1964 bonneville rebuild

[64 kiwi boni]

hahaha now thats a thought wrongway .....

 

pitstop  head office called me today and apologized, and where not happy with this guys behavior, so i have left it at that now..

next time i want exhaust parts made i will drive the hour to Rotorua and go to my favorite speed shop and get them to do it.    

[Frosty]

That's the proper way to tell them to bugger off mate! Do it with your wallet! 

I once heard someone say that in business if you don't worry about your customers, then you won't soon have a business to worry about either. 

[Fitzy]

Was the owner Australian, coz he sure sounds like it. Everyone has bad days (I call them 'life') but to abuse a customer??? It seems that now you have to endure the indignity of asking about labour rates before the work commences. I wonder why there isn't a law about posting upfront charges in any shop, much like menus in restaurant windows or petrol prices on servo forecourts. I can only hope for his sake that he calms down, calls you and apologises personally and with a refund. You don't know what some people have going on in their personal lives and all it can take to trigger an avalanche of emotion is a 'bad day.' It's no excuse, but things are rarely perfect.

If your 'favourite speed shop' is only an hour away, I'd be using that opportunity to take one of your many cars out for a blast!

[64 kiwi boni]

yes true mate, i will justA take this bs and put it in the "whatever" bin.

i really dont want to have another second dealing with a prick like that. life's too short to be spending time worrying 

[Fitzy]

You should drive one of your cars to his shop, request some work, then express suprise that it's 'him,' walk out, drive away and then bring the next car down. Do it 14 times then tell him how much money he could have made, by acting like a businessman.

Or, just forget about it and have another beer - probably the easier more sensible option. He'll be out of business soon, anyway. When we visit Taupo, I'll squish some dogshit under his car doorhandles. An oldie but a goodie.

[64 kiwi boni]

Haha 🍻fitzy 

do you believe in karma ? 

I certainly do ... he will get his 😀

[Fitzy]

I am not in the least bit spiritual, however I do have faith in karma and believe it to be a fair & just system, if it exists.

In October, we'll have to give your dog a good squeeze.

[64 kiwi boni]

Ah we might have some trouble doing that mate

Harry past away last year and was cremated ! 🙄

might justA have to rent a big dog and feed it up on dog food !! Haha 

[Fitzy]

Better still, load ME up on jalapenos, beer and pizza the night before. It'll be an easy point & squirt affair!

[64 kiwi boni]

3 hours ago, Fitzy said:

Better still, load ME up on jalapenos, beer and pizza the night before. It'll be an easy point & squirt affair!

haha!! classics ! we could do that easy with the way my boss makes pizza ! 

not only does her pizza make you have the squirts but too much cream and i can vom too !! hahahaha 

[Fitzy]

I can't wait: diarrhoea AND vomiting, just another night at Chez Kiwi.

[64 kiwi boni]

First day of level 4 lock down and I have the second section with mufflers built, and justA started on the flanges and tail pipes... I am thinking of dumping the pipes justA behind the wheels ... but I am not to sure it’s going to look right ...

i did it on my gen 2 camaro and it looks good 

but this wheel arch is a bit different 

I will post a pic of the tail pipe mocked up and get some thoughts ... but for now here is where I am at 

oh and first section with x pipe is now fully welded 

justA working out how to build my hangers... will post some pics of them once i get them bent up 

Edited August 18, 2021 by 64 kiwi boni

[JUSTA6]

Nice job.  Looks like a new driveshaft too.  Really like the idea of a flange going over the rearend so you can take it apart.  Have not seen that before.  You guys with lifts are soooo smart!

[Frosty]

On 8/14/2021 at 3:35 AM, Fitzy said:

Better still, load ME up on jalapenos, beer and pizza the night before. It'll be an easy point & squirt affair!

 

 

 

Edited August 18, 2021 by Frosty

[64 kiwi boni]

So using some 10 mm mild steel rod and some rubber bushes here is my creation for hangers 

These are just south of the flowmasters holding up most of the weight, and thats the flanged joint so its nice and easy to bolt all together over the cross member holding the diff arms ... remembering i could not buy any 44's so i had to settle for 40's which are quieter !!!🙄 ... if these things are too quiet they WILL be coming out when 44 are available again !

Edited August 19, 2021 by 64 kiwi boni

[64 kiwi boni]

And a couple of simple rear hangers pretty much where the old factory one was with the single pipe system 

I have bent the 10 mm rod up over the chassis and welded it on the out side of the chassis rail 

note to anyone building their own system, i bought 4 combination bends, 8 flat flanges bolts and gaskets  and 4m of 63mm (2 1/2 inch) tube and it wasn't enough!! see the rusty tube!! that was a bit i had left over from my last system some 3 years ago !!... add another metre to your order!!

Edited August 19, 2021 by 64 kiwi boni

[64 kiwi boni]

And here is a jegs x pipe kit I bought for the 64 !!!! NOT 

ready for paint.... sort of.. it all needs to be cleaned and prepped and fingers crossed after i have done the jobs the boss wants done tomorrow morning its warm enough to paint... details to come  

 

Edited August 19, 2021 by 64 kiwi boni

[64 kiwi boni]

Got to love covid lock downs!!! 

[JUSTA6]

7 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

Got to love covid lock downs!!! 

Very impressed with your work and  craftsmanship........mad skills mate.  Now to add style points with Moma, tell her how much you saved by doing your own work.  If you had taken it into your speed shop, that averages out to a LIL better than $50.00 per 10 inches.  ATTA BOY!!!

[64 kiwi boni]

6 hours ago, JUSTA6 said:

Very impressed with your work and  craftsmanship........mad skills mate.  Now to add style points with Moma, tell her how much you saved by doing your own work.  If you had taken it into your speed shop, that averages out to a LIL better than $50.00 per 10 inches.  ATTA BOY!!!

good point mate! i worked out i have spent 16 hours building it... the blood sucker at  pitstop Taupo would have charged $1880.00 plus tax at his hourly rate of $118    

Edited August 19, 2021 by 64 kiwi boni

[64 kiwi boni]

got the exhaust system painted today  

 i used the kbs paint system that i used on the long branch headers,,, but these parts wont fit in my pizza oven to cure! 

 it will need to bake when i fire the 389 up... i did run the blow torch over it all just to start the curing process.

 first pic is of the zinc primer, and then the black top coat. 

Edited August 20, 2021 by 64 kiwi boni

[64 kiwi boni]

And then installed 

[64 kiwi boni]

Next stage is to get the brake system finished 

i am yet to make a new brake line over the diff.. hopefully tomorrow... 

have installed the body to diff Teflon brake hose 

Strip down the Brakes and replace the slave cylinders ... front ones no problem !

but the rears have the wrong size thread !! in the pipe connection 

So yet again my rockauto buy was wrong ... so I striped the 1 inch cups, seals out of the rock auto ones and rebuilt my stock ones 

And got to use my favorite magnet tray when pulling the rears apart !! Super handy tool 👍👍👍

Edited August 20, 2021 by 64 kiwi boni

[JUSTA6]

Almost Dream Cruise ready....  How long will it take ya to DRIVE here?    Been scrambling to get the motor in my son in laws 69 Buick Rivera.  Rock auto and the wrong motor mounts will keep the car home this year. 😟  GTO has a full size rear seat!  Headin out to indulge in the street madness.

Edited August 20, 2021 by JUSTA6

[64 kiwi boni]

16 hours ago, JUSTA6 said:

Almost Dream Cruise ready....  How long will it take ya to DRIVE here?  

i am green with envy mate!! you enjoy the cruise... my plan is to be there next year, fingers crossed 👍