When you are going to do up a car (EJ or EH of course) you need to decide if the car you already have is worth doing up, or if your effort is better spent on another vehicle.

If you have a really original, and rare model such as a 179 automatic windowless panel van, or a Premier with every nasco option, and a rare paint code, then you may decide that the vehicle is rarer and is worthwhile. Whereas if you have a 149 manual sedan that looks like a basket case already, then you may want to try a different shell or another vehicle totally.

You can sometimes find a 100% complete car that runs well, and has low miles, but was near the sea and has no floor or rails left. In this case you may want to keep all the good bits off the car, and just get a good shell from the country. The other option is to get a car with a good body, but mechanically stuffed. These are good cars if you want to build up a modified vehicle. Be careful when buying a restored car or a shell, and maybe get a friend who really knows a bit about cars mechanically and body wise to come with you.

In terms of collect ability, Premiers in excellent authentic condition are highly prized and sedans are still relatively common, but wagons are getting very scarce. Prices for a good car start at $7000 and some superb examples have fetched as high as $12,000.

Once you have made the decision to rebuild then the next question is how much time/ money to spend. All I can say here is to remember that only two things can limit your rebuild or cleanup, and that is money and resources. Money can buy resources.

Back to Top

  Some advice on using fibreglass panels

It has got to the stage now where the use of fibreglass panels is becoming commonplace. And not just for those looking for a lightweight body for drag racing, or some simple bolt-on flairs and spoilers. Complete fibreglass replacement panels are now available for fenders and bonnets (limited to only a few models), as well as for previously welded on panels such as front valances at rear beavers.

While many of these fibreglass panels have been made for the drag racing sport and they leave a lot to be desired when it comes to fit and finish. Rare Spares has been forced to produce and market some fibreglass replacement panels simply because making them in metal beyond our current capabilities. Our replacement glass valances, beaver panels and spare wheel doors for utilities and panel vans are very high quality, and the fit and finish is equal to that of a metal panel. We do sell some fibreglass fenders, for EJ-EH made by other companies.

We have even attempted manufacture fibreglass wagon tailgates for HR and HQ Holdens, but again, the prototypes were not accurate enough to put on the market. So, to date, we've limited our own fibreglass panels to those we can guarantee. That doesn't mean we don't sell other fibreglass panels, it's just that we can't really guarantee they fit all that well. It comes down to what you are willing to accept.

Fitting a fibreglass panel as a replacement for a welded-on metal one is actually easier than fitting a replacement metal one! Take the EH rear beaver for example. Remove the old damaged or rusty beaver and prepare the inner panel as usual. It's a good idea to rust proof the inner panel at this stage, because the glass beaver will never rust again, so unless it is damaged in an accident, you will never have to remove it.

Then trial fit the fibreglass panel. Remember glass is strong and flexible, so it can be flexed into place. Some front valances and spoilers don't seem to fit when you first try them on the car. They are actually made like that, and they have to be flexed into the correct position. This technique is used to give the panel extra strength and rigidity.

Often, the gap between a fibreglass panel and the adjacent metal is more than the gap would be if both panels were metal. This is the case with an EH beaver, on the side where the panel meets the rear quarter. This is done to give you enough room to successfully fix the glass panel into place, and to allow sufficient bonding surface for filler. Other glass panels have a recessed edge where they meet metal, and this recess is designed to give sufficient overlap for a strong joint.

Fix the fibreglass panel into place with PK screws or pop rivets, locating the fixing points about l5Omm apart and in hidden locations wherever possible. For locations where the fixings will be visible, recess the hole and use pop rivets, filling the recess to level before painting. For extra strength, you can use special fibreglass to metal glue that is available from most hardware and panel supply shops.

So, don't be put off by the thought of having to use some fibreglass panels on your car. Remember also that once it's in place you won't have to worry about rust ever again.

From "How to Restore your Car Successfully"

Back to Top

  What about all of the Nuts and Bolts on the Car?

How do you screw... your car together? What about your nuts? A lot of people have a drum of assorted fasteners that they have to scrounge in whenever the car is getting put back together. Don't get me wrong, it's a good idea to keep all those odds and ends for another day. But what if you want to tidy your car up a bit or if you want something different, then this is something to think about.

Fasteners are something that not everyone thinks about when cleaning up or rebuilding their car. A budget option is to get all of the bolts from your car, replacing all of the rusted or broken ones from your drum of bolts. Then we put them all in a box (and a handful of extra ones while we are at it) and take them to get zinc or cadmium plated. This may cost between $50 and $100, and all of your bolts are plated like original again.

The next step up is to chrome plate your bolts. If you are doing this, you are best to get new bolts, as the finish will be much better. A full set (not including several special bolts) may cost between a $100 to $150. Then the chrome plating will cost between $100 and $200 depending on where you go, and if they are going to polish them or not.

Finally you come to the best of the best... Stainless steel bolts. They come with standard hex head bolts, Allen key heads, and button heads, which are like smooth button topped Allen heads. Some sizes and thread combinations may not be available, especially with the button heads. A full set could set you back $800, unless you know someone who can get you trade price or a discount.

Now you can combine these choices and put just stainless steel in your engine bay or whatever. Although stainless is expensive, you might as well get all of your screws and washers in stainless as they are only a matter of cents each. Also try using Nylok nuts, and Loctite and give those spring washers the flick, but not on any mechanical parts though. Here's hoping to see some shiny nuts in the future...

Back to Top

  Some hints and tips on fitting replacement rubbers

Perhaps the most important component group in your car is the collections of seals and weather-strips that are called body rubbers. If they are old and perished, they will let the water in, where it will mix with dust and dirt to form a mud layer that promotes rust.

The Rare Spares rubbers are made from a high density tough skinned synthetic rubber compound. It's more expensive than soft sponge rubber, but lasts five times longer, and doesn't promote water to soak in, and create rust. All clips are made of plastic now for the same reason.

The clip on type dust seals are quite easy fit, and on an EJ or EH, they are on the boot, tailgate and door. To fit them, all you need to do is remove the old rubbers, and the new ones will clip on in the same holes. There will be two clips that are closer together than all of the others. This is where the join is in the rubber, and is usually located in the vicinity of the catch inside the door. It is possible to fit the rubbers inside out, and you must make sure that the flap of the rubber faces towards the door opening, not the door itself

For EJ's there is also a glue on type rubber on the opening of the door, and some patience is required to fit these. You will need to work a small section at a time if you do not have the confidence to whack the whole thing on all at once.

The other door rubbers are a little harder, and you would be advised to have a workshop manual to help yourself along the way. First of all you need to lower the glass down inside the door by undoing the bolts that hold the winder regulator in. Inner and outer door belt rubbers are removed and replaced in the same way as each other. Remove the old strips, and any remnants of the old clips. Check the holes before you start to make sure none of the holes are bent out of shape. These need to be fitted last, after your quarter window is done, and your bailey channels, but before the glass is lifted back up from the bottom of the door. When pushing the clips into the clip holes, push them carefully, so that you do not bend or break the clips.

Once you have the door disassembled, you will need to do the front quarter vent window rubber. The quarter vent assembly is not too difficult, but there are a couple of things you will need to remember. When undoing the hinge, drill out the rivets that hold the hinge on, not the rivet that forms the centre of the hinge itself. When undoing the nut at the bottom of the pivot, where there is a large pressure spring, make sure that there is no rust on the threads, as these break really easily. Some penetrating oil will help dissolve this rust.

The bailey channel is the stuff the glass slides in. These are very difficult to fit if you are fitting the original type with the stainless steel edge. You will need to take a lot of care, and a lot of patience is necessary to achieve satisfactory results. Use your old bailey channel as a guide to cut, bend and make the ends on your new ones. One handy hint is to bend the bailey channel around a paint roller, and you won't scratch it. Do it slowly, and don't kink the stainless section, and make sure it doesn't pull away from the channel. You will find that the mould will shrink as you bend it, so you will need to allow for a little extra when bending.

There is a cheaper and quicker alternative, and that is to fit HQ type soft bailey channel. It is about a third of the price, and can be fitted in minutes per door. You just need to make sure you put a few drops of adhesive in a couple of spots to stop the channel from sliding. It doesn't look original, but if you are building a modified vehicle, this may not be of importance.

Back to Top

  Interior trimming, Custom and Original

One of the areas of a car that a lot of people overlook is the interior. It is a functional and comfortable part of your vehicle, and should be treated as such. If you have a Premier with a leather interior, it will become quite expensive to get your interior fully done with all areas refurbished, but that is part of building a concourse vehicle. If you were to do the seats in leather, the door trims, console, carpet, headlining, and all of the other trimmings it can cost you about $4000 to get a decent job done. The budget option is to get the seats done in soft vinyl. This may cut the cost down to around $2500.

For a Special or Standard interior, you will only be able to get it done in the original way, by getting the door trims made up to original specs, by Eastern Auto Upholstery in Bayswater Ph. (03)9720 5444. The door trims are about $150 ea, and the front seat will cost about $660 fully reconditioned like new. The advantage is that it is all seam welded vinyl like the original. The headlining material that was used originally is no longer available though, so a close substitute has to be used. For rubber floor mats, the original style full floor mats are available, front, rear or boot sections for about $300 each. Call Obsolete Rubber Mats 0412 941 799.

The other options you have is to put in a custom interior. This can be anything from a variation on the original to a wild all out retro job. Commonly a velour headlining and velour covered seats with vinyl sides with velour patterned door trims is an easy target to aim for. Put cut pile carpet on the floor, and a bit of carpet on your kick panels, parcel shelf and in the boot, and it will look pretty good. Above all, be prepared to pay for good quality materials, as cheap stuff will only fade in the sun, wear and rip easily. This kind of interior can cost from $2000. Don't get me wrong, there are cheap ways of doing it for around $1000, but like I always say, you get what you are paying for.

If you want to go a bit more radical, you can fit any multitude of bucket seats from most cars. The buckets from 80's Japanese cars like Colt, Pulsar, Bluebird, 323, 626, RX7, Corolla, are very cheap to get second hand, fit well, and once they are retrimmed in decent cloth or velour, look ace. Bigger seats from say a Commodore can be a bit harder to fit, especially if you have a large console so some go for Gemini or Camira seats. When fitting seats, look for how you are going to mount them. Use the two outside bolt holes for the original bench seat if you can, inside also for the original split bench if you have a Premier body shell. When you mount through the floor pan use the recommended method for your state rego requirements. This usually means a plate of 3mm thickness at least 50mm x 80mm. The bolt would have to be a 8.8 high tensile rated unit of at least 8mm thread diameter. Don't forget washers and spring washers.

There are other things to do and they include the retro trimming effect, where all of the interior is billet handles and wicked way out shapes, colours and just different to anything else. Digital dash instrument clusters, or modern units are the go. This is where guys start incorporating their sound system and its layout into the design of the interior. You will start paying big dollars here, but if you enjoy it, well so be it.

Back to Top