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The Sally Report

LC GTR Restoration 1971 The Marty Report Girl Power

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#1 _The Handbrake_

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Posted 23 June 2019 - 10:29 PM

Hi all,

 
So it’s been nearly two months since we picked up my new Torana. It was rougher than I remembered, but I was surprised that once home we managed to get it started and bunny-hop it up the driveway.
 
Now under cover and locked away we’ve had time to check it out properly. When I say “we” I mean of course Marty (how handy it is to be married to that  Marty Report guy!). The rear end is quite rusty but all pretty straight, and the front end has had new guards fitted - “braised on” says M - and has then had another frontal impact. The two front tags were damaged and not refitted (only the rear tag is left), and it doesn’t have the original engine or gearbox. 
 
But for a car that’s been sitting outside on a property under a tarp for 10 years I’m told the overall condition is good and it has most of the hard-to-get interior bits and bobs.
 
So having no colour or trim tags, and coming from a deceased estate, I’m going to change the colour to something I like. After all I can’t compete with M’s Tangerine, and to avoid a clash of colour I think I’ll head to the opposite end of the rainbow. I know…it’s a girl thing.
 
Anyway a lot has happened over the last 6 weeks - I keep coming home from work and finding it stripped more and more, and parts squirrelled away around the house! Ummm…
 
What I have done is pull out the seats and given them a clean. They’re in good nick overall, with only a bit of undone stitching, and with just a bit of spit and polish they are now looking pretty schmick.
 
So with the coffee table in the lounge full of various trims, steering wheel and quarter-vent windows, M has given me a few challenges for the week. Hey what else is there to do on cold wintery nights?
 
I’ll let you know how I fair…
 
Sal
 
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My sad looking car before picking it up.
 
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Home safe and sound.
 
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Interior mostly all there.
 
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Parcel shelf good.
 
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Seat cleaning and the results.
 
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#2 Indy Orange

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Posted 23 June 2019 - 11:42 PM

Looks like a good starting point seats look ok too!

#3 Ice

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Posted 24 June 2019 - 12:07 AM

Good to see you arh M has made a start and getting stuck into it
will be keeping an eye on this rebuild
cheers Gene.
ps if M needs anything just tell him to give me a call

#4 Shiney005

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Posted 24 June 2019 - 08:38 AM

When you see what some people's projects start out like, your one looks pretty good. I can't believe there are still GTR's lying around in paddocks.



#5 jd lj

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Posted 24 June 2019 - 09:13 AM

Welcome to the forum Sal.

Nice work on the seats, they came up well.

At the last toranafest Marty was talking about this car being left as a survivor, is that still the plan?

I didn't see Gibo helping in any of photos, he must be getting a bit lazy in the cold weather.

JD

#6 jeffblanco

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Posted 24 June 2019 - 01:14 PM

Wow, how the hell did those seats come out of that car?

If I drop my car of to your place could you make the interior look like that?

 

Regards Mando.



#7 GMH-01X

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Posted 24 June 2019 - 03:47 PM

Great find Sally, looking forward to the progress on the GTR.

The seats came up awesome !!

#8 grumpy xu1

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Posted 24 June 2019 - 11:04 PM

Looks like a rally red car, that would look nice again. Looking forward to seeing this car done. Gary.

#9 jd lj

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Posted 25 June 2019 - 09:09 AM

I don't think that I've seen a lc gtr in rally red before.

#10 _The Handbrake_

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Posted 26 June 2019 - 10:30 PM

Well for those in Perth you'll know its been raining its nuts off for the last few days, so we've managed to start...and finish a job - the steering wheel.

 

It was broken and flapping in the breeze. M was looking at getting another one, but heh I'm not called the handbrake for nothing...Can't we just fix it I asked? So that's what he's done!

 

I'll let M explain the details...

 

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Cut the top half off the metal ring, bottom half is molded into metal and very hard to remove.

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Lift the metal up to level then grind a 1mm gap for weld penetration.

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Grind weld back smooth.

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Glue back together with Araldite.

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Mask off edges and fill gap with black polyeurthane and smooth off.

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Not perfect but good enough.

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Finished wheel.

 

And hey, it's turned out good enough for me! Bless him.

 



#11 _The Handbrake_

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Posted 26 June 2019 - 10:37 PM

Forgot to add, M has polished some of the trims and here's the pics of how he did it.

 

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#12 S pack

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Posted 26 June 2019 - 10:37 PM

:clap: :spoton: Sally, is there anything Marty can't fix?



#13 Ice

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Posted 26 June 2019 - 11:00 PM

:clap: :spoton: Sally, is there anything Marty can't fix?


Id like to touch that but i wont ✌️

#14 308 Sunbird

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Posted 28 June 2019 - 05:03 PM

Off to a flying start Sally  :spoton:



#15 DMLC71

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Posted 28 June 2019 - 05:38 PM

This is becoming my favourite thread,
I love a rest with pics
Well done so far Sally

#16 lj72bathurst

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Posted 28 June 2019 - 09:17 PM

Following with interest.
Cheers Jason

#17 sibhs

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Posted 28 June 2019 - 09:34 PM

Hi Guys,

Sallys out tonight at an Enjo Party (maybe to clean car parts with)?  so thought I'd sneak an update in.

 

Entered into unknown territory with my first guard removal, it's been a bit tricky due to the brass braising welds every where.  The cars been pranged badly at some stage, had a few new parts fitted to the front end a long time ago. Then since then its been damaged again but I want to re-use the damaged guards.  I did buy a set of unused GM guards and nose cone which I'm using as reference.  Have started the paint stripping and sand blasting myself.  After doing the LJ I swore I'd never do this again unless I had more room, well I don't have any but just a short memory.  I remember sandblasting for days and what a mess! But after getting spooked by a high quote to blast the body I thought stuff it, here we go again.  When they want about $3500 for the body and then you think of all the other bits that need blasting throughout the build I may has well buy new sandblasters again.

 

A couple of weeks ago I did a metal shaping course and spent a heap of money on tools and equipment, sort of kidding myself that they will pay for themselves if I make my own panels. Well, let me tell you, it's not that easy.  I've decided to buy the important external panels and fabricate the hidden bits myself.

 

Tools so far purchased; 

Sand blaster pot

Sandblaster cabinet

Metal shears

Hammer and dolly set

Shrinker/stretcher

Spot welder/dent puller

150mm offset vice.

 

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more to come, just run out of image space.



#18 Shadow17

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Posted 28 June 2019 - 09:41 PM

Looks like a fun project Marty, I am sure it will end up as perfect as the last one. what brand and  where did you get your spot welder dent puller from?



#19 sibhs

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Posted 28 June 2019 - 09:46 PM

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The front set of GM guards

 

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The NOS Guard I'm trying to match.

 

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Template made from good guard to check profile, still work to do here.

 

Feels great to be back restoring a GTR.

 

Marty



#20 jpxu1

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Posted 28 June 2019 - 09:51 PM

Well done with the seats. People pay good $'s to have them redone and not end up with them looking as good as that!

 

M has been brilliant with the wheel too- just goes to prove, nothing ventured, nothing gained. If you're missing the stainless trim ring that goes around the outside Brad Merrick has them. Will hide the outside join, not that it looks ugly anyway.

 

If you can spit and polish the rest of the car like the parts so far it's going to be the best survivor in history.

 

For my two bobs, I like red, especially if it proves to be the original color when you rub it back (polish it??), they're supposed to go faster and there's not that many of them.

 

Good luck with the project, I'm sure it's going to be a good read.

 

JPXU1



#21 jpxu1

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Posted 28 June 2019 - 10:00 PM

Well, while I was posting so were you M. Starting with the HEAVY cutting compound on the polishing job I see...haha



#22 sibhs

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Posted 28 June 2019 - 10:14 PM

She's still not home so another update.

 

The sand blasting setup was in my trailer with some tarps to contain the mess. (catches about 85% of the sand)

 

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And Shadow James this is the spot welder at work, got it of eBay for $385 with all the bits and slide hammer. So far very happy with it. It also has a shrinking tip which I think does the same job as an oxy. (heats up a small spot quickly).

 

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Welcome to the forum Sal.

Nice work on the seats, they came up well.

At the last toranafest Marty was talking about this car being left as a survivor, is that still the plan?

I didn't see Gibo helping in any of photos, he must be getting a bit lazy in the cold weather.

JD

Hi James, this is the car I was talking about but it's not going to be a survivor, there's too much structural rust to do and the cars a bitza with no tags.  Cheaper to do it right the first time.

 

Marty



#23 _The Handbrake_

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Posted 01 July 2019 - 11:44 PM

Looks like the colour could cause a controversy. Rally Red, or not, or something else...

 

Anyway I have found that I can't leave M alone for one minute - he's like an out of control energizer bunny and is pulling my car apart at break neck speed. And it no longer looks like a Torana  :cry: ooohhh I like these emojis  :D

 

Well I did get to do a few tasks, but why is it that I feel I am getting all the 'girlie' jobs? Like cleaning parts in the kitchen sink (no not with my new Enjo glove), and baking the door handle springs. I still don't understand why I had to cook the springs, and it was a bit weird serving them up beside my beef casserole.

 

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I'll stop my wingeing and pass the laptop over to M now...

 

Sal.

 
 

Those tasty looking springs are for the drivers side internal door opener.  I did this little fix-up on the LJ and this time I've taken it to a new level.  Firstly I purchased some correct spring wire, made them a little better and had Sally temper them in the oven. (kitchens not my domain).  On the LJ I used stainless TIG wire and it worked but not as good as this.

 
 

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Drilling out the spot welds.

 

 

 

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Dissasembled with the remains of original spring.

 

 

 

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Bending the wire around an old spark plug tube.

 

 

 

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This shows the TIG wire version, original broken spring and the new Marty spring.

 

 

 

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Testing the new spring.

 

 

 

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Welded together, greased and ready to pack away until needed.

 

 

 

I've also worked out it would easy to convert a spare passenger mecanism to a drivers side by bending up the stop tab and making another on the other side.  

 

Marty



#24 Ice

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Posted 02 July 2019 - 01:06 AM

Now your just bloody showing off for gods sake Marty
Keep up the good work mate

Not Rally Sally

#25 jd lj

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Posted 02 July 2019 - 06:10 PM

I'm sure that Meile would be impressed with the alternative use of their ovens. I don't have a spring heat treating setting on my oven.

I've often thought that getting an old dishwasher would be good for cleaning torana parts on the "pots and pans " cycle.





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