set of thin chrome and black body moulding they want to sell, please PM me..

At the moment I am looking at the BM1 body moulding from this company..

http://haigh.com.au/index.php?option...&CategoryID=64

What are peoples thoughts on that???

[83 WB_Ute]

Well, we are nearing the end..

Since my last post, I have finished restoring the "HOLDEN" badges and have also done an "RTS" one that goes on the tailgate... I redid all the colour and then clear coated over them. They came up pretty good for a first attemp, the RTS one took me 3days to get it good enough..





The badges have now been fitted to the car and look awsome..

I have been sanding away at the GTS dash facsia, it is taking soo long, but it is working so I won't complain.. lol

This is where it is up to at the moment..







It is almost done, but it will need a little bog to make it look good.. It won't be perfect, but it will be good enough..

I went and bought some parts off a guy that had a HZ kingswood sedan in the local smash up derby.. :( I got a full dash (dash pad, facsia, lower facsia and glove box) the facsia had a blank off plate over the radio hole and it was a US made one... I got a full set of HZ kingswood lights (headlights, taillights and blinkers) in good condition, 3 metal kingswood badges, 1 was broken :(... A full set of seat belts and a heap of other little bits and pieces for $50... I thought it was a pretty good buy..

I started to polish some hub caps for it aswell...



The car came home today!!! I got it parked and gave it a small wash just to get the dust and crap off it from travelling home..







With the tonneau cover on..



Interior with seat cover.. It still needs a little bit of cleaning up...

[83 WB_Ute]

The car is still not registered... :( And little has been done to it over the past few weeks, as I have been getting assignment after assignment from school.. :( But thats the HSC for you...

I had the GTS steering wheel sitting on the cupboard and looked at it and said that it was not good enough to go on the car, so I got it and completely bare metaled the spokes, primed them and then gave them 4 coats of gloss black and they are nice and shiney..

Bare metaled and masked..




Primed..


Painted..




I have painted the two front rims the same gloss black, and they also looks heaps better with the hubcaps on... But don't have any pictures of that.. :( I still have to do the rears, but hopefully I can get them done next weekend..

I have also almost finished the GTS dash fascia..

I sprayed a bit of yellow paint on it to see which areas needed work (it was a bit hard with the whole thing being black..) I then circled the areas that needed a bit of work, and then set out to fix them.. Some will need to have a bit of bog put in, but overall I am happy..





It is almost perfect, but will need a little bit of bog (I'm going to get it tomorrow...) and then it should be like brand new.. I am very very happy with how it has come out considering that it was my first go at it and I did it with a soldering iron.. lol





The join line is just visible in some sections, and I am going to try and get rid of that with some bog.. Hopefully it will work..



I have scuffed up the rest of the dash with fine sandpaper to give the new paint something to stick to..



I have also started to fix the GTS speedo, and I know exactly what needs to be done to fix it... I have used a standard WB speedo, stripped it for some parts and have started to convert the cast bracket (that the speedo cable connects to..) to suit a gauge with the speedo at the top... It is a bit over the top, but I want to fix it and make sure it is done properly..
I will have to do a bit more plastic welding on the trip meter to fix the prong (that turns the numbers around..) that has been broken... And then it is just the speedo needle that I am going to get the gauge shop to fix and make sure it is balanced...

Other than that, I have been polishing little bits here and there, fitting stuff that needs to be done before rego, and just organising some parts and stuff for it to pass rego...

I am definatley at the slow part where little fiddly jobs need to be done.. :( It's slow, but vital to the car passing rego..

[83 WB_Ute]

Well, I have almost finished the dash fascia.. I just used a small amount of bog to smear over it and cover the low spots.. I am going to remove most of the paint on the whole thing.. How would people suggest doing this without damaging the plastic??

The bad thing was that I broke one of the little mounting lugs off by accident.. :( I also found a small crack in the grained part of the dash, so I am going to use the soldering iron to weld it from the back...

I have also found a radio filler panel that I had on one of my other dashes, I am going to fit that until I can get my hands on an original radio..

Anyway, here are the pics..











I also just bought a yellow needle GTS speedo that had sat in the shed for 10yrs, and has only just gone over 70,000kms.. I am pretty happy with the price I paid for it considering the condition and the little amount of k's on it.. I am still waiting for it in the post..

I have also bought some more parts aswell.. I bought a set of dragway splats (only one has a little bit of gutter rash..), a full set of WB kingswood moulds, a pair of mudflaps and a heaterbox cable.. for $140... The sad part is that I won't be able to pick them up until mid august.. So I have paid the guy a 20% deposit and am going to pay him the rest when I pick up the parts..

Anyway, thats it for now..

[83 WB_Ute]

Well, my HSC mid course exams are coming up so there will probably be no work on the car this weekend.. :(

I got home from TAFE on Thursday, via a trip to supercheap and got myself some more thinners and a 1L can of brush on body deadener/stone guard.. I decided that I would apply the stone guard to the rear wheel arches, while I had the rear wheels off I decided to paint the rear wheels to match the front.. I still have to do a second light coat of stone guard on the arches, and then have to do the front ones as well..

But this is what it looks like at the moment, it is pretty much what it will look like for the moment, except some body moulds will be fitted before rego..

Anyway, here are the pics..







I still have to do a second light coat of the stone guard, but I think it came up pretty good for brush on stuff..

[83 WB_Ute]

Well, this definatley has to be one of the longest times between posts.. 10 days off 2 months to be precise.. lol

Over those 2 months, not much has happened to the car. But there has still be small amounts of progress towards getting it registered.

Well, while working on fixing my GTS dash fascia I wasn't getting enough heat into the plastic while I was 'trying' to plastic weld with a soldering iron. Cracks started to appear around the area that I was trying to fix, so I said stuff it and went and bought a cheap plastic welder off ebay to do the job right the first time... While waiting for it to come, I started stripping the old paint from the fascia.. And it hasn't been touched since.. :(

This is where it is up to though.. I have also decided to pinch a WB RTS badge off one of my spare kingswood dashes and fit it to the GTS fascia to make it a WB one..





I then turned my attention to the things that needed to be done for rego. I started with the mudflaps. I pulled the three ones off the parts ute, cleaned them up and gave them a once over with shoe polish to fill up the little cracks and make them look nice.. I also sanded the mounting brackets back and gave them a coat of black paint as well.. I am yet to fit them, because I'm still trying to find a passenger side rear one.. :(

Front Pair



Single Rear One..



The next thing was that the rear numberplate light bulb wasn't working. I got a new bulb, tried it.. No luck.. Then I tested all the wiring and found that It was all fine, I spent 3 days thinking constantly why won't it work?? And then it clicked, I pulled the light out and out comes the wire with no end on it..

So I got the one from the parts ute and fitted it..



Then I had troubles with the brake lights flashing when the indicators were on, and then the indicators coming on when the brakes were on.. I traced that back to me being an idiot and forgetting to put the earth strap on the taillights.. lol

Then I added coolant to the radiator, because it was getting into the minus' up here and I didn't want the radiator to shit itself..

Then came the replacing of the drivers and passenger side window winders.. I bought them both brad new from Kingswood Country and while I was at it, bought a new clutch cable to replace the severely stretched one thats on the car..





Just need to fit the window winder...



I haven't fitted the clutch cable yet, but thats the next job on my to do list..

Then came my 18th... Then I got my green p's..

And I spent most of today at a swap meet/show and shine.. I went over real early and had a look around, and the first stall that I went to had 5 original GTS wheel centre caps.. So I jumped on them, $100 for the 5 in pretty good condition.. 3 of the lions have tails and the other 2 don't..



Then I stumbled across some cheap HD badges.. I bought 2 of the metal inserts that go in the centre of the steering wheel, and one holden badge.. I am going to turn the steering wheel things into dished clocks.. and just gonna put the other one up on the wall in the shed..







And at the same place I seen a manifold sitting under a tarp, and lifted the tarp to see that it was a CAIN 2bbl holley manifold to suit a red motor.. He wanted $60 for it, but I talked him down to $50.. I got it home and started cleaning it up.. I think the carby is a 500cfm one, just not 100% sure.. lol







I also have a new indicator stalk from Kingswood Country to fit before it goes for rego..

Then came a nice package from @V6HQUTE ; that had a heaterbox cable for the demister that I am in the process of fitting now..

Other than that not much has been happening..

[83 WB_Ute]

Last weekend I spent most of Saturday working on the car. I finally got around to fitting the 2 front mudflaps and the rear drivers side mudflap.. and then I spent the rest of the day fixing up my GTS dash fascia..

Then on Sunday I spend 2 and a half hours cleaning the interior and fixing a few things up.. I fixed the heater box cable, and the glovebox and the lower dash panel needed the mounting lugs replaced so they were done and fitted.. Then I vacuumed the flood and fitted the original 'dealer fitted' floor mats that came with the parts ute.. lol All I have to do now is touch up a few little spots with the vinyl die..

Here is the interior a bit cleaner..









I'm contemplating fitting the GTS dash guages and wiring now while I fit the new indicator stalk.. That way I can fit the GTS fascia when its done, and then the GTS steering wheel after..

I will hopefully be going up to Queensland in the July school holidays to pick up my WB Kingswood body moulds and my Dragway rims.. If I don't get there in July.. It'll be in August.. I plan to have everything done, so I can just get the body moulds home fit them and then send the car for rego..

I had a bit of trouble with the drivers side front mudflap, but the others went on fairly easy..

Anyway, here are some pics.. Its looking more and more like a car thats soon to be registered..









I am still looking for a passenger side rear mudflap, if you have one that has the lion on the bottom and the verticle strips and you want to get rid of it.. Let me know.. It doesn't matter what condition, just it doesn't have any huge rips or tears in it.. Ohh, and it must suit a ute or a van..

[83 WB_Ute]

Again it has been a while between posts.. So here it goes..

Since my last post I have finished the GTS dash fascia and it is now being soaked in a barrel of caustic soda and water.. Here is a picture of it once all the plastic work was finished..



This will be is home for a while..





I gave it a light coat of black paint to see what it would look like (and to see if there were any other areas that needed work..) the WB RTS badge is just sitting there, while one 'idiot light' is dull and the other one is shiney because I started to fix them up.. lol



The lenses were crap as and needed a fair bit of work, so I decided to just sand them right back and remove all the crap that was on them aswell as the writing on them.. I went through these grades of sandpaper on them - 240, 320, 600, 1000 and 1500 - I know it was overkill, but the smoother they are before you apply the clear coat the better they look..
I was going to repaint the writing on them, but thought I'll just leave them blank until I can find a rooted dash with good lenses.. lol

Here are the lenses before the clear coat:


I struggled to get a picture after I put the clear coat on because of the glare.. So these will have to do..

Because the fascia was soaking and the lenses were done I turned my attention to the gauges and sent them off to be tested to make sure they are all good.. I fitted the correct oil pressure sender and the correct temperature sender is on its way and will be picked up tomorrow..

I've also bought some GTS gauge lenses, GTS steering wheel horn setup and some WB kingswood body clips from rare spares and I also got a new heater tap from kingswood country..

I then decided to give the whole car a service now, and I would fill the gearbox up while it is out of the car while the clutch is being adjusted...
So I went and bought some oil..



I also got some fuel line to relocate the fuel filter because it was heaps close to the steering joint and the hoses seemed to be bent and blocking the flow a little bit..

Before:


After:


It looks much better, it is much safer than having it rub on the steering joint and the car seems to run heaps better with it like that..

I got given a mudflap for nothing, and when I went and fitted it to the car it was a sedan one.. So I have a mudflap waiting to be picked up when we go to Queensland in august..

[83 WB_Ute]

Were back for another update!! Its only small, but its progress..

I have finally heard back from the instrument shop in Tamworth after 3 weeks of the gauges not even being touched.. Its not real good news..

They say that the clock is not working (but they don't know why..) ($103) the speedo is out of calibration and a piece needs to be replaced ($75+) the fuel/oil/temp/battery guage is fine, just needs a clean ($60) and the killer is the tacho needs to have the switchboard changed to suit the electronic ignition ($180) and there are a few light bulbs that need replacing ($12+)..

Ohh, and they have a 3 month warranty.. lol I think thats absolute crap considering I am almost spending $500 there..

So I spose my questions are how much would you charge to do the above work to the gauges?? @Absinth

I bought a cheap gearbox plug from supercheap to stop the oil from pouring out of the back of the gearbox when I take it out.. I also got the 'blue' VDO temperature sender to suit the GTS temp gauge and fitted it as well..





I then fitted the new heater tap and fixed up the hoses to be held in the factory bracket from the carby..



The I removed the old steering wheel using a harmonic balancer removal tool.. haha





It was pretty crappy in there..



I have also fitted the new indicator stalk and it all works good now..



Here is a picture of the GTS steering wheel lightly fitted so I could move the car around (after I put the radiator hose clamp on the clutch cable..) to a concrete slab so I can do the gearbox..



Heres a picture of the height of the clutch pedal when the hose clamp is in place..



Its a much better height..

Ohh, and the old girls new house!!!





Its not 100% done yet, but is insulated, 2 bay + workshop, electric roller doors, skilion on the front and a spot on the side for mum and dads caravan.. And we are looking at sealing the whole interior floor with cement sealer to protect it.. We just finished filling in the trench for the power today so its getting closer to being done..