Ssz crewman project

[ringfeder3]

Picked up locks with new keys today. Both for $40...bargain.

Thought about electric aerial. It all looks like it is there. Might have to wire it up so it works.

 

[Fu Manchu]

It will. I did it with mine.
Plug and play.

 

[ringfeder3]

Huge improvement today.....bought some blue anodised valve covers for the wheels.

Should be worth a few extra kilowatts...

They actually look alright.

 

[Jolls]

I think you are onto something there. I have been led to believe that the output of a commodore, in Killerwasps, is directly proportional to valve cap colour match x RICE x colour matched door cards.

 

[ringfeder3]

Been doing a lot of travelling in the ute lately. As much as I enjoy the ongoing restoration, it still needs to earn it's keep as one of the family fleet.

I'm quite impressed that a vehicle with 320-odd thousand kms hasn't given me any dramas, particularly considering that most trips are over 700 kms...

Anyway, yesterday, I drove to Canberra to collect some GTS 'rally' rims for the HQ ute project. I was over the moon because these are getting bloody hard to get.

I left Canberra and went on to our small farm to meet a fencing contractor. Months of rain has resulted in the ground being sodden and with a 300 metre dirt driveway, guess what happened?.... I got bogged. Well and truly stuck.

Called a neighbour who kindly towed me out.

Down came the rain so I decided to head for home. Unfortunately, because the wheel rims were full of mud, the wheel balance was shot to **** and the steering was vibrating like buggery.

Had to detour and find a car wash to try and blast some excess mud off.

Made it home late last night and gave the ute a full detail this afternoon. Looks 200% better than yesterday.

As soon as time permits, I will embark on a few jobs.

-replace both rear window actuators (got parts)
-replace damaged passenger speaker panel (got parts)
-replace damaged drivers side A panel trim (got parts)
-replace both damaged seat backs (got parts)
-get power aerial working
-buff roof and Bonnet
-replace hoodlining (upholster mate going to do)
-replace damaged glovebox lid (got parts)
-replace noisy heater fan (got parts)
-replace front mudflaps (got NOS parts)

Chasing a straight tailgate and eventually a rear bumper. Mine have minor flaws so will get replacements painted up to match the car.

Oh, the joys of having a multitude of projects....

 

[ringfeder3]

It's been a while since a post so here's an update:

I have been sourcing a few hard-to-come-by parts to stockpile. Have found a good rear bumper and skirts which will replace the one which has a crease in it.

I've buffed the bonnet and roof but the paint on the roof is too thin so didn't improve it much.

The bonnet has a mark where sap or bird **** has left a permanent mark etched into the paint.

So I've decided I'll have a closed door respray done. My young bloke did an excellent job on the hard lid and rear roof plastics so i might have to let him loose on the rest of the car.

I've got newly painted door handles and fuel cap ready to install at the same time.

I bought a new aerial mast. Will do that as well.

I'll need to replace the windscreen too.

I've secured a deal on an abandoned crewman for spares. It's a v6 s pack with a dead motor, no front bar and no wheels. It's recently been under a metre of flood water but for spare panel and trim pieces, is worth the scrap price the bloke is after.

Just have to wait until things dry out so I can get a trailer in to get it...

So, seeing as I'll have to take my good ute 500 km away for the paint job, and it's my second car, the few weekends it might take could be an inconvenience. To give me a backup, today I bought a 2 grand xg ute.

It will be a handy parts carter and allow me to concentrate on restoring the ssz over time....

I know it's a Ford but at least it's a 6 cylinder....

 

[VS 5.0]

Hope you haven't been under water.

 

[ringfeder3]

Nope, we're up higher here

 

[ringfeder3]

So the falcon parts chaser plan was unsuccessful, Good in theory but the ute itself ended up being too much of a project in itself.

I still wanted to be able to relegate the Crewman to special duties and not use it for tip runs etc. So I reckoned my second ute idea made sense.

So I picked up a cheap, manual v6 ve omega ute.

Although it isn't going to be a project like the SSZ, I'll still commence a thread on the VE page so anyone interested can laugh at my efforts.....

Stay tuned for Crewman updates as well.

 

[ringfeder3]

Here's the latest addition to the fleet....