1964 bonneville rebuild

[64 kiwi boni]

On Sunday i got a call from the guy with the chassis i am after, he said come and get it ! i was really excited !! i could finally get started on my rebuild 👍

But...

Monday i hired a trailer,hooked it up to my ram and headed north in great anticipation of getting the chassis, get it back to my certifier by the end of trade the same day so he could check it was straight and give me the green light to rebuild it and put it under my bonny.

Got 5 minutes out of town and got a call from the guy saying that the storage it was in was locked down thanks to our mate covid-19. 😢😡 

my master plan for the 4 weeks we are locked down just went out the window !

gutted is the best word for it... just gutted🙄

So today being first day of the lock down for us.... i cleaned windows, did chores for the boss(wife) and by 2 pm it was time to do something for myself...

Start fixing what i can, with no access to any materials,just going you use what i have on hand.

first project is the drivers door dent 

Edited March 26, 2020 by 64 kiwi boni

[64 kiwi boni]

The muck metal trim along the bottom had a small dent and i managed to press it out with a bit of timber and the vise

 

[64 kiwi boni]

So then i hit the door with my pro tools,,, hammer wood dollys , pretty much got it all out and it will need a small tickle after i take the paint off.( this is not my trade, i am a plumber/gas fitter)

 i did have to strip all the window out of the door too and found a window mount broken, will get that sorted tomorrow 🤨

 but i have made a start, its going be hard with out materials but lets see how we go, i do have quiet a bit of gear that may help.

i just cant get her into the shed just yet, so i will try and leave as much paint on as i can since its autumn here. 

Edited March 26, 2020 by 64 kiwi boni

[64 kiwi boni]

On the door trim the chrome trim along the bottom was missing( i have a replacement) and when i removed the door card i could see why it was missing... the card was buggered.

 i will need to make a new one and transfer all the upholstery over to the new door card 

 

[Frosty]

11 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

On the door trim the chrome trim along the bottom was missing( i have a replacement) and when i removed the door card i could see why it was missing... the card was buggered.

 i will need to make a new one and transfer all the upholstery over to the new door card 

 

Who's the cute assistant in the blue shirt? You are doing good bud.

What are your winter's like in the Land Down Under? Do you have to cover up for snow and ice like we do here in Michigan?

[JUSTA6]

We are all in the same "19" boat bro.  Ordered a new electronic ign system to replace my old points system in the GTO and waiting N watching for the big brown truck.  Justa for something to do.  Maybe the storage place will open for a day to give people some access to their stuff and you can pickup your prize. You LIL buddy seems concerned about that doorcard. 

[64 kiwi boni]

haha @ justa6

Thats harry, he still hasnt worked out why Dad is at home playing with his cars on a work day 😋

[64 kiwi boni]

4 hours ago, Frosty said:

Who's the cute assistant in the blue shirt? You are doing good bud.

What are your winter's like in the Land Down Under? Do you have to cover up for snow and ice like we do here in Michigan?

Hay frosty, thats our boy Harry, he has been battling meningitis since he was 2.... he is now 8 years old, only thing keeping him alive is prednisone.

 the vets say that its common in the the little white fluffy dogs, and its can be caused by grocery store flee treatments !🤨

Winters here in nz can vary from the north where its very mild to the deep south thats really cold, here in Taupo we get it really cold, but its also very dry thanks to the  pumice land we are on.

 where i am we can get snow around november, and not much, 3 inches is the most we have ever had, most years we get zip snow.

ice is one thing we get lots of, as a plumber i am always running around fixing burst water pipe.😄

 Temperatures sit around -5 to 10 c which is around 23- 50 f 

[JUSTA6]

Sure looks like Harry jumps in N takes charge of any situation.     My LIL Cocker Spaniel rules the roost around here too.  12yrs and many ailments, but couldn't imagine it around here without him.    They are worse than kids, they actually mind once in awhile and know exactly what your sayin.

[64 kiwi boni]

1 hour ago, JUSTA6 said:

Sure looks like Harry jumps in N takes charge of any situation.     My LIL Cocker Spaniel rules the roost around here too.  12yrs and many ailments, but couldn't imagine it around here without him.    They are worse than kids, they actually mind once in awhile and know exactly what your sayin.

oh they sure do listen to you!!!! 

[Frosty]

Molly, my Golden Retriever, is a bed pig (on my bed of course). She's suppose to be my kid's dog, but you know how children's promises go. She's 9, he's 20.

Edited March 30, 2020 by Frosty

[64 kiwi boni]

6 hours ago, Frosty said:

Molly, my Golden Retriever, is a bed pig (on my bed of course). She's suppose to be my kid's dog, but you know how children's promises go. She's 9, he's 20.

OH , Dad spoils Molly !!! She has her own bed!!! haha, she got you trained well! 😄

[Frosty]

Naw, mate, you've got it wrong. She's got me well trained!

She hops on the bed around 4:00 a.m. and I move over! She snuggles in for 1-2 hours worth of sleep before it's time to lick daddy awake for breakfast and time to go outside to go potty.

[64 kiwi boni]

2 hours ago, Frosty said:

Naw, mate, you've got it wrong. She's got me well trained!

She hops on the bed around 4:00 a.m. and I move over! She snuggles in for 1-2 hours worth of sleep before it's time to lick daddy awake for breakfast and time to go outside to go potty.

haha, yip sounds like here!! Harry sleeps with us, and gets up with me at 6 ... has his breakfast, and sits with me while i watch the news😊

[TWO LANE BLACK TOP]

This is Earl...Has got to be the laziest animal on earth...Am pretty sure a Sloth has more speed and ambition....Than this one..And then he has the unmitagated gall to get plum angry and hiss at me when I move him out of the way..So I can go to bed at night....But he likes Mrs. Two Lane...He attacks me whenever I get even remotely close to her....He has also figured out how to turn the water spigot on in the bathroom ( For spite )....I figure it is just a matter of time before I come home to a flooded house...But somehow it will probably be my fault....

Glad to see that you're making progress with the Bonneville....In spite of everything going on.....

Edited March 30, 2020 by TWO LANE BLACK TOP

[64 kiwi boni]

gee two lane your pussy has it sorted!!! 

we could do with him here!, its autumn and we have bloody mice coming inside, every day!!😡

 a while back we had a rat, and i just couldn't catch him, so i laid bait.... 4 days later the wife came screaming out of the house yelling get that FORDing thing out of there!!!!

it had internally hemorrhaged and died in my daughters room, under a pillow on her bed!!! 🤢

 we have never told her!!! hahaha

so tell that pussy if he doesnt shape up... ship him to me and he can have a job !! 👍  

[64 kiwi boni]

My next job is to sort a new fender for the passenger side, i have 2 and both need work... question is which one, so i made the decision and i am going to fix the white one

 i have made a bit of a plan and here are the areas that need attention

i took the old fender off the car, as i thought i could use the rear lower section for a patch panel, the bottom bolt under the rear of the fender spin the caged nut!!!!! so i had a few choice words... then hit the mother f__ _ker with the grinder

this just reminded me what justa6 was saying about the fun of removing the chassis!...looks like i will have more fun to come !

then once i had the fender off, the same area was rusty, so it was usless to me. time for plan "B"... make a patch panel form scratch.

best part about this is tomorrow is another day and as long as i do the jobs the boss wants done first, i get the best part of all afternoon to do my stuff  

 We are in day 6 of a 30 day complete lock down, told to stay at home. this whole thing is like being in a movie

[64 kiwi boni]

So, today's mission was to head to town and get groceries.... well that was fun... long ques and just plain weird, never seen our town so dead quiet😦

but got most of what we need and really happy to back at home !!👍

Then... i get to do my stuff... smoothed out the dents in the front of the fender...by making a profile from my good fender, then made the new left hand one look the same.

 its the best i can do with out mounting anything,,,in a real world i would be fitting the fender to the body and then twigging it, but with my frame still bent, it justa nota gona worka 😋

Edited April 1, 2020 by 64 kiwi boni

[64 kiwi boni]

Next was to remove the rust and fit a patch panel... i am using my new tig welder and still learning how to use it, way less heat than fusion welding and way easier to panel beat than what i used to do with my mig welder..

oh and had to cut in the trim holes as this fender was not off a bonny so it didnt have the correct mounts for the chrome along the bottom

 you never stop learning in this world !!😜

Edited April 1, 2020 by 64 kiwi boni

[Frosty]

Dude, you are being very resourceful and imaginative in your repairs of that fender without a full chassis and body to mount it to. Kudos to you bro. Time for Speight’s, don't you think?

[64 kiwi boni]

7 hours ago, Frosty said:

Dude, you are being very resourceful and imaginative in your repairs of that fender without a full chassis and body to mount it to. Kudos to you bro. Time for Speight’s, don't you think?

Haha, yes i have had lots of time to think about how to attack it Frosty, its the tig welding that is challenging me, years of fusion welding have helped but i really think i need to buy a foot controller so i can modulate that heat.

Boy if i had my chassis!! things would be much easier!

 and yes... just after i took those pics it was time for a beer... Speights isnt my flavor, but similar to my Draught beer  called export 33 ( low carb beer) 

having said that i do like my Heineken 

[JUSTA6]

Great job so far.  Wish I could upgrade to a tig.  I wouldn't use it enough to warrant the cost.  Keep on rockin.  Always have my Ol buddy Mr Millers, but also a fan of ....wait for it, Corona Extra as most of my friends know from my Volleyball headgear. 

[64 kiwi boni]

28 minutes ago, JUSTA6 said:

Great job so far.  Wish I could upgrade to a tig.  I wouldn't use it enough to warrant the cost.  Keep on rockin.  Always have my Ol buddy Mr Millers, but also a fan of ....wait for it, Corona Extra as most of my friends know from my Volleyball headgear. 

Ah yes Justa6... a nice cold corona extra ice cold with a slice of lime would go down real nice right now  but the boss has me building selves... so i might just wait till in am finished or i will stuff them up !! hahaha

[JUSTA6]

56 minutes ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

Ah yes Justa6... a nice cold corona extra ice cold with a slice of lime would go down real nice right now  but the boss has me building selves... so i might just wait till in am finished or i will stuff them up !! hahaha

LMAO buddy, that's when the Corona get's it's LIME!

[Last Indian]

4 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

Haha, yes i have had lots of time to think about how to attack it Frosty, its the tig welding that is challenging me, years of fusion welding have helped but i really think i need to buy a foot controller so i can modulate that heat.

Boy if i had my chassis!! things would be much easier!

 and yes... just after i took those pics it was time for a beer... Speights isnt my flavor, but similar to my Draught beer  called export 33 ( low carb beer) 

having said that i do like my Heineken 

Yup! Foot peddle would make a big difference in control. I’m not a fan of mig, I’ve used it often, but I just prefer tig. Better control for heat and bead control! That said when I weld thin sheet metal I usually like acetylene and aircraft welding tips. You can actually control this type of welding best of all. While it’s not good for production work, takes longer, but from a welding standpoint, it’s stronger and less grinding. I’ll take a Willoughby Brewing Company Wheat, thank you!