Grunt's Papaya HX Sandman 18v 308 4 speed Project

[Grunt]

Grant, you are doing an awsome job! I think i need to come to your place with the inner guards and rear sway bar real soon! Like real soon!! I thought the van was a 7/76 not an 8/76?

PLEASE...I will need them soon. Fridge is stocked

[Grunt]

18-08-1976 was the build date Holden supplied on a certificate they sent to me but the ID plate says 07/76. Whats a month over 37 years

[Robbo]

Excellent work, real progress.

[Grunt]

Time to do a bit more on the panels

The doors I got a while back had good fames and quit sound. The only prblem was there was rust spots on the lower section and in some places made small holes. I saw there was lower door repair sections available and was thinking this was the way to go



unpicking the lower door section



the inside was only light surface rust and red dirt it was from a country NSW ute



the inside of the door after cleaning and a bit oF rust neutralizer



Stitching on the new repair panel


So..... after doing both doors and battling with panels that "sorta" fit, too long, bad curves yada yada, I wasnt happy with the centre join which was going to be 2x thick steel and too much bog.... I scrapped them, off to the recycles

[Valencia]

Good doors for these cars are getting harder and harder to find

[Grunt]

I needed to find some good doors and located a pair from a HJ Statesman, very sound and been in storage for a few years but you dont really know what you have until you start stripping them down.





After some paint stripper



a little rust in the passanger side bottom, more patches





Drivers door had a dodgy section at the bottom where it had rusted between the rubber and the door, the inside of the doors is sound



I am very happy with these doors, small ding on the front of one but they are awesome condition for their age.

Had to also grind off the trim tabs being statesman and weld up the trim screw holes







here is a trap I didnt think about, being Statesman door they had no holes for winders so I had to drill the winder hole and 1x screw hole

[Grunt]

Spraying time, doors stripped back both sides and few other bits



Its been a bet wet and cold around here lately so sprayed them in the garage, hade up a bit of a spray booth to keep over spray down

[Grunt]

see what other surprises I can find when I strip some other panels







The prize lower tailgate that came with the car had an inch of bog in it so it had become a temporary work bench.

Told a mate about the tail gate and he told me he had one in storage that he found on the hard garbage about 10 years ago and said I could have it.
I dont think it could have been worse than the one I had.



Turns out to be new never fitted in factory black primer. Its a ute version so I notched the corners, what a find, what a price, thanks David

[Grunt]

before the body meets the chassis again time to do a little engine work. I have learnt the engine was freshened up not so long ago so I planned to put a cam in and change the inlet manifold. The cam I picked is a Wade 242a. The 2x timing chain was already installed and there looks to be some minor port woirk done to the heads







also installed a Scorcher electronic distributor

[Grunt]

The big day has arrived where the Body meets the chassis again.... been a long time coming







new body rubbers



wheels back on




For those interested these were the lifting points I used in the cabin






nearly there



All back together. I was very surprised how easy it was to line up