HQ SS

Paint Formula SS PPG

2011-11-12T15:22:00.000-08:00

Ready for colour

2011-10-19T01:40:00.000-07:00

Finally we are ready for colour. What a challenge this has been. Being a person from the panel trade I have found this possibly more difficult then stretching cars. Which I have also done.
To attempt to match the paint peel, over spray, nuts, bolts, leave factory ripples, rough welds and poor gaps has been difficult and the exact opposite to what I know.
Anyway I have put a great effort into this car and hope this information is useful.
There is still heaps to go so keep watching.
For those that ask what products I use, here is why I don't show it. I will not advertise for big company's for nothing. END OF STORY!
And yes this car will be FOR SALE once complete.
And our photo shoots have been done for Concourse Parts. Dash Fascias, Sun Visors & Crash Pads. Phone Concourse Parts on 02 44231215.
Or email: sales@concourseparts.com.au

Ready for colour

2011-10-19T01:36:00.001-07:00

Front panels on

2011-09-23T23:34:00.001-07:00

Guard rubbers

2011-09-23T23:26:00.000-07:00

Front guards

2011-09-23T23:21:00.001-07:00

Radiator support done.

2011-09-17T18:27:00.001-07:00

Radiator support complete. Once the sand blasting was done slight rust pin holes appeared on the battery side.
Luckily very easy repair.
Also of interest to restorer's that want's there work to last is the axsess holes in the radiator support at the bottom.
This allows for end-rusting to ensure long life for the support.
I simply fit grommets once the end-rusting is done.
I always do these on the rotor you will get the best results.
Both with paint and end-rusting. I made special mounts that bolt to the radiator support, a bit of time but well worth it.
These where dipped at the factory not possible for us due to cost.

All the way back to the boot lid

2011-09-17T17:25:00.000-07:00

All the way back to the boot lid.
As there are two types of boot for the HQ series, naturally the incorrect one was used.
The early model have no crash control. The early lid runs wright up until 1974.
I have a 4/74 6/74 and 8/74 all run the early lid.

Lets go the weather is wright

2011-09-14T01:22:00.000-07:00

It's been a while now, and finally the SS has let it's carcoon.
You would not believe what is going on behind the scenes.
Bolts, bolts and more bolts.
Bolt correct rebuilds are beyond belief.
And by bolt correct I mean bolt correct! Correct colour and markings on heads & even year correct to the best of my ability .
Not a poetic licence on what others think they are, or are easy to purchase. All bolts on these cars are genuine GM and nothing else. Nothing else will do.

2010-08-27T14:49:00.000-07:00

Progress

2009-11-07T00:12:00.001-08:00

GTS RIMS COMPLETE

2009-11-06T20:00:00.001-08:00

Tyre's fitted TOYO 205/70R14 95T 330

Grey inside

2009-11-04T10:44:00.000-08:00

GTS WHEELS

2009-11-02T22:30:00.000-08:00

The early Canadian rally wheels are quite different than the Aussie made ones.
The Canadian pressings are quite defined and sharp compered to the Aussie ones.
There construction technique is different.
The quickest way to pick them is with the tyre removed they have huge spot welds as aganst the Aussie ones that are stitched welded from the back.
Also an original Canadian rim is painted Grey on the inside and also on inner side of the rim.
Paint colour are silver 350 and grey 350.The colour numbers form an original dulux formula book will tell you the correct numbers. The grey 350 has a green paint splash on it so is not viable when scaned so here it is 577-13384. Also the tinter numbered 3038 is a flattening base so both grey 350 and silver 350 are not a gloss.
They are flat.
So to do a restoration on your rims you will need three colours. Paint inside first then the grey then lastley the silver.
These rims are also date coded see http://hqdatecodes.blogspot.com/

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE

2009-10-27T03:06:00.000-07:00

Front Brakes PBR Early

2009-10-27T02:58:00.001-07:00

Rear Brakes

2009-10-25T23:50:00.001-07:00

What a job these are with a combination of finisher including Black Zinc nature steel Rainbow zinc metal blackner and also the the under body black.

Scott Wilson www.concourseparts.com.au

2009-10-23T19:56:00.001-07:00

Back to the SS diff fitted and ready for brakes and axles. Oil added 1425mls. Note correct rainbow zinc diff plug.
The OK Stickers for internal restoration use only not original on HQs.

Scott Wilson Special interest parts

2009-10-13T00:41:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos of anti rattle rubbers for HQ holdens this paticular car is a 2/1972 hq holden wagon Melbourne built. Photo for reference on the location of this part.
Also to those who know it all the paint masking on the firewall is the same as a Sydney built car.
Also have checked the colour of the firewall with a colour card from the sydney car and they match as well.

Diff ready for installation

2009-08-12T00:37:00.000-07:00

Diff complete new bearing preload done.
Axles bearings fitted.

Diff ready for installation.

Dash Panel.

2009-08-08T04:14:00.000-07:00

The semi gloss black is on the glove box lid and the dash panel. This semi gloss is used in various places on the car.
(DULON number 578-4149)
1. Dash panel glove box
2. Steering column
3. Hand brake lever
4. Hand brake cover
5. Black out around door frames and window separator
6. Steering wheel spoke
7. Indicator stalk
8. Lower dash panel lower RH Side

A must do if you want the car to last

2009-08-08T03:09:00.000-07:00

Sealing door hinges before final fitment. This is a classic mistake that most take no notice off. You must use a chalking compound around the hinges if not you will create water leaks into the pillars. They will then over flow and capillary action will take place creating rust in floor pans etc. It will also create humidity which will dampen the whole inertia of the car.
A wet car is a rusty car.
GM always sealed under the hinges however they did not paint under them. The hinges were fitted when the car was in bare metal.

2009-08-06T04:31:00.000-07:00

Proof coat layout

2009-08-04T02:21:00.000-07:00

Bolt and over spray correct rebuild except nothing else.
All the rest are also ran's

Proof coat well here is what i have found. There was a specific spray pattern used. I have inner guards from all plants and the same each time within 20mm + or - 10mm.The proof coat is only applied to the rear of the inner guard, this makes sense to me as that is where most of the stones will hit.
Of interest is the the proof coat was applied before the splash shields were fitted.
There is also a good example of the staples used in the fitment of the splash shields.

The staples is always a good way to check the quality of a rebuild if this is note done the restorer is really not having a real go.

Click on image to enlarge.

Progress

2009-07-24T03:09:00.001-07:00

The H frame is in and all suspension underway.

Suede finish dash top

2009-07-09T01:15:00.001-07:00

I will give specific details when time permits.

50 hours and boot complete

2009-07-08T00:59:00.000-07:00

Ok the boot inner complete The colour is the blue grey the same as the firewall. Seam sealing was challenging as the original tar like material is not procurable. We have used urethane. To create that original look we used a 15mm artist brush with hard brisilles to create a copy of what GM had done.
We only have one more application for the blue Grey and that is under both wheel houses. The paint was applied directly over the proof coat. The edge of the rails are masked to stop over spray. Of proof coat and colour.

Firewall Black/Grey

2009-06-12T00:36:00.001-07:00

Firewall complete and in the correct sequence as per factory.Note the line lay out it goes from the front edge of the guard mounting bolt on the top hole to the rear of the centre bolt hole and back to the front of the lower mount hole. This is accurate for this Sydney built car.
Point of interest is that the black/Grey closest to the sill panel was different from right to left.
Possibly meaning there were two people masking the firewall one on each side.

Colour on over spray correct

2009-06-10T03:50:00.001-07:00

Detail is what this car is all about, when this car was manufactured in the sydney plant the cowling vent panel was placed on the rear parcel shelf when painted we duplicated this detail as we believe it is important.
All over spray on the floor pans is as close to original as possible.
Please note inner wheel houses inside are to be blacked at a later stage.
Reason for black is when looking at rear seat you can not see red oxide or body colour.

ss

2009-05-25T02:24:00.000-07:00

Paint On

2009-05-24T00:17:00.000-07:00

Primer is on and we have matched it to the original RED OXIDE. There is only one more colour to add the blue grey on the firewall boot and wheel houses.

File finish complete

2009-05-02T00:45:00.000-07:00

Moving along.

2009-04-16T01:55:00.000-07:00

Finally the SS has all its panels on they have been fitted and gapped and aligned.
Now the work starts file finish the complete shell. This will take 10 days or more.
Note the Bumper bar has already been pre fitted to ensure correct alignment.
Lets see if the platers can wreck it.

First colour underbody paint on

2009-03-26T02:05:00.000-07:00

The first paint is laid on. To the layman it may look black but it is not.
The syntax at this stage is of high importance. The next coat for this car is red oxide. This will need to be applied using a body shell jig. We are now attempting to duplicate GM and how they went about painting in a production line environment. This will involve overspray on the base paint. I have studied various HQs now and I see a pattern to how they were painted.
Also of importance is the rust prevention. If you look at the inner sill panel you will see 25mm holes. We have drilled 20 of these in all the important areas to improve the metal protection.
I use only Tectoyl 506 as it is without a doubt the best rust protection money can buy.
Fishoil is about as useful as salt water. This body was tectoyled on the rotor in ever angle possible. 8 litres just on the shell.

Points of interest HQ.
1. DIPPED FROM FACTORY TO WASTE LINE.
2. FIRE WALL AND BOOT FLOOR PAINT (BLUE GREY) SAME COLOUR.
And not a match to underbody.

Body shell bare metal.

2009-03-20T01:38:00.001-07:00

Once all the paint is chemically removed you will expose the real car and this one is fantastic. All factory lead loads in place and all A1.
Take a look at the rear end shot and you will see the 4 factory lead loads all in place.
There has been a small unacceptable repair on the beaver tail near fuel neck aperture. This will be easily rectified.
The cowl panel looked A1, but I have repaired too many of these cars to let it go through without proper inspection.
If you take a look at the cowl panel shot you will notice a join mark at 250mm from the cowl corner crossing the cowl to the rear corner where the guard mounts. I always remove these panels so the plenum chamber and pillar can be inspected and repaired correctly.
Also the dried out old sealer can be replaced. This car on inspection had the start of a rust problem in the plenum it has been rectified with a new section of plenum.
Sealer has been renewed and the cowl top has been reinstalled.
PS we also stripped the boot floor and wheel houses inside.
NEXT to do.
So what next... is the complete cleaning of all sheet metal. Then we can move on to painting the floor pan underside. The trick with these is to get the paint right you will need three colours. The first colour on is black. Not just black anything, but a grey black as most of the mechanical components are. After much study of components we have found that the are all nearly the same colour from control arms to steering box, radiator support, inner guards etc.
This is only correct for HQ. I have not studied HJ HX HZ, however I know WB had a more brown colour. Anyway that's another day.

Paint on

2009-02-22T23:11:00.000-08:00

The paint ls now on we eye matched a NOS rear floor pan and cross checked with a one owner wagon we purchased.
Please note these parts are not black they are far from it. If you have used black you are way of for a concourse rebuild.
All other components are complete just requiring assembly.

Parts Required

2009-02-21T23:22:00.000-08:00

1.Ball joints lower YES
2.Front bar
3.Rear bar
4.Rear bar light lenses (NOS)
5.Air cleaner(253)HQ
6.Grill
7.Front bar lenses(clear)(NOS)
8.Fuel tank
9.Steering wheel(NOS)
10.seat belts
11.Headlight rims(NOS)
12.Headlights
13.Scuff plates(NOS)
14.SS Decals
15.Tyres
16.Parcel shelf bored(NOS)
17.Ignition lock and key(NOS)
18.GTS Guards
19.Rubbers(NOS)
20.Kick panels
21.Boot mat
22.Washer pump Lucas(NOS)
23.Washer pump bottle
24.Bonnet cable(NOS)
25Gear knob(NOS)
26. Glove box inner
27.Door Trims
28.Striker bolts
29.Plug leads red ends(NOS)
30.

Let's raise the BAR and let the games begin !!!

2009-02-17T01:01:00.001-08:00

We are now under way. A visit to the sand blaster reveals 37 year old metal all still in A1 condition. Not a crack in the H frame anywhere. The common stress fracture at the control arm mounting point is A1. All measurement are A1. Diagonals are all within specifications. So we are good to go for paint and the assembly of the H frame.
GM would be proud of the old girl!

ss tags

2009-01-25T18:09:00.001-08:00

Contacts for parts

2008-10-25T21:33:00.000-07:00

Concourse parts 02 44231215 Scott
Classic OZ Wreck 02 49594546 Greg
Monaro Muscle Parts , Melbourne Victoria 03 9505-6404 James

Black outs and position

2008-10-25T21:26:00.001-07:00

The black outs are done prior to front end assembly as can be seen in the below photo. All this is important if a concourse restoration is your outcome .

Proof coats and sealer

2008-10-25T21:25:00.003-07:00

Paint colours

2008-10-25T21:25:00.001-07:00

Click on image for a full window

The under body, firewall, boot area all reveal some interesting points as to what may have been the process involved on the day.
The first thing is that the floor pan is a combination of colours. Starting as a Grey black paint , the car is then sprayed in primmer (red oxide) and then its body colour with the doors fitted. The boot area and firewall are painted at a later stage and are not BLACK. They are a Blue grey colour. This colour is also used under the rear wheel houses over the proof coat as can be seen in the photo above right. The proof coat extends down to the bottom of the chassis rail which was masked along the outer edge.

Tail shaft??????????

2008-10-24T02:17:00.000-07:00

The above images are the tail shaft from our HQ SS. Some interesting points to note.
The shaft is painted white, certainly factory as original balance plates are still there.
Also of interest is that the yoke was also painted.
There is a number I suspect to be a date code 46.2 who knows?

Engine Bay splash sheild HQ

2008-09-26T22:38:00.000-07:00

Ok let's take a look at the splash shieds on a HQ. If you thought they are all the same to WB you would be incorrect.

1. While the general shape is the same, its mounting technique is different. Staples and trim clips do the mounting.
2. The splash shields have not been removed, they are pliable and not ripped. This is one more great indicator of a low mile car. For those with an eye for detail, notice the upper control arm rubber that is in shot. Also the starter motor lead retainer.

Click on image to view full screen.

Checking the engine bay detail.

2008-09-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

This car has some amazing points considering the extensive time it has been parked in the open under a tree. (15YEARS) Luckily a part of the broken front screen had the year and date of last registration . One of the first things that came to my attention was the low mileage 35683.9 could this be true for a car 36 years old? Let's take a look at some of the points that are tell tale signs to a low mileage car.
I will start the investigation under the bonnet and work our way through the car. This report will be done in sections are there are far to many point to cover in one go. The below image of the engine exposes this cars originality. I will do this in point format for simplicity.

1. All hose clamps original item.
2. Radiator hoses are genuine GM PN/ 7437639. Heater hoses I am not sure.
3. Engine paint original. Note the over spray onto the inlet manifold. This was standard on most V8 engines.
4. The factory amp meter wire (RED) routed down the passengers side rocker cover intact and still pliable. Engine harness has no peeling tape or brittle sections a sure sign of low miles.
5. The original spark plug wire retainers still there.

To view image full size click on image

Surface Finishes in the engine bay

2008-09-26T02:07:00.000-07:00

I have seen many restored cars over the years. I have been mostly disappointed.
People lack of detail is simply unacceptable to me. We will endeavor to create a list of surface finishes that where used in and around the engine bay.
Once we have completed the engine we will move on to all remaining sub straights.
This detail alone will change the way a car looks once complete.
Please note that different methods out side of what we are suggesting may have been used. Manufactures may have changed materials or GM may have made improvements. So remember this is only a guide, we are basing our information on a 12 month 1972 Holden SS. The car is quite original and most surfaces will be identifiable.
1. Zinc silver
2. Rainbow zinc
3. Galvanizing
4. Etch primers used in manufacture
5.

Engine Bay

2008-09-25T01:20:00.000-07:00

Click on image to view full screen.

Pick up at seven hills Sydney 24/8/08 300pm.