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Posted by: Rocket Sep 2 2010, 09:54 AM

Hi everyone, New to this Forum and proud owner of a recently repaired Insurance Write Off.

The car is a 2006 XD Elantra 2.0 HVT Auto. Bought it from the "Hail Damaged "car Auctions.

Not sure how to post photos here so i will attempt to just use my photobucket. Here is the car being repaired -



Just after painting it -



During the week we had the car inspected at our Motor Registration Department and it was passed and Registered.

Now it sits in my garage and i will begin to Detail it properly over the next couple of weeks. First job will be a polish using the Flex Polishing Machine together with Lake Country CCS Pads and Menzerna polishes. Then i will seal the paint with ChemicalGuys Jetseal 109, followed by a wax with Wolfgang Fuzion. The new paint should have a nice shine by the time it is finished.

Thought i might photograph the different processes as it is done over the next couple of weeks and post the photos on this Thread if anybody is interested. I am not a detailing professional - just a weekend enthusiast.

This is the first Elantra that i have owned and really enjoying it so far.

Look forward to meeting you all via the keyboard and hope to post here regularly.

Rocket.

Posted by: elantragt Sep 2 2010, 11:22 AM

Welcome to the club and I'm looking forward to seeing the progress.

Posted by: popeye Sep 2 2010, 11:33 AM

Seconded! Can't wait to see the final result

Posted by: Rocket Sep 2 2010, 04:54 PM

Hi Fellas, Thanks for the warm welcome.

The car looks a whole lot better already. It was painted about a month ago, and has already been scuffed and then buffed with Farecla cutting compound.

Here is how it looks before i start the Autopian Polish





Also need to figure out how to get the black side mouldings back to black again, as i was a bit clumsy with the sander and the mouldings now have that awful whitish look. Have been reading the Thread about making them shine in black again. Tried a few methods last night without great success, so i am going to wet rub them with 600 grit, followed by a dressing. Should work - but i will lose the Textured finish in the process. But shiny black is better than Textured white.

Here is a Link to my photobucket account which has photos of the Elantra and a few other Hail damaged cars we are repairing

http://s244.photobucket.com/albums/gg34/rocket67/Hail%20damaged%20Cars/

Rocket.

Posted by: afob3 Sep 2 2010, 07:49 PM

Wow that must have been one heck of a storm to knock the steering wheel over to the wrong side

That looks like some seriously time consuming work. Any pics before the repair started?

Welcome!

Posted by: slowgls Sep 2 2010, 07:52 PM

Great work.Its always nice to have a freshly painted car.

Posted by: sarge Sep 2 2010, 10:22 PM

WoW that's alot of damage! but it's looking really great!! If only Bigs wasn't taking his vacation and moving he'd be all over helping you.

I found for me that using some shoe polish worked great for my side moldings to get back to an even black colour. And I haven't had to re-apply it in over a year, and still looking great! I used KIWI brand (thought I make a review of it, but guess not) You should check out the review section and post up some results for everyone to read about.

A tip - if you're doing another Elantra, the black trim pieces can be relatively easily removed...


Oh - WELCOME!!

Posted by: Rocket Sep 3 2010, 04:47 AM

afob3, Good one, but our steering wheels are on the correct side -



But not to worry, this one has the wheel on your side - This is my 69 Mustang Grande Coupe. We have just finished Restoring it. The main part of our panel work involves Importing and Restoring Mustangs.
The Hail damaged cars were a one in ten year event. Did not want to miss the opportunity to buy these cars at very low prices. The finished Hyundais are in great demand among the families of our people. Have not needed to advertise any for sale as yet. They are taking an average of one week each to repair and paint.





Do not have any before pics of the Elantra, but it was similar to this -



slowgls, I agree it is nice to have cars with fresh paint. Nothing more satisfying than making that paint absolutely gleem. The Elantra in this Thread has been a car that i have wanted to own and drive for a long time. Was always of the opinion that they are an ideal size of car. This model used to be advertised in Australia for $19,990 Drive Away - no more to pay.

Sarge, of all the Hail Damaged cars that we bought, the Elantra probably had average damage. Took one week to repair and paint. The Accent in the photos below was painted yesterday. It had the worst damage. Took our painter ( Andy ) 10 days work to get it to this stage. Pity i never took any before photos of it. It was hammered





This is the work on the roof of an accent he was working today -



Thanks for the tip about the boot polish. Will save a lot of work. I will take photos of the application and post results as you suggest.

Rocket.

Posted by: a_v Sep 3 2010, 06:41 AM

Great to see more Aussies around. Welcome!

Posted by: Rocket Sep 3 2010, 07:51 AM

Hi a_v, Thanks for the welcome.

I see you are in Victoria. Sure wish i could be there tomorrow to see the Collingwood v Footscray game. Should be a Ripper.

Go the Mighty Magpies!!!

Rocket.

Posted by: a_v Sep 3 2010, 08:02 AM

And he's a Collingwood supporter

Posted by: Rocket Sep 3 2010, 12:57 PM

Oh Yeah! You can kick a goal sometimes!

Speaking of which - we kicked a giant goal this week! - With the cars i mean.

We were faced with a bit of a dilemna. 2 of the Accents we bought had broken back windows, and another one had had the back seats removed by the previous owner. That car had been turned into a courier car with an MDF board where the back seats should have been. So i needed a set of back seats and also the rear seat belts. To replace the back windows on the other cars was going to cost $320 per car for the glass plus about $100 to fit. Figured if i could buy a smashed car then we would have a complete tailgate with window and also the back seats for the other car. Been waiting patiently for such a car to come up at the Auctions. Finally found one this week. Paid a total of $544 for the car, then my son drove from Adelaide to Ballarat in Victoria to pick it up.

Here is the car -



I was not sure whether a tailgate from a 3 door car would fit on a 5 door car, so this morning we fitted it up - Fits like a glove!



The bonnet on the smashed car had escaped the crash and was undamaged, so we fitted that as well. Both panels are the correct colour so the time saving alone was worth it. Figure that we saved $420 with the tailgate plus $270 on the bonnet, making a Total of $690 saved already. Bloody Ripper! It cost $300 to go and pick up the smashed car, so it owes $844 in real money. We will use the back seats for the other Accent. Problem solved! Then i will sell off the parts we do not need on Ebay and hope to turn a good profit overall. Started the engine today - all good.







Rocket.

Posted by: Bobzilla Sep 3 2010, 01:22 PM

wAIT.... you guys got 4dr hatch Accents? WTF?

Posted by: Rocket Sep 3 2010, 01:30 PM

Funny you should mention that. As i navigate this Forum it is amazing that Hyundai have different products line ups per country.

For example, i had never heard of a GT Elantra or Touring Elantra. I think here we only had the GLS and Elite.

Even came across an Elantra interior that has woodgrain inserts on the Dash and Steering Wheel. Gotta get one of those Steering Wheels.

Rocket.

Posted by: Bobzilla Sep 3 2010, 01:36 PM

We also can't have the CRDi either.... I want one of those BAD.

Posted by: sarge Sep 3 2010, 05:48 PM

wow - a 5dr Accent!

The Touring is comparable to the i30cw in other places

It's also amazing that the 07+ Elantra in the states doesn't come with any body/lip kit where in Canada the Sport version comes with a sweeet lip kit! Think that's also available down under..

Posted by: Rocket Sep 4 2010, 08:37 AM

Hi sarge, Thanks for the tip about the shoe polish. Tried it out today and found it works a treat.

Will post a review on the correct Thread, but here is a shot of the car and a sneak preview of the result - Note i have only done the side strips at this stage.





Rocket.

Posted by: Bigs Sep 4 2010, 10:48 AM

QUOTE (Bobzilla @ Sep 3 2010, 02:22 PM)

Posted by: Alex2004GT Sep 4 2010, 08:21 PM

Rocket, I'm a little late to the game (been MIA the last couple days) but welcome and it looks like you already made yourself at home in our club Looks like you are doing some great work on those Hyundai's over there! That Mustang is also very sweet. Keep the pics a coming

Posted by: Rocket Sep 5 2010, 12:03 AM

QUOTE (Bigs @ Sep 5 2010, 01:18 AM)

QUOTE (Alex2004GT @ Sep 5 2010, 10:51 AM)

Rocket, I'm a little late to the game (been MIA the last couple days) but welcome and it looks like you already made yourself at home in our club Looks like you are doing some great work on those Hyundai's over there! That Mustang is also very sweet. Keep the pics a coming

Posted by: Rocket Sep 5 2010, 06:39 AM

[/size]
Time to get on with it.



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Made a start on polishing the Elantra this arvo - sort of!

First job when machine polishing a car is to tape off the exterior trim. This makes the final clean up a whole lot easier. No need to remove polish residue from the trim if you do not get it on there in the first place. Taped up the front of the car -



Then prepared for some serious work -



The Polishing machine to be used for this job is a Flex fixed rotation orbital polisher. If you do not know of this machine, here is a Link to explain it -
http://paintcare-n-detailing.com/review/flex/

I prefer to use Menzerna polishes for this work. Here is a link to Menzerna products.
http://www.menzernausa.com/menzerna-automotive.htm
Menzerna polishes give a beautiful shine to a cars paintwork. As i drive around and check out the nicely polished cars, i can always pick a car that has that "Menzerna" look.

Pads of choice are Lake Country CCS Pads. Have been using these for several years. They do a superb job. There are half a dozen different pads which are used for the various requirements of a polishing job. Here is a Link to Autogeeks description of each colour pad -
http://www.autogeek.net/ccs-polishing-how-to.html

This Elantra has already had a scuff and been buffed with Farecla cutting compound so does not need an aggressive polish. So stage1 of the job will be a White Polishing pad with Menzerna P203S polish. Stage 2 will use a green plishing /finishing pad with Menzerna P106FF final finishing polish, and for stage3 a black finishing pad with Menzerna P0 85RD Refining polish.

This will take about 12-15 hours of polishing, before the application of Sealant and Wax. However i am not off to a good start. today i figured on polishing the front of the car while the CNC router was cutting the MDF doors for my wife -



As i began polishing the bonnet, little pieces of MDF dust were landing on it. Oh shyte! Could not continue or i would have put scratches into the paint. Bugger! Through the week i can only get in an hour or so polishing each night. It is going to take a bit of time to get this job done.

Rocket.

Posted by: Bigs Sep 7 2010, 10:02 AM

Bastard has a Flex polisher.... I hate you now... I guess my PC will have to do for now!

Posted by: Rocket Sep 8 2010, 06:17 AM

Hi Bigs, The Flex is a much prized posession. But the silly part about it is this - In Australia the Flex now costs in excess of $800, yet i see it advertised on USA sites for around $300. That is one huge price difference.
I bought mine several years ago for $670 and had to argue long and hard to get that price because they had only just increased the price, and i had previously been quoted the lower price.

The Flex takes a lot longer to polish a car than the rotary, but i find it much easier to handle than the Makita Rotary.

The Porter Cable machine has a lot of good reviews too, although we do not have it in Australia that i am aware of. No point importing one because our power requirements are different to the USA.

Rocket.


Well....... How things change in one day! Bugger!

Last night i managed to spend a couple of hours in the garage buffing the Elantra. It was quality time. Gave the bonnet, top of the guards and front bumper a 3 stage Menzerna polish. Came up great, and intended to go right around the car over a couple of hours each night. Here is how the front was looking -





Ah - that familiar Menzerna shine, soft, luxurious and deep.

But finishing the job was not to be! We received a phone call from our office managers father to say he had just been T Boned at a set of traffic lights. He drives an immaculate 2006 XD Elantra which he purchased new. The old bloke had just fitted a nice set of alloy wheels to it a couple of weeks ago. The car is Toast. No chance of repairing it. Now these people are very kind natured and would give you the shirt off their back in an instant. So without hesitation i offered him the use of my Elantra while he sorts out the insurance. so tonight upon arriving home i gave the car a quick wax with P21S 100% Carnauba Wax to protect the freshly polished areas -



Late this arvo they were talking of buying my Elantra, so i possibly will not get it back. Bugger! I had wanted one of these cars for a long time. So i logged onto the Auction sites and found a couple going up for sale late this week. Hail damaged like the other one. Here are the cars -













They are both 5 speed manuals, both have alloy wheels and both have the same type of rear spoiler. Do not like the spoilers, would prefer a much lower one. Both cars are around 80,000klms
If the price is right - i will buy one and start again with it.

Here is a pic of the almost complete Accent we painted last week -



Rocket.

Posted by: NevynPA Sep 8 2010, 07:11 AM

Wow! Are both of the new choices wearing OEM alloys? We only had one choice here!

Posted by: Rocket Sep 8 2010, 07:54 AM

QUOTE (NevynPA @ Sep 8 2010, 09:41 PM)

Posted by: NevynPA Sep 8 2010, 09:04 AM

Those are 5-lug. The XD/XD2 in the USA is 4-lug - make sure you're careful of that, and the offset!

Posted by: Rocket Sep 8 2010, 05:58 PM

QUOTE (NevynPA @ Sep 8 2010, 11:34 PM)

Posted by: Rocket Sep 9 2010, 06:23 AM

Crunching the numbers!
The Auction of the 2 Elantras happens tomorrow. To buyor not to buy? What constitutes a bargain price? Been pondering these questions today.

The Silver 2006 Auto Elantra in this Thread cost $2,000 under the hammer. Bargain? Might seem so, but not so sure after paying everything along the way. Here are the actual figures -

Price bid to own car $2,000
Auction Fees $ 215
Towing $ 88
Train to Adelaide $ 380
New Tail light $ 125
New Plugs/Leads $ 124
Tier 3 Inspection $ 269 ( This is a comprehensive check by Motor Registration Division to determine correct identity of vehicle )
Roadworthy $ 221 ( Compulsory inspection by Motor Registration Division for Written off vehicles )
3 months Registration$ 330

Total $3,752

But hang on, the $3,752 does not include the cost of panel and paint! We are fortunate to have our own panel shop, but it still costs money to run. We allow one week for each car ( average ), and cost this at a very conservative $1300 plus $275 in materials. This would be close to break even costs only.

Total cost of this car now adds up to $5,327. So is the $2,000 car still a bargain?........ Very subjective! A quick check of cars for sale shows a couple of higher kilometre cars for sale around this price, but an average price of 8-9,000 dollars for cars with similar klms. If we were doing this purely for profit, i think there are easier ways to make a dollar.

Based on the prices above, the cars i am considering buying tomorrow will need to be priced under $2,000.

I actually prefer the red car because it looks a bit tidier. The silver car has a tow bar which if used regularly may have stessed the drivetrain. Problem is - the silver car goes up at lot no.2 in the Auction. It is my experience that cars that are auctioned early are cheaper. This is because a lot of people have not arrived at the auction yet. I hope it will finish at about $1500. If so, i will buy it. Here are the 2 cars. Which would you be buying?













My plan of action will be the silver car at $1500 or less. If it goes over that i will go up to about $2200 for the red car. But things happen quickly at auctions, so the plan may change when it gets underway tomorrow.

Rocket.

Posted by: sarge Sep 9 2010, 12:59 PM

Good luck with the auction.

Hard to say with the prices since your market down there is slightly different from the one up over here. But to get a quality car that looks super amazing when you guys are done with it, I'd pay the $5K+ as a customer.

Posted by: TJVJR Sep 9 2010, 08:36 PM

QUOTE (afob3 @ Sep 2 2010, 08:49 PM)

Wow that must have been one heck of a storm to knock the steering wheel over to the wrong side

Posted by: Rocket Sep 10 2010, 04:25 AM

Commonsense was thrown out the window during todays auction IMO. The prices were through the roof!

These cars have been written off by Insurance companies as uneconomical to repair. They must be repaired and inspected before Registration.

That Silver Elantra i was hoping to buy for $1,500 was sold for $3,750. It was Lot 2 in the auction. When i saw that my stomach sunk. Bugger! It only got worse from there. Could not buy a bloody thing all afternoon! Even 2000, 2001 Accents that i had been buying between $600 - $1200 previously were selling for $3,000. The buyers have gone stark raving mad IMO! This was the final Hail Damaged Car Auction. They had been running once a week in Melbourne and Perth since March.

Here are some more examples of the prices that cars sold for -

Lot 48 2005 Red Elantra Hatchback. Manual. 80,000 klm $4,000

Lot 75 2004 Silver Elantra Sedan. Auto. 114,000 klm $4,500

Lot 152 2005 Champagne Elantra Hatchback 104,000 klm $4,000

Lot 181 2005 White Elantra Sedan 61,000 klm $5,250

But all is not lost. We still have a 2002 Elantra Sedan. champagne colour. Manual. The car has been sitting awaiting repair for about 3 months. Will just have to make this car my pet project until i can find another 2005 or 2006 Hatchback -











We had taken out the missing tai light to complete another car, but already have another new replacement. This car stank inside when it first arrived. Thankfully the smell has dissipated now. Guess we will get stuck into the repairs in a couple of weeks. Of course i can always hope the old bloke chooses not to buy the Silver Elantra.

Rocket.

Posted by: Rocket Sep 13 2010, 05:21 PM

QUOTE (Bigs @ Sep 8 2010, 12:32 AM)

Bastard has a Flex polisher.... I hate you now... I guess my PC will have to do for now!

Posted by: Bigs Sep 14 2010, 10:57 AM

Cool machines!

Of course a rotary take less time! But in the wrong hands it takes less time to damage the surface also! You should see the cars I have seen from a shop near my house! I don't know if that guy got away with it or not but it was so bad, all that damage from a rotary... happy it wasn't my ride!

That's why for beginners or quick jobs, a random orbital is always safe!

Posted by: Rocket Sep 15 2010, 03:41 AM

Oh Yes - One must be very careful with a rotary polisher. Fortunately, i have a fair bit of experience with using them over the years. Maybe i am getting old, but i had a lot of trouble handling the makita polisher. When the new Shinex was released it received rave reviews among the Aussie detailing pros. Although i only got to use it on one car, it was incredibly easy to handle on mid range speeds.

It takes 12 - 15 hours to do a top notch 3 stage polish with the Flex .Hope to cut down the time to about 8 hours per car by combining the use of both machines.

Good News Today! The Silver Elantra is coming back home. Reg - the chap whose car was totalled - received an excellent payout on his insurance, so he decided to upgrade to a HD Elantra. The HD is not very old and has very low klms. Bloody ripper! Looking forward to finishing the polishing of the car. Might also be some good news about the alloy wheels i want to put on the car. Might end up getting them for free. More about that in a couple of days.

An interesting comment from the insurance assessor. Quote " Good thing you were driving the Elantra, because a lesser car may have seen your wife in big trouble ". His car was hit on the left front close to the passenger side where his wife was sitting. This was enough to cause him to buy another Elantra, rather than a Focus which his son had wanted him to buy. Might even have some photos of the smashed car in a couple of days.

Rocket.

Posted by: Rocket Sep 17 2010, 08:56 AM

Well....... We did it! -

Things happened quickly this week. It all started when Reg was advised by his insurance company that his car was indeed a write off and made him a very good offer for settlement. He accepted the offer and then went to buy his HD Elantra.
In the meantime his smashed car was taken to the Damaged Car Auction and immediately placed in todays auction. Saw it on the listings Wednesday. Today we were the winning bidder at $1,400
Picked it up this arvo. Looks pretty good eh -



Well from that side anyway.

Not so good from this side -



That is a very heavy impact. Good testament to the safety of these cars. The side intrusion bar in the door saved Reg`s wife from very serious injuries -









Why did we buy the car? Because i want to put a set of the alloy wheels on the silver Elantra. Was quoted $800 for the same type of rims. Also want to replace the worn steering wheel. The one on this car is leather. We only repaired the hail damaged bonnet on the silver car because a new bonnet would have cost $500. Now we have a very good secondhand one. This car also has cruise Control, which i hope to fit on the silver car. These items alone give my money back, and we are still left with lots and lots of good spare parts including the low klm engine and auto trans
We will be selling a lot of these parts on ebay. I hope to recoup all costs and end up with the wheels for free. That is the plan anyway.

Rocket.

Posted by: TJVJR Sep 17 2010, 11:19 AM

good plan ,i hope it works out.

Posted by: Rocket Sep 22 2010, 04:09 PM

QUOTE (TJVJR @ Sep 18 2010, 01:49 AM)

Posted by: a_v Sep 22 2010, 08:01 PM

Are those clear side-markers on the totaled Elantra, like what you'd see on the Getz? If so, I'm interested in buying.

EDIT: Oh I see it's just had the lens smashed off

Posted by: Rocket Sep 24 2010, 04:23 PM

a_v, sorry mate, it is broken.

Looks like it is not going to be possible to fix the broken alloy wheel from the smashed car. In a mad moment yesterday i ordered a set of "Cobalt " machined rims from the tyre shop. went for 16 x 7. Should be fitted early next week. Found that the choice of aftermarket rims to fit these cars was quite limited. Had picked out 3 possible types of rim, but the Cobalt was the only one of the three made in a size to fit the car.

This is the "Cobalt "rim ( photo shows 5 studs - but have ordered 4 stud rims )



Rocket.

Posted by: Rocket Sep 25 2010, 06:11 AM

Nice surprise at work this morning when the tyre man came over to get the Elantra so that he could fit the new wheels and do a wheel alignment.

Very, very happy with the new wheels. Wanted an appearance such that if the car is sold it can appeal to young or old alike, and also suit the colour of the car.

What do you think?









The rims are 16x7 and the tyres are 205/50x16. Offset 40mm. Decided on these sizes in order to maintain a good quality ride. The sticky in the wheel and tyres section of the Forum explains which sizes should be used for varying applications. Great advice there.

Now i can get on with detailing the car.

Rocket.

Posted by: a_v Sep 25 2010, 06:33 AM

Wheels look great
Are those stock wheels the alloys? They look flatter than mine.

Posted by: Rocket Sep 25 2010, 06:49 AM

Hi a_v, Thanks for the compliment. The stock wheels were just the standard steel rims with plastic wheel covers. Glad to see them gone.

The new wheels are Speedy brand.

How did you like the grand final today? I thought the pies were hard done by with the umpires. Goddard played a superb game for the saints - should have won the Norm Smith Medal.
Pies did not play to their high standards. Hope they do better in the rematch next week. Go Pies!!!!!

Rocket.

Posted by: a_v Sep 25 2010, 07:12 AM

Though they looked a bit off. I like the look of the stock alloys, but those covers don't do it for me.

As for the grand final, a tie was the last thing I was expecting. The problem was they just couoldn't kick straight. Should have been up by about 4 goals at half time. And that third quarter was shocking. Hopefully we don't see 1977 happen again. I'm sure they can do it next week.

Posted by: Rocket Sep 28 2010, 07:28 AM

Happy Birthday a_v

Been a good week.

My son managed to score a ticket to the Grand Final replay, accomodation at the Hilton directly opposite the MCG and a plane ticket to Melbourne. The ticket to the game is on Q level - quite often called the FAR Q section, because it is so high up in the stands.

Logged onto the Melbourne car auctions today to see if we could find a car that he can drive back from Melbourne to Adelaide on Sunday. Lucked out! Bought 2, a Ford Territory 05 model and also a Hyundai I30. The I30 is 12/09 complianced and only has 9,200 KLM on the odometer. Ripper. Both cars have minor hail damage. Should be easy repairers and a few bob in it for us. He will drive the Territory back on the trade plate and the I30 will come back on a car carrier.

The Elantra will have dark Tint fitted on Thursday. Should look neat. We have a friend who Tints the windows on our cars for $200 per car. Does a great job on them too.

Long weekend coming up, so i hope to get stuck into polishing the Elantra between hospital visits. 3 days off! Eureka. Have not had a break like this all year.

Rocket.

Posted by: a_v Sep 29 2010, 01:53 AM

Thanks Rocket!

Be sure to show us some pics of the car when it's tinted. And hope you enjoy the grand final, and that we do better this time!

Posted by: Rocket Sep 29 2010, 05:50 AM

Will do a_v.

I don`t feel as confident this week, we can only hope the pies play as well as they did against Geelong. Maybe Goddard and Hayes will still feel tired! Dane Swan for the Norm Smith Medal!

GO PIES!!!! ( PLEEEEAAAASE )

Rocket.

Posted by: Rocket Sep 30 2010, 07:12 AM

The windows on the Elantra were tinted today. Cannot drive it yet as the windows need to be kept up for 24 hours or so. Happy with the look. Was in a rush to take some photos this arvo as the car was returned near knock off time. Here they are -









Next up over the weekend is the polishing... finally. Then i will add some chrome bits and pieces as well as the chromed headlights.

Rocket.

Posted by: slowgls Sep 30 2010, 09:29 AM

Car looks great.Keep up the good work.

Posted by: a_v Sep 30 2010, 09:33 AM

That car is going to look amazing when you're done!

Posted by: Rocket Oct 8 2010, 10:10 PM

Thanks fellas.

Work on the Elantra has come to a standstill at the moment, but we are still getting on with other cars.

Here are some photos of the S Coupe that we recently painted. One of our blokes bought it for his girlfriend. He had Tint and new wheels fitted through the week -









He is giving to his girlfriend as a birthday present at lunchtime today. She has no idea that it is coming. Will be a very nice surprise.

Rocket.

Posted by: slowgls Oct 8 2010, 10:16 PM

That is nice looking tibby,Guess they call it a S coupe by you.Are those rear fogs by the plate? If so, that is awesome.Keep up the good work.

Posted by: Rocket Oct 9 2010, 09:31 AM

QUOTE (slowgls @ Oct 9 2010, 12:46 PM)

Posted by: elantragt Oct 9 2010, 09:48 AM

You do amazing work. I'm in awe.

Posted by: Rocket Oct 10 2010, 01:02 PM

Thanks Mitch. Andy is the one doing the work on repairing the cars though. Restoring older cars has always been a favourite hobby of mine, but nowadays i am very time poor. Our main business keeps us extremely busy all the time. This year has been a shocker for us. We have not had a full contingent of staff all year due to illness. Puts a lot of pressure on us, but i still manage to go and see how Andy is progressing in the panel shop a couple of times a day. Just cannot find the time to help him.

He is currently working on the 02 Elantra -









While browsing another Forum over the weekend, came across a gold coloured Elantra that looks super cool. Think it is owned by a chap who goes by the name of Hellfire. Check it out -







Think i will try and make our car look similar to his.

Rocket.

Posted by: Vampyrate Oct 10 2010, 01:15 PM

Yeah I remember Hellfire... good guy. The progress is really coming along. While the US spec may have plusher interiors, it is for our "plusher" asses to go in the seats haha. I would move to Australia/New Zealand in a heartbeat just so I have a change to get a Falcon or even Commodore, can't decide which I like the most. Hell, if you help with relocation, I'll drug the fiancé and bring the family down tonight ahah.

Posted by: Rocket Oct 11 2010, 06:32 AM

Yep - The Aussie built Fords and Holdens are kick ass cars for sure. Don`t know that you would want to rush down here though - This country is not what it used to be! Certainly is god`s own land but the immigration that is happening is changing the buzz of our country. Won`t go on about it lest i be labelled a rascist so and so.

Drive a Holden Statesman as my daily car. Luv it! Gen3 5.7 litre V8 - goes like a shower of shyte, and very plush to boot -





Bit heavy on petrol though, probably why i like the Elantra so much - Zippy and economical. But alas, it looks like i will not have the Elantra for much longer.

Had a phone call from my sister in law Tina tonight who is looking for a reliable car to replace the tired Ford she has had for a few years. Tina, husband Daryl and daughter Cartier live in a place called Coober Pedy in outback South Australia. You may have heard of Coober Pedy - it is in the Opal capital of Australia where most people live underground in "dugouts" ( homes underground).

Tina has decided to buy the Elantra, and i can think of nobody i would rather sell it to. She is a wonderful person who is sure to take good care of the car. So the rush is on to make sure it is thoroughly prepared for life in the outback. First job will be to finish the Autopian Polish and apply a good Sealant to the paint ( Chemguys Jetseal 109 ).
It is a hot, dusty place - so i will fit a new Radiator and Hoses. Better check the Owner Manuals and see if the Timing Belt has been done yet - If not i will do it before she picks up the car.

I have given Tina a Link to this Thread to read up about the car. Tomorrow i will take it to work to begin the Polishing, and also take and post here a set of photos showing the car inside and out.

Rocket.

Posted by: TJVJR Oct 11 2010, 11:56 AM

it's nice to see cars from other places and the info is interesting as well.

Posted by: a_v Oct 11 2010, 06:54 PM

It's impossible to go down a suburban street without seeing a Commodore or Falcon.

Nice looking Statesman Rocket! Although you'd expect that since it is yours
Oh and how I didn't think to ask before is beyond me. That Elantra you're parting out: does its electric antenna work?

Posted by: Rocket Oct 12 2010, 04:02 AM

TJVR, Very glad you find the Thread interesting. I agree with you - always good to see cars from different countries.

a_v, Have had the Statesman for a couple of years now and never any problems with it. We often travel down to Mt Gambier and it feels great to open the throttle and let her rip. It has now done 130,000 klms. I hope to trade it in for a 6 Litre WM Caprice in the not too distant future.

I think the electric antenna is OK on the white car. The car is parked in front of 4 others at the moment and i cannot get near it. Give me a few days to get the car out and check. How much do you think it is worth?

Managed to take a stack of photos of the silver Elantra today. First the exterior -














Rocket.


Here are the interior pics - Last night i was asked about the colour of the seats. Replied that they are black. Wrong! The seats have a dark navy surround and a blue cloth.





The Dash area







The below photo shows the electric window, electric mirrors and door lock controls on the front of the drivers door. An absolute feature of these cars is the placement of all controls in easy reach



Stereo and Air cond and vent controls once again very easy to reach and understand



The Instrument Cluster is well laid out with clear instrumentation



Open console between the seats has 2 cup holders of decent size -



The Hatch / Boot area is big. You will fit plenty of goods in there. The rear seats are split/fold and lay down to provide a massive cargo area -







Think i have run out of posting room. More photos on the photobucket Link.

Rocket.

Posted by: TJVJR Oct 12 2010, 08:22 AM

uhh someone has sneaked and moved everything to the right side of your car ,what a surprise that must have been JK sharp car and clean.i really would like to drive a right hand drive some time.

Posted by: Rocket Oct 12 2010, 09:20 AM

QUOTE (TJVJR @ Oct 12 2010, 10:52 PM)

uhh someone has sneaked and moved everything to the right side of your car ,what a surprise that must have been JK sharp car and clean.i really would like to drive a right hand drive some time.

Posted by: Rocket Oct 13 2010, 07:54 AM

The i30 Hatch has arrived.... Finally.

One of the Hail damaged car auctions we were buying from is in Melbourne, Victoria, which is about 500 miles away ( 800klm). We purchased the cars online then booked a plane fare to Melbourne, flew over at about 6 am, picked up the car and drove back to Adelaide the same day - generally arriving home about 6pm. Good fun.
When we bought the i30 there was a lot of other stuff happening and we decided it would be easier to have it brought over on a car carrier. Took 2 bloody weeks to get here.

Here it is -







These are good looking cars. Check out the interior -







My pet hate with the car is the steering wheel. It is made of the most awful material! When moving your hand over the wheel it gives you a very unpleasant sensation. It is coming off and will be thrown to the shytehouse! What on earth were the designers thinking? The hunt will be on for a Leather Wheel tomorrow.

Otherwise the car is brilliant. Very nice, smooth, and quiet. Just the way i like them. Nice styling too. The car is not even a year old. It was first registered in December last year, and has only travelled 9,230 klm.

The photos do not show the cracked front windscreen or the broken rhs rear quarter glass. Priced the replacement glass today. Front screen is only $195 fitted, while the small rear quarter glass must come from Hyundai at $245 supply only. Bugger!

The car will be fast tracked into the panel shop for body repairs and then after it is registered we will fit some alloy wheels and glass tint. Might squirt it around for a while myself.

Rocket.

Posted by: Roydjt Oct 13 2010, 08:06 AM

You noted how large the rear cargo area is in the hatchback. It gets a little bigger. The rear seat bottoms flip forward. If you take the headrests out, the rear seats will lay flat. You have to pull up on the front of the rear seat cushions and then they will hinge forward against the front seat backs.

-Roy

Posted by: Rocket Oct 13 2010, 08:16 AM

Thanks Roydjt, Very handy to know. I will give it a go tomorrow. I reckon that would give almost the same amount of cargo area as a station wagon. Ripper!

I see you are in Arizona. The 69 Mustang Grande Coupe in my sig pic was owned by a Mr Tomlinson in Cornville, Arizona. Top bloke.

Rocket.

Posted by: Rocket Oct 13 2010, 03:46 PM

Here is the other car bought from the Melbourne Auctions a couple of weeks ago.

It is a 2005 model Ford Territory.Has only done about 68,000 klm. These are very popular here in Australia. Completely Aussie designed and built. They use the same drivetrain as aussie Falcons - 4 litre straight six Engine with 4 speed Tiptronic Auto Transmission. Even the dashboard and instruments are very similar to the Falcon. The Territory is termed as a Crossover/ SUV, and have rear wheel drive. My son has a 2008 model all wheel drive version which has a 6 speed Auto. When driving this car back from Melbourne he found the fuel economy was better with the 4 speed Auto - probably due to less weight in the drivetrain.

Bought this Territory at the right price. Will need a new bonnet and right hand front guard. When finished it will be sold for around 14 - 15k.







The 02 Elantra is currently being repaired and should be registered and on the road in about a months time. This one is a 5 speed manual. I will drive this as a temporary replacement for the 06 Elantra.





Rocket.

Posted by: Rocket Oct 17 2010, 02:46 AM

The Statesman lost it`s Roar from that Chev Gen3 5.7litre V8......temporarily!

It all started when we received the power bill for our country home down the south east. The house is nothing flash, more like a shack really. Anyway the bill showed the power usage had increased by over 50% for the billing period. Only problem is the house is sitting empty, so how can the power usage increase? Lots of scenarios raced through our minds - could squatters have taken up residence? Could somebody have broken in and left the power on? etc, etc. Decided the wife and i had better shoot down there over the weekend and check it out.

Took the Statesman to work on Thursday and found it had developed a very slight miss under load. Plugs were replaced at the last service, so i suspected the Leads having done 130,000 klms may be playing up. Went to the Holden Dealer Friday morning and paid $200 for a new set of leads. Also picked up a Fuel Pump Relay for $10 just in case. Fitted the Leads and took the car for a squirt. Oh Shyte - It was gutless. Even broke down on me - first time ever the car has let me down. It was low on fuel but the trip computer told me it still had 70klms till empty. Managed to get it started and drove slowly to the nearest petrol station. Filled her up and then it started and drove a bit better - but still not gutsy. Drove back to work and fitted the new Fuel Pump Relay. Wow! What a difference! The Roar was back!

Loaded the car with the wife and dog and off we went for the 450klm drive. Took it easy for the first couple of hundred klm and it was running sweet. Opened her up on the last 100klm stretch and realised why i like this car so much.... It farrrkin flies!

Back home now. Discovered the cause of the excessive power usage - Somebody had left the fridge door slightly open. The fridge must have been working it`s guts out.

Here is a photo of our country refuge -



Rocket.

Posted by: Rocket Oct 22 2010, 05:58 AM

What a crazy week it has been! As i write - my head is still spinning. Knew it was going to be a tough week, but right now i wonder - why do we do this shyte?

Had 3 cars booked in for Identity inspections with our local Rego Dept. First car was Wednesday. The Accent which has already been sold -



It is not just a matter of rolling up for the inspection. All invoices, documentation, receipts for parts purchased, repair statement and photos of the car before, during and after repairs must be presented. No copies allowed, they must all be original paperwork. Spent monday and Tuesday preparing all the info, photo processing etc. After filling in the forms upon arriving for the inspection, you then hand over your licence, keys and documents to the inspector who then drives your car behind closed doors for the inspection. You just stand around or sit for the next hour and a half while they inspect the car and check your paperwork. It is a relief to finally hear their roller doors open and then see your car reappear. Such was the case on Wednesday when the keys were handed back to me. "How did you go? " i asked. He replied "it was all good until i checked on the wrecked car register. This car has not been listed! Oh Shyte! Means i now have to chase up the auctions and request they add it to the register before the car can be registered.

On the drive back to work i wondered whether any other of our hail damaged cars had mistakenly not been added to the register. So i rang the relevant authorities in the other states to find out.
Bingo! Found out that the other silver Accent was not on the register. This meant that the car only needed an engine no. check as an out of state car. Sent my son to fetch the car and take it and try to get it through. No worries! Worked like a charm. The car is now registered. You can win sometimes. This is the car -



It was the above silver car that was supposed to have the full inspection the next day. As we had waited 7 weeks for these appointments i did not want to lose the appointment. We decided to take the blue accent instead. Problem was that it was not quite ready. This car had been registered as a courier van! That is correct - A hyundai accent courier van! Ha. The back seats and belts had been removed and an MDF board had been cut out to conform the shape of the back seat and boot area. We quickly took everything in the back out, removed the seats from the smashed accent that we bought for this purpose, fitted the seat belts, seats and rear carpet to make it look like a normal car again. By the time it was ready and cleaned, it was time for the appointment. When the inspector handed the keys back after the inspection, he commented "that was an easy one". If only he knew! This is the car -



This morning it was the VY Commodore wagon that was inspected. All went well with this car until he handed the keys back. He said "we have a slight problem. The purchase invoice from the Auction has the right hand side cut out by the printer". Only the area that showed the cents at the sides was missing. Thankfully he let me off and passed the car. Could have been pedantic and refuse to pass it. Good bloke! This is the car -



During the week while all the above was happening, i had become very pissed off with the auctions that we bought the cars from. The G220 fairlane that was finished and inspected 6 weeks ago had also failed the inspection because it had not been listed on the wrecked car register. I have been ringing and faxing them all this time to request that they add it to the register. The auctions had been full of promises and excuses - but it was still not listed. I had had enough. drafted a very curt letter and faxed 8 pages to them - every hour on the hour in an attempt to annoy them into doing what they should have done 7 weeks ago. Finally had a phone call from them promising it would be done the next day. it was not done, so this arvo i drafted another curt letter addressed to the manager this time - and faxed it every ten minutes. He rang just before knock off time to say they had done it. Finally!
This is the car


That was their melbourne branch. On monday i will have to use the same tactics on the perth branch to get them to list the silver accent on the register. It can all be a major head farrrrrk sometimes.

Rocket.

Posted by: Tom06 Oct 22 2010, 09:49 PM

I love reading these posts, you guys seem to do a great job.

I keep thinking, the paper work to get a car back on the road seems to be a major pain in the ass! I thought that Aussies were lawless Mad Max types.

Posted by: a_v Oct 27 2010, 09:22 PM

True that, great reads these posts!

Also, you don't need to worry about that antenna now, I fixed mine

Posted by: Rocket Oct 28 2010, 05:42 AM

Hi Fellas, Our hectic schedule lifted up a notch in the last week or so.

The Blue Accent and VY Commodore Wagon are now registered, the dramas with the Auctions not listing the cars on the wrecked car register are behind us. No more inspections for another week.

The Gold Elantra is the next car for inspection on the 5th November. It has been painted and came up superb. Still waiting for the new bonnet to arrive - hope it gets here in time to paint and then fit it before the inspection. Andy is just finishing the paint job on the Ford Laser. Tomorrow he will begin the repairs to the i30 which is due for inspection on the 8th November.

Have not been able to get to the camera until today. My study was a mess. We have been busy fitting a new kitchen for the missus, and there were carcasses all over the place. Finally got to the camera tonight. Here is a shot of the new kitchen - only half completed at this stage -



Tina flew down from CooberPedy earlier this week to pick up the Elantra........ She left yesterday, the car is gone. Will surely miss it. Never did get to finish that autopian polish.
Needed to find a replacement for it, so i logged onto the Auctions Tuesday and came across a couple of possibilities. First one is an Icon Blue BF Falcon Sedan, Ex fleet car. Straight tidy body, immaculate trim and no mechanical problems. Inline six cylinder 4.0 litre, with tiptronic auto and only done 130,000klms. Figured i would pay up to 9k for it, but was pleasantly surprised to be the winning bidder at $7,250. By the time Auction Fees were added it cost a total of $7,750. Bargain! Over the counter Registration - no messing around with inspections. Here it is -



We were so happy with the price paid for the BF that we decided to bid on the second one at the Auction. That one is white, only 97,000klms, and a couple of very minor dents in a couple of panels. Won that car for $7,400 plus Auction Fees. A good days buying. Should be a couple of bucks in them for us.
Will keep the blue BF for a while. Looking on Ebay for a nice set of Alloy Wheels, and will have some nice dark tint fitted.

Here is a pic of the blue accent that was registered this week.



Tom06 and a_v, Thanks for your kind words. I try to write interesting posts - just do not want to bore you all to tears.

Tom06, Aussies are fairly laid back, but we are well educated for the most part, and enjoy our surroundings immensely. Probably a very similar lifestyle to many in the USA.

Rocket.

Posted by: Rocket Oct 28 2010, 01:13 PM

May have found the wheels for the BF already.

Logged on to the salvage auction and found a smashed BF XR6. It is a Statutory Writeoff so cannot be Registered. The Wheels on these cars are very hard to find. Last set we bought cost $1200. They are a Chunky looking wheel.





The XR6 model has very nice seats too, so could use them as well as the front bar, rear spoiler, etc.

Current bid for this car is $720, although it will probably end up around $1500.

Link to the Salvage auction http://www.pickles.com.au/damaged/e-salvage/

Auction finishes Monday lunchtime. Looks like Brad and Fiona might be hooking up the car trailer again.

Rocket.

Posted by: elantragt Oct 28 2010, 01:16 PM

Always a pleasure reading your posts! The kitchen seems to be shaping up very nicely by the way.

Posted by: Rocket Oct 28 2010, 01:44 PM

Thanks Mitch.

This kitchen has been the bane of my life for the past year. Ever worked on a project that you just cannot finish? Well everytime i cranked up the CNC Router to cut the doors - something happened to pull me away from it.
It was an absolute nightmare trying to finish the doors. My wife picked a complicated door design that had 6 tool changes to put the pattern on each door. Thankfully they are finally finished and in the paint shop. Should be painted by mid next week and hung by next weekend.
Everyday i copped it in the neck from the missus. "Where are my doors? ". Wanted to take an axe to them in the end. But all is well now. She is home from hospital and very happy to finally see her new kitchen being fitted. Only took 12 months!

Rocket.

Posted by: Rocket Oct 30 2010, 06:09 PM

Another busy week coming up.

Andy will begin to repair the hail damage on the i30 tomorrow. It has to be finished and taken for the ID inspection the following Monday. Andy is in a panic - worried that one week is not long enough to get it repaired and painted, so i will go and give him a hand when time ia available.



The Gold Elantra goes for inspection this Friday. The bonnet has still not arrived, but the rest of the car is ready. Spent Friday arvo giving it a good detail inside and out. The car looks sweet. Might be cutting it very fine with the bonnet as it will need to be painted top and bottom then fitted to the caer before Friday. No photos of the finished car yet.

Two re inspections also on Wednesday and Thursday with the 2 cars that had not been added to the wrecked car register.

In between all this we will finish the kitchen off.

All of this in the middle of our busy season in our main business. Everybody in Adelaide wants their new Robes installed before xmas. Luv it! Roll on Xmas. 3 weeks off. Bloody ripper!

Rocket.

Posted by: Rocket Nov 5 2010, 04:41 AM

Well... we did it!

The i30 was driven into the repair shop on Monday morning, with instructions to Andy that he had till Friday arvo to have it repaired and painted ready for inspection at 8 AM on the following Monday. Andy was up to the task - he worked like a trojan all week, and applied the topcoats this arvo ( Friday ) -













We have left the car to dry overnight. In the morning Jeremy and i will remove the masking tape and paper, and then fit the car back together, and finally detail the car on sunday ready for 8AM Monday. No time to scuff and buff the car, but the finish off the spray gun looks excellent anyway.

Also found time through the week to fit the new front guard and bonnet to the Territory. Our schedule means that Andy only has next week to get this car ready as well -



The Gold Elantra bonnet arrived through the week and was painted straight away, then fitted to the car yesterday just in time for todays inspection. When i took it for inspection it was the first time i had driven it on the road. Found the car to be a pig! It was bouncing down the road due to knackered struts, and the clutch is slipping. Oh shyte! Guess i will have to quickly learn how to do a clutch on it, then do the suspension - then it should be like a bought one.



For my other job this week - began giving the blue BF Falcon an Autopian polish with the Flex and Menzerna polishes. This is a 3 stage Polish. Have done the bonnet, bootlid and rear quarter panel and back door so far. In the below photo i am just about to start on the front door and guard -



All good fun.

Rocket.

Posted by: slowgls Nov 5 2010, 10:58 AM

Wow you guys are staying busy.Keep up the good work.

Posted by: Rocket Nov 10 2010, 12:48 PM

slowgls, thanks mate. yes- we like to keep busy.

The Ford Territory is getting the treatment this week. Andy is doing a great job on it -





Had our new toy installed last week.... a Hoist! Been trying to find a good secondhand hoist for a long time. Our mechanic recently had a new one installed, and sold us his old one for a couple of grand. Brad will use the hoist to do underbody work on the Mustangs and i will use it for polishing the cars. Bloody ripper -





Been a mixed week with our registration department. They failed the g220 Fairlane because it is too low and the tint is too dark. Bugger. Took the tint off and fitted standard coil springs back in it. The hoist made it an easy job. The car will be reinspected on Friday morning, then it will be straight back on the hoist, followed by new tint. What a bloody ridiculous game!



The i30 goes for the roadworthy inspection today. That will pass without any dramas. Will put Premium number plates on it, then have dark tint fitted and a nice set of Alloy wheels. Should look pretty schmick when finished.

Rocket.

Posted by: sarge Nov 10 2010, 01:20 PM

QUOTE (Rocket @ Nov 10 2010, 12:48 PM)

Posted by: Rocket Nov 15 2010, 04:29 AM

sarge, when we import Mustangs from Long Beach to Melbourne it costs about 3k per car plus taxes, so total about 5k per car. Lots of rules and regulations to comply with. PIA really.


Have been driving the i30 for the past week. Mostly enjoy driving it - except for that bloody awful steering wheel. Tomorrow it is booked into the Trimmers to have a leather wrap put around the existing steering wheel. then we will fit some bling to the car. Glass tint , alloy wheels, some chrome bits here and there.
Drove home in the BF falcon today and my missus cut crook when i got home! "Where is the i30? " "Why aren`t you driving it? ". FFS woman - its only a car. She is panicking that i will sell it, but i do intend to keep it for a little while. She is still pissed off at me for selling the Elantra. God bless her!.

The struts have arrived for the gold Elantra. Brad is busy fitting them at the moment. Then we will take it for the Roadworthy inspection and have it registered before we tackle the clutch replacement.

The Territory will be painted tomorrow, then put back together Wednesday ready for the identity inspection at 8 am Thursday.

Also said goodbye to one of our favourite Mustangs today. RHD 64 1/2 Coupe. The car has been sold and is headed for sunny Queensland. Here are some pics of the car being loaded onto the truck today -









It was sad for us to see it leave today. We have grown very attached to the stang collection.

Rocket.

Posted by: elantragt Nov 17 2010, 06:41 AM

Rocket, not only do you do great work, you've also created a great thread here for our forum.

I really look forward to your posts.

Posted by: Rocket Nov 17 2010, 07:11 AM

Work on the cars is progressing well this week.

Andy painted the Territory yesterday, and today was all hands on deck to remove the paper/masking tape, scuff and buff, then reassemble the car ready for the inspection at 8 am tomorrow. Excellent effort by the crew. The car rolled out of the workshop at knock off time -





Brad also finished fitting the 4 struts to the Gold coloured Elantra today. Took it for a drive and wow... what a difference. Will book the roadworthy inspection for next week and the car should pass with flying colours. Then we will do the clutch replacement.

The pressure is now off for Andy, who has done a great job keeping up with our unrelenting schedule. Only three more hail damaged cars left to repair, with the next inspections booked in February.

Tried to buy a leather steering wheel for the i30 over the last couple of weeks but could not locate one. Rang our Trimmer on Monday seeking advice, and he just said "no worries- bring the car in Tuesday and i will fit a Leather wrap around the existing wheel ". So we did. He had it finished yesterday arvo and it has made a fantastic difference. really enjoy driving the car now. made the missus happy when i drove it home tonight. Will add photos of the Leather wrapped wheel tomorrow.

Rocket.

QUOTE (elantragt @ Nov 17 2010, 09:11 PM)

Rocket, not only do you do great work, you've also created a great thread here for our forum.

I really look forward to your posts.

Posted by: Rocket Nov 18 2010, 05:07 AM

Good day today. The Territory was given the Pass stamp at the ID inspection. it is going for the roadworthy inspection next wednesday.

Took a couple of photos showing the Leather wrapped steering wheel on the i30. was late getting home and in fading daylight, so the photos are not brilliant -





Total cost for the leather wheel - supply and fit was $200 IMO worth every cent.

The i30 paintwork is still as it came off the gun. Next week we will give it a scuff and buff, followed by an Autopian polish with the flex machine. Should come up extremely shiny.

Rocket.

Posted by: a_v Nov 18 2010, 05:40 AM

I'd have just chucked a slip-on cover from Kmart on it and called it a day But that does look great

Posted by: Rocket Nov 18 2010, 05:47 AM

That was a good one a_v.

I put one of those slip on covers on the steering wheel of the Silver XD Elantra. Hated it. Made the wheel feel very bulky. Would make a good Frisbee!!!!!!

Rocket.

Posted by: NevynPA Nov 18 2010, 08:16 AM

I'd love to have a a RHD car. Every picture you post makes me envious of your cool toys!

Posted by: Rocket Nov 20 2010, 06:23 AM

NevynPA, I have heard of some RHD cars being shipped over to the USA, so there are a few over there. I believe it is legal for you to drive RHD cars.
In Australia we can only drive LHD cars that are over 30 years old. Old Mustangs, Camaros etc.

Where the law sucks in Australia - you can buy a late model Mustang in the USA for 20 - 30k, but if you buy and import one to Australia it MUST be converted to RHD before it can be registered, and must also comply with all Australian Design Rules for that year. Cost to do this by a licenced conversion shop is about 60k. So to drive that 20 - 30k car here it would cost about 100k. Absolute BS. There are plenty of us who would buy a new Mustang in a heartbeat if they were built in RHD and sold here by Ford. Australia sucks sometimes!!!

Here is another of the BF Falcons that we bought a couple of weeks ago. No hail damage on the 2 BF`s that we bought, but this one had a few shopping centre type dings in it. Andy has repaired the dings and it is ready for paint. Note the bullbar on the front of this car. It has had the standard front bumper removed and been fitted with this ugly plastic bar, which incorporates 2 Roo Shoos. These are devices that emit an electronic signal which supposedly is disliked by kangaroos and cause them to bound away off the road. Normally a kangaroo will just freeze in the middle of the road as a car approaches - hence there are a lot of roos hit by cars here. They make a hell of a mess too.







Had glss tint fitted to the i30 today. looks neat, now we need to locate a set of alloy wheels for it and add some chrome bling.

Rocket.

Posted by: Rocket Dec 1 2010, 04:35 AM

Hi guys, Been too busy to post for a while as the pre xmas rush is on in earnest.

Took a break from wardrobes today to help out a chap who owns a 65 Mustang Fastback. We painted the car for him about 6 months ago, and then he took it home to continue his restoration project on the car. Last week he took the fastback to a windscreen business to have front and rear screens resealed and the chrome window mouldings installed.

They did a good job on the windscreens and replacing the mouldings, but in the process they scratched the living daylights out of the paintwork. Ever seen a grown man cry? The owner was devastated. The idiots were using dirty rags that were embedded with dried sealant which induced horrific scratches all over the car. Had to help the poor bloke.

Got out the Flex polisher, pads and polish. When i polished a little section to see how it would come up he was very solemn. But when i wiped away the residue to reveal the polished area the look on his face was priceless. He looked like he had just won the lottery. All he could say was "farrrrrrkinggggg hell - you fixed it! "
He went away to leave me to a day long polishing session. Those scratches were deep in places. The poor old flex has never had so much pressure applied to it. Went right around the body and so far it has come up a treat. All scratches gone and paint looking fantastic. will make it a 3 stage polish. Next 2 stages will be a lot easier. Here are some pics after finishing the first correction stage -







Rocket.

Posted by: Rocket Dec 3 2010, 08:54 AM

After 3 days swinging the buff around, we had a pleasant session this arvo when Dave came to pick up the fastback and brought a carton of coronas with him.
The car now has a superb show car shine. He is one happy fella! -







Wanted to get a few outside shots, but he took off so fast it was just a blur -



Other good news today - the new wheels arrived for the i30. They came with the nuts but still have kia caps in the centres. Will order some Hyundai caps on Monday and then have some good quality tyres fitted. Should look sweet on the car -






Rocket.

Posted by: Roydjt Dec 3 2010, 09:26 AM

Random question - what's an arvo?

-Roy

Posted by: Rocket Dec 3 2010, 09:53 AM

G`day Roydjt. Arvo is Aussie slang for afternoon.

After a hard grind all week it was fantastic to just sit and chew the fat over a few coldies. I can tell you that carton of Coronas was sweet, and did not touch the sides going down.

Rocket.

Posted by: mlumz Dec 3 2010, 02:05 PM

Rocket I wish you lived near NYC in the states, my car could some of your great work in the detailing area. Some neighboring parked cars and shopping carts have not been kind to my car. It's great to see the transformation you do on the cars. Continue the great posts.

Posted by: Rocket Dec 6 2010, 03:46 AM

Hi mlumz, Yes - there are many times that i too would prefer to live in the USA. Everything seems to be so much cheaper over there. Also Mustangs galore to choose from and plenty of spare parts. But i am too old and set in my ways to consider changing countries.
Why not have a go at repairing your own car? You are not alone as far as people denting your car is concerned. I crap myself everytime a car of mine is left in a car park. People do not give two hoots about damaging your property. Very sad.

Work on the Hail damaged cars continues. Andy is ready to paint this Focus tomorrow - This is a 2007 focus with low klm. My son is going to give it to his daughter for a 16th birthday present in 15months time! It will be finished and then put under a car cover till she receives it.





The i30 still has not been scuffed and buffed. I am driving it at the moment as my daily car. Like it. Hope to work on it later this week and then fit the alloy wheels. -





The plain jane blue BF Falcon has been polished, had the glasstint and a set of alloys fitted. Looks a lot better now -





Rocket.

Posted by: NevynPA Dec 6 2010, 09:03 AM

That Falcon is a sexy beast.

Posted by: slowgls Dec 6 2010, 01:58 PM

QUOTE (NevynPA @ Dec 6 2010, 08:03 AM)

Posted by: Silentwolf Dec 6 2010, 02:41 PM

WHy couldn't Ford have brought that stateside?!? "sigh"

Posted by: slowgls Dec 6 2010, 02:50 PM

QUOTE (Silentwolf @ Dec 6 2010, 01:41 PM)

Posted by: MalibuJack Dec 7 2010, 08:06 AM

I am really digging that i30. I actually wish the Touring here looked more like that. The differences are subtle, but still.

Posted by: Bigs Dec 7 2010, 08:15 AM

Interesting the cars you get!

Great work man! Nice shop also!

Posted by: Tom06 Dec 7 2010, 10:21 PM

Still really enjoying this thread. B)

I also wish that Ford would bring the Falcon here. No one sells an affordable RWD Sedan. Anything cheap and RWD is a two door, and anything four door is an expensive luxury car.

Posted by: MalibuJack Dec 8 2010, 09:01 AM

QUOTE (Tom06 @ Dec 7 2010, 10:21 PM)

Posted by: Tom06 Dec 8 2010, 02:12 PM

QUOTE (MalibuJack @ Dec 8 2010, 09:01 AM)

Posted by: Rocket Dec 10 2010, 03:43 AM

Hi fellas, Thanks for posting on the Thread.

The Chrysler 300c is certainly seen as a luxury car here. Very expensive. Great looking car.

Would be a good tradeoff if Ford released the Mustang in RHD form here in Australia, and sent the Falcon range in LHD form to the USA. They are excellent cars - built for tough Aussie conditions. There is a turbo 6 cyl Falcon that goes like shyte out of a shanghai.

Here is our latest addition to the Mustang collection. It is a 95 GTHO. Picked it up locally. It was converted to RHD in 2000. Do not know much about these Mustangs, but it sure looks like a muscle car. The photos do not show how dirty the car is. It has been sitting around for a couple of years and the paint is badly faded, the engine bay is filthy and the interior dirty as well. We will give it a lot of loving over the next couple of months and bring it back to a high standard car. Anybody know anything about this model?









Rocket.

Posted by: a_v Dec 10 2010, 04:29 AM

Always great reading this thread. The inside of that Mustang remainds me how badly my car needs a vacuum I imagine it would look superb when you're done with it.
I think the Falcon would do reasonably well in the US, but I don't see it happening too soon, considering rumours that the local Falcon is either going to go FWD or be replaces with Taurus SHOs. Hope it doesn't come to either of those. We used to always have Falcons as the family car; in fact we traded a Falcon to get the Elantra, an AU I think it was. Great cars from what I remember.

Posted by: Tom06 Dec 10 2010, 07:02 PM

Nice 4th gen Mustang. Around here, they are 1000x more common than than the fifth gen. They are seen by some as cars that are driven by "low class" people, but I don't really think that's true.

From what I understand, there are tons and tons of aftermarket parts for those cars.

Posted by: Rocket Dec 21 2010, 06:18 AM

Hi Everybody, Seasons Greetings to you all.

Sure is a Xmas of contrasts around the world - weatherwise i mean. Britain having the coldest weather in 30 years. No doubt East Coast USA will have snow as well, while it is nice and mild on the West Coast. Going to be a stinking hot day here in Adelaide on Xmas day. Heading down to the south east on boxing day - always a lot cooler down there.

We have been tidying up that 95 GT Mustang. Resprayed the bootlid and rear spoiler, followed by a scuff and buff on the rest of the car. Came up a treat, especially after we fitted the 20" Foose Wheels to it -







We had a near disaster with the car today just after i took the above photos. The fuel gauge was showing empty, so my son took it to the servo to fill it up with petrol. The car took 50 litres. As my son went to hang up the nozzle he saw a drip of petrol under the car. He quickly grabbed a water container to wash the petrol away, but the drip turned into a puddle which kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. All the petrol was leaking out of the tank.
The petrol station manager saw what was going on and turned off all the pumps, called the fire brigade and closed off the servo to other cars. When the firies arrived they sprayed foam all over the petrol and then pressure washed the underside of the car and finished off by flushing lots of water through the drains. Talk about embarrasing!!! They loved the car.

Have a great xmas and will catch up in the new year.

Rocket.

Posted by: NevynPA Dec 22 2010, 08:39 AM

Those wheels are pretty slick! Hope the problem turns out to be minor. Oh hey - I saw this article - I hope we get it! From the pics of that Falcon you have, you've got me wanting one pretty bad.

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2010/12/ford-fpv-falcon-gt-rumored-for-the-u-s-rear-drive-supercharged-v8-and-all.html

Posted by: Rocket Dec 23 2010, 02:54 PM

Hey NevynPA, Check out this video of V8 Supercar champion James Courtney taking the supercharged FPV Falcon for a lap at Bathurst

http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-news/first-drive-fpv-gt-20101005-165rc.html

Rocket.

Posted by: Bigs Dec 24 2010, 07:22 AM

This is the longest going thread in the Detailing Forum I think!

Thanks for coming in Rocket, I was feeling lonely in here! Happy that we are at opposite ends of the world also!

Posted by: Rocket Dec 25 2010, 02:34 AM

Hi Bigs, Thanks for your kind words.

Not a lot happening in this section of the forum, but when i return from a couple of weeks down the south east there are about 5 cars lined up for an Autopian Polish with the Flex machine and Menzerna Polishes. So i will photo the process each time and add them here..

The i30 is coming along very well. We have scuffed and buffed the new paint with Farecla Compounds and will give it the Flex treatment in January, followed by fitting the new wheels -





Those Foose wheels we fitted to the 95 Stang came off this 67 Fastback that we imported earlier this year -





Time to go pack for the holiday. Hope you guys all have a great Xmas and a fantastic year ahead.

Rocket.

Posted by: Rocket Jan 4 2011, 06:54 AM

Hi Fellas, Hope you all had a relaxing Xmas/ New Year.

I need a holiday from the holiday! Arrived at our place down the south east to find it was an overgrown bloody jungle. Very fertile soil down here. I guess the mixture of rain and bright sunny days before xmas caused a growth spurt. Spent the last 10 days cutting down trees and shrubs.

Did manage to fit in a few good sessions down the pub, but those freakin pokies robbed me blind. Was worth it though. Rode the mobility scooter to the pub so no worries about drink driving. People tend to give you a wide birth when they see an infirm ( or very drunk! ) person riding one of those things.

After half a dozen trips to the tip with a fully laden trailer - the Statesman is looking awful, and i am not much better - my guts hurts, my back is now knackered. I wanna go home! We are out of here tomorrow.

Here is a pic of the poor neglected Statesman at the tip. First job when we get home is a full detail on the car.



Rocket.

Posted by: Rocket Jan 19 2011, 08:23 PM

Hi guys, have not been on the forum lately - lots happening.

Had the eyes glued to the TV watching the floods in Queensland and Victoria. Terrible stuff in our country.

Today i may become an Elantra owner again. There is one coming up for auction today. Engine is stuffed - but i just happen to have a good low mileage engine on hand. More info and pics later.

Rocket.

Posted by: sarge Jan 20 2011, 01:32 PM

So Suspenseful!!!!

*we should send you some sponges or something to help with the extra water. Hopefully nothing too horrible happening close to home.

Posted by: elantragt Jan 20 2011, 07:43 PM

Can't wait, Rocket.

Posted by: fsv87 Jan 20 2011, 08:21 PM

This is definitely one of my favorite threads in EClub.

Can't wait to see it!

Posted by: Rocket Jan 20 2011, 11:54 PM

The best laid plans can go astray.

Logged onto the Auction yesterday in anticipation of buying the 2006 Elantra 2.0 litre auto. Was hoping to buy it for around $2,000. When it came up there was spirited bidding.I bid up to $2,400, but it ended up selling for $3,000.

If it was local i could have justified paying $3,000, but the car was located in Canberra ACT, which is about 1,000 klm from here. It was going to cost $900 to have it transported to Adelaide. Bugger! Auction fees and transport costs made it not economically viable.

Really miss the Elantra. Not to worry, will keep on looking - no rush. One will pop up sooner or later.

The Floods were/are terrible - so much destruction and loss of life. Will take many years to rebuild infrastructure like Roads, Rail, Buildings etc. Although we had it bad in Qld and Vic - You have to feel for the poor people in Brazil. Absolutely shocking for them.

For anybody interested - here is a link to a Thread about the Floods on the Australian Ford Forums. The Thread is a long read and starts just before the floods hit Brisbane. Nobody was expecting them to be that bad.


http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11319348&page=1&pp=30

Rocket.

Posted by: Silentwolf Jan 21 2011, 04:34 PM

Glad all is good with u at least.

Posted by: Rocket Jan 24 2011, 06:01 AM

Hi Silentwolf, Yes we are all just fine. The floods are a long way from us. Forum Member a_v would be a lot closer to them.

We have just begun the third working week of the year. Our main business is absolutely flat out - not enough hours in the day to get everything done.

Over the holidays i managed to do an Autopian Polish with the Flex machine on several cars, one of which is this Accent - came up looking very glossy -



Only 2 hail damaged cars left to finish off. The Grandeur and the Getz. Andy has completed the repairs on them to the primer/ putty stage-









They will both be finished in a couple of weeks and then we will concentrate on the Mustang Restorations. First up for a Rotisserie Resto is this 69 Mach1





Also need to finish off the Vintage Burgundy 67 Coupe



Going to be another busy year. Bloody Ripper!!!

Rocket.

Posted by: a_v Jan 24 2011, 07:49 AM

Looks like you have your hands full there! Nice shine on that Accent.
I hear you on the floods too. I had a mate in Queensland who copped some of it. Not the worst, but still a nasty clean-up. We have had some flooding here in Vic, but I've been fortunate enough to not be directly affected. Worst I had was a river right where I work, in Geelong nearly an hour away. The river nearly came up to our office building, but receeded before I had to go up. All I had to put up with was a bad smell of dirty river water

Posted by: elantragt Jan 29 2011, 01:34 PM

Can't wait to see the finished result on the Mach 1.

Posted by: Rocket Jan 29 2011, 02:13 PM

a_v, Sounds like a close call for you mate. Worked in Geelong myself a few years back, guess it was the Barwon river that flooded?Also heard the Maribynong River flooded. Grew up in Maidstone and played in and around the Maribynong as a kid.

Lots happening at the moment. Had the new wheels fitted to the i30. Very happy with them







Wifes illness was finally diagnosed and she had a major operation last Wednesday. It went well, and she is currently in the intensive care unit with tubes hanging out of her everywhere. Should now have a full recovery and get back to normal living after spending a year in agony.

My son waited for month for a new grommet to fix the leaking fuel problem on the red Mustang. Problem now solved - Now we will be able to fine tune the cars mechanicals. It drives a bit ordinary after sitting around for years. Next job is a transmission rebuild, then cooling system service, followed by a decent tune up.



Oh well - house cleaning duties are waiting. Anybody know how to use a washing machine? ( just kidding )

Rocket.

QUOTE (elantragt @ Jan 30 2011, 04:04 AM)

Posted by: Silentwolf Jan 29 2011, 11:28 PM

Ya that Mach 1 looks in great shape as it is, but ya all the lil dings show up even more after paint is removed. Found a new ding in Hunter, swear I'm gonna get her "refreshed" with new paint job around the 6yr mark (get all the dings n such fixed during it)

Posted by: Rocket Jan 30 2011, 05:02 AM

Hi Silentwolf, yer dead right mate. People have no consideration nowadays. Park your car in a carpark and some prick will open their door and not give a shyte about the car parked next door.
Faark em all.

Good news - the missus was transferred from Intensive Care to the High dependancy unit today. She was very tired and sent me home early this arvo. What is a man to do? 42 degrees Celsius in Adelaide today. Stinkin bloody hot! Car decided to drive into the pub car park on the way home so figured i had better have a few cold ones or ten. Might be a bit pissed at the moment - but no woman at home to give me shyte about it! Bloody Ripper! Reheated last nights Pizza for dinner - tasted good! Been eating pizza every night since she has been in hospital. Good tucka!!!

Cyclones are about to hit Qld and Western Australia tonight so could be some very wild weather about. Poor bastards! oh well faaaaark it, gotta have another coldie. Cheers.

Rocket.

Posted by: elantragt Jan 30 2011, 05:18 AM

Posted by: NevynPA Jan 31 2011, 07:54 AM

QUOTE (elantragt @ Jan 30 2011, 05:18 AM)

A step in the right direction!!

I also have to say I love the Aussie speak.

Bloody ripper!

Posted by: Rocket Feb 21 2011, 03:42 AM

G`day Fellas, Been a tad busy. Good news is that the missus came home from hospital last friday. Bad news is that i am in the doghouse about the house. Thought i kept it pretty clean. Anybody know what mould is? She says i have destroyed the bathroom. Seems ok to me. Women!!! Oh well... shyte happens!

We have finished the hail damaged cars finally. The getz is now registered and on the road. Man - was that car hammered. All good now -





The Grandeur came up a treat also, but have to wait till mid April to have it inspected by motor registration people. Bugger.





Don`t recall whether i showed you the Laser hatch we did for my daughter in law



Today we started on the mustangs again. Post following shortly.

Rocket.

Posted by: Rocket Feb 21 2011, 02:28 PM

Back to Mustangs. Things are happening quickly. As i write this - my son is on his way back from Canberra with our latest aquisition on the car trailer. A Pink 67 convertible which we bought cheap at auction. It is no glamour! Will require a lot of work.

Yesterday we did a deal on the purchase of a 68 Fastback. The owner had imported the car a couple of years ago only to find out it was not as described. He cacked himself when the car arrived because it has more rust than he was expecting. Love it when somebody else has done the importing. All we have to do is pick it up on the car trailer a few miles from home.

Also did a quick job on the 65 Fastback below. The owner wanted to add some GT stripes -









My 69 Grande will be going for inspection at Motor Registration next week. only a couple of minor jobs left. Fix the speedo and fit a woodgrain steering wheel. This car is air conditioned so i will drive it regularly







Rocket.


The 69 Mach1 Restoration has begun. This is the car on the day of purchase last year. Think it was in South Carolina. The photo shows our buying agents - Matt and Sheri from Florida inspecting the car. Note how Sheri remains with their rental car ( the PT Cruiser ). This is in the interests of personal safety. Dealing with strangers when buying cars you have to be careful.



The car was as described. It had been painted a few years back and now we are going to find out what it is really like underneath that paint. First job is to completely strip the car











We knew about the rust bubbles in the rear quarter panels. The photos below show that they were just bogged up at the last repaint -





Rocket.

Posted by: elantragt Feb 23 2011, 11:58 AM

This is one of the all time best threads at EC. It's awesome seeing you and your crew at work, Rocket.

Posted by: Rocket Feb 23 2011, 01:48 PM

Hi Mitch, Thanks for your kind comments. It is a pleasure to be here.

The Pink 67 Vert is now in the workshop. My son had quite a trip driving back from Canberra. He was pulled over by a cop out on the Hay plains. No problems - just wanted to check out the Mustang. He had many comments from people such as "did Barbie have a prang? " Gotta get the Pink off that car!

The car is currently a heap of garbage! Story he was told about the car is that it was owned by an American lady who was returning to the USA. She had trouble trying to sell the car and then allegedly figured that maybe the insurance company would pay her out for it. On a drive in the bush the convertible top was accidently ripped off by the wind, and then the car was driven into a tree on the LH Front. Insurance suspected foul play and refused to pay out on the car. We only paid 5k for it. You cannot normally buy a Mustang this cheap in Australia. We may turn it into a Fastback - like this

http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/ccrp_1012_1967_ford_mustang_coupe_to_fastback_conversion/index.html

The 68 Fastback is also now in the workshop. A local chap had imported it about a year ago. The car required a lot more work than he is capable of doing himself. Owed him a total of 19k. He tried to sell the car and recoup his money. After a lot of negotiations we picked it up for 15k which is very cheap for a Fastback in this country. It should owe us about 30k when finished then we should be able to get around 45 -50k for it. This is the car -

http://mustang.org.au/forum/viewthread.php?tid=13560

Will take some photos of the cars today.

Rocket.

Posted by: Rocket Feb 23 2011, 08:19 PM

Well... Here is the Pink Vert -





The 68 Fastback -





Andy is paint stripping the vMach1 at the moment -











We are very happy with the car so far. The rust appears to be confined to the rear quarter panels and a bit in the boot. This is going to be an easy resto.

Rocket.

Posted by: elantragt Feb 24 2011, 09:13 AM

I love the old Mustangs. I can't wait to see the end results, especially that Mach 1.

Posted by: Rocket Mar 3 2011, 03:09 AM

Celebration day!

Took the 69 Grande down for Inspection at Motor Registration earlier this week. The car passed with flying colours. They issued a special engine no. because the inspector could not find an original engine no. We stamped the new no. on the block yesterday and took the car back today. Got the much wanted pass stamp so the car is now Registered.

Guess who is going cruising this weekend.





The Mach1 Resto is well and truly underway. Found a few areas that had been bogged up instead of cutting the rust out, particularly in the rear quarter panels. Ordered a couple of repair panels which arrived today. We can now repair it properly.
No photos today - been busy getting the Grande done.

Rocket.

Posted by: Bigs Mar 3 2011, 07:35 AM

Holy crap that's a sweet looking ride! I LOOOOVE those wheels!

Posted by: Rocket Mar 7 2011, 03:26 PM

Thanks Bigs, Finally found the time on Sunday morning to take the car for a nice long cruise to blow the cobwebs out of it Don`t think it has been driven much over the last ten years. Very impressed with the car. Found a couple of very minor issues so will fine tune it over the next few weeks.

The Mach1 is coming along nicely. LHS is just about done -



Here is the rusted piece we cut out of the rear quarter panel



Repair panel fitted, welded and finished -



This is the same area on the other side of the car -



The repair panel -



It really does not take that much longer to repair the car by cutting out the rust and fitting new metal. Do not understand why people just become bog artists.

Rocket.

Posted by: elantragt Mar 7 2011, 06:06 PM

That green Mustang looks perfect!!! Beautiful.

Posted by: a_v Mar 8 2011, 05:30 AM

Always love reading this thread. Completely into that Mustang too!

Posted by: Bigs Mar 8 2011, 07:20 AM

Rocket, if you wouldn't so damn far I would ask for a job in your shop! (Dude, in Canada we use A LOT OF SALT on our roads in winter and that makes cars RUST LIKE CRAZY!!! hint hint *lol*) I would quite my job in a flash to do that stuff. I do have body work experience!

Posted by: Rocket Mar 9 2011, 05:51 AM

Hey Fellas, I was so fortunate in buying the Grande. The Owner who lives in Cornville, Arizona had just advertised the car for sale on Craigslist. I check out the Craigslist ads everyday. The car checked all the boxes, ie From a dry state - so absolutely minimal rust, been in the same family for many years and had been well maintained. Contacted the seller by Email and soon made a good friend as well as a good deal on the car. It came exactly as he described it.

Bigs, You don`t need to move countries. Do you know there are a lot of people in the USA who source classic cars locally, repair and repaint them, then sell them on Ebay on Worldwide listings. If you can do reasonably good panel work - there are dollas to be made. But replace the metal on rusty panels, not bog jobs as you will see below.

We replaced the rusty area on the RH rear quarter of the Mach1 today. Here is the rust we cut out -



The back of the piece - full of bog and fibreglass -



Check out the old and new side by side. There was a lot cut off the bottom of the old piece -



Preparing to replace the section -



Fitting it into position -


We also removed the Engine and Transmission today, getting it ready for Media Blasting the Engine Bay and Undercarriage


Rocket.

Posted by: Bigs Mar 10 2011, 07:22 AM

Dang man, great work!

Posted by: elantragt Apr 19 2011, 04:23 PM

I wonder where Rocket's been?

Posted by: slowgls Apr 19 2011, 08:26 PM

QUOTE (elantragt @ Apr 19 2011, 04:23 PM)

I wonder where Rocket's been?

Posted by: NevynPA Apr 20 2011, 09:11 AM

His wife was in the hospital a bit ago, perhaps there were some new/additional issues? I hope everything is okay.

Posted by: Rocket Apr 22 2011, 07:49 AM

Hi Fellas, Still here. Just been extremely busy.

Unfortunately, wife is back in hospital at the moment. Nothing major, just her blood levels keep dropping which is probably due to the extensive amount of tablets she has to take each day. Should be home again tomorrow. Bugger really, because we had booked and paid for the Mustang Nationals on the Gold Coast over Easter. Oh well - shyte happens.

Speaking about Mustangs, fitted new front springs and rear leaf springs to the Grande through the week. Wanted to lower it. The front ended up just a little lower than intended, but i can live with it. What do you think? -







I am in the process of ordering a Borgeson Power Steering Upgrade kit for it as well as a Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel. Find the woodgrain wheel is a bit hard on the hands when driving long distances. Driving the Grande around more and more each week and loving it.

Looks like i have a buyer for the i30 lined up next week. Will be sorry to see it go. Playing a waiting game with the auctions for a good but slightly damaged 2006 Elantra hatchback. One will turn up eventually.

Will post again shortly about other events happening as well as the Mach1.

Hope you are all having a good Easter break.

Rocket.

Posted by: Vinnie Apr 22 2011, 11:07 AM

I've been watching your work and progress, I must say very impressive.
Also I will keep your family in my thoughts.

Posted by: Roydjt Apr 22 2011, 01:37 PM

I like it with the front dropped a little lower than the back. It gives it an aggressive drag strip look.

-Roy

Posted by: slowgls Apr 22 2011, 05:49 PM

Omg he is alive!!! And once again nice work. Mustang looks great.

Posted by: elantragt Apr 22 2011, 06:48 PM

Nice to see you back and (as always) awesome work on the Mustang.

Posted by: Alex2004GT Apr 23 2011, 01:30 PM

Really great work man! I love looking through this thread and can't wait to see more cars! Hope your wife is feeling better!

Posted by: ronjr8102 Apr 25 2011, 12:08 AM

Hope ur wifes home soon, sux when family is sick and cant do anything about when u just want to fix it.
Grande looks sick lowered.

Posted by: Rocket Apr 25 2011, 09:06 AM

Hey Fellas, Really do appreciate your kind words. Wife is back home again, although a bit cranky at times she is picking up quite well. Guess all this hospital stuff is getting to her. Better take her out tomorrow and show her a good time.

My latest delivery from Chemical Guys arrived -



Been waiting in particular for the Clay. The Grande was painted about a year ago and through sitting around in the paint shop a bit of overspray was making the paint feel a bit rough and the gloss had gone off a bit. Managed to sneak out to the garage yesterday for a couple of hours and gave the car a jolly good Claying. Only took about 1.5 hours. Now the paint is feeling slick again.

Now it is time to give it a 3 stage Menzerna Polish. Fired up the Flex machine today and started with CCS White Pad and Menzerna P203S -



Worked it for a good 6 minutes on each section -



Getting there -



Then changed over to CCS Green Pad and Menzerna PO106FF. Bonnet has come up a treat -





Still one stage to go with Menzerna PO85RD on the CCS Black Pad, followed by a few coats of Jetseal 109. Could only get the bonnet done today before i was called back inside. Might take the car to work through the week so i can get it done.

Rocket.



As mentioned earlier - It has been an extremely busy time. In the last couple of weeks we have sold 4 of the cars. The blue BF Falcon, blue Ford Territory,Ford Focus and the Gold Elantra. This week the i30 will probably go as well. Had only advertised one of the cars, the rest were all by word of mouth. That was the good news.

Bad news was that somebody attempted to break in to the car factory by backing a car through the roller door. The attempt failed because of the locks which secure the roller door through the centre at floor level. Their tow bar appeared to have got stuck in the roller door judging by the hole in the door and the burnout marks left in the concrete. It did smash the door to the sh@thouse.

The next week some thieving scum broke into my home garage and stole the lawnmower and some power tools. Having troubles with my insurance company on the claim. They want proof of purchase which i no longer have. At the moment i am thinking insurance is a waste of money! LOL!

Of course all of this has meant we had to upgrade the security at work and at home. More farrking money to spend because of scumbags. Bugger.

The Mach1 Resto is continuing. Body is now in Primer and Guidecoat. Sent it off to have the undercarriage and engine bay media blasted -











Found very little rust underneath. Just required a small patch in the drivers floor and the skirt which holds the battery tray in the engine bay.

Rocket.

Posted by: ronjr8102 Apr 25 2011, 11:57 PM

Glad to hear the wife is doing better. Long hospital stays can defiently get to you and make you cranky or could be that its just a women thing to be cranky LOL. Taking her out will be good for her and you too.
Sorry to hear about the break ins. F'in a-holes who steal stuff from hard workin people. They need to get a good ass whipping. I went to get into my 93 Accord last week and found the stuff in the front seat all messed up. Someone looked thru the car & my $50 WalMart radio was 1/2 out. They couldnt get it cuz of the shifter. They must have been some stupid kids cuz I left one of my toolboxes in the trunk w/ over $1k worth of tools in there & they didnt check there.

Posted by: Rocket Jun 17 2011, 05:34 PM

Hi Everybody, Have not updated the Thread for a while. Had problems logging in. See it is resolved now. Ripper.

The Mach1 restoration is coming along nicely. Car has been painted and we are now putting it back together again. Here are some pics -











While we wait for parts for the Mach1, there is another project we have taken on for a friend. He bought a 66 Fastback that was in excellent condition, but is building a GT350 Hertz Clone with the car. our job is to paint the car black and add the gold coloured stripes.
Here are some pics of progress -









My son brought another trinket out for show through the week. This is a 66 fastback that he has been restoring in his garage at home. Project has taken him about 3 years in his limited spare time -







Have been doing more work on the 69 Grande as well. More about that in next post.

Happy to report that wife is now doing quite well. Things are looking up.

Rocket.

Posted by: elantragt Jun 17 2011, 06:07 PM

Great stuff rocket and glad you resolved the log in issues.

Posted by: Roydjt Jun 17 2011, 07:33 PM

Thanks for posting again! I love those classic Mustangs, especially the fastbacks. Your posts are always a highlight for me!

-Roy

Posted by: winc Jun 17 2011, 09:45 PM

That Ford Territory looks very similar to the Freestyle/Taurus X they had in USA for a few years and the Grandeur just like the XG300/350.

Great work you're doing there, very impressed to see the pride you have in your craft!

That red 1995 Mustang has the amber Cobra tail lamps and trim pieces (very rare stateside) and I believe is also the last year of the old 302 HO V8. Even here it would be quite the collector car, so it's quite the prize for you in Australia. It's possible that those parts were swapped over but even so, those parts are of great value.

I was reading earlier about the heat during Christmastime over there... that's likely the weather we're having in Florida currently. How are the current temperatures for your area now?

Posted by: Rocket Jun 18 2011, 05:31 PM

Hi Fellas, Thanks for that warm welcome.

Mitch, i did not do anything to resolve the login issue, which may have been caused by the additional login info required at the time - that jumbled box of letters and numbers. Maybe it was these old eyes playing tricks on me, but i do understand about the need for it to reduce spamming.

Roy, we made a decision a couple of years ago to replace most of the Mustang coupes with Fastbacks, but while i do like the styling - cannot bring myself to sell the 69 Grande or the 68 Coupe. We are also about to build a right hand drive Eleanor out of the black 67 Fastback. That will be our next big project.
Must admit i am becoming a great fan of the 69/70 Mustangs. Could be a few more Mach1`s in the stable soon.

winc, there is a new model Ford Territory just been released. Here is a review of it -

http://www.caradvice.com.au/113775/2011-ford-territory-review/?gclid=CKmp0ISxwKkCFQT1bwodegKDeg

My son really enjoys driving the 95 Mustang, but we have an ongoing problem with it. The fuel injection is playing up intermittently. It has a fuel surge problem that we have not been able to rectify. Just yesterday we took it down to another Mustang fellow who is a service manager at a big Ford Dealership. He had us do a bit of paintwork on his 96 Mustang and feels that with the diagnostics in his service department, the problem can be isolated and rectified. Fingers crossed.

This time of year it is pretty cold here. This year has seen lower than normal temperatures and quite a lot of rain. Here is a link to our current weather -

http://weather.ninemsn.com.au/sa/adelaide/elizabeth

Want to write a post about the recent upgrades we have done to the 69 grande, but need some photos to go with it. Left the camera at work, so it will have to wait a couple of days. But here is a post on the Mustang forum that shows a bit about it -

http://mustang.org.au/forum/viewthread.php?tid=14786

Still waiting for a suitable Elantra to come up at the Salvage Auctions. Patience will hopefully pay off one day. In the meantime i still have the i30 to drive around. Had a buyer for it, but Hyundai caused a problem with the sale because the intending buyer wanted the factory warranty but Hyundai refused to honour the warranty because the car is a repaired write off. Bugger.

Rocket.

Posted by: elantraelite Jun 24 2011, 02:53 AM

Wow Rocket! awesome thread! I've spent the last hour or so reading all 13 pages!

Great to see another Aussie!

I wish I lived in SA (from Vic) My Black Elantra is needing a bit more shine, but I don't want to have someone I dont trust touching my car.

Posted by: Rocket Jun 25 2011, 10:29 AM

Hi elantraelite, Just google mapped Truganina - you know i grew up in Maidstone and attended Braybrook High - not far from where you live. Have always considered myself a Victorian and intended to get back there one day. LOL! Too many grandchildren here in Adelaide now, so the big move aint going to happen. Bugger! Best i can do is retire down at Millicent in the South East near Mt Gambier. ( Some day )

Don`t think you would want to be in this a...hole place. Speed cameras everybloodywhere. Government charges increasing daily...or so it seems. Just received our electricity bill. To say i am pissed off about it is an understatement. $775.00 WTF!!!!!! Just the missus and myself at home too. Check this link about electricity prices about to increase by 28% over the next two years -

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/electricity-to-cost-another-10pc/story-e6frea83-1226062831787

The headline states that electricity prices will increase to approx $1,270 per year. Say what! Faaargin propaganda! My bill for $775 is for 3 months only - during Autumn ( Fall in the USA ) . Assuming each bill will be the same - that Totals at $3,100 per year - before the bloody 28% increase. What are these idiots on about! To add further insult - today it was reported that an additional 5% or so will also be added to everyones electricity account to help pay the subsidies for those who have had solar panels installed on their roofs!

Then our lard ars.. prime minister is going to introduce the bullshyte carbon tax on top of all that!!!! These farrrrgin idiots are doing all they can to destroy our great country. How on earth is a family with a couple of kids going to survive???? Already our phones at work have gone silent. Retail sales have fallen off the cliff!

Well .gov - you can go to hell! I am going to wage my own little campaign aimed at giving them as little money as possible. To start with... On monday the registration for my 68 Mustang is due. Have decided not to pay it. The car can sit in my garage for a year. Saving about $850. That can pay the outlandish electricity bill. The v8 Statesman can also sit in the garage. Will drive the i30 everywhere because it is very economical. Have also been told of a way to reduce power consumption at home. Would never have used this method before, but farrrk em. Will implement as many methods as possible to deny the mongrels as much money as possible.

The greed in our society is just bloody incredible.

Still want to come to SA elantraelite?

Rocket.

Posted by: Rocket Jun 26 2011, 04:07 PM

Woke up this morning to hear nothing but doom and gloom on the radio, as well as more propaganda from .gov about the b/s need for their carbon tax to reduce global warming. Funny- it is pretty cold here. Normal for late June as i recall. Last week air travel was in all sorts of chaos in Australia due to the ash cloud from the Chilean Volcano. No idea how much radiation is in the air from the Japanese Fukushima Nuclear power plant meltdowns. Seems these disasters are real, and as such make their propaganda about climate change look stupid.

By the way - How much are you guys in other countries paying for electricity?

Oh well, onto immediate problems. Short staffed in the office this week - but probably will not matter as the phones are very quiet anyway. Just a couple of months ago was complaining that they never stop ringing. So should still be able to get down to the car factory to check progress and take photos.

The 66 Fastback paintjob is progressing well. Andy painted the insides of the bonnet and bootlid as well as some other parts on friday -





The body has had the final coat of primer sprayed, followed by a guide coat ready for final rubbbing -







Today he will probably give it the final wetrub, ready for topcoats tomorrow.

Rocket.

Posted by: winc Jun 26 2011, 09:23 PM

I'm in Florida on the Gulf Coast. My HVAC is a 12 SEER heat pump. Winter months my bill is around $65.00 USD, but during the summer months with the A/C and pool both humming along, it increases anywhere from $175-250.00 per month. The killer here is insurance; doesn't matter what kind, it's expensive. Moving from Wisconsin to North Carolina, my rates doubled, then doubled again when moving to Florida. My home-owners insurance premium is more than 1% of my home's value yearly and that premium has increased by more than 15% each of the last 2 years, and auto insurance running about $600-900 per vehicle yearly, this with a household of no violations or claims on record. So having just forked out for both home-owners a couple weeks ago and auto last week, my wallet's a wee bit empty right now.

Posted by: elantraelite Jun 27 2011, 05:00 AM

QUOTE (Rocket @ Jun 26 2011, 01:29 AM)

Posted by: Rocket Jul 16 2011, 08:52 AM

Oh well.... Looks like we are all getting screwed over with power prices. Agree Tassie is the place to be, but i like to spend my time at the Wrest Point Casino in Hobart. The missus just wants to go sight seeing all the time. Bloody women - spoil a mans fun.

Been having a hell of a time lately. We are having a very cold winter with lots of the flu going around. Have not had a full staff at work for many weeks, but the cars are progressing along. Here are latest pics of the Hertz clone -









The car is currently being cut and polished. Coming up with a superb shine.

Another disaster a couple of weeks ago when my mum smashed her Accent that we bought for her.Nobody hurt other than mum was a bit bruised by the air bags going off. This is the car -



The car was a write off. The insurance thankfully paid out ok on the car, so mum decided to buy the i30 with her payout.



I do miss the i30, but one has to look after their mum.

Rocket.

Posted by: elantragt Jul 16 2011, 08:56 AM

That's a definite upgrade for your mum.

Posted by: Rocket Jul 16 2011, 09:10 AM

QUOTE (elantragt @ Jul 16 2011, 11:26 PM)

That's a definite upgrade for your mum.

Posted by: Rocket Jul 25 2011, 05:04 PM

Hi Fellas, Hear it is stinking hot in the USA at the moment. Bugger!

Still looking for a replacement vehicle after selling the Elantra and i30. Nothing much coming up at the auctions, but came across a likely candidate while surfing the net. A 2004 Black Elantra Hatchback with Hail Damage to roof and bonnet. I have a replacement bonnet on the white wreck at work, so just need to repair the roof and then paint it and the bonnet. Seriously tempted. He advertised the car for $4,300 which i think is a bit too much. Might ring and offer $3,500. No harm in asking. Here are his pics of the car-











Would have preferred a 2005 or 2006 model, but kind of like the idea of bringing that Black colour to life. From the photos it looks like swirl city. Some elbow grease with the flex poilsher, dark glass tint and a decent set of alloy wheels might be the go. The car has only done 73,000 klm.
What do you guys think?
The car is located in Melbourne, so a quick plane trip with trade plate in hand means i could be back in Adelaide the same day. Hmmm.....

Here are the latest pics of the Shelby Clone -





Rocket.

Posted by: elantragt Jul 25 2011, 05:10 PM

Cool update as always Rocket. The Elantra looks pretty good actually and it would be awesome to see you work on it.
And it is stinkin hot, especially around my area. We hit 107 (42 Celsius I think) the other day which is way too hot for me.

Posted by: Rocket Jul 25 2011, 05:32 PM

Thanks Mitch. Guess i am a glutton for punishment. We are very short staffed at work again this week, but i could probably fly over on friday if the flights are cheap.
My son bought another Ford Territory from Melbourne last week, and wouldn`t you know it - flights were $300 to Melbourne because of school holidays, so my son Brad and his missus drove over to fetch the car. Can`t do that this week. Hopefully flights are back to the $100 that we normally pay.

Better go and check the airlines.

Rocket.

Posted by: mundayoreo Jul 25 2011, 06:32 PM

Rocket...I am in absolute awe of what you can do with an Elantra. My car shines but nothing compared to the diamond facets you turn out. I am tempted to polish my car with compund but was told many years ago by a friend to be careful not to burn it. I have some swirls and some scratches although not deep, they do take away from the shine of a nice clean carbon blue Elantra. Just rambling a bit here but again...great work.

Posted by: Rocket Jul 26 2011, 05:15 AM

Mitch, Those temperatures are similar to what we experience in Adelaide every summer. Our January/February temperatures regularly hit around 40 degrees, with the occasional 42/43 degree days. Hits you like an oven when you go outside. Feel for you at the moment because we are reading that your hot spell is lingering without relief in sight. Hope you have good air conditioning to keep cool.

mundayoreo, Appreciate your kind words. Thanks. I am nothing special at polishing cars. I simply conducted a lot of internet research on the various car detailing forums to find out which polishing machine and polishes the expert detailers are using. Found out the Flex Polishing machine together with Menzerna Polishes were the way to go for someone like myself to achieve above average results.
In the USA and Canada - You guys are very fortunate to be able to buy the Flex 3401 VRG forced rotation orbital polisher for around $300. I had to pay over double that amount!
With the purchase of some good Microfiber cloths, Menzerna polishes and the Flex machine together with Lake Country Pads - after a bit of practice you can achieve the same results. The golden rule to avoid burning your paint is to keep the machine moving at all times. Not quickly, just keep it moving slowly - but never ever stationary. Also buff up to an edge but not across one. It is actually the fast spinning rotary buff machines that are bad for burning paints for inexperienced users.

Suggest you check out the Autogeek Forum to learn more about the process. I buy a lot of my supplies from Autogeek. Here is a Link to their forum -

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/

Good luck.

Rocket.

Posted by: Rocket Aug 30 2011, 07:28 AM

Hi Guys, Thought you might like to have a look at the 66 Hertz Clone all finished. Here it is -





The owner is thrilled to bits with it. He only took about a week to get it all back together and on the road.

On a slightly sad ( for us ) note, Andy - our panel/paint man left his employment with us after the above car was finished. We advertised for a new bloke and finally we can announce that Luke - A qualified tradesman with 22 years experience started with us a couple of days ago. He seems a very fastidious man in his work, and a clean freak to boot. Good stuff! Hope he works out. We started a restoration on a red 69 Mach1 on Monday. I will put up some photos of progress.

I did not end up buying the Elantra in the post above, but i have bought a different car - just today. A replacement for my beloved Statesman. What do you think -











It is a 6.0 litre Holden Statesman Caprice. These are the cars that GMH are trying to sell to the USA Police Depatments. They are the flagship of the Holden range. Lots of power from that 6.0 litre V8 with 6 speed auto transmission.

Have to go to bed early so that i can drop my son at the airport early in the morning. He is flying to Melbourne to pick up the Caprice and drive it home. He should be back with the car early tomorrow evening. Can`t wait to get my bum in that drivers seat.

Will give the car a 5 stage Autopian polish with the Flex machine over the weekend.

Rocket.

Posted by: elantragt Aug 30 2011, 10:45 PM

The 'stang looks great!

6 litre V-8 in the Statesman? How big is that car?

Posted by: Rocket Aug 30 2011, 11:43 PM

Hi Mitch, The Caprice is a stretched version of the Holden Commodore. Here are some details about the cars -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_WM_Caprice

You should be seeing them driven around by the police later this year, labelled as the Chevrolet Caprice.\

My son is driving it back from Melbourne right now. He was sitting on 150klm/hr when i spoke with him, you could not even tell he was in a car. Very quiet, very smooth and very fast. ( although i did suggest he slows down a bit!)

Rocket.

Posted by: ronjr8102 Aug 31 2011, 12:47 AM

mustang looks mint!!
The caprice looks like it would be a nice cruiser: quiet, smooth and powerful

Posted by: Rocket Aug 31 2011, 06:51 AM

Hi ronjr, my son arrived back from Melbourne at knock off time. He actually drove past me while i was sitting at traffic lights on the way home. Boy, does that car have presence on the road.
He washed the car when he arrived home and then brought it over to our place. Poor bugger had been up since 3 AM this morning -was hoping he would just go to bed and get some sleep. Probably a bit hard for him- he has 5 young children.

I am absolutely blown away by this car. Have wanted this model Caprice ever since they were released in 2006. Problem is brand new they cost $70,000 - no way i could afford that price.

Took it for a drive and it is everything i was hoping for and more. Even has DVD players in the back of the headrests. Will take some photos of it tomorrow while it gets the "Flex" treatment.

Here are a couple of progress pics showing the Blue Mach1 resto. Front and rear screens were finally fitted today, which means we can now put the front of the car back together -







Here is the Red Mach1 that we started on Monday -







More photos here -

http://photobucket.com/69mach1resto

Rocket.

Posted by: elantragt Aug 31 2011, 07:50 AM

That Mach looks a lot better in red than the blue.

Posted by: Rocket Sep 7 2011, 06:08 AM

Hi Fellas, been driving the Caprice for a few days now - and liking it more each day. Funny bit is i really, really like my old Statesman. Only reason for changing to the Caprice is the old Statesman now has 140,000 on the odometer, nothing whatsoever wrong with it, but i worry that during one of our low flying trips down to the South East something could go wrong with it. The trip is 450klm each way and not a lot of towns on the way. So guess i am updating for peace of mind.

As i type this the pain in my groin is not fun. Have been giving the Caprice a 4 stage Menzerna Polish. So far i have done the bonnet, roof, bootlid and right hand side. It is worth the effort -





For those interested in Autopian car polishing, the process is being done with the Flex polisher and Menzerna polishes.
Stage 1 ) P203S on orange ccs pad
Stage 2 ) P106FF on white ccs pad
Stage 3 ) P106FF on fine green ccs pad
Stage 4 ) PO85RD on black ccs pad.
This will be followed by 4 coats of ChemGuys Jetseal109 Sealant, allowing 24 hours between coats. So far it has had only one coat of Jetseal.

Was a bit disappointed with the wheels that came on the car, so on Monday i ordered a set of factory original Caprice Series 2 Wheels with Yokohama tyres. They arrived from Sydney today. We wasted no time in fitting them to the car -





The new wheels are not as sporty as the old ones which were scratched up pretty badly with kerb rash. The old tyres were only 25mm sidewalls which meant i felt the bumps too much. The new Yokohamas are 45mm - much better! I chose these wheels because they are on the new Caprices rolling out of the factory today. Wanted the sedate luxury saloon look. My sons reckon i am getting old. I sure feel old right now!

Rocket.

Posted by: silet Sep 7 2011, 08:37 AM

What is the reason we can't get some of these Chevies in the states???

Posted by: Rocket Sep 7 2011, 11:50 AM

Hi silet, There are some of these Caprices in the USA right now. They are being built for Police Departments. Check out this Link -

http://www.themotorreport.com.au/52105/holden-built-caprice-patrol-cars-hitting-us-streets

General Motors Holden also exported some Holden SS Commodores to the USA only a couple of years back. From memory they were badged as the Pontiac G8? For some unknown reason they never sold in big volumes. You guys don`t know what you were missing. Found a Link -

http://www.topspeed.com/cars/pontiac-g8/ke2235.html

Great cars.

Here is another one to check out. The new Ford Territory SUV. My son is about to buy a new one -

http://www.themotorreport.com.au/51641/2011-ford-sz-territory-ts-awd-diesel-review

Surely you guys have got some nice cars being built in the USA. The new Elantra for instance.

But sadly the muscle car V8 rear wheel drive has a limited time frame left. So we better enjoy them while we can.

Rocket.

Posted by: silet Sep 7 2011, 03:11 PM

Hi Rocket. My cousin did buy a G8 and I have driven it a couple of times. What an awesome car!!! The problem is Chevy didn't have a version and when Pontiac disappeared, so did the G8. My cousin acually went out and bought it when we first heard about Pontiac going away.

Posted by: Silentwolf Sep 14 2011, 09:46 AM

I wish Ford would bring the Falcon XRs stateside.

Posted by: Rocket Sep 18 2011, 06:24 AM

silet, your cousin has excellent taste in cars. The G8 is a superb car which i think would have the same 6.0Litre engine as my Caprice. Have just returned from a trip down the South East. Sitting on 115klm/hr it was only doing about 1700 rpm! Already had 2 speeding fines in the last month so i just was not game to sink my boot into it. Bloody cops drive in country areas with speed cameras hanging out the drivers window now so us speed maniacs have got no hope now! Bugger!

Silentwolf, there is a new FG Mark2 Falcon being released in November which is already receiving high praise within the motor industry. Would love to drive an FG XR6 Turbo. Will find a Link and post it for you.
My son ordered a new Ford Territory Turbo Diesel on friday. Will not be here for a few weeks, but as soon as he gets it i will take and post some photos.

Have just returned home from the South East a bit sore. Still chopping down trees. 6 trailer loads to the tip on this trip and probably another dozen or so over the next few trips. Gets a bit cold down there so we took an inverter split system air conditioner down with us and had it installed. What a difference it made. Took the chill right off. Best upgrade yet. Took a couple of photos of the Caprice on the way -





The blue Mach1 is progressing well. Should be able to drive it next week -





Taking the Grande for a Mustang show in Melbourne next month. Will be the first big drive in the car. Looking forward to it. Even toying with the idea of having a towbar fitted so that we can take it together with the trailer on our trips down the South East. Good idea or Lame?



Rocket.

Posted by: elantragt Sep 19 2011, 09:16 PM

Thanks for the update.

Posted by: elantraelite Nov 4 2011, 05:58 PM

Hey Rocket,

I'm getting me 05 Elantra passenger side resprayed because some idiot thought it would be nice of them to open their XR6 car door into mine. So I'm getting the dent repaired (it's extremely fine, but just bugs me being there)

I was wondering is Solid Black (colour code EB) a hard colour to colour match? The place I'm getting it done at offered to repair it for $500 and thats also to do the rear door so it all matches.

Is there anything I really should know before getting it done? I'm paranoid im going to get my car back and not matched properly.

Thanks heaps!

Posted by: Rocket Apr 23 2012, 03:32 PM

Hi elantraelite, Sorry... I did not see your post as i have not been on for a while.

Am guessing that you had the door repaired a long time ago? Colour match for the solid black would have been fine i think.
How did it go? Photos?

I received an Email from ElantraClub asking why i have not posted lately. Fact is - i feel a bit of an imposter now because i still have not bought another Elantra. Still want one, but we have been very busy and so i have not even been looking for one lately. Better rectify that soon!

If it is ok with you, i can post about our Mustang Adventures in the meantime.

We have just returned from a 11 day trip to the Mustang Nationals in Newcastle NSW.
Here is my favourite photo of the trip -



That is our 2 Mach1 Mustangs on the starting grid at Mount Panorama, Bathurst NSW. I hope you all know what Mt Panorama is all about.
It is where our main V8 Supercar race is held in October each year. The track is actually a 2 way public road through the year. We stopped off
at Bathurst on our way to Newcastle to do a few laps around the mountain. What an absolute thrill for us. In the above photo, we drove the cars onto the starting grid and quickly took a couple of photos, but had to move fast because a bus was coming toward us.

The 2 Mach1`s are now registered and on the road.We took them to Newcastle and entered them into the Concours judging. Both cars won Silver awards. We were absolutely stoked! It had been a race to have the red mach1 finished in time for the Nationals. We only just managed to finish it the day before we left.
Here are some more photos of our Newcastle trip -
http://photobucket.com/sacrewnationals2012
If it interests you, here is a Thread about the red mach1 restoration on the Mustang Owners Club Forum -
http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/viewthread.php?tid=15537

Rocket.

Posted by: elantragt Apr 23 2012, 03:40 PM

Wow, glad you came by Rocket.

You're always welcome here.

Posted by: Alex2011Sonata Apr 23 2012, 07:58 PM

Hey Rocket, while this is the "Elantra Club" it is filled with a lot of car enthusiasts who thoroughly enjoy your posts and write ups. Congrats on the awards for the Mustangs. They look absolutely fantastic! Glad to see you stop by

Posted by: benman Apr 24 2012, 08:36 AM

Thanks for posting that -- I like 'em.

Posted by: Rocket Apr 25 2012, 11:38 AM

Wow! Thanks for you kind words guys, they are much appreciated.

We have had an extremely busy few months. As soon as we returned from the Melbourne trip back in October, we began moving into our new factory/showroom complex -





We had simply run out of room in the old place. The offices and wardrobe factory are now all together in the one building, while the cars are in the rear building. We are much more secure too! Great to be able to slide the gate shut when we leave and be reasonably confident that it will all be there the next day. No more graffiti everywhere.
We also desperately needed a decent spray booth. One of the first things we did was to buy a used unit and had it installed -





This all happened just on the xmas break. We were all looking forward to the holidays, but seemed like they were over too quickly.
Started off the new year at the new premises with a bit of a Mustang display -







While our new panel beater/ spray painter Luke made himself busy on the red mach1 body, another problem required sorting out.
My older and slightly invalid brother was having problems with his house which he was renting. A change of property manager meant that a new non smoking policy was introduced. Steve had succumbed to a life of booze and cigs after 2 ex wives had taken him for everything he had.
He was receiving abusive phone calls from the new rental manager "Don`t effing smoke in that house", to which Steve would reply "go and get ......"
Steve is too old to change his ways. It was silly really, because Steve is very clean and tidy in his house.
To help him out, we decided to invest in a small home for him. Searched and found a slightly run down home nearby. This is it -



All my spare time is currently being spent renovating and upgrading the home for him. About 2/3rds the way done now. Will be good to get finished and have a break. Oh.... I told Steve " Smoke as much as you effing well like! " The way he keeps the house clean and tidy, it is not an issue.
Some more photos of what i am dealing with -







Getting betternow -





Next post i will detail the red mach1 resto.

Rocket.

Posted by: elantragt Apr 25 2012, 02:11 PM

Keep the updates coming! I know a lot of us (myself included) find this stuff very interesting.

Posted by: NevynPA Apr 25 2012, 02:41 PM

You guys have lots of Mustangs down there...but have you ever had a Cougar come through?

Posted by: HyundaiMunday Apr 25 2012, 03:07 PM

I think i'm going to put my Elantra in a box and mail it to you to get a little TLC done only the way you can.

Posted by: elantraelite May 5 2012, 06:07 AM

Posted by: ejwagon May 5 2012, 08:38 PM

Hey Rocket, just wondering where you got the leather wheel rap done for the i30? I have just purchased a run around 05 Elantra and find the feel of the steering wheel a little second rate. Sounds like I am not to far from you.

I have attached a shot of our new run about and my other toy that I have just finished reserrecting.