RX3UTE rebirth - throwback thing build

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Four score and 7 years ago, no umm 20 years ago, I built my first ground up build which was a little more than adding wheels and nasty interior add ons.

It all started with a Opel Monza that I happily swapped for a rough 1980 B1600 wellside ute, featured faded yellow paint with rusty wheels, no wof or rego as usual, and a very large exhaust leak.

It was 4 on the tree and fun to drive.

First mods were slapping on some 15x8s and blocks in the back.

Gave it a one tone paint job aka primer.

Drove it round for a year or so until some scumhole decided that they wete more entitled to own the wheels and things that were on it.

In doing so they destroyed the sills when they dumped it on blocks.

 

That was my daily driver totaled. Luckily i still had my GT bmx to daily to work.

 

After seeing Andrew Smiths blown 13b B2000, i decided to put some love into it.

I completely blew it apart down to the last nut and bolt.

Had the chassis blasted and painted.

Fitted a s4 13bt block with nikki carb.

I got it fired up by myself which was amazing as i was no mechanic.

A mates workmate offered me a genuine 12a rx3 nosecone for $250, so i grabbed that and set about doing a front conversion.

I was actually surprised how i pulled it off.

I got it all mocked up ready for a local panel beater to do the finish work.

The bonnet chop would be the hardest bit to do.

But when i picked it up from him, i was blown away. 

The driveshaft cost me more to have lengthened than what he charged me.

Plus he primed and guide coated it for me.

After i got it back home from him, i set about reassembling it.. fitted wrx seats, rx3 console gauges and some crude camo fabric everywhere.

 

Andrew Smith rang me one day and said " fancy putting the ute on the dyno at the Nats?"

Hell yeah.. its first public outing past my driveway.

I remember driving up the motorway at night on the friday, cars were flying past and slamming the brakes on to have a look.

Was pretty cool.

 

After the nats i decided its time to paint it.. it was 2002, it had to be loud haha.

So i went with Lemon yellow with a green pearl.

I painted this myself in my driveway..my first ever paint job.

It came out good with no runs.

But it needed a cut n polish..i never did that.

 

A month or 2 after that i got contacted from a guy up north who asked if i wNted to sell..he made an offer of $13k..

I reluctantly sold..and never got it certed.

 

A year later i was up north visiting family, i messaged him to see how the ute was going.

He offered to let me drive it.

I was pumped.. finally got to have a legal drive in it. But he changed the wheels to oajero 18s, yuk..

Another year after that he called and said it was dead... he crashed it on its way to the airport to meet its new owner.

 

RX3UTE was no more.

I pined for it ever since.

Tried getting the plates back at one point. But i didnt have the coin.

This is where the story of the original RX3UTE ends.

 

A lot of people hated it, thats fine..

I loved it, it was an accomplishment for soneone with very little mechanical skill, to build it themselves in a single garage with wharehouse spec tools.

 

End.

 

 

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2022...

I put the call out for a 78-84 b1600...

Got a pm about one down in chch.

It is an 83 with an 80 front on it.

I let it pass due to ligistics. Ive done too many interisland vehicle purchases to wanna trade again.

 

But then 4 months later i got a lead on the owner of the plates RX3UTE..

Asked if he was keen to sell, yup but at $1500.

I ummd and arrrd.. left it for a bit.

Got hold of the guy with the ute, "still there?" , "yup"... sold.

Arranged for transport to Auckland, $1400 later..ouch.

It arrived, and i was expecting a complete pile.

It was fairly sound. Didnt run though..

But thats fine..i had my 12a to go in there.

He offered to buy back the engine and box, so i won there.

 

3 weeks after getting the ute to the shop, i had the 12a and box in there.

Made the purchase to get the plates back.

 

It was ON!!!!

RX3UTE is making a come back.

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The OG ute, the day I picked it up.

I think i ripped the seats out of my GSR to put in it the same day.

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Current state of the conversion.

Headlight buckets mounted, fine tuning required post breakdown for paint.

Nosecone is 100 percent mounted.

There is a small section i had to trim from the rad panel mount..not needed on this.

Started trimming a guard to check fit up.

Think ive found 2 rx3 guards to puck up on the weekend.

Plan is to slice the front half off the rx3 guard and tetris it into place, then massage the b1600 body line to blend in at the top of the nosecone.

Sat the bonnet on it to see where what and how.

Its uncanny how the b1600 and rx3 body lines fall almost in the same place and a similar nose shape on the bonnet.

It is very much in the no going back department now.

 

 

Really wanna get the original photoshopped to see how itll look black.

Im loving how aggressive this front looks.

Next update will be the engine and driveline.

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Went on a roady today, hamilton to puck up some dearched leaves.

Over to Tauranga to puck up 2 rx3 guards, and scored a bonnet at the same time.

Will see if i end up using it yet.

 

Didnt have long to play around with it today..spent about 2hrs cutting, fitting, marking, removing, cutting, refitting....repeat x20

 

Got to this stage on one guard.

At the stage where im readonably happy with the fit up..now i need to mark up where im going to trim the b1600 guard to meet the rx3 guard, then cut and start tacking it in.

 

There us one body line on the ute that will be faded out on the guard.

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Some more things were done today.

Plastic welded in a panel to fill the dash pocket hole.

Devided on 2 saas gauges as they are elec and 2" to fit the slot.

 

Everything eles was larger or from offshore.

Love the fact that theres a clock, havent checked if it works though.

The socket next to it is connected and features a green backlit ring.

Shes a flast ute this one.

 

Havent been doing much on the nosecone this week, been too busy

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Ordered my paint and supplies today.

Have a plan to start on panel and paint over the break.

 

Hopefully the colour ive chosen will work with this, 65% confident.

 

Havent decided on what ill do with the interior..

Dash and door cards will stay factory tan/beige.

Need to find a roof liner and bars for it.

It has a bench seat with the typically collapsed drivers corner with splitting.

Do i try to find some tan bucket seats or just bang some covers on it for now?

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Oh my bad....

 

Merry xmas to me i guess.

Ordered up a electric water pump kit with side mount alt bracket.

This will allow for better water pipe routing.

The bottom hose is on a jacked angle as it is now, kinks the elbow, so not ideal.

 

Also picked up my twin resonators and twin in single out muffler with 2 multi bend mandrel kits.

 

2" primaries into twin 2.5", through resonators, both into a sungle muffler with a single 3" out.

Havent decided if ill side exit just infront of the diff ir send it all the way to ghe back.

 

Just need to pick up 2 flexis to go on at the end of the primaries.

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Started cutting back the shit paint/bog etc yesterday.

Flooded the roof with filler today.

Also hit the drivers door and both pillars.

Passengers door has a nice gouge in it, but no rust.

So i beat the ugly out of it, well as much as i could...its still better looking than jacinda, so thatll do.

Paint stripped the top half of the tail gate and front sections of the deck.

This deck is a shortened b2000 deck, so the front where its welded is gank.

Itll bog out.

 

In other news, the e-w/pump is awesome.. just need to make a mount for the pump and get some ss pipes made up. Wiring is simple even i could do it. And the bonus is that it runs the fan aswell.

 

Ive got with an out the gate colour compared to the yellow version..i really like it on the lid in the sun..should suit it.

 

That is all for now.

Need to sort the welding of the guards so i can this paneled in aswell.

 

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Holy bejebus, i forgot how cunty bodywork is.

No large flat panels on these things.

Lots of sharp lines and dents.

Have finished the roof, pillars and one door on 3/4 tin of 3.5kg filler...most is now on the floor.

The tailgate is in rough shape..lots of dents. No rust though..

Havent started on the guards yet.

A mate was going to get onto these for me, but had been badly bitten by the black dog lately. Poor bugger.

 

Have told myself to just coast on it, do what i can, when i can..

 

I picked up some keather seats for it though as the bench seat has collapsed on the drivers side, and needs some upholstery work.

The seats i got are tan leather seats from a 350Z, and electric.

Very comfy..

 

Engine bay situation:

Got the radiator and coiler fitted.

Need to figure out the oil line issue as the front line comes off the front cover and needs to make a sharp turn and downward, same with the cooler.. so hoping 2 x 45deg fittings will get them in the right angle. Rear line only needs to be shortened.

That is all

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Decided to pull the windows out today..

Yay for no rot in the frames..

Roof prep is almost complete..potentially done tomorrow..

Dont get much time to work on it so its slow going.

 

Ripped the bench seat out..and sat the 350z seats in.

Wired a battery to the drivers seat, and hey presto, electric seats in a ute..

They feel so good too

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So still haven’t finished body work.

I put a hold on it until the hunter is legal.

but I did make one purchase that was very necessary… let the photo do the talking

 

Your welcome

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Thought I’d better do something with the ute besides stack shit on it.

 

primered and guide coated the sections that are done with filler.

only had 2 sections on the doors to finalise and the sills which are actually straight anyway.

once piece on the cowl corner to do too.

 

haven’t decided if im going to fit a factory aerial into the pillar or fill the hole… hmmm 

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haven’t been up to much lately.

time was taken up with school holidays and trying to get work through the door.

 

but I have cut back the guide coat, found a couple of lows. Nothing major though, so I’m pretty chuffed so far.

 

working on the door skins now.

needed a bit of motivation, so I slapped the headlights, surrounds and grille onto the front.

 

the more I look at the guards the more I contemplate how I’m going to tackle it.

I think I’ll get some spare guards and go about it slightly different.

 

I also need to try and find another rx3 drivers side guard cos this one is munched at the bottom.

 

but other than that, I only have 2 small repairs to do on the floors. 
I want to lift the deck off it so I can do the back of the cab, tidy the chassis, do the exhaust and then tackle the ugly deck work.

 

would be nice to find a local panel beater who is keen on cashies 

 

anyway, here’s some Thursday motivation 

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Just got sent this. 
the original pre rotor swap, 10a grille insertion deal. Haha

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Just sat the rx3 bonnet on it for effect. 
sat here enjoying some colds snacks and thought, yup I’m digging this.

 

needs more low, lots more low, like all of the low

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Decided to stop being a pussy and melt some shit together.

I lay the rx3 cut over the ute guard.

screwed them together where it needs to be then cut it out, started spot welding bits.

im gutted the front lower section was mashed on the rx3 guard cos the other side fits mint to the ute guard. This one will take some patience.

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Coming to a cinema near you, this century.

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So the air ride stuff is coming from Chassis Tech, they messaged today saying they are out of the 7 switch controllers, so have upgraded the kit to a wireless controller.

 

looking into options for a pre made 4 link kit, will go triangulated.

 

my brain is telling me to get it sitting at preferred ride height, then set the main bars level, and the upper bars parallel, but again I may sub it out haha.

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Well travelled bit of kit.