MEMBERS CAR RESTORATIONS
Click below to see how specific Club Members vehicle restorations are progressing |
Articles | ||
CAR CLUB RESTORATIONS
To read up on fellow club members restorations click here to go to the Car Restos page … |
||
HOLDEN FE Part 1
CHARLIE MIFSUD MY 1957 HOLDEN FE SEDAN RESTORATION JOURNEY Part 1 The first time I saw the Holden in August 2018 sitting in the garage with its flat tires, tired paint work and rusted front guards I knew this car was for me. I remembered that I had one of this model many years ago when I and this Holden were much younger models. In fact this car was the same model and colour as the one I had years earlier. This vehicle was to be auctioned as a deceased estate the following day, so I decided on how much I was willing to pay for it, well let’s just say plans don’t go the way you want them to go especially when there is someone else wanting the same thing you want and at most auctions your heart rules your head, no more said I … |
||
HOLDEN FE Part 2
Part 2 My 1957 HOLDEN FE SEDAN RESTORATION JOURNEY Now that I had the Holden running, I needed to find out if I could drive it to see what if anything was good or bad. I’m a great one to always see the worst scenario that may occur. As I had the car at my brother’s workshop which has a reasonable amount land attached to it, I was able to have a bit of a drive around enough to be able to change gears from first to second. Before this I lifted the Holden up on a hoist to check to fuel tank to see if it could be filled with petrol. After a full under car inspection, I could see this car was in reasonable condition rust wise as there was very little indication of any rust visible which is a big plus. Getting back to the fuel tank, it looked in really good condition… |
||
HOLDEN FE Part 3
CHARLIE MIFSUD MY 1957 HOLDEN FE SEDAN RESTORATION JOURNEY Part 3 With the mechanicals in working condition, I started looking at the body and interior of this Holden and decided at a little tidy up was in order.I took the rear seat to an upholsterer I knew for a restitch and replace the top piece of the seat that the sun burns. The rest of the interior just needed a good scrub and wash, then a heavy coat of baby oil to soften the vinyl, the mats were beyond repair plus what was there looked like it came off the kitchen floor. Many phone calls and trips to any firm that handles rubber products, I was unable to purchase the correct Holden floor mat or repo mat, so in the end I went for a marine grade rubber mat. The door trim was in reasonable condition except … |
||
HOLDEN FE Part 4
Part 4 My 1957 FE HOLDEN SEDAN RESTORATION JOURNEY I knew that the only way I was going to get the FE passed through and have the defect notice removed and be able to get registration on this Holden again was to strip the FE back to the bone and rebuild her back again. After cleaning out my garage to make room for all the panels once I removed them( I decided to do this restoration at home and not use up room at my brother’s workshop because I knew this was going to be a long drawn out excises) I started with removing the interior again as there was not much work needed to do, I placed the seats and door trim in one corner of the shed threw a old bed sheet over them, little did I know how long it was going to be before I would be replacing them back. The next to be dismantled … |
||
HOLDEN FE Part 5
My 1957 FE HOLDEN SEDAN RESTORATION JOURNEY Part 5 After many weeks of placing paint stripper and hand sanding and using sanding discs to each and every panel inside and out the FE was ready to have any and all dents, rust spots and scratches to be finally repaired before primer and then a final coat of paint. For most part I repaired the rust spots by filling with lead and then a top coat of body filler then filling back to a smooth and even surface, for the larger repairs that were found under the paint and these were old repairs during the FE’s life I called on my good friend Charlie Costanzo (who is an excellent panel beater during his working life) to give me a hand which he did and between the two of us the FE was repaired to a stage of primer and almost ready for paint. … |
||
HOLDEN FE Part 6
MY 1957 FE HOLDEN SEDAN RESTORATION JOURNEY Part 6 The Final Journey. The day had finally arrived to have the FE inspected and hopefully passed road worthy and to once more be registered for the road. I made the booking, paid the inspection fee and was given a date and time to have both the I.D. and road worthy inspections done on the same day, the I.D. inspection was going to be a walk in the park as this was done once before and I had the old I.D. forms, the one to worry about was the road worthy inspection. Now if you remember in the earlier chapters the FE was defected for a small hole in the Y frame that was bogged up and a rubber bump stop that had a split rubber, when I had made a phone call to the inspection office to make my booking I pointed out the defect notice … |
web design George McKay - Surge Computing Services Pty Ltd - www.surge.com.au - surgewebsites