gee vee's coupe

[GT-GTF]

You may have read that I bought a stock XB GS 500 302 recently. This came about 20 years after the last one which I bought when I was 15 yo.

Here are some before shots from when I got her home in May 2008:







Originally I was going to leave it exactly as it was. Then I found this website and saw that these things are even more beautiful restored. I got the bug to restore her HARD!

I am a little bit obsessive compulsive and am impatient. When I set my mind to something I go for it like a bull at a gate. This means this project will be finished quickly but also that I'll make some mistakes eg the dodgy console I bought off ebay.

Within a few weeks I arranged to have the engine rebuilt, small sections of rust cut out and panel dents repaired (it was actually pretty much rust free and straight) . I'm also replacing the carpet and getting it retrimmed. Here are some pics after I got it back from the panel guy:











Here are some shots of some parts I bought off ebay:

NOS GT Grille



Seat trim. Supposedly original chamois Nylex NOS. It's actually a little darker than the original but will look great.



Fairmont honeycomb (repro)



dodgy console. I'm waiting on a better one in a couple of weeks and will repair and sell this one:



GT fuel cap and surround I picked up today for a very reasoable price (the jewel in the crown):



These are some pics taken today of the reco'd engine and my new 9" diff. Should be finished by next week then it's off for a respray.







The final job will be putting the trim back in, changing the wheels, and polishing all the chrome. I'm still after a set of convo pros but I refuse to pay full retail price (for now).

[CJR09]

Hey george - she looks bloody good and is coming along well!!

I notice you have ford script on boot lid and was wondering if you would be able to measure/dimension the verticle and horizontal spacings up for me? I have the GS ornamentation spec sheet but it does not have any dimensions on it - this would greatly help with my resto, I havn't been able to find this info anywhere...

Cheers, Cheyne

[GT-GTF]

Originally Posted by CJR09

Hey george - she looks bloody good and is coming along well!!

I notice you have ford script on boot lid and was wondering if you would be able to measure/dimension the verticle and horizontal spacings up for me? I have the GS ornamentation spec sheet but it does not have any dimensions on it - this would greatly help with my resto, I havn't been able to find this info anywhere...

Cheers, Cheyne

Won't see her again for a weeks or so a I'm going away Tues. Will check when I get back and let u know.

Originally Posted by Auslandau

As long as the front guards have been removed and Plenum has been checked and cleared out?

Thanks for the tip. The whole car will be checked again before respray.

[Electric XY]

looking good,you certainly do not lack decision making skills.

[Paull]

I certainly admire your ability to get things done so quickly, great work too. Car looks fantastic as well and can't wait to see the finished result.

[fatasslandau]

congrats its looking great the hard work will definatly be worth it well done mate

[XBCoupeNZ]

I wondered who was buying all the parts I wanted on Ebay

Car looks great ... good to get a non-rusty model

More pics always welcomed

[Pinkbits]

Originally Posted by XBCoupeNZ

I wondered who was buying all the parts I wanted on Ebay

Car looks great ... good to get a non-rusty model

More pics always welcomed

Maybe we should start a thread listing our e-bay user names so we don't end up bidding against each other and paying more than we should for parts.
Any takers?

Sorry to hi-jack your thread George, oh, and the car is looking fantastic so far.

[Falcon Coupe]

Originally Posted by Pinkbits

Maybe we should start a thread listing our e-bay user names so we don't end up bidding against each other and paying more than we should for parts.
Any takers?

Good idea Mark, i'm sometimes known as:

Bidder 1
Bidder 2
Bidder 6
Bidder 9

[Pinkbits]

Originally Posted by Falcon Coupe

Good idea Mark, i'm sometimes known as:

Bidder 1
Bidder 2
Bidder 6
Bidder 9

: just remembered it's all changed.
I've got an excuse though, it's nightshift and not enough sleep. :

[galaxy xr8]

Originally Posted by Falcon Coupe

Good idea Mark, i'm sometimes known as:

Bidder 1
Bidder 2
Bidder 6
Bidder 9

[Auslandau]

Originally Posted by georgevlah

You dodgy console. I'm waiting on a better one in a couple of weeks and will repair and sell this one

Once fixed you can sell it on ebay as mint!!!! How did this end up with the bloke you bought it off?

Originally Posted by georgevlah

The final job will be putting the trim back in, changing the wheels, and polishing all the chrome. I'm still after a set of convo pros but I refuse to pay full retail price (for now).

Super Plus in Hallam vic are the importers/distributors of Convo pros. Speak to them and you can ususally get them cheaper than from anywhere else. If you are lucky they do appear occasionally on Ebay as well. 15x10's 295 fit well on the back. Have a look throught the tyre bit in the coupe threads.

Looking great and its so good when you do have a good base to start with. Saves $$$ by literally thousands and you get to drive it quicker! As long as the front guards have been removed and Plenum has been checked and cleared out?



| [/url] |

[Bearman]

Hey George, great to see all the work you've done so far. You're not mucking around, that's for sure. Looks like it'll be a very sweet ride.

Keep the pics and updates comming!!

[gcg2503]

She's looking good George

Keep us posted mate

Rgds

Another George

[drcoupe]

Looks great George I am interested to see how it progresses. Did you find it hard to take the plunge and how did you decide where to start?

I am in the same position as you, recently got a stock XB Falcon 500 302 and I sold my last one 20 years ago. Got me buggered where to start though as I am having a lot of fun driving it.

[GT-GTF]

Originally Posted by drcoupe

Looks great George I am interested to see how it progresses. Did you find it hard to take the plunge and how did you decide where to start?

I am in the same position as you, recently got a stock XB Falcon 500 302 and I sold my last one 20 years ago. Got me buggered where to start though as I am having a lot of fun driving it.

Hi

I just decided to do some tidying up and when I saw some done up coupes on this forum I decided to go all in. I am lucky in that my cousin Tony at Fairford Spares has fixed/done up and restored lots of cars. He is rebuilding the engine and running gear and has referred me to trimmers, exhaust shops etc.

I recommend you try and hook up with a pro who can hold your hand the whole way through. Also, do lots of reading on this site and ask members lots of questions. I have found that there are alot of knowledgable, passionate and helpful enthusiasts lurking around these forums!

PS I am missing driving my coupe and I only had her for a few weeks before I started fxing her up.

[GT-GTF]

the car is still with the panelbeater who is finishing off straightening some panels and going over some of the repairs the last boke inflicted on my coupe.

i have prviously thought i would paint this car red pepper and have already sprayed the engine bay that colour. the original factory colour was sandstone beige but it was moza red when i bought it. now i have never seen sandstone beige in the flesh only the picture beow.



i was talking to a guy today who said he has seen a sandstone beige sedan in sydney and it looks nothing like the pic. he says it is more like a gunmetal grey than a beige. he thinks sandstone beige is a great colour and that i am mad for going red pepper.

have any of you seen sandstone beige on a car? does anyone have a better photo of a sandstone beige coupe? is the colour dull like the above? is it a desirable colour? i thought not but this bloke today was very convincing and has me wondering!

[gtxb67]

hey george, i believe that this is sandstone beige. either way, i have no doubt that it does not resemble gunmetal grey. it is a few shades darker than mushroom beige which is my old colour

[GT-GTF]

Originally Posted by gtxb67

hey george, i believe that this is sandstone beige. either way, i have no doubt that it does not resemble gunmetal grey. it is a few shades darker than mushroom beige which is my old colour

if it's your "old colour" i take it you don't rate it?

[gtxb67]

this is my old colour (sorry to hijack you thread with pics of other cars) mushroom beige

i do not mind either colour, but i personally would rather something a bit brighter. in all honesty i love coupes in any colour. i did like the mushroom beige, but i needed to touch up a couple of spots that were repaired so with a total respray, a hotter colour was chosen. the original shape as opposed to original colours, engines etc. are what is important to me


i did repaint it in 1990, maybe now i MIGHT not have changed it, but i think the red would still win

[GT-GTF]

I have to take back all the horrible things I have said and thought about the guy doing the panel and paint. I took a look at where he is up to on Sat and it all looks brilliant!!!!

He has done a fantastic job and I could not be happier. He has taken over 1000 photos which he has on a disc that he will give me. This guy is a perfectionist.

I am picking the car up later this week and will post some pics. All that is then left is putting in the trim and the dash/dashpad.

I can then focus my attention on finding some nice rims. I would be happy with a nice clean (wide) set of globes, chrome 12 slotters or hotwires. For the moment I have gone off the convo pros as I am keeping it all original. I have gone back to the factory combo of sandstone beige and walnut glow so it is pretty much all stock as it left the factory (apart from the 9 inch and a couple of other upgrades to the engine and running gear).

[XBCoupeNZ]

I actually quite like the sandstone beige. My coupe also, was that colour out of the factory and I was considering returning it to that colour ... you just don't seem to see it these days.

Good on you for putting it back on

[Uncle Raggy]

I see you've bought a Landau now too, nice one mate!

[GT-GTF]

Originally Posted by uncleraggy

I see you've bought a Landau now too, nice one mate!

Not me, my nephew using my id!

[XB74GS]

Originally Posted by georgevlah

I have gone back to the factory combo of sandstone beige and walnut glow so it is pretty much all stock as it left the factory (apart from the 9 inch and a couple of other upgrades to the engine and running gear).

Good on you for deciding to keep it original.
Sandstone Beige & Walnut Glow are IMO a fantasic colour combo.
You wont be disaponted when it's finished.
Cheers
Todd.

[GT-GTF]

I have finally worked out my new camera and taken the opportunity to post some pics of the finished coupe. You will see that I decided to take her back to her original colour combo of sandstone beige with walnut glow highlights.

The interior is NOS nylex chamois. It turns out that its nos Holden chamois not Ford as I thought. I actually prefer it as it suits the exterior better. The Ford chamois is yellower.

I have pretty much finished now. Overall there were not to many dramas and all up the rebuild only took a few months. I made some mistakes along the way and learnt alot about Fords, car restoration, and the peculiar personality traits of car tradesmen. I generally had a ball!

At some stage I might install a stereo and alarm and tidy up the fitting of the superfringe stereo I have installed. In the past two weeks I have had my cousin tone down the engine a little and tune her properly as she was very temperamental. I had problems starting her and she kept stalling at the lights. She now runs much smoother and a little quieter. I have no problem starting her now and love driving every chance I get! Enjoy the pics.









(I should have polished chrome before I took this photo! all the chrome has been rechromed but you can't tell in this next pic)

[phoon]

Looks fantastic George. I love the pic of the back of the beast.

[gcg2503]

George that is absolutely tremendous!

I would redwall the tyres for $80 - $100 as it will finsih it off (check out Whingey (username) XA coupe before and after shots re the redwalls. Food for thought!

Awesome stuff - quickest turnaround build in history ; like something out of Overhaulin

George

[GT-GTF]

Thanks for the complements fellas. I'm getting lots everywhere I go!

The only distinctive "GT replica" item on the car is the front grille badge. It's also got the GT exhaust tips. I'm not sure if they were ever fitted to non-GT's. Donny could probably enlighten us. One thing I do know is that when I put the tips on the exhaust note became alot more refined (quieter) which made the trouble and strife a happy woman!

I've left off the "GT" stickers for two reasons, firstly its not a GT replica just a nicely restored GS coupe, secondly, I couldn't bear the thought of putting stickers on her. I think they look tacky. I like the GT grille badge obviously and can take it off if I ever get sick of it.

George I already have a date with the redwaller. Great minds think alike!

Phoon - I also like that pic. My favourite is the first one with my son Michael. He has said that when I am old the car is his. He has some competition in that regard from his brother Dean. See pics of mini-coupe fiend below

[gtxb67]

looks great george - but how do you see over the steering wheel