fbekholden.com

Lots of panel adjustments and tidy-ups yet to do but something that looks like a car to paint now.

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Great stuff Brett.

FB ute driver, EK van project

It's lookin the goods mate, be great to see the end result. Colour looks familiar

Thanks fellas. Yes, colour is Fernando Yellow with Arctic Beige insert to similar to yours EffBe. Is yours that colour EffBee? I thought it might be a Cruppi special? I think the yellows look good with the contrast with the black bits. Lots of wet and drying this week. Aiming to get 4 sanded coats on everything before sunday but might be a bit ambitious.

Not happy with plenum grill / guard clearances but nothing much I can do about them. Driver side is about 10mm (photo looks worse than real) the other side is neater, at about 7mm. The larger gap is the original guard and is line with the door, the smaller a donor guard is also in line with top of door. Door gaps and other alignments are good. Sunny Tim was kind enough to send some photos of original cars that showed similar gaps and my 3 utes are all over the shop too, but I was hoping for at least a similar gap on each side. . I think I'll just have to accept it because, other than welding on a strip on the guard (and then the door will be out) or moving the plenum grill (and then I'll have spare screw holes everywhere), I can't think of an answer.

No one else will notice

FB ute driver, EK van project

It's annoying the c@$p out of me though.
Measles. Turning a pigs ear into a silk purse?

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I think uneven gaps are a sad part of restoration life, especially if you have donor panels. Yes you are right, mine is a Jeremy Crupi special "Satellite Yellow & Snowcrest White"

Keep up the great work

Paint, rub, paint rub etc. On the home stretch now with all yellow finished except a particularly stubborn front guard that keeps on tricking me into thinking that it's finished. Arctic Beige strips in progress. Not the most professional masking job.
Keep finding annoying little dents that probably wouldn't show as much when it's buffed but it's now or never. Weather is not being helpful with rain forecast everyday this week.
Decided to do the whole thing in clear when colours are done. Will add a bit of depth and gives me a bit of a margin for error on the buffer.
Paint is going on ok and should be nice when buffed.
Black dash and black behind grill still to go. Oh, forgot about final coats on bonnet top.

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Good progress Brett,

Its amazing what shows up when you get to what you think is the finish line paint wise. It does my head in and I have to walk away !!!!!!!

Looking good mate.

Greg

Thanks Greg. Yes, it does get to a point where you start thinking it's a 60 year old car not a new one. But.....Anyway you've got to give the next owner something to sort out I s'pose- it's only fair.

You're being pretty patient and meticulous. Going to be well worth it. Keep it up Brett.

FB ute driver, EK van project

I am way too impatient to paint cars .......

Thanks Clay. Yes Blacky, it certainly is a test of patience, one that I have failed quite a few times recently on this part of the project by jumping the gun. Panel work in particular takes me soooo long to get right ( "right" being where it's as good as I can get it), and inevitably results in a compromise of some sort. My eyesight is probably causing me some grief here too, 'cause I'm not just seeing/ noticing stuff as easily as I used too.
I see those cars that have the shiny 2pak with perfectly straight panels and marvel at the skills that have gone into getting them to look so pristine: l have to accept that Wilma will never look like that. I reckon it's like buying a house compared to building your own. When you buy it you just accept that the door opens in the wrong place, or the power points and light switches are not where you think would be best- but can happily live with it because you didn't make those choices, but you bought them. When you get your house built, there are always things that you realise are not right and they bug you no end because you are responsible for those decisions. Similar scenario with car work I think. If you do it yourself, the consequences of your efforts are in your face everyday, so you have to keep plugging away just so the end result provides some degree of satisfaction. You need patience and time and of course working fingers.

Black grill infill and Arctic Beige strip finished today. Wet miserable day so lights are on.

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There is a balance in building a car. Some aim for perfect panel gaps, flawless paint etc. I figure any car I own will get parked at the shops, tow a trailer, have the kids throw their school bags into it, have me drop spanners in the engine bay etc. Flawless panels are nice, but I’m more comfortable shopping at Woolies with an easy mind, rather than stressing that someone will bump it. Neat, tidy but balanced between work horse and show pony.

Cheers,
Harv