fbekholden.com

This is now my only car (to play with), bought it about 8 months ago so I had something to cruise whilst I finished my van.

It's stock, 186hp block with X2 carbs and headers, drum brake front, only mods are celica 5 speed and has prem seats.

Plans are to put in a disc f/e so I can run the 14inch HG steelies and thin ww tyres left over from my van. Looking at painting the steelies black and running my spider caps (also left over from my van). I'm also going to sling it on it's guts, I've got a rear venetian to go in and am also chasing a steel sunvisor.






What I want is a little advice/ suggestions on is, I wouldn't mind jazzing the old girl up a little and doing something to make it more a mild custom like Devilrod's Aussie custom, thinking metal flake roof?

I've frenched the aerial and now am looking for ideas for the roof etc, so would love to hear from you.

Cheers
Sam

hey nice hr...

can you post a close pic of that aerial conversion, as i would also like to do the same...

i also like DR's custom... go the metalflake roof, it look awesome, some big whitewalls like smooths "frank", lower it, some over extended dualy's at the back with flamethrowers & some of mini's mexican blackets....

oops wait a minute that what i'm doing... more the better...



nice

matty martin

Nice looking ride, personally I would put some of those peep mirrors on it. I reckon they look too cool on old cars.

By the way, love your avatar

OK Sam, flaked roof and sunvisor a definite. Debadge, maybe play around with the side trim. Loose the grille and maybe go for some draw pulls/knobs type of grille. Should come up alright... I'll have a play in photoshop.

matty martin wrote

can you post a close pic of that aerial conversion, as i would also like to do the same...

here you go matty




I just used a bit of exhaust tube, with a piece of 1/2 inch flat bar welded across the bottom to mount the aerial to. By using a bit of flat bar it leaves a couple of gaps either side for water to drain out.

What you need to do is decide what size tube you are going to use. Then with some cardboard wrap it around the tube and make a cardboard tube (like a tiolet roll).

Then cut the carboard tube to desired contour of guard etc. You then use the carboard tube to mark out the hole in you guard and also the contour onto the steel tube.

Then weld it all together,

clear as mud .

Be sure that the place you decide to put it leaves you enough room to get in there and mount the aerial though.

I wish I had taken some photos as I was doing it, it would have made my directions heaps easier to follow.

Also thanks heaps for the photoshop effort, the HR looks great on it's guts and with the wide whites.

Devilrod wrote

Should come up alright... I'll have a play in photoshop.

That would be great DR.

Sam

Hey Grimbo'

Looks like a good HR.Got the right number plates, I had a LH Torana with YHR plates when I lived in ACT.

I have lots of HR parts from the son's project -next time you're down the coast come and have a look!

Regards Mark 0431 746204

Hey Mark, you don't have a steel HR sunvisor hanging around do you? I will call in next time I'm down, don't no when that'll be I don't get down as often as I used to.

Sam

what happened to the drop stubs
if you no longer have them, remove front springs cut in half and replace, buy 2" blocks for the rear and flip the leaves aswell, white walls on the 13's leave the trims and caps, then reinforce centre pillars and put in chassis remove top half of pillar and the top of the doors and smooth over where glass came out then round off roof rail where tops of doors used to sit that should do it
if you want to get carried away knock about 2" out of the roof height

Sam

Probably the only part I dont have is the visor!

Mark

Keep it simple

Flake roofs look great but if you have not painted flake before practice on some old panels first. The amount of clear you will need to cover the Flake scares some people initially.

A heavy metalic or pearl roof looks great as well.

remove all the badges but leave the body mouldings as they help break up the body sides and add a little life to the look of the car.
Pick a colour that you can live with for the bottom half.

Ditch the grill and have a go at a tube or rod based one, fit a HD front pan with the blinkers to clean up the front end look

Lower it an amount that is comfortable to drive with and dont fit wide whites! Thin lines are what was available and suites this type of car.
Painted wheels to match the roof or early mags.

You must always remember this is a mid 60's car.

Smooth customs wrote

A heavy metalic or pearl roof looks great as well.

Thinking this would be a more subtle option than the flake, and as I'm going to keep the colours as they are, white roof and turquoise lower, it probably gives me a few more options as there are plenty of different variations of metallic white.

As for the narrow whites, that is what I'll be using as I have four new tyres sitting in the shed.

Oh and ratbox, the dropped spindles ended up going with the van.

Thanks for the advice guys, please keep it coming.

Cheers
Sam

Sam,
I have a sunvisor you can have. Don't know how to get it to you though? What's the go with everyone discovering the grandpa look and fitting visors. Once upon a time they were discarded because grandpa had 'em.
I must be a grandpa cause I've always had visors and think FB/EK's look bland without them. Sam I have a nice HQ vinyl wrapped visor as well, If you want something a little different?
Cheers Theo Z.................

hey theo,

helps keep the melanoma's from appearing...
nah, they just look sweet....

matty martin

thropzed wrote

I have a sunvisor you can have. Don't know how to get it to you though?

Theo PM sent.

Cheers
Sam

Sam, No PM has arrived?
Cheers Theo Z...........