2redrovers

If they release it, the gm electric crate engine looks good for bigger cars. They unveiled it at sema this year.

I got through most of the article, I'll catch the rest later, but if I did the stock market I'd be on that company so fast [emoji28] As for converting I'd be looking at buying his "kit" if at all possible. From what I've read there his solutions are properly tested and thought out so why try to reinvent them in a diy fashion. There's too much science involved to get it right first go and theoretically if you get it wrong... Well there goes the neighbourhood. I like it. A LOT!! He's got his head screwed on right in that zero- emissions and zero carbon pipe dreams won't happen in the real world without an in between step. He's not keen on having combustion engines in the long term but even I get that his view point is about the most effective way to use the tech. He's not against the ICE and the second tier of the plan makes it easy to have your cake and eat it too. Just think about it.... A zero carbon, green emissions, Cleveland. He'll help me stay in business by the sound of it and I'd run my truck on it if I could.

Nope, just needed to host the pics somewhere

Well we're off to a whirlwind start... What was it, three days ago? Mrs spots a rusty escort panelvan advertised on ebay at Harvey's Wrecker in Langwarren (about half hour from home). The listing started at a dollar and had a few bids bringing it up to $200. I've looked at esky vans for years as a yeah I wouldn't mind one of those one day.. Usually too expensive for what they are, this was just too cheap and tempting. OK it's rusty but I'd make my money back in a heartbeat if it was cactus by selling the front grill. I ummed and ahhed over it especially when it didn't climb in the last few hours. We talked it up and down and just decided it was too cheap to not try for it. A stupid low bid for a random number that I could manage (really can't afford it but after selling the spot welder this was kinda free money) and to our shock, it's ours!!! Gotta be the cheapest one around at $327 for an almost complete car. All that seems to be missing is the manual gearbox and tailshaft. BGDAV gave me a huge help by providing the trailer and second pair of hands to pick it up today. The worker said to me that it should have gone for much more but someone stuffed up with the price (assuming they forgot the reserve) and deal is done. They wanted 500 at least for it, I thought it would have been more than that at auction but there we go. A few photos at the yard.. Offload was complicated by no keys to unlock the steering so dolly wheels were involved and the winch to help out. This will be a slow project guys, so don't get too excited as I don't have any free time just yet. Only plan so far is to fix the shell and probably install an auto box, maybe update the engine in the process for daily use. I will use this in the Metalworking tutorials to teach how to do everything you need to know.

When an update isn't an update... Just posting a couple pics so I can link them elsewhere and make my life easier. Carry on all...

Looked like a handful of tack welds holding the top in, caused uneven stresses and the tube fatigued.. Failure.

A rusty or damaged donor would be the way to go just in case ford was an ass about the model changes. Series 2 or early 3 I'm guessing. Series one probably isn't worth looking at unless it's the only one without vct. Do the rules let you cut and weld stuff if needed?

Not being a smart ass, I figured there must have been a reason and "like it better" is good enough for me too. If it's an early BA then it should be straight swap (fingers crossed). If it was a wagon then you could swap the front sheet metal and have a hybrid. I've thought about it with my daily if the donor ba was the same colour. Assume that you're not allowed to lock the cams or that sort of thing and have to run the single cam engine? Can an AU single head be fitted to a barra block? That stuff is outside my area of expertise although I thought I remembered conversation among the guys about that kind of thing in dirt circles.

The silly "captain obvious" question....... Why run a B series car if you can't use the engine? Why not run an AU car from the start? I know, the answer is probably.. I've already got the car so I'm doing it backwards because the BA is already a racecar... correct?

Definitely don't smash a quarter window if you can help it. They are the most expensive bit of glass on a car [emoji14] I can't remember specifically, but as Dean said it's probably a case of cutting out the silicone adhesive from the inside with a sharp blade. I don't think these have nuts/bolts as well like a commodore but if they do there will be three. If it's a rubber bound type, they undo from the inside by lifting the edge of the rubber as you gently push the window outwards. Have someone around to help catch it if so.

I second that^^^ And I don't care what brand it is.... All I see is rust anyway [emoji16]

Was keen [emoji16]

What can I say.. He was sold after the first 30 seconds [emoji39]

I don't remember that but yeah probably. Big red grinder with a scotch drum

Spot on [emoji106] Was a quick demo of Big Bertha for BGDAV when he stopped in. That's the cheap burnishing grinder thing I got from ebay.

I worked on the esky yesterday.. ... That counts right? You can see metal....

Yep, this^^ Pearlescent paint is in most cases actually like glass dust that is mixed into the base or clear and relies on lighting to create the dazzle effect. Time of day, viewing angle, the number of base coats and even the amount of clear coat on top will change the look dramatically. It will be more noticeable on a well looked after vehicle because the pigments break down over time. Reds usually fade first. It will be very obvious if a paint job of this type has been touched up as its almost impossible to match the factory methods by hand, often seen when the flip goes the wrong way and it looks darker/lighter from the same angle as the original paint. Painters in the smash industry hate matching them especially the three layer white pearls on Toyota /Honda etc.

Sorry I didn't pop in earlier, I am not getting any Tapatalk notifications at all again. Stitch welding is better practice than fully seam welded parts because it allows for minor movement/flex with reduced instance of fatigue cracking around the welded components. Generally yes 1"weld, 1"gap, is an acceptable way to go. Depending on the parts, longer seams I've been working 2"weld, 2"gap. But works out the same. Do yourself a favour and cut a piece of metal at the size you want to space your welds and use that as a ruler to mark out your stitching before you start. You'll be able to adjust for aesthetic appeal then instead of migging away and finding your half an inch out when you get to the end and it looks odd or leaves a gap you don't want. Cracks need to be cleaned of all paint and contamination before welding. No need to vee the join unless the crack is in 3mm+ thick steel. If you have a tig it's a good idea to use it on cracks because is a softer weld than mig and will be less likely to crack again in the same spot. Suggest welding both sides of the panel if possible for full penetration with tig. I always go a bit further along the line past the end of the crack even if it looks solid, this fuses the steel in the weak area that may have microscopic fractures past the visible crack. If you only have mig it's OK, just do the same thing by starting before the crack on solid steel and work your way along the line in a weave from edge to edge. I use a hot weld with just enough wire feed to stop it from burning through but enough puddle to make sure that the fracture is completely fused back into one piece. Tack weld at intervals along the line beforehand and gently grind them almost flush before fully welding. Personally I start from one end and weld through to the other as fast as the steel will let me travel, then let the whole lot cool naturally (no water or air used to cool by force). Once done grind back if needed although if you can live with it I'd maybe just run the wire brush over to clean the surface and leave the weld in tact.. not always an option though. For a racecar, stitch welding every possible seam as described above, and double up the number of spot welds around the shell will give you a HUGE advantage in strength and durability of the body shell. It will last longer than seam welding too. With the body stiffened like this you will have an easier time dialing in suspension settings later as you won't have to take flex into account as much.

Just watch that the glue doesn't get into the vac tube itself. If you're splicing two lines, maybe double up on the heat shrink to keep the ends in line.

A bit of contact cement and heat shrink tube should be able to seal most problems with cracks or pinched lines. I don't think heat shrink tubing like super glue that's why I suggest contact adhesive.

Gotta love a dodgy... Or an inter... And in my case a Fargo (psst....they're the same trucks)

There ain't no better reason than ".... just 'cause" *sits on your shoulder with a pitchfork * ".... Psst... Do it, you know you want to....."

The 5" with quad gauge is similar to the ones in my truck but that's a big chunk of coin. Not quite the right look on the faces I think but if I had to use something, they'd still be ok.

No input to add but that looks pretty good. I might look at this for an option in my truck, especially if you can get one in a retro look.

Is it the same as BA? If so, squeeze the sides of the wiring plug to release it from the terminals as you pull it back, take the rubber seal off the back of the housing, globe is held in by a spring clamp just look/feel for the light grey wire thing and gently push it in a little then sort of upwards to unhook it from the housing, globe should practically fall out. Reverse to install. I just changed my au one with one I harvested from the ba donor. Don't know if bf is different.