azzurro

Now we know it runs, next step is to make it worth driving

The interior was pretty good condition but there was a lot of evidence of rats eating and storing snail shells in the engine bay and mice droppings in the interior, but no evidence they lived there long, and the shed it was in wasnt water tight so it was all a bit smelly and musty

Anyway, all needed to come out for a clean & deodorised the seats, throw away the original horsehair underlay and to make it easier to do a few other jobs, like...

Improve the shifter opening,

replaced the galv flashing and countersinks that dind really cover the hole with some alloy sheet (from the Sign of the Year! - now in 5 of 5 of our classic cars!) and a rubber boot - adding my first FIAT part

Removed everything else and give it a good cleanup. Floor condition is excellent, no rust at all!

'New' Underlay (free second hand stuff) to replace the original horsehair stuff that was a bit smelly and flat.

I think the front carpet might be ex-torana too, it doesn't quite meet up with what im pretty sure is the  original HQ rear carpet.

Both carpets are in nice nick, and we will cover the gap (which under the seats) with some cheap nylon outdoor carpet from m10 that we will also use for the parcel tray that is also unmolested by axe holes for 6x9s etc.

Rear came up nice as well, car has a tan interior with dark brown headlining - class!

Removed the steering wheel spayed the steering column black (was grey and still has the column change mech in it) and tidied the (omg its so janky!) dash up a touch, and the wiring behind it mainly by removing anything that has added in

And then remove the dead weight out of the boot to make room for bodies and crates of DB

Its easily 80kgs, empty

Things will likley slow down a bit now, as from here its time to start spending money on parts, most likley starting with brakes which i have not even had a wheel off yet to even check what they are apart from being discs up front and drums out back)

I suspect the weird too easy/dead stop half way pedal/no brake function issue is the piston is jammed halfway down the master cylinder, as there is no leaks from any soft lines, and lots of fluid in the MC.

Ma te wa to Bill and whanau, then we headed home, with our van loaded up with other treasure from the shed(s)  

Forgot to mention i got jealous of her getting new car, so I got me one the same colour as hers on the way up.

Given i had to drive this, Kirsty was driving the van the whole way home, she was none too pleased about it

(But, yes it is better than my current 2005 Forester X its replacing in every way, thanks for asking - 2002 XT, totally stock, sub 200k and after a few wee issues (MAF sensor, oily connectors, new spark plugs) it really kicks when the whirly boi winds up!) 

Good Day in Welly before overnight sailing

Breaky fry up in Kaikoura

a quick stop to rise the north island off 

And about 3 days after we got home, this turned up.

Used Classic Towing - worked out fine, but lucky both Bill and myself are home most of the time because the communication around changes of plan was a bit lacking tbh. The man can sure back a trailer tho. 

Its a fricken whale compared to my 'big' Fiat, an easy foot wider.

Time to poke the bear

First thing, remove the CNG stuff from the engine bay.

Not only is it unfillable, the electrics are one of the layers of fuckery (the least bad to be fair, but also totally redundant), the tees that loop into the factory heater coolant lines to stop the regulator freezing up  were corroded apart, and the carb hat gas injector thing made the air cleaner butterfly nut rub on the underside of the hood.

'New' heater hoses (from the old CNG line) and a bit of a wiring tidy up

Fuel pump clean (no go in Feilding, leaks like a sieve now, still no pumping action), now bypassed with a clicketyclack, needs a rebuild kit (diaphram and gaskets)

Carb cleanup, was pretty clean inside the bowls etc, works ok now, needs a kit too (tore a gasket)

Sitting clean on the still very oily 173

Dizzy removed, cleaned and oiled, gap reset, but all the points, cap, rotor, leads and sparkplugs all look relatively low miles

Changed the oil and filter (black and smelled like petrol but no chunks), re-crimped a new loose connections, taped some twisted wires, removed some vampire taps and chock blocks as well

Put it back in starting from first principles (ignoring the marks, get cylinder 1 on compression stroke at as close to tdc-ish you can with a long thing in the spark plug hole, rotor pointing to lead 1) and it was about 90 degrees off where it was before - dizzy couldnt be turned enough to get the right timing, so i wonder if it had been tutued with before and the hassle of it not running well was why it got parked. Bill did say it had several minor issues needed sorting out and they got a newer, better car and he just stopped driving it.

Anyway, buttoned up and after some further fine tuning it starts on one pump of the pedal and idles smooth. Not smoky (any more)

Still no coolant or brakes. 

Then of course it was time to have a good look while cleaning it a bit, and taking stock

So, its a 1974 Holden HQ Belmont Sedan in Orchid Red. 

Last wof/reg in 2001, so was on the road into Kpies early 20's around the same time i met her.

Seems it also got the Torana front seats, maybe the centre console? Interior looks pretty good under the dust.

Overall looks pretty straight and complete. Some rusty bits of course but not too bad at all for one of these

8s out back and 7s up front, massive CNG tank in the book gives it a rake.

This car was a NZ new factory 202 manual 3 on the tree car. 

Bill bought it cheap from a guy who bought it to put the v8 that was in it into something else, or something - bought with no engine in it anyway

The engine and box now in it is a 173 (2.8l) with a manual 4 on floor from the aforementioned rolled Torana, which had recently had a fair bit spent on the engine (??)

It has a single barrel Stromberg and also has CNG.

Only $4.20 to Whanganui!

Took the plugs out and oiled the cylinders, cleaned the sparkplugs and filed the points and hooked up a battery.

Neighbours come to assist. Many opinions were shared

We managed to get it to fire off on squirting gas down the yap, but it just wouldn't keep running.

The consensus is that the timing and/or the electrics are weird

Brake pedal does nothing till halfway then hard stops, no braking action. Handbrake kinda works.

Engine isnt stuck and clutch is free and gearbox goes into all gears.

Bill is stoked it fired up, Kirsty is happy, and that it rolls at all is good enough for the transporter man.

We push it back in the shed to wait for the transporter

Organized time off and ferrys etc and a cool 10 days hanging in Fielding. 

Real barn find!

Her names on it so this must be it.

We pumped up the tyres and had a general look around one day

Then cleared all the stuff out over the next few days, did a lot of gardening too,

Hooked it up to the van and pulled it into the light

This is not my car. Im just the low rate mechanic. 

What i knew about this car was:

My Father in Law, Bill, has 'The Holden' in a lean to shed. Kirsty learned to drive in it, and shes always wanted it and Bill said she could have it one day. 

It has the engine and gearbox (exact details unclear) from the Torana her older brother rolled when he was 16 'dodging a rabbit' on a gravel road.

Its been in the shed pretty much since they moved into the 'new house'. He used to bring it out sometimes to wash it but hasnt for a long while.

She put her name on it a few years ago and sent me a pic. My first and only view of it till now.

Then a couple months ago, he said 'come and get the Holden'

So, we did.