2redrovers

Love that kind of thread! I'm trying to work my way towards being in a position where I'll be able to do builds like that. Need to acquire a few new tools for the workshop and then work out how to spend that much time on a single build. Quick! Someone buy me a winning lotto ticket!

Bear, when you get around to reading this bit, the back door isn't welded up in this version because it still opens. The front doors are as long as a coupe but have the rear edge of a sedan door. Steve, there's a thought floating around in my head about using ute tail lights. To me they seem like they would fit in the new profile of the boot and quarters. Rev, torino was an influence in the reshaped lines. Seemed to be a shape that could be used to make a four door muscle car out of the family sedan.

This is the basics from the other thread I, ummmm kinda hijacked Gerg's good advice.. "Sedans are harder to make sleek but personally, one thing I don't like about XCs is the window line at the back door to the pillar. It's more squared off like an early Granada (an attempt to lead-in to the square Falcons) whereas XAs and XBs have the coke-bottle hip line, much more curvy and fitting with the rest of the car. I find the quad light front more attractive than the rectangular one. Depending on how extreme you want to go, you could lay back the windscreen and same for the rear window. Rear pillar could be thinned down at the top to suit the laid-down glass but keep the same line on the door frame. Side glass could be a problem on the front though, maybe get some rear door glass, swap sides and install in front with custom front quarter glass like a smoker's window. You could look to some exotic European sedans of the era for inspiration, like the Maserati quattroporte or De Tomaso Longchamp, even Jag XJs. I'd delete bumpers and fab custom bodywork to fill in the gaps, then put some more delicate ones on that wrap nicely around each end of the car, like on an E-type Jag. Cut out and fill wheel arch swages and re-profile the rear to match the front. (70s Falcons look like bum-draggers) Overall I think it could be a very handsome car if done tastefully and with period styling cues." My Blabbing "Good ideas there and you took it in the direction I had in my fuzzy head. The painter I'm doing the torana for has an xc sedan he got cheap and we've been talking over ideas on what to do with it. I've had crazy thoughts on doing a pillarless rear suicide conversion like the Lincoln continental. I wanted to tweak the rear pillar somehow but hadn't had a chance to look into it yet. We both thought about the quad lights, but I've been looking for a solution that fits with a slim bumper and doesn't just look like an Xb jammed in there. Personally I'm ok with turning it into something totally different, maybe like a phantom ford prototype but not necessarily recognised as an xc. I'll see if I can transfer some of what you suggested to a digital mock-up and we'll see how it looks. Next thought I had while tweaking things around was pillarless using modded coupe doors and a three quarter rear opening suicide style. By rear window swap I meant your idea for the side glass. On the computer at least, when you line up rear door glass into front door opening the top edge runs too far uphill. You might be able to grind back the glass and make it fit, not sure if it would survive that process though. Where I left it last night I had lined up the rear window into the front door space which made the door about as long as a coupe. This had the upper B pillar leaning forward and I thought it didn't look too bad. So move the pillar back and swap sides on the upper half. Use coupe door with the rear edge of a sedan doorskin spliced on to keep the right line. Use coupe door glass up front. Rework rear sedan door to open backwards like an rx8. End up with B and C pillar lines about same angle with the adjusted rear screen angle.

Design thread started

You're a bit late Maybe it should be renamed the "theoretical body design, with a bit of tech info on cold gal" thread EDIT: I'd be more than happy if we made a body design thread and moved all my ravings to it instead of crowding up gerg's. It's becoming clear this will be an ongoing topic.

Before I did the pic I'd thought maybe triple round tail lights but I like the thought of the hockey stick shape too. I noticed the similarities to z fairlanes, could be modded to get the rear quarters and maybe boot too. We all know half this car would be hand made, although Gerry has some coupe parts just laying around

Yeah haven't worked out what bumpers to use, was thinking something that only just wraps a little around the corner of the body. Or maybe one that ends in line with the body. Might not be able to pick it but I did raise the rear wheel arch by about an inch or a bit more. In reality it may need more that to look right. I also raised the top line of the quarter to flow with the pillar. It was an unexpected change but I liked the way it looked in this version. Haven't figured out if I just lifted the quarters so I guess it would have fins of sorts, or if I also raised the boot lid and whole rear panels. I think the second.

This is one direction I think the rear end could go, 70/71 torino The other idea I had was working in tail lights from xb ute. Would have the same shape as the new rear quarters, maybe with a coupe boot lid and a reworked back panel.

Please ignore some of the dodgy aspects of my photoshop skills, this was the first time I've actually managed to work out what to do with the program. Before After This would not be a small undertaking to make it a reality......fun though.

I realised after I posted that it might not say what I meant. Your right with the rear windscreen, that will work fine. By rear window swap I meant your idea for the side glass. On the computer at least, when you line up rear door glass into front door opening the top edge runs too far uphill. You might be able to grind back the glass and make it fit, not sure if it would survive that process though. Where I left it last night I had lined up the rear window into the front door space which made the door about as long as a coupe. This had the upper B pillar leaning forward and I thought it didn't look too bad. So move the pillar back and swap sides on the upper half. Use coupe door with the rear edge of a sedan doorskin spliced on to keep the right line. Use coupe door glass up front. Rework rear sedan door to open backwards like an rx8. End up with B and C pillar lines about same angle with the adjusted rear screen angle.

Ok, had a little time to fiddle with a side on pic. Not finished so I can't put it up yet but found the back window swap won't work and a straight up solution. You either have to cant the B pillar forward or cut the glass up to make it fit in the upper front roof line. Next thought I had while tweaking things around was pillarless using modded coupe doors and a three quarter rear opening suicide style.

Good ideas there and you took it in the direction I had in my fuzzy head. The painter I'm doing the torana for has an xc sedan he got cheap and we've been talking over ideas on what to do with it. I've had crazy thoughts on doing a pillarless rear suicide conversion like the Lincoln continental. I wanted to tweak the rear pillar somehow but hadn't had a chance to look into it yet. We both thought about the quad lights, but I've been looking for a solution that fits with a slim bumper and doesn't just look like an Xb jammed in there. Personally I'm ok with turning it into something totally different, maybe like a phantom ford prototype but not necessarily recognised as an xc. I'll see if I can transfer some of what you suggested to a digital mock-up and we'll see how it looks.

No worries mate. I've been wanting to pick your brain on another topic and while we're chatting amongst ourselves... Have you got any design ideas that could be applied to an xc sedan? I'm liking where you want to take your coupe but I didn't think the same philosophy would work on a sedan. Any thoughts?

With the old cars, further back you go the more likely that it's enamel paints. You get the nice patina from enamel because as it ages and degrades, it powders up with a chalky oxide an slowly falls away. A lot of metals were used in oxide forms to generate the pigments and flow characteristics of enamel, some of which I'm sure were zinc which would have helped protect the metal along the way. Later paint is acrylic and then 2k, which will go porous as it breaks down, allowing moisture to penetrate. Because the paint is more like a plastic sheet covering the panel, it keeps its structure longer, trapping the moisture under the surface and allows deep rust to grow. Eventually the paint looses its ability to hold together and flakes off instead of powdering off. I think the high temp paint is more like an enamel base too. When you add in the heat cycling I think you'll find that the cold gal isn't behaving the same way any more and would have a different bond and degradation effect. When they say it's not a suitable base, it's not that it won't work or that it won't work for a while, it's more that the results are not able to be guaranteed to give you what you want. There's a lot of variables and sometimes it will work ok, others will be disastrous results that haunt you no matter what you do with it.

Someone with more paint experience can correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand it cold gal / zinc isn't what you would call a stable surface. The nature of zinc as a self sacrificing agent to prevent rust by converting to zinc oxides would mean that paint layer over the top wouldn't get the solid anchor hold it needs to bond permanently. Eventually as the zinc began to break down under the paint, it would create powdery oxide layer and allow the top coat to bubble and peel off. It would happen slower under paint than an exposed zinc surface but would still happen. I believe you can use turpentine based paints over zinc rich coatings, but it's still not truly long-term adhesion. (no offence taken if I'm incorrect)

They couldn't drive past a Krispy Kreme without stopping and created an uncontrolled desire in the driver to pull over any nice lowered cars "just for routine checks"

When I was hunting for a good welder a couple of years ago, I decided on the unimig 180 from machinery house. I got cheeky and waited until it was on sale, then joined their mates rates club and used a $50 voucher to get it under 400.<br /><br />It's been a great machine and never given any issues. Have welded everything from paper thin panels, right up to I think it was 8mm plate. I'm naughty and run the 15amp on a 10socket but I measured the draw on the highest setting and was only pulling 9.5 amps. Never tripped a breaker and I usually have it running through a shut off device anyway. Not suggesting anyone do what I do.<br /><br />If all you have is 10amp supply, you can get proper adapter off fleabay for around 100 bucks. Still only supplies 10 amps but has built in overload protection and shut offs, designed for caravans to plug in etc.<br /><br />Sent from my E6653 using Tapatalk<br /><br />