Fitzy

Thanks Everyone. You know, every morning I'm home, I sit out there and have a coffee and never get tired of that view - there's always something happening. So, as Frosty posted, the Frosty Memorial Tach is indeed on it's way. I tried to explain my excitement to my missus and also tried to describe what a rare item this is in Australia and how people shall drop to their knees as they gaze upon it's beauty. I got the usual blank look of "what on earth is he on about?" thinly disguised with a polite smile and a hasty retreat. She's learnt the hard way. Anyway, the concretor never turned up, the fencer never showed and I can't start anything until the earthworks are done, so it's Car Day! I should probably also explain that the Frosty Memorial Tach is not in remembrance of his potential demise, but a celebration of his generosity, as I already explained to him. Otherwise it could be misconstrued as being disrespectful. Have a good one.

Okay, I'm going to suggest we close this, admittedly refreshing topic of dinosaurs & spiders, and get back on track. I don't need another scolding from Ringo! However, I WILL post this photo of our 'backyard.' For our American viewers, these here critters are pademelons. We have a family of wallabies as well as pademelons, bush turkeys, goannas, giant lizards, egrets, ducks, cockatoos, Ulysess butterflies and of course bird eating spiders. As far as I know, none of these things will try and kill you but who wants to find out? Anyway, it's 'car day' tomorrow, so I'm gonna do some more dashpad work and try and get some more of the interior fitted. I shall bore the tits off you with pics and diatribe tomorrow.

Look it up, Wrongway. It's also known as the Goliath or the Australian tarantula. I speak of first hand experience. Not being fond of spiders in the first place, one day I started up my ride on mower which used to be parked in one of our sheds down in the rainforest, backed it out, got off it to close the shed and was about to jump back on when some movement caught my eye. Next thing, this enormous tarantula saunters up over the steering wheel out of the engine bay - this is the steering wheel I had been holding onto 30 seconds prior. I am running around gibbering with fear and shouting out (to nobody, coz only I was present) "LOOK AT THE SIZE OF IT!!!" It eventually made it's way off into the surroundings. I rode that mower up to the house, hosed it down then used a leaf blower to ensure that it's mate wasn't in there somewhere. The mower now lives in the carport and I check it EVERY TIME before I sit on it. Anyway, after I'd calmed down I looked it up and yep, right here in my backyard is the Australian tarantula. Just friggin' marvellous. Dinosaurs, spiders...off topic, hello?

Well yes, we do have penguins and seals, but they are 2000 miles south of where I live in the tropics. Up here, we have such delights as stonefish, stinging jellyfish, sharks, crocodiles, bird eating spiders, snakes, scorpions, blue ringed octopus and a host of other critters that will happily kill you if you're unlucky enough to stumble across one. We even have spiked conch shells that will kill you. A shell! Who invented a shell that can kill you??? Off topic? What do you mean off topic?

TV is so bad these days I rarely turn it on. Between Dr Phil, Judge Judy and all that reality crap I feel insulted if my eyeballs are polluted by any of that stuff for even a second. Then they cram it full of ads to encourage you to do an Elvis and shoot the screen! Never mind, I'm having a 'car weekend' where I shall continue to assemble the Poncho and everything will be better again...with bleeding knuckles, sore back, sore wrists, broken spirit...

I slogged around in the mud all day, mostly dodging rain showers. I then had my own shower, jumped on the ride on and proceeded to coat myself in mud again. I think I'll just hire some tradies to do all this and I can go back to the safety of Pontasaurus. Speaking of dinosaurs, did you hear they discovered a new one? It was a gay dinosaur: Mega Sore Ass.

Yo Kiwi, I don't think the dinosaurs ever died out - they joined Forever Pontiac! Plenty of dinosaurs around this site! I include myself amongst that tribe and am quite content with a small brain and eating the modern version of a tree (celery stick.) Cyclone has petered out into a rain depression and that, mixed with the seasonal monsoon means plenty of rain. This was the fortnight off work where I had planned to build a fence, erect a carport and build a shed. I am currently having a coffee and contemplating getting wet out there in the mud. I wonder what's on telly?

Don't you worry, Wrongway. Pics will come. Gollum voice: "SOON, THE 'PRECIOUS' WILL BE MINE!!!"

"Po-tanic." I like it. It's only saving grace is that it's the least aerodynamic thing laying around here, so good luck Mother Nature lifting 2 tons of slab sided blunt nosed beast and tossing it through the air. I probably shouldn't taunt Mother Nature like that. She's a lot more powerful than all of us piddly humans put together.

I read somewhere that the factory console mounted tach was positioned so that the rear seat passengers could read the revs. I think I shall point it my way too, that way when the engine explodes at 9 grand, there'll be only me to blame. Yes, yes, remain calm. I promise to post endless pics of the Frosty Memorial Tach once it's safely mounted in the car - he's gotta send it first! More snow trekking comin' up. If it makes him feel any better, we are being besieged by rain on the tail end of a cyclone which seems set to return once it powers up. Did the factory ever make floaties for Pontiacs? It may live up to it's 'land yacht' moniker yet.

Latest Breaking News: Frosty prised himself out of his nice warm loungeroom and trekked through the ice & snow to retrieve the Golden Tacho. I have a mental image of Indiana Jones battling Nazis, spiders, snakes and hot chicks, of course with Frosty just chuck some snow into your own mental image...come on, forget the hot chicks for now - CONCENTRATE PEOPLE! The negotiations have commenced behind closed doors and an agreement has been reached. The Chosen Item may leave the US within days. Don't worry Pontiac fanatics - you're not losing a tacho, you're simply relocating it to the other end of the world where it will dazzle anyone who peers into my GP and gasps with undisguised delight at that wondrous item, gleaming in it's chrome zoot suit sitting atop my freshly veneered console. Oh, happy days!

So what you're saying is you'll get around to it in the year 2525? Yeah, can I convince you to mush through the snow a little earlier than that? In direct contrast we are sweltering through 35°C most days down here. Australia is either on fire or under water for most of the year.

Yo Frosty, come on, man. Put your overcoat & snow shoes on and get out there and grab that tacho. Here I am roasting alive and working even more overtime to pay for more Pontiac parts. That car is gonna be gold plated by the time I finish with it! 'Finish with it.' Did y'all spot the irony there?

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True that, Wrongway. Even though I'm not married, I stick to the Happy Wife, Happy Life mantra. I want to come home to harmony, not someone who's itching for a fight. Women don't ask for much and it's not a lot of effort to do at least the minimum in order to maintain calm. There's not a lot of us good men left, so I keep telling her. When she finds a good man, I guess she'll let me know!

I tried playing god once to my missus. The genital withering glare that she responded with made me run with my tail between my legs, back to the safety of the Pontiac engine bay where I plunged my head into and hoped she couldn't see me. We all know who wears the god-pants at my joint!

Hey Wrongway, these are gold but priced like gold too. Admittedly, I reckon the NOS tach face is almost worth the ask. It's too good for my car - it'll stick out as the only new looking item amongst the general shabbiness of everything else! Anyway, many thanks. I tried all sorts of keywords but couldn't find them on my own. It looks like praying to a Supreme Being worked, because Frosty answered the call, not that he's a god...yet!

Hey Wrongway, these are gold but priced like gold too. Admittedly, I reckon the NOS tach face is almost worth the ask. It's too good for my car - it'll stick out as the only new looking item amongst the general shabbiness of everything else! Anyway, many thanks. I tried all sorts of keywords but couldn't find them on my own. It looks like praying to a Supreme Being worked, because Frosty answered the call, not that he's a god...yet!

No, they were just happy to get on the bus to take them to the airport: it's the only event that gets anyone excited. They should be feeling warm & fuzzy at the prospect of an additional chrome podded instrument that may be part of my car one day soon. I'll be sure to tell them.

Yep-that picture just about sums up my reaction after finding said posts. I was supposed to be picking up passengers who were slowly roasting to death in the heat & humidity, but instead I sat alone in my airconditioned coach and frantically replied! It's okay, I picked up the sweating pissed off passengers eventually-nobody died.

Holy shit! Thanks Kiwi-I'm still trying to work out how to use the site. Wrongway, I shall check your links-thanks. Frosty, let's talk. Send me some pics and I promise you it will go to a good home. You have all made my day. Many thanks.

The dams are simply ornamental-no time, room or desire for extra critters. It's just nice to sit out the back on the patio and gaze over the lush rainforest that rings the dams and forms the bulk of our 'backyard.' It's my favourite place to ponder how I'm going to tackle the next Poncho task- much better than 3am wide awake in bed!

Got it. In fact, we've been rained on all day. The 2 dams on my property that were just about gone are now overflowing, all our water tanks are overflowing and everything is drenched. That's okay - this is what happens in the Wet season: best time of year.

Thanks Wrongway - I'm gonna try gap filler and will finish the entire job with a nice big batch of fibreglass resin which will hold everything together and I can sand or fill it to get the final finish. I fly back to work tomorrow so it'll have to wait for my return. See you all in 7 days. Oh, if anyone sees one of those beaut Pontiac tachs for sale (with chrome pod, without, trashed, rusty, not working, whatever) can you let me know? Later.

Thanks Guys. Dakota Digital do some droolworthy stuff but I don't think my meagre budget is gonna stretch to that but I'll have a look. I like the factory Pontiac tach - I wonder where I'm going to find one. I'll do the usual searches after I post this. So, today I got the dashpad nitty gritty sorted. The 65 GP's pad extends down the sides whereas Wrongway's stops short and meets that cool looking aluminium trim. When I was wirebrushing the old crud off the metal skin I saw those side bits and thankfully had the presence of mind to cut them off and keep them, to use as a template because trying to replicate that shape from memory was never going to happen. Anyway, today I thought I'll just glue them on and can patch them as part of the entire pad. I think this is actually going to work! I'm buying some tough UV resistant black automotive vinyl tomorrow in preparation for when it's time to perform the skinning. Wrongway, what did you fill the cracks with? I was just going to use gap filler but also to smooth over the surface to fill any irregularities and apply it with a wet spatula. Gap filler will remain flexible and it's only purpose is to fill those gaps.