Project Rescue has begun

mattbl · 27-09-2005, 10:33 PM

Well I've had the Fairmont Ghia for a whole six days now and had a little spare time this afternoon to start the revival of this car.
I bought it last week and it sure needs some work, but I'm up to the task and needed a project to work on. I didn't have a great deal of money so I bought the AU1 Ghia fully knowing it required some maintenance. It was a cheap entry.
Still I'd rather be driving in a run down AU than some Holden

:

Last week I just gave it a general clean up to see what was lying under all the dirt.
Today I got the following done:
Oil
Oil filter
Thermostat and seal (stuck open)
Spark plugs
Ignition leads
An entire tin of Dubbin on the leather seats!

I've got the day off tomorrow so I'm going to:
Flush the radiator
Fuel filter
Fix the power steering leak
Take the rear muffler off and get the tip replaced as its got a hole in it where the tip joins.

I'd put some pics up but I'm sure nobody can be bothered looking at an AU1 with 3 colors of the same grey paint

:

Anyway the project has started and hope to have a RWC for it in the next few weeks
Stay tuned
Matt

:

Bucknaked · 27-09-2005, 10:35 PM

I would like to see some pics. Especially with all the work your doing, would be good to see the work your doing and the progress. Get some pics up

JC · 27-09-2005, 10:36 PM

Matt - we want pics. Before, during and after shots. Good luck with it; sounds like a lot of work.

**Peuty** · 27-09-2005, 10:40 PM

Mmm pics would be great. Put it up in the show and shine section, make a nice change from all the shiny happy AU's!

mattbl · 27-09-2005, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peuty

Mmm pics would be great. Put it up in the show and shine section, make a nice change from all the shiny happy AU's!

These are the only ones I have at the moment. I should have taken some when I first got it home.
The interior cleaned up really well I was suprised with only a little wear on the drivers seat and a small rip on the drivers side door trim.
The engine is quite good (120k), needs wheel alignment possibly steering rack and struts. Will do it all myself.

The biggest amount of money is going to go into the body. It's had some panel work and the color is a pretty poor match. Some fat *** must of owned it previously as there are ripples in 2 of the doors from using ya *** closing them. The front bumper doesn't line up with the headlight (LHS) very well, a few crows feet on the roof and a small ding in the rear bumper.
So it will get a complete respray next year unless someone runs into it between now and then.

It's not going to be a highly modded car, I just want to get it going, lower it and put some 17in rims on it and then drive it.
I sort of said that about my roadbike - just a couple of mods After 2 years I still haven't stopped.
Here are a couple pics. close ups tomorrow:

AU-MUSTD · 27-09-2005, 10:55 PM

Give us pics as i'm sure youll apreciate good feedback for all your hard work. Ha ha beat me to it. She looks fine from here!!!! Also if you need a steering rack i've got one laying around my house that is fine just needs the switch plugged or rethreaded. Also do a rear alignment as my rears were a mile out when l got it done last week.

Casper · 28-09-2005, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bucknaked

I would like to see some pics. Especially with all the work your doing, would be good to see the work your doing and the progress. Get some pics up

Exactly what I was thinking. This car is also going to have a special place in my heart.. its getting a transplant of sorts from my car soon.

PICS!! WE WANT PICS!!

**DJM83** · 28-09-2005, 05:32 PM

doesnt look to bad to me nice pic up

mattbl · 28-09-2005, 09:49 PM

I did my first mod today!
Well not quite a mod but improvement I believe.
The car was missing the CD stacker so there was the gaping hole there where it used to be.
I'm not looking at getting another as I have the MP3 player in the dash so I replaced the carpet with one out of a Falcon
What do you think?

Before shot:

After:

Casper · 28-09-2005, 09:51 PM

Excellent job, you cant tell it didnt come like that from the factory!! Impressed.

XplodE · 28-09-2005, 10:25 PM

Hahaha, I done exactilly the opposite to that...

When i got mine i pulled the normal carpet out n put that one in so that i hade somewhere to hide a second battery.

Out of interest they didnt leave the brackets for the stacker to bolt up to did they...?

mattbl · 28-09-2005, 10:29 PM

After nearly 3 days of cleaning and servicing it's starting to come together

Today I flushed the radiator, put the new piece of carpet in the boot and replaced a leaky power steering hose.
I was going to replace the fuel filter but they gave me the wrong one so will do it tomorrow.
Had a good look underneath today and the exhaust is a bit leaky in the muffler joins. It's not too bad so I'm going to put in for the RWC as is. If it fails I've an excuse to do the cat back system

:
Here are a few more pics. It is near impossible to be able to show the ripples in the doors but that's a fix way down the track.

kryzak260 · 28-09-2005, 11:46 PM

Looks great. Ive got a Series 1 Fairlane Ghia with the same interior as that...

I pulled the stacker out of mine and am going to use the space to mount a carputer for GPS, movies and 40GB of MP3s ;)

Good luck with it

mattbl · 29-09-2005, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XplodE

Hahaha, I done exactilly the opposite to that...

When i got mine i pulled the normal carpet out n put that one in so that i hade somewhere to hide a second battery.

Out of interest they didnt leave the brackets for the stacker to bolt up to did they...?

Nope sorry no brackets Otherwise I would gladly pass them over

Cheers

Matt

XplodE · 29-09-2005, 09:08 PM

Yeah no probs.

When i was fittin up the battery i wish'ed i had em, dont realy need em now, just thought id ask if i ever changed anything...

chief · 30-09-2005, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattbl

Still I'd rather be driving in a run down AU than some Holden

:

Great quote and the car looks like it has come up well.

mattbl · 30-09-2005, 10:20 PM

Spent another couple of hours underneath the car today.
Replaced the fuel filter and drained and replaced the diff oil.
That is a b!tch of a job only made easier with those nozzel tops that come on the bottle.
I've never changed diff oil before but what came out looked a lot different than what went in. Anyone for Grayvox Yum Yum!!

buickman · 30-09-2005, 10:51 PM

Car looks neat in the pics.
Some people are hopless at maintaining & looking after cars.
So 5 years later they get bugger all for the car and some poor person has to restore it because they are to lazy to maintain or look after the car.

buickman

AU-MUSTD · 30-09-2005, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattbl

Spent another couple of hours underneath the car today.
Replaced the fuel filter and drained and replaced the diff oil.
That is a b!tch of a job only made easier with those nozzel tops that come on the bottle.
I've never changed diff oil before but what came out looked a lot different than what went in. Anyone for Grayvox Yum Yum!!

Good thinking might do that tommorow. What oil did you use and how much does it take?

mattbl · 01-10-2005, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AU-MUSTD

Good thinking might do that tommorow. What oil did you use and how much does it take?

I used Castrol EPX 80W/90
That is the one Castrol recommended on their guide for non LSD. I bought 2 x 1 litre bottles as they have the easy pour nozzle to help put it in (supercheap auto $8.99 ea).
1.5L came out and about 1.7 litres went back in.

Cheers

Matt

**Peuty** · 01-10-2005, 03:59 PM

It wouldn't happen to be an ex silver service taxi would it?

Casper · 01-10-2005, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peuty

It wouldn't happen to be an ex silver service taxi would it?

All taxi's in Vic are yellow by law so, unless its from interstate its doubtful.
Also, I use heaps of Silver Service taxis for work and they have all been Fairlaines or Statesmans... neven seen one as a Fairmont ghia

GlennBA · 01-10-2005, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Casper

All taxi's in Vic are yellow by law so, unless its from interstate its doubtful.
Also, I use heaps of Silver Service taxis for work and they have all been Fairlaines or Statesmans... neven seen one as a Fairmont ghia

i've seen au fairmont silver service taxi's up here.

Smoke Pursuit · 01-10-2005, 06:20 PM

He said its only done 120 k..

if it was a taxi it would have nearly 10 times that on it.

Looks alright!

mattbl · 01-10-2005, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peuty

It wouldn't happen to be an ex silver service taxi would it?

Nope it wasn't a taxi at least I'm sure enough in my mind it wasn't. My reasoning for saying no is
The condition of the bushes, ball joints, bearings actually all the under car running gear are consistant with 120k of wear. If it were a taxi/ limo I would imagine a car this age would have 300k+ kilometers on the clock.

I think its just a car that was just driven and not really looked after that well.
The car is growing on me and the more work I do on it the more I like it.
I guess it's found a good home :newangel:

TheSneakiness · 01-10-2005, 07:03 PM

Looks like it's cleaning up nicely.

GK · 02-10-2005, 10:28 PM

Good to see a car that's been run down a little cleaned up with lots of TLC.

Good onya.

GK

**Peuty** · 02-10-2005, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattbl

Nope it wasn't a taxi at least I'm sure enough in my mind it wasn't. My reasoning for saying no is
The condition of the bushes, ball joints, bearings actually all the under car running gear are consistant with 120k of wear. If it were a taxi/ limo I would imagine a car this age would have 300k+ kilometers on the clock.

I think its just a car that was just driven and not really looked after that well.
The car is growing on me and the more work I do on it the more I like it.
I guess it's found a good home :newangel:

Yeah that makes sense. I just thought it may have been an ex cab because of the condition that you described it to be in.

T2TL50 · 02-10-2005, 11:39 PM

if any one can give me a good easy way to empty all the diff oil out of my tl please feel fre.. i am scared as i have no idea.. but it needs done!!!

P.s you car lookx hot always loved the fairmont.. glad you are giving her some good TLC...

mattbl · 03-10-2005, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T2TL50

if any one can give me a good easy way to empty all the diff oil out of my tl please feel fre.. i am scared as i have no idea.. but it needs done!!!

P.s you car lookx hot always loved the fairmont.. glad you are giving her some good TLC...

All rear axel diffs are pretty much the same generally speaking when it comes down to periodic maintenance.
The drain plug is ususally the centre bolt on the lower rear of the casing and is quite often held in by locktite.
The filler cap/ bolt is somewhere on the front of the diff and will be above the tailshaft. For the AU it was on the LHS and the cap was quite large inexcess of 20mm.
Draining the diff oil is easy, it's getting the fluid back in that is a pain.
The 1L Castrol bottles that I used had a pourer nozzle that made it easier but it's still hard to get the bottle high enough under the car for the oil to flow. Keep putting it in until it starts to flow out the filler hole your pouring it into.

You need to make sure you get the correct oil for the diff as there are viscosity differences for LSD and non LSD diffs.

Don't be scared to get your hands dirty because it's good fun and a sense of achievement to say you did it yourself. It's really not that hard, do it once and you'll wonder what the fuss was about

Hope this helps

Regards

Matt