1973 - Engine Reconditioning / Paint Job / Hot Rod Wheels / Timber Eating Possums?

Not exactly sure of the date, but around 1973, decided to tackle the engine before the paint job. Came across a night school class Vintage Engine Reconditioning class at Richmond Tech. One of the best things I did, as the two years were spent reconditioning heads, blocks and other drive line parts. Had access after training to surface grinders, boring machines, honing machines, pouring bearings, and other implements of destruction.

All the class was from the Vintage Driver's Club and we had a common bond, and plenty of time was spent talking rubbish over the coffee machine.

My first task was to repair a cracked 28 Chev head, with a 1 inch crack right in the middle of the head gasket area. I was amazed at the process, which was drill and plug, drill and plug, one after the other, then surface grind and ready for valves. Now that was a challenge as in those days valves were not common and if they were it would involve new valve guides. The instructor, a great bloke by the name of Roger Calvert I think suggested we use Bedford Truck valves, which were over size and could be machined to fit. So I drilled out the valve guides to suit the valves, and even machined the valves to accept Holden red motor collets and caps and valve springs. Do you know that that same head has given me 35 years of good service, even though I boiled it dry on one occasion when leading a Xmas parade in Boronia. Had the Mayor and his wife in the back, my kids in the front, and there was no way I could stop. Three K's down the road, engine was beyond steaming, left it about 90 minutes, filled up the radiator, no dramas. Geez these Chev 4 donks are tough. Did another 3 Xmas parades but that's for another time.

The next task at night school was to bore out 2 blocks, 1 is in my car still, and the other in my spares collection, with another 2 spare reconditioned heads. Never got around to grinding the crank, actually was a bit scared of the process and subied it out, but more about that later also.

The only drama at night school, which could have put me in the emergency room or worse, was when I tried pouring my bearings. Did not know that you don't drop cold white metal into molten metal. Bang, molten metal flies up into the air, and thank god by the time it hit my T shirt covered body it was cooled sufficiently to only give me nasty looking skin burns. Don't know why, but I never tried pouring bearing again.
I often reflect back on those two years as the transition of Ray from a wood worker to gaining basic mechanical knowledge.

Some short time later, at a VDC meeting meet George Russell an engine reconditioner who lived 2 streets behind me in the Basin. After a chat over a coffee, and an estimate from George of $250 to finish of my short engine, I said yeah, and a few days later he had the parts. I supplied the pistons, bought from the original Vanguard Spares in Elizabeth Street. George poured and machined bearings, ground the crank, fitted the pistons, camshaft and new welsh plug in the water jacket. Not bad for $250, but that was a few bob in the 70's.

A lot of my friends from that time were not big fans of George's work in later years over price and quality issues, but 39 years later I am happy, no complaints from me.

Getting the short engine done professionally put me ahead, so a few weeks later I had assembled the engine in a test stand and what do you know, it started. Cost me a fortune in Freddo Frogs at the time, as I had told all the guys in the warehouse where I worked plus every truckie that came in, that when I got it started I would shout Feddos for everyone. Why Freddos I still don't know. But I bought 2 boxes of the little buggers. I actually only originally ran the engine for a short time as I discovered that with the Holden collets and caps the valve springs were bottoming out on the top of the valve guides and there were a few parts flexing here and there. Off came the head, attacked it with an angle grinder, taking about 3/8 inch of the top of the valve guides. Back together and again no problems 35 years later. The other thing I should mention was that the Bedford valves were about 10 mm longer that the original, and when I replaced the push rods just last year, I wondered why they were fouling and remembered that I had shortened the originals.

Time to think about the paint job, as my dear wife had agreed to keep working for a couple of more years before starting a family so I could get the job finished. Dropped the engine and tranny back in the car, once again with the undertaker approved overhead crane in the garage, you remember, two bits of 4 x 2 propped under the angle iron rafter etc. Boy am I glad I have grown beyond that, and survived to talk about it.

Had no idea who was going to paint the beast, but was working towards it, welding Chev hubs into some Toyota Corolla rims, looked like a weird hot rod.

Somehow came across a guy called Lew from guess what, Les Custom Panels, just 400 metres over the road and down the street. His only claim to fame was he was Paula Duncans brother in law or her husband John, cant entirely remember. The deal was that he would take the car back to bare metal, and evbery night after work I would call in to see the bare panels and then give the ok to continue.
These days you would say I was a pain in the arse, but what the heck, it was my pride and joy, and only another job for Lew.

The original quote for the job was $800, and midway through I agreed to another $200.

In some ways a few years later I was not really happy with the paint job, but it has stood the test of time and still looks reasonable. If I did a car again I might try my hand at painting myself.

Car came home, looked pretty good, but still needed wheels and upholstery.

Wheels ------ This is a bit out of sequence but as I mentioned when I got the car from South Australia it had good original front wooden spoke wheels and absolute crap reproduction spokes in the back. These were dumped, and I set about reconditioning an average set of original rear wheels that came over with the car. They looked pretty far gone, but I had a brain wave, I would soak them in pure linseed oil for a month or so to preserve what was left.

Warning, big mistake to follow.

Took out the front and rear spokes from the linseed oil bath and placed them on a rack to drain and dry. At around the same time I needed to have an ear operation, so I was out of action for about 3 months, and did not step foot into the garage for that period, another mistake. It seems that either rats or possums like, or should I say love, linseed oil. When I came back into the garage I was horrified. The vermin had got in and eaten and stripped the rear spokes back to solid timber about half thickness. Looked like fat tooth picks. In hindsight they were too far gone anyway, but never or less a shock. Vermin droppings inches thick on the bench. Luckily for me the front spokes were still solid hard timber, so apart from the odd scratch here and there they were intact, thank god. Those rodents or possums or whatever must have thought it was heaven, a warm and dry spot over winter to each their fill of linseed oil soaked 50 year old timber.

In hindsight the linseed oil idea was a stuff up anyway, as even now the front spokes still seep linseed oil through the clear coat every year or so. Last time I redid them, about 4 years ago, I sanded, scrubbed, soaked in thinners etc etc  etc, but the bloody stuff still comes through, though not in the same quantity as before.

I ended up getting a guy in Old to redo the back wheels, and even though they looked ok, I have had to repair loose rear wheel spokes 3 or 4 times since. But last time 2010, did a job that I believe will last longer than me. Has not even cracked the clear coat between the spokes after about 1500 miles, success at last.

Here is the car just back from the paint shop and ready to go to for upholstery.

I think that's about it for the moment, next posting I will tell you about the upholstery