S124AB

Winter prep:

Jump in, turn key on, drive to destination and soon as possible turn heater on high until car cozy inside.

Summer prep:

Jump in, turn key on, drive to destination and soon as possible turn air con on high until car cool inside.

Seriously, you're a dumb f#$k if you don't have antifreeze in the cooling system.

For NZ in cold places, let the car warm up a bit before moving, at the most run a lower viscosity oil, check manufacturer recommendations for suitable winter oil grades.

Pacifica Shipping do a coastal service which includes a sailing from Lyttleton to Tauranga.

http://www.pacship.co.nz/uploads/PacSchedDownload.pdf

It would need to go in a 20ft box, so would contact them to work out a price, including packing it in the container as it would need strapping down etc.

Also you would need to arrange a local tow at each end.

Other options would be Jeff's, or Automovements (or Toll Freight by rail).

Finally, a backload deal, have a hunt through this to see if anything suits.

http://www.backload4u.co.nz/backload-empty-trucks.php

Depends where its going from and to.

Could possibly go on a ship, if ex Christchurch to Wellington or AKL

Most car transport trucks will load and unload a few times for inter island transport, so for a non runner its a pain in the arse for them.

Same for rail.

Advise the from - to, than can advise suitable options for you.

For painting it depends on how close to the original color you want or finish.

If you want a fine concourse finish, then better to get the frame painted by an automotive spray painter, starting off with a two pack epoxy on to the bare metal.

Powder coat is generally a harder finish, so can handle the knocks better, but at 80, not sure if grand dad is going to be out pounding the pedals too much.

If you aren't going to sandblast, you still need to kill any rust, otherwise it will continue to rot under any coating you put on it.

-Steam clean to remove all the loose stuff and dirt.

-Once dry, evaluate how much rust you've got and if it's only on the surface.

-Light areas, you may get away with using just a wire wheel or sand disc on an air tool or drill.

-Once removed, use Brunox (you can get it from most good automotive based paint shops), it kills and neutralizes.

Then two - pack epoxy etc.

Final coat should be a rubber stone guard, applied with the appropriate air gun, your panelbeater should have one, or you can get from the paint shop.

Brands like Car System, Wurth, Terosan, Novol, 3M for the stoneguard.

For sandblasting, see Autoblast in Glenfield before you do anything, as they are pretty skilled at doing the underside with most parts in place.

Here's the story:

While doing some renovations, behind the last layer of wallpaper was a number of sheets of newspaper pasted there, probably to tidy up holes in the previous paper or give a smoother base for the new paper.

Slowly lifting off the layers I found this ad for an RX2 from the NZ Herald.

The date on the back of the page says Wednesday July 9, however on checking what year July 9 was on a Wednesday, the choices are 1969 or 1975.

So mostly likely this is 1975, twin headlight version?

Also confusing is reference to 120 mph, when I thought we had changed to km/h by 1975?

LaSpaz

I've been importing cars for over 10 years, into the thousands imported now, so had a bit to do with certifiers over the years.

When you come to re-vin, the inspector will pick up on any non factory weld and require a repair certificate to cover this work.

So get a certifier on board now, they may let you do the work, providing you follow his instructions and document/keep a photographic record along the way.

This all forms port of the document trail for the vehicle, once complied, to cover their arses.

Here's a list of the certifiers, there's one listed at the Mount.

If he's not available, then Hamilton or Rotorvegas will be your next stop, as any guy from Auckland will have to charge you travel time to inspect.

http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/specialist-repair-certifiers/docs/src-list.pdf

There are a couple I can recommend in the big smoke, but if you aren't fixing the car in Jaffa land then deal with the closest certifier to you.

Don't try and wing it or think you can bluff them, cause you might get bent over a barrel with a red hot poker, a painful experience to be told to pull it all apart and start again.

If Race Brakes don't have anything, then you might find something here ex UK.

http://www.racebrakes.co.nz

http://www.motorsport-tools.com/motorsport-parts/brakes/brake-discs.html

http://www.europerformance.co.uk/pages/products/search_car/product_sub.mhtml?car=fordescortmk1;category=frontbrakediscs

Seen in Nelson. Wouldn't have liked to be in the drivers seat.

 

I'm pretty sure that's Royce Watson's car, he was killed in that crash two years ago in Hanmer.

Was at the end of the first stage of the Straight N Paint Rally.

Rally now renamed the Royce Watson Memorial.

Picture of the car at the start of this vid.

RIP

Toyotaz Galore in Glenfield should be able to help, tons of stock.

0800 480 095

I've just had my resto completely repainted, totally stripped down to the last nut and bolt.

I was quoted  $10k - $15k from a car painter that specializes in this type of work.  That was a few years ago.

I already use 4 different panel shops for my import business and ended up using one of these.

To keep the costs down I spent the best part of two months (almost everyday approx 5-8 hours a day) doing all the prep, applying the high fill primer, sanding, finding low spots, blocking, blocking, and more f%^King blocking.

He let me paint the inside as most of it will get covered anyway.

The painter did the final coats, but I did everything else including the cavity wax, underseal, stone guard etc.

His painting, plus all the materials used was approx $3000.

However, if I had to pay for the labour I put in, approx 30 hours a week x 8 weeks at say a cheap rate of $50 an hour (240 hours @ $50 = $12000) plus paint $3000, all up you will be in the $15,000 ballpark.  That's actually a low estimate as many shops work on a higher hourly rate.

Your car sounds just like an external respray, plus some repair jobs. (although not mobile?)

Depending on how much work is required for the repairs, I would budget $300-$350 per panel, (11 panels on a coupe, 13 on a sedan).

You maybe able to get it done for a closer to $250 a panel, ( just depends on the prep required and how much trim and external items you want removed, or just masked over)

As you've found out, it's hard to know exactly what the cost will be, even with a quote, they may uncover some ugly stuff that needs more extensive surgery.

Hope the above helps.

You can try Parts West in Henderson, they do Mitsi, but most wreckers will have cleared older stuff out, once the demand for it drops.

There might be bits and pieces on the shelf, door glass etc, but panels etc will have been thrown out ages ago.

http://partswestgroup.co.nz/mitsi-west/

pm sent

Yep, been flagged for damage or rust.