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View Full Version : 1955 FJ Holden Sedan Restoration



19brendan81
2nd Sep 2015, 02:26 PM
I have been restoring a 1955 FJ Holden Special for about 18 months now so I have made some progress which I will document in this thread.

I bought the car from my suburb in Canberra quite spontaneously. I have owned two other old holdens prior to this one and was eager for another to do as a project. I found this one locally and got it for 5 grand which was pretty good as it was complete and running (I drove it home) and had already been upgraded to a red motor, HR disc brake front end and a celica 5 speed. These things make an excellent start if you want your car to be a daily driver which I do.

Not long after buying it I realized that since my Dad and brother had completed a similar upgrade to an 1960 FB holden new rules had come into play. These rules are actually guidelines and are known as VSB14 and dictate what modifications can be made to an old car. The ACT government in all its wisdom has decided that under these rules HR front ends cannot be installed in an FJ as it makes the front track (distance between centers of wheels) too wide. This is despite every engineer in the country saying that this is a sensible modification that is vastly safer than the stock narrow drum brake front end that featured on the FJ.

So after months of wrangling and arguing I have given up and recently bought a kingpin front end and grey motor to put in the car. The car will be built that way and hopefully this thread encourages me to do it and a more spritely pace than has occurred over the past 18 months!

19brendan81
2nd Sep 2015, 02:41 PM
The first step of any old holden restoration, particularly the FX and FJ, is rust repair. The sills on these things ALWAYS rust out. I laugh everytime I see an add in a magazine spruiking an 'original, rust free FJ'. Much like unicorns, fairies and father Christmas original rust free FJs are the realm of fantasy and imagination.

The sills in this car had already been replacd at least once before I bought it, and you can see that it was quite a poor job (photo attached). The welding in particular left a lot to be desired.

The rest of the photos in this post show you the state that the sills were in when I got the car. If you are looking at a car that has rust holes like mine, even if its only a few, you can be assured the sills are absolutely shot.

NB having trouble uploading photos - will do so later

Gerbilsquasher
2nd Sep 2015, 07:59 PM
Have you spoken to an engineer about the disc brake conversion? I am sure something could be done to have both front disc brakes and the original track.

For instance, there was a kit (Rod Hadfield?) which allowed you to put Torana discs and calipers on to drum brake stub axles with an adaptor plate, which means that the original crossmember can be retained.

19brendan81
7th Sep 2015, 02:29 PM
Hi Gerbil,

Yes I have heard of that conversion and will probably do it after rego. One of the blokes on the FJ forum actually has HR discs on his kingpin front which is what I will explore as I have HR discs already. I don't want to go down the engineering route though as if I build my car to mostly stock condition I can get it registered at the local servo. They will pass a car with slight mods but if they see discs on there they might ask for engineering and this is problematic because the ACT government have advised me that if I make a single modification to my car, even if the engine remains stock, then the whole car needs to be brought up to VSB14 standard...which means installing seatbelts, indicators, collapsible steering column, 2 speed wipers, split brake system, heater/demister etc etc etc. Will add thousands and thousands to my build, not to mention immense complexity. For instance I don't even know if its possible to install a collapsible steering column to a king pin front end.

Again this is unique to ACT as other states will generally only apply the full VSB14 treatment if you install a high performance motor.

The lesson here is that if you are in the ACT don't buy an FJ to modify - its too farken hard. Stick with the heavier wider cars from EK onwards as you can get HR front ends in them easily and also put in bigger motors due to the increased weight.

19brendan81
7th Sep 2015, 03:31 PM
Photo uploader seems to be working now so here are some progress shots.

Dirt1 - shows the dirt that accumulates behind the sills causing rust
Dirt2 - shows the same dirt on my floor. I pulled a 20L bucket worth of this stuff out of the sills. It looks the same as crushed granite used for road surfaces...probably because I think that's exactly what it is.
Floor Repair - shows a previous repair that I cut out and replaced.
Inner Sill - shot of inside the sill after cutting out the outer sill and removing dirt then hitting rust with wire wheel. Inner sills were then cut out and also replaced.
Right Center - shows what the car looked like before - a couple of innocuous holes through the sills are tell tale signs of the horror that lives inside.
Right Inner Sill Rust - shows a badly rusted inner sill (taken from under the car)
Sill Removed - shows a portion of the outer sill which I cut out, and rust behind it.
358259 358254358255358256358257358258358253358260- shows someones best effort to weld up wafer thin rusty steel with a MIG

KBs PensNmore
7th Sep 2015, 05:08 PM
Hi Brendan, what are the Y frames like? I had to repair a nephews FJ in that spot, someone repaired it once before, with toilet paper and black jack???
The easiest way to a full repair on that scale is to put it on a rotisserie, welding can be done in a position that is convenient, rather than overhead.
Looking forward to seeing more resto work on it.
Kryn

19brendan81
7th Sep 2015, 05:22 PM
Y frames were good. The sills (inner and outer), drivers floor and both dog legs were the worst. All of that was cut out and replaced. theres smaller areas of rust under rear passenger seat and in the boot which I will just repair.

I have done the hard graft now, thankfully. It wasn't pleasant to do. Didn't have a rotisserie so just did it all on my back with a TIG. Have a few smaller bits to finish off but its largely ready for some paint now. I think ill use that bituminous stuff to try cover a lot of the repairs.

Have lots more photos to share once I dig them up from various places!

Brendan

KBs PensNmore
7th Sep 2015, 05:45 PM
Hi Brendan, one word of advise, don't cover the repairs with under seal until after inspection, they tend to think shoddy workmanship. DAMHIKT. Sure give a coat of light paint to prevent rust but leave it so welds etc can be seen.
Kryn

19brendan81
29th Dec 2016, 09:38 PM
365905365906

Some photos of more progress on the car. Today I welded up all the holes in the firewall and etch primed ahead of paint tomorrow. I filled pretty much everything, most factory holes plus the million odd bodgy self tapper holes made be previously half arsed modification attempts.

19brendan81
29th Dec 2016, 09:41 PM
This is the partially rebuilt kingpin front end. Colour is monza red and that's what the body colour will be. There's a thousand bucks worth of parts in this front end, and despite that it will still handle like a boat most likely! 365907

KBs PensNmore
29th Dec 2016, 11:12 PM
Stupid bureaucrats wouldn't know safety on a motor vehicle if it bit them on the backside. They know better than an engineer?? A friend of mine bought a Suzuki Sierra and fitted it with a "1.6" Mitsubishi motor, took it to rego inspection and they queried him on the tyres, he'd fitted wider tyres, but it was under track, so they knocked him back. Fitted standard wheels and it was OK. The 1.6 and 2 litre motors are identical, only difference is in the engine numbers, he fitted the 2 litre into his, and it went like the clappers. Amazing how the engine numbers got onto the 2 litre block, he doesn't know how it happened either:D.
Kryn

.RC.
30th Dec 2016, 11:59 PM
Stupid bureaucrats wouldn't know safety on a motor vehicle if it bit them on the backside. They know better than an engineer??

I am still amazed I am not allowed to fit three wires onto a plug without a special licence.

But in this day and age working on the brakes or some other vital car part with no formal qualifications is all fine and dandy.

KBs PensNmore
31st Dec 2016, 02:54 PM
If you're not allowed to fit 3 wires into a plug/socket/switch, how come they can be purchased at any hardware store??
As you say about the brakes, you're allowed to drive a vehicle that you can service with no prior knowledge!!!!!
Even so called mechanics stuff up, I know that from experience.
It is absolutely crazy isn't it.

19brendan81
31st Dec 2016, 03:06 PM
The most frustrating thing for me is the inconsistency. The ACT government refuse to allow a modification that every other state and territory does. It's arrogant and pig headed.

Anyway, more work today. The firewall is now a nice blank canvas to work with. 365941

KBs PensNmore
31st Dec 2016, 08:13 PM
Would it be possible to register it in NSW and then transfer the rego across to ACT? If the vehicle was registered in another state, it then should be OK for ACT. Are there any modified cars there, I can't see that you'd be the only one, or a car club that would help you?
Kryn

19brendan81
3rd Jan 2017, 09:40 AM
Trust me Kryn - I have looked at it from every angle, and nothing is possible. I come from a family of vehicle modifiers, I know the rules well myself, I have spoken to three different engineers and people in the FJ club and its just not going to happen. It doesn't bother me that much anyway, Ive made my decision and the cars being built largely as a stock vehicle.