Well done Damian, looking forward to seeing the finished product.
Well done Damian, looking forward to seeing the finished product.
Hey Damien. Looking great it seems a lifetime ago from that day in Williamstown and how I sensed the excitement you had telling me your plans. Don’t forget when it’s done we need to head back there and have a cruise.
Thanks HZSM50. Yeah i enjoyed that little session, and looking forward to getting this thing on the road. There's still a bit to go, but it's ticking along and should have at least some paint on it very soon.
Cheers
Damo
Ok, update time. The van is stripped of its entire drive train and every bolt on bit is out for polish and paint. The end result from the last dyno run (video in previous post) was that I needed to upgrade the blower with an intercooler, so I dropped it back to Yella Terra who sorted that out promptly. Interestingly, i needed to use their BA falcon radiator up front as the VT one they supplied me was just a nudge too big to fit in front of the A/C condenser. Anyway that's sorted out ok and I've now got an intercooler!
I took the van back home and am currently practising my TIG welding skills, so I can weld up 8 x holes in the firewall that are no longer needed. On the subject of those holes...I ended up deciding to get rid of the mechanical throttle body and convert to a drive by wire unit, as the throttle cable was the last thing coming through the fire wall and i thought...why am i leaving that cable there when everything else is hidden? So with a few more TIG practice runs under my belt I'm gonna weld up those holes, then it's time to paint the firewall...
The engine and trans are still at the shop and are getting some paint too. The sump had a dent on the bottom so it got removed first and we pressed it back straight and did a final 'spanner check' on the bottom end (I got a thumbs up from the engine guru!). For the paint I decided to use KBS Velvet Black Motorcoater on the block and heads...and after a rough start last weekend, i got another coat on it yesterday and it's gonna come up nice. Rocker covers, headers and a few other engine bolt on's will be gloss black so it should look good.
Pics as usual...
Engine out. You can see a couple of those pesky firewall holes in the background...
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Weld on some fancy rocker cover fittings...
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New Drive By Wire throttle body. Me thinks this means easy cruise control...
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Paint the engine. Two coats of KBS Velvet Black...
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Hello... It's 2024...and that means this panel van project has been going for 10 years. Where did the time go?
Anyway, good things on the horizon, some of those body holes are now welded up and the drive train is still in its bling phase. That brings me to this update, I may have gotten lost in fantasy land as i set about painting the engine and transmission. It's ended up with more custom stuff...and twin alternators. Maybe a picture helps explain where i stepped off into the twilight zone...
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Last edited by damienengland; 20-01-2024 at 06:34 PM.
Neat progress Damo, coming on a treat.
Selling HJ 253 Engine
Engine Number QR718*** | 19M5 Clock Casting at 6 O'Clock
19th December 1975 Suit HJ Late Dec 1975 to April 1976
Hello!
Minor update today regarding firewall holes and drive train. The engine and transmission are now painted in Velvet Black and I can confirm that putting the KBS into rattle cans is soooo much better than a brush, it goes on really good and cures perfectly.
Also, I had a good crack at TIG welding the firewall holes and can confirm that...I'm shit house so far. I got a few holes sorted but called in the professionals for the larger ones. Anyway it's done now and i'm happy with both the drive train paint and firewall prep. Pics as usual...
I might get some flak here...but I just wanted to paint the flywheel...
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Yep, i'm happy...even if this will not be seen again....
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Engine and Trans back together again...
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Now the firewall pics...no more holes...
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Epic job!!
Thanks DuncanM. Next stop is paint...firewall first. Cheers
Well, you blink and its 5 months later, but I've been working on a big battery project in NSW, and that's swallowed up the year very quickly. Still managed to keep the van project going though. The current goal is to finish painting the firewall, so i can put it together enough to drive it into its future paint booth location for its all over paint job.
On the paint front I did follow through with picking DNA candy base coat Tropical Green and that was a very expensive exercise. But I've now got 10L of colour and a bunch of white ground coat and clear etc. The van has had a few sessions of prep and the white ground coat is now on. The next step will be prepping and putting the colour on top. Pics as usual...
Session 1: Firewall is white.
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Session 2: Getting rid of factory spot weld dimples. I didn't realise how much they stand out when some paint goes on.
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Session 3: Then put white over that, and the pillars, and the inner door sections.
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