41 replies to this topic

[V-SLR5000-P]

My son had been after a cheap XL, K, M or P ute for a while; he is now 16 and wanted a �fixer upper� to do before he got his licence. So last November we bought an XL, a roughie it�s pretty straight and complete, although with a fair share of rust. He started on the car over the Christmas holidays hoping to get the car in primer from the tailgate to the doors before school restarted. Once the paint came off some major rust was found in the sills, roof and A pillars. So far he has stripped and repaired both rear quarters, filling surplus tie down, trim and badge holes, straightened out the tailgate, replaced both sills and the bottoms of both A pillars. He has done most of this work on his own with some help with welding. His panel work has improved tremendously over the last few months to the extent that he has the confidence to paint the car gloss black. Last weekend the first coats of black were applied which showed no faults, it�s as straight as!
This has been a great project so far and future plans call for a sedan rear bumper, frenched aerial and sun visor. It will run an XA 250 and auto, Centura diff and front discs, low with steelies and white walls. Cool.
He has a long way to go yet, but here are a few shots of progress to date

[surfmaster]

He has his work cut out there, always liked that shape in the Fords, and a ute to boot!

[arrimar]

i loved the xm i had for a couple of years. he's doing great.

[RIM-010]

Looks good, I, too, have always like the old Ford utes.

Tim

[arrimar]

does the ute have a front cross member? the early sedans used to collapse.
would be a good mod to put the xp one in.

[Gump]

been trying for about 4-5 years to get a mates dad to sell me is xm/xp coupe. i think he knows what its worth the selfish bastardo

[V-SLR5000-P]

Arrimar, the ute has a substantial bolt in tubular crossmember under the engine supporting the strut towers.
I am pretty pleased with the way things are going, not just because his workmanship has improved. The other benefits l see are his commitment, as a single dad l knew where he was over the school holidays when l was at work. He is alway happy to show me the progress made during the day and ask for advice or help as the job proceeds. I figure that by the time he gets his licence he will have so much time and effort invested in this car that he will drive with that thought in the back of his mind, hopefully.
Here are a couple of other shots:

[smeer]

invaluable experience, good on ya dad.

[Heath]

^ Agree with the above. Wish my dad was like that

lol

Cool project; don't see many of them getting around really. The occasional one driven by an old grandpa or the odd tough streeter sedan at a show, very unique.

Looks good, and plans sound pretty snazzy. Anyway, looks like he's doing a much better job than I am hahahahaha I better get back to work. What school is he at?

[Gump]

if your driving some thing you built or wanted for a long time makes you look after it more (look after it better if you paid for it to).

when i got my liecense i was pretty well behaved no burn outs juts abit of cutting up on gravel roads when no one was around or driving with me. bugger all speeding too. and to my dad surprise it lasted all my time on l's and p's and its only off the road at the moment because its being fixed up no damage from me

[arrimar]

way to go V-SLR.

mine was a red 4 door.
170 pursuit two speed auto. 77000 miles. only one small tear in the hoodlining and one in the seat.
many good times.

[V-SLR5000-P]

Heath, not all dads are keen on messing around with old cars. Some are actually quite sensible! Seriously, its a bond we have, but there are many more important things between a father and son. l was lucky that my dad would roll his sleeves up and get out in the garage with me when l was young. He taught me alot of his mechanical skills and was always there if l stuffed things up. Eventhough he is now 82 he is still happy and able come over to help put the bonnet back on my Chevy or turn something up on his lathe.
My son is in year 11 at Mt Waverley High.

[RIM-010]

^ Liam.W is from My Waverly, isn't he???

Looks good, alot of bodywork there.

Tim

[Heath]

lol yes he's there as well. I thought Liam said there was no-one interested in cars at that school. Or if they were, they were into VLTs, which is close enough to not being into cars as far as I'm concerned.

[RIM-010]

Why don't you get a Torry for your first car?

I love the old Celica's, though.

Tim

[V-SLR5000-P]

To update progress on my son's ute, theres no more rust (finally) and everything has a couple of coats of black. He is waiting until the weather warms up before applying the final coats (and the completion of VCE!) Engine bay has been painted but steering, brake lines and engine bay wiring have not been completed. Its been fully sound deadened underneath and new suspension fitted. Dash and interior are Sting Red with flattening base. Juz has also pinstriped the doors and dash. A sedan rear bumper has been fitted up which is a big improvement on the stock ute rear. Some real light at the end of the tunnel now

[RIM-010]

Looks good Pinstriping looks awesome!

I know how it feels waiting for school to finish before getting into a car, and it's not easy. It's what keeps me going at school!

Tim