Orange GS Wagon

[Bruce H]

Hi Andrew
Great work. I'll have to update the photo on the Register.
I spent the day going the other way, disassembling the dash/ firewall area of my gold Pallas which is destined for cutting up. The more I remove the more rust I find, so I'm regretting the decision to scrap it less and less each day. I'm also finding foam and insulation I don't remember seeing when I last pulled apart a Club dashboard a long time ago, so I'm thinking I might pull out the dash and ventilation ducts if I ever get around to rebuilding a Club to see if their firewall is as well insulated.
Daniel's door handle looks like its for a later / post 76 model, as from memory they were black rather than the greyer plastic of earlier cars. As you say, your restored version does match the door trim better.
Looking forward to more progress reports.
Cheers
Bruce

ps 27/10 Pic now updated on the Register

 

[andrewj]

Hi Steven,
I gave it a very good scrub with sugar soap, followed by plenty of water. Let it dry for a few weeks then applied vinyl paint, VHT brand from memory.
Cheers,
Andrew

 

[andrewj]

Finally, some more progress on the orange peril!

First task was to replace one of the exhaust tubes under engine that had rotted through. I was thought this would mean engine out, but I was able to able to get the offending section out by lifting undoing the front engine mounts an lifting it just enough to giggle the old part out. Very strange looking damage- I suspect this might be due to lots of short starts, which lead to water sitting in the exhaust tube. Also discovered a pin hole in the tube between the exhaust and the carby heading box. I wonder just how many GS's met their end due to exhaust fumes getting into the cabin?

Also found rock hard suspension bump stops and split drive shaft boots. So these will be changed also. Luckily I had spare NOS drive shaft and new bump stops in the parts stash, so progress continues...


Cheers,
Andrew

 

[wheelnut]

Hi Andrew I have just brazed sleeves onto both of the exhaust links to the carby hotspot as both had rusted. I cant imagine why they would rust there as it doesn't seem a moisture collection point. But at least I may have found the "last" source of exhaust fumes in the cabin. Ian

 

[andrewj]

Cheers Ian! I hadn't thought to check there.

 

[forumnoreason]

I thought it was the moisture being separated from gas exhaust expulsion being sent upwards through the pipes and condensing in the base, then running back down the pipes. They seize up like crazy on the bottom section of the join to lower pipe so give it a good smear with antiseize lithium or copper grease. I've heard of these being blanked off as they cause more trouble than original intent which is what I presume to be a form of emissions control and aiding start up heating in the carburetor base body. So yeah it condenses up there and with the heat corrosion follows. I have replaced the left side pipe and the other side has a stainless version. A friend who played with and modified Renaults and VW's for many years told me to just blank it off as they are more of a hinderance to function in hot climates.

 

[andrewj]

I thought it was the moisture being separated from gas exhaust expulsion being sent upwards through the pipes and condensing in the base, then running back down the pipes. They seize up like crazy on the bottom section of the join to lower pipe so give it a good smear with antiseize lithium or copper grease. I've heard of these being blanked off as they cause more trouble than original intent which is what I presume to be a form of emissions control and aiding start up heating in the carburetor base body. So yeah it condenses up there and with the heat corrosion follows. I have replaced the left side pipe and the other side has a stainless version. A friend who played with and modified Renaults and VW's for many years told me to just blank it off as they are more of a hinderance to function in hot climates.

Yep, I have run GS's for years down here in Tassie with blanked off pipes - they ran fine, but fuel consumption was always much higher in winter.
So with this car, I am going to try to get everything working like new, and see if there is much difference.

I ran a test last week with the joint between the right hand side carby heater box and exhaust loose. Water was literally dripping out for the 5 min or so. I guess the lesson is, once the car starts, run it long enough to fully heat up and dry the exhaust.

 

[forumnoreason]

Could it be the intake air getting toasted on arrival into the box separating the moisture then running down into the pipes? I know you get water out the back of the exhaust normally but it its in the muffler too. I had to chuck the old muffler on the GS I bought because it was rusted out on the bottom.

 

[andrewj]

Finally, some more progress on the Orange Peril...

Having got the mechanicals largely under control, I've moved on to sorting out the body work and trim.

First up was to sort out the bonnet retaining clip - problem being that there wasn't one, and, retaining bolt was sheared off. Also the nylon bush that it latches on was missing.

I put a dimple in the middle of of the sheared bolt with a carbide burr on the demel, then drilled it out. I enlarged the hole with the carbide burr, looking for the threads from the old bolt - but with no luck. So I kept going, and finally rust and bits of thread started coming out at around 6mm. Makes no sense given that the sheared bolt should have been a M4. Anyhow, kept enlarging the hole until I could tap in a standard 7mm thread. I'll come back later and make a thread insert to allow the correct M4 to be used - but this will do nicely for now

A quick fossick around the GS graveyard that is the front yard yielded a somewhat crusty clip. A quick polish with square of scouring pad on the dremel followed by wipe of penetrol, and ta-da! a nicely patinaed piece of metal

Next, onto the nylon bit that it latches onto. Again, off to the GS graveyard - "give so that others can live" - a green pallas sedan had the necessary part. It is riveted in place with a brass rivet - like those used in leather work. I didn't have one, so a m3 screw + locktight will do the job for now - another come back and fix correctly later.

Next, onto the doors.
Before sealing up, I wanted to get the windows moving nicely. This involved careful application of spray grease to all the moving parts in of the window winder mechanisms. The pivot behind the winders were all rusty, but with continual working and plenty of spray grease, these eventually came free and are now running smoothly as a smooth thing.

The access gaps where originally sealed with vinyl sheet secured in place with contact adhesive which is painful to get off. As I had a premonition that I would need to go back inside these doors at some point, I took the approach of duct tap and PVC sheet from the hardware shop. The duct tap required a little touch up from a heat gun to get it flexible and sticky in Tasmania autumn temperatures, but very happy with the end result.

Here is a completely assembled door. The door handle was completely faded and disintegrating - like pretty much all GSes that have been in the Australian sun. What I have done with this one is boil it in fabric dye to get it black again. It is still a bit "velvety" and it does tend to stick a few glass fibres in my fingers, so I'm going to experiment with sealing to remove the mat finish - haven't decided what product to use yet...

The other interesting bit is the door card. I gave the vinyl a good clean with sugar soap, then wipe with lanoline and left to soak. The finish is very good, and the vinyl feels soft and new. But check out the wrinkles - it looks like the vinyl has expanded, which is the opposite to what I expected over time. Perhaps the lanoline cause this - it was over 5 years ago that I treated them, so really can't remember what they where like beforehand. Either which way, it will be interesting to see if the wrinkles disappear with time...

And finally, a shot of the car looking mostly complete. Starting to get excited about getting it back on the road!

 

[autonoob]

It's so beautiful and bright because of the color. I am excited to see the outcome of this project. You may browse the wheel options on 4wheelonline if you are planning to install aftermarket wheels.

 

[andrewj]

Some more progress this weekend...

The doors where in very good conditions when I got them, and despite a few years out side, have minimal rust in the usual places. So I brushed phosphoric acid around the bottom each door (from the inside) and along the lip where the door skin folds over the bottom of the door. This seemed to either dissolve or convert the visible rust to a black colour over night.

The plan is to leave them for a week to dry out (it is rainy and misty at the moment), then warm and spray with waxoyl (just along the bottom).

With the doors drying, I pushed on with re-fitting the pinch weld rubbers. Getting a good matching set had proved a challenge, and I stripped at least three wrecks to come up with one good set. Earlier in the year I had soaked them in sugar soap, pressure washed them and scrubber them with a micro fibre cloth. This allowed me to pick out a really good set with minimal damage. I then spent a few hrs trapping them with a rubber mallet to close them up evenly before re-fitting.

With a bit of spray lanolin and some patience, I manage to get 3 of the 4 fitted. A wipe with a lanoliny microfibre cloth and all remaining remnants of muck and algae disappeared. End result was pretty much perfect, with the exception of a few split corners, which I will hid with polyurethane sealer later...

So all in all, slow but very satisfying progress

 

[andrewj]

Ok, some more progress between meetings today. Feels like the final stretch now - sorting out lots of little bits and pieces.

First up was to get the indicators back in. Gave them a good wash, some dielectric grease on the contacts and rubber grommets to minimise the chances of any issues. Theory here is that 45 year old electrics are so simple and solid, the can be made more reliable than a modern car by systematically eliminating all know failure modes. Plugged everything together and worked perfectly first time

Next was the heater fan housing. After a wash with a high strength degreaser, then lots of water. A wipe inside and out with a lanoline cloth and is shiny like the day it left the factory! Note the new 5mm "mirex" band holding it in place - much nicer than old zip ties, but still not correct - looking at my other cars, this should be 10mm galvanised steel with a mirex fastening. Yet another something else to fix later...

Finally the washer pump. This reservoir and pump was salvaged from wreck that has been off the road for 15 years +. Pump was jammed and reservoir looked grubby.
A heat gun was carefully used to soften the plastic and remove the pump from the reservoir. There was still detergent in there and no sign of rust, but the pump was not working. Three taps upside down on an lump of wood and the plunger freed up. Hit the inside of the reservoir with a pressure washer to remove any sludge and wiped the outside with acetone to remove as much of the oxidised plastic as possible.

Put it all back together and it is all working perfectly - except a pin hole leak in the reservoir - grrrrr- will need to weld it up tomorrow with the portasol.

tomorrows task is to waxyol the doors and get the door furniture back on - Tassie winter weather permitting!

 

[KenW Jnr]

Looking good Andrew!