xm-221

I've got plenty of 6cyl clusters here to check, just no V8 ones.

If they were auto Steve they would have had a flat plate bolted in instead of the tube setup

XE's had a bolt on tube Steve, I've only ever seen the welded one on XF/G's. Grandpa has the bolt on tube.

Rubber brake line that goes from body to diff? I had them priced at $65 from ABS and $72 from Enzed.

I can get them for $45 plus postage for standard rubber or $70 plus postage for braided line.

I know the AOD box that's behind the injected windsors fits without actually modifying the tunnel or firewall. The gearbox mount is further back so you'll have to extend the mount to suit the extra length of the box. I couldn't see the 6cyl AOD box being any bigger.

This! I have got an EA 3.9lt and T5 in Heather, ED Diff with XE brackets for the vented brakes and ED tailshaft. A mate here in Geelong does the rear brake hose conversion for $45 plus postage. Modified XE radiator, EL thermostat housing and that's about it. Sway bar is standard XE, XG chassis plates. I don't run power steer or air con so I have one V belt that runs the water pump and Alt. I'll bail Dan up and find out exactly what bits he used for this conversion originally and edit this post later on

I see one problem doing it that way Clint, you risk peeling an edge back if the surface under the basecoat isn't prepped well enough. All it takes is the edge of a finger print left behind and it will peel. I agree with your method in principal, it will work. But I'm old school and will spend the time to mask up first.

Mask it up ya slack bastard!

Do your polishing, spray the wax and grease remover like you're using a karcher (washes all the dirty crap off), wipe with clean rags, 2K paint your lows, give a light spray and wipe with w&g remover and a clean rag, spray with 2K clear. Done!

Yes, wax and grease remover in a pump pack and spray the bejesus out of it. Like a mini karcher. Give it a final spray and wipe with clean rags and clear over the top. Works for me.

From memory I think physically it bolts straight in using the holes provided, but the brake lines are definitely different.

This man knows. I know the brake lines will need a rework as they're in a different orientation on XF/ZL compared to XD/ZJ.

Welcome to OzFalcon Mark, information and available products are always welcome around here

Buy a mig and attempt it yourself, I don't have the time or space to do jobs for anyone else at the moment.

Good luck Wayne, fingers crossed over here fella.

Acrylic Enamel, is that what they're calling industrial enamel these days?

OH&S minimum = organic canister on a half face mask and gloves (ansell latex gloves from the supermarket do the job). Totally illegal to spray a car at home in your garage or on your property in every State & Territory of Australia if you live in a built up area. Councils don't approve of the dust and fumes that can affect your neighbours. If you're on acreage I think the rule still applies but most councils are a but more chilled as they realise farmers need to paint machinery and such to protect them from the elements.

Looks like you've got a surface contamination Wayne. Did you wet rub the panels before you painted them? If you haven't used a clean bucket (washed with warm soapy water) you can pick up very fine contaminants from the bucket/water itself and rub them into the surface you are prepping and no matter how much you wipe them with prepsol/thinners they will always end up looking like this. I'm on my phone so can't really see the bubble effect properly, but from what you've described it sounds like the thinners isn't flashing off quickly enough and it is eating into the paint underneath and causing the effect you describe. The fix for both problems is to wait until the paint is dry and give them another hard block back (remember to clean the bucket thoroughly and use a fresh bit of sandpaper), give them a very light wipe with thinners (fresh clean rag) and then get a can of etch primer and go over where you have rubbed through to the original paint. That will seal up any potential fry up points so when you paint again it shouldn't happen. Slydog touches on a good point as well, environment, if it's not warm enough when you're painting the thinners/reducer you are using in the paint won't flash off quick enough and will eat itself into the surface and always cause you some kind of problem. If you are painting in anything under 15 degrees you should double, or even triple, your waiting time between coats or at the least hitting each panel with a heat gun or hair dryer to flash off that thinners so it doesn't have time to etch itself into the panel.

Measured with paint or stripped to bare steel?

Porn?

It's worth it for the "resale value for money" factor alone. Some stock rims with some 5/7 ply wood or 20mm mdf cut to fit in the centre with the jack stand on top is a nice, cheap, and easy way to get it up that little bit higher so you're not in cramped quarters underneath the car. A scraper will get the majority of the crap off, lash out and buy a couple of triple twist knot wire wheels (cup and flat) to get rid of the rest of the grime. Wash it all down with thinners on a few rags. You can then rust convert or deoxidine where needed, then etch prime and blow some oil based stone guard over it, seal it up a few days later with chassis black or satin black and you'll have a clean underbelly. You could even blow some body colour over it for that really spesh look.

Speco make a rubber gasket that has a wire core through it. Used one on Grandpa and it never leaked.

I'd be surprised if they didn't have a fairly quick wear rate to them, unless you could get them in a flap disc. It's all wanky anyway, if you can't dress a weld with a normal disc there's something wrong.