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1964 bonneville rebuild


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She started straight up and ran really well, oil pressure good , temp good 

idle good ,.

i then followed last Indians instruction and ran engine flush through the motor and shut her down to be drained tomorrow , new oil and filter .... must pop down to Supercheap and grab another filter ! 🙄

I did spot a trans leak that I will investigate tomorrow 

but all in all a good day :cheers:

One thing I am going to change is the way too small air cleaner inlet !! It’s only 1 1/2 and that has to be restricting the air flow to the four barrel !!!  

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My personal favorite for a V8 was always a pyramid design! To me it gives a structural stability design to the engine. It also has a tendency, if designed right, to aiding in volumetric efficiency?

 

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Kiwi, when do you think you’ll be ready to paint?

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8 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

Now to the front end , earlier on in my thread you will see I pressed in the lower front A arm bushes only to find that they are 1/2 inch and my 64 is set up for 9/16 bolts !!! Simply not going to work .

bit of home work found the correct ones at Ames .... well I thought so !! Andy you will laugh ! Pressed out the wrong ones 

went to press in the Ames ones , and stopped !!! I justA thought I would check them to ensure the 9/16 bolts fitted !

oval bushes bang on👍

Round ones didn’t fit !!! I ended up using a dremal to open them up to fit the bolts 

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Next was to install them , along with the 3 inch lowering springs and sort the shocks 

both front shocks needed the bolt holes opened up and once again I hit them with the dremal 👍👍👍

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Looking good, almost time for a test drive?

Typical parts,always got to check everything, trust nobody.

Are those sway bar links stock? they look short, maybe that's what i need to do to make some more room for my front brake hoses,

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3 hours ago, Last Indian said:

My personal favorite for a V8 was always a pyramid design! To me it gives a structural stability design to the engine. It also has a tendency, if designed right, to aiding in volumetric efficiency?

 

449C253D-5422-4B78-8C69-F0FE49484097.jpeg

Kiwi, when do you think you’ll be ready to paint?

I was justA thinking about that myself Last Indian !

what I will do is put all the panels on and ensure everything is fitting right, I will get all systems working correct , brakes fuel, electrical and I am thinking I should  get it vinned and nz road legal 

then paint, I have already spoken to my mate who painted the hq Holden and he can do the top coat in his paint shop, I will prime and prep it here at home first :cheers:

3 hours ago, Andy H said:

Looking good, almost time for a test drive?

Typical parts,always got to check everything, trust nobody.

Are those sway bar links stock? they look short, maybe that's what i need to do to make some more room for my front brake hoses,

Yes Andy, test drive possibly today !!

the links came from rock auto and fit nicely with my custom sized sway bar 

the factory one was 3/4 I had my spring shop make a 1 inch one and I made my  own bushes to fit the factory saddles 

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28 minutes ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

I was justA thinking about that myself Last Indian !

what I will do is put all the panels on and ensure everything is fitting right, I will get all systems working correct , brakes fuel, electrical and I am thinking I should  get it vinned and nz road legal 

then paint, I have already spoken to my mate who painted the hq Holden and he can do the top coat in his paint shop, I will prime and prep it here at home first :cheers:

Yes Andy, test drive possibly today !!

the links came from rock auto and fit nicely with my custom sized sway bar 

the factory one was 3/4 I had my spring shop make a 1 inch one and I made my  own bushes to fit the factory saddles 

So how much shorter are those spacer sleeves then the stock ones for the sway bar links?

Nice with a stiffer sway bar these older cars need help in that department, would like to add one in the rear of mine eventually but first things first

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16 minutes ago, Last Indian said:

I ask because I’m trying figure timing if I can! You know that project I have going, well actually two projects. One for you one for Frosty! Things have gotten; well as they say at least here, balls to the wall! Trying to desperately finish a major staircase renovation. Which I can’t get any help on for parts from the supplier, this COVID excuse is getting ridiculous! And soon I’ll be starting an exterior remodel that will certainly test just how old I really am!!

Oh Last Indian !! No stress here mate 😀

i am getting very little time to do anything on the girl !

i am justA like you , the boss has me installing a new in built gas fire and big tv wall job in the lounge , I have the Reno at the beach on AND now the boss. Has me working on plans to add onto the house !!! Another whole lounge, library room !!! 

All I want is a day or two per month to keep moving forward !

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Heaps more progress today , I have spent most of the day buffing and painting bolts and the rest of the time assembling the front clip. 

Justa seem to take forever ! 

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And remembering where all the bolts go !!!

The inner and outer fenders where prepped last year and had been sitting waiting for me to complete the engine / chassis swap 

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what i did find to be an issue, is the passenger side fender, i assembled the inner and outer and went to fit it too the car, would not fit !!! ($### IT ) the heater fan was in the way, so i removed it,,, easy! fitted the whole assembly then looked and not a hope in hell of reinstalling the fan motor!! .....

So i had to spilt the inner from the outer fender, lay the inner over the wheel, then install the outer then bolt the inner too the outer !!! what a muck around !! 

in hind site, i should have assembled the whole front clip, then fitted it to the body. but to do that would have taken two guys and i do all this by myself.:picard:

Edited by 64 kiwi boni
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I spent a whole lot of time adjusting the panel gaps and i am so pleased i am not dealing with finished paint as i marked the heck out of things justA moving panel around and doing bolts up and undoing them again.

i found that the cowl panel need some love, so i will remove it and make it nice and straight again 

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And after day 2 the girls looking way more like a car again , and not a bent wreak :cheers:

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Edited by 64 kiwi boni
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While standing back having a beer and admiring my days work I thought I would see how the grills fitted !!! 

They don't !! I will need to unbolt each fender and push the fenders apart to get the grills into place !!! 

Another wtf moment !!😡😡😡😡

so pleased its all in primer stage! or it would be a nightmare !

i am going to have to come up with a cunning plan on how to paint these parts and assemble them without all the possibility of scratches.  

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Edited by 64 kiwi boni
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17 hours ago, Last Indian said:

My personal favorite for a V8 was always a pyramid design! To me it gives a structural stability design to the engine. It also has a tendency, if designed right, to aiding in volumetric efficiency?

hmm, good food for thought there mate :cheers:, justA dont see how a 1 1/2 hole can feed enough air into a 300 hp engine !

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Wow - look at all that work. Car is looking really good. You must have loved the moment you sat the grilles in place only to discover that they didn't quite fit nicely. How many damn cars have you got in that garage??? AND a hoist! No wonder you can do just about anything. I was always reluctant about laying under my car supported by stands and having the possibility of 2 tonnes of Detroit coming down on me. Anyway, well done.

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5 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

While standing back having a beer and admiring my days work I thought I would see how the grills fitted !!! 

They don't !! I will need to unbolt each fender and push the fenders apart to get the grills into place !!! 

Another wtf moment !!😡😡😡😡

so pleased its all in primer stage! or it would be a nightmare !

i am going to have to come up with a cunning plan on how to paint these parts and assemble them without all the possibility of scratches.  

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You are the magician,,,,  Looks so good, you have every right to be proud of all you have accomplished.:bowdown:

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Wow ,what a progress, nicely done, nice garage to, looks like you are a busy guy, you sure you have time for that work thing?

How are you going about paint? are you going to paint inside of the fenders and door/ trunk openings and then reassemble before painting the outside or are you going to paint everything in pieces?

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14 hours ago, Fitzy said:

Wow - look at all that work. Car is looking really good. You must have loved the moment you sat the grilles in place only to discover that they didn't quite fit nicely. How many damn cars have you got in that garage??? AND a hoist! No wonder you can do just about anything. I was always reluctant about laying under my car supported by stands and having the possibility of 2 tonnes of Detroit coming down on me. Anyway, well done.

mate !!! the hoist is the best invention full stop !! all those years of groveling around on dirt/ stone floors, cold concrete!! all gone!! 

i have 2 hoist, a 2 poster and a four poster, as the caddy wont fit on the 2 poster.

they make doing any job, soooo much better AND safer !!:cheers:, heck i even stick them on there to clean them !  :cheers:

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3 minutes ago, Andy H said:

Wow ,what a progress, nicely done, nice garage to, looks like you are a busy guy, you sure you have time for that work thing?

How are you going about paint? are you going to paint inside of the fenders and door/ trunk openings and then reassemble before painting the outside or are you going to paint everything in pieces?

hmm, thats the big question at the moment Andy, i know my paint guy wanted the last one all in parts and he painted it all and gave it back to me in pieces !! thats the green hq holden ute you can see in the back ground, that was a nerve wracking time not chipping any of the paint assembling it !!.

which is making me think i will, prime the whole car, get it nice and flat, then paint the inner door jabs and under hood, then send it to my paint guy to do the exterior in his spray booth.,

this is a driver car not a show piece, i intend on justA using her to the max:dancingpontiac::driving:

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5 minutes ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

hmm, thats the big question at the moment Andy, i know my paint guy wanted the last one all in parts and he painted it all and gave it back to me in pieces !! thats the green hq holden ute you can see in the back ground, that was a nerve wracking time not chipping any of the paint assembling it !!.

which is making me think i will, prime the whole car, get it nice and flat, then paint the inner door jabs and under hood, then send it to my paint guy to do the exterior in his spray booth.,

this is a driver car not a show piece, i intend on justA using her to the max:dancingpontiac::driving:

Yeas it got to be hard to put all the pieces back together all painted, I'm thinking of option number two ill have to take the car home in between and put it together before final outside paint but i guess ill have to talk to the painter and get his opinion.

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Kiwi! That's flippin awesome bro! Congrats man!!! :dancingpontiac::cheers:

Did you decide on a paint color yet?

How in the heck do you have time to build cars with all that grass to cut??? :rofl:

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Shit hot. A vast improvement and it's sitting nice, too. 

Edited by Fitzy
Hijacked his thread again.
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2 hours ago, Wrongway said:

Kiwi! That's flippin awesome bro! Congrats man!!! :dancingpontiac::cheers:

Did you decide on a paint color yet?

How in the heck do you have time to build cars with all that grass to cut??? :rofl:

yes mate, my plan is high opacity white, with a pearl in the clear coat, for below the belt line and then go the same white on top but with a heavier pearl in the clear coat .

am yet to get some paint and try it on something.:cheers: 

I love my big lawn, i can drive around the house, some times i give it some gas and do some skids, and i have a ride on that does the job in about 2 1/2 hours.

best part about living in the country i aint hurting  nobody and i can make as much noise as i like!!! haahaha

48 minutes ago, Fitzy said:

Shit hot. A vast improvement and it's sitting nice, too. 

sure is Fitzy  justA not to sure on that ride height in the rear yet,, kinda bit low, front looks good to me at 3 inches down, but not all the sheet metal is on yet.

Still have that hood to prep and fit and the 2 ton front bumper!! haaha:rofl:

Edited by 64 kiwi boni
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