Project 3P, Part 8: More Mammoth Morsels (Interior Trim Removal and Repair / Fiat 128 3P Restoration)

The main benefit of following the Elephant Eating School of Car Restoration should be obvious: not biting off more than you can chew! As an amateur with only basic skills, a modest tool kit and no workshop of any consequence, I do try to keep my tasks down to manageable chunks so that I can celebrate my occasional wins, not get too hissed-off when I c*ck things up and I don't find myself having too many WTF moments!

I admire the intrepid bare-metal, nut and bolt restorers and resto-modders - especially the D-I-Yers - I really, really do, but am faint of heart by comparison. And kinda lazy, too. Weekend jobs are more my thing; half-dayers if I think I can achieve something worthwhile in such a short timeframe.

Staying true to the elephant-eating philosophy can, however, be easier in theory that it is in the real world. Example: new seat belts were required for P3P. Their removal meant that the rear trim had to be taken out, too. It had a few cracks, so time to fix them. Whilst removing the trim, it became apparent that the window rubbers needed replacement. And there was rust to be treated. And the cavities between the trim and exterior panels needed a good clean up. And ... . Get the idea?

Rust annoys me! Even shitty surface-only rust like I found under the trim, so that got wire-brushed back to clean metal and given a good dousing of fish oil. This had the advantage of allowing plenty of time for my favourite rust inhibitor to set before reassembly.

I forgot to mention that the rear ashtrays looked a little sub-par, too. They got rubbed back and repainted with fresh black satin paint.

The backs of the trims had a film of very, very fine red dust on them, which also extended into the cavities behind them. I reckon the car’s seen a few country roads in its time. Thanks to that, the job now also entailed some serious brush and Dyson action to get rid of it because I’m only planning on having the trims out once!

To repair the cracks in the trim, I resorted to a technique borrowing heavily from fibreglass repair. Most of the cracks - like the one below - snapped back into place quite easily, making it fairly hard to see where they'd been. However, it seemed likely that the first time someone leant against the trims or a hot day caused a bit of expansion, the cracks would reappear.

Outer face.

Above and below: inner face.

Crack realigned and surface roughened up.

It was clear to me that the cracks needed to be glued or somehow bonded together to ensure that they didn't open up again. But how? The mating surfaces were way too thin to glue end to end and I don't have a plastic welding kit, either.

What I did was to roughen up the rear of the cracked area with sandpaper, to ensure good bonding, before applying superglue to the sanded surface. Then I placed a small patch of light-weight woven cotton / polyester torn from an old shirt over the superglue, then let it soak through in the same manner as resin is applied to patches of chop strand or woven fibreglass matt. This bound the two sides of the crack together, ensuring that they won't break apart.

And the new window rubbers? Too much to chew on for one day! But I'll get there ...

eventually!

Next time on P3P: marinated elephant!

U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

iPhone images.

EJ or EH Holden? (Up-dated December, 2022)

EJ or the later EH? Several years ago, I posed the question: Can somebody please explain the difference between an EJ and an EH Holden ute or van? The response at the time wasn't overwhelming, so I did a bit of Googling and ferreting through my photos and came up with my own rough guide to EJ and EH identification. Sedans and wagons are easy to tell apart ; the EH's vertical rectangular tail lights are a dead give-away. However, the workhorse versions of both models share the rear-end treatment of the earlier EJ, making it harder to identify one from the other. No super obvious hints here. Or here ... . It turns out that the main clues are in the placement of the front H O L D E N lettering and GMH lion emblems, the style of the radiator grille and the width of the vents in front of the windscreen, with all EJs - sedans, wagons, utes and vans - having one combination and the EH line-up having their own . So what exactly are those diffe

Vick Auto Prima Fiat X1/9 Brakes: An Owner’s Assessment

At the end of 2022, I fitted a set of Vick Autosport Prima front brakes to my mildly worked 1.5 litre Series 1 Fiat X1/9 . I was fortunate, having picked them up at a very, very reasonable price, brand new but surplus to the needs of a fellow X1/9 Australia member who had imported them from the US. The kit included: New single pot callipers , new vented rotors (standard X1/9 front rotors are smaller, non-vented items), DOT approved stainless steel brake hoses, and all the necessary mounting hardware. They are a value proposition, being particularly well priced compared to other manufacturers’ packages - even at RRP - with everyone I’ve spoken to saying they’re made to a high standard, too. Here's a link to a piece that I wrote about them at that time, including some costings: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-x19-gets-prima-brake-upgrade.html . Initial Assessment: I was a little underwhelmed by the brakes' performance, finding that although they had a tiny

Random # 301: Nanna-Spec KE36 Corolla

Once upon a time - six or seven years ago, actually - there was a lovely pale yellow GC Galant station wagon getting around Hobart. It was totally nanna-spec; its paint was umarked, the chrome work and hubcaps were immaculate, and its very original interior was pristine. Then someone stuck feathers in its dashboard. Next, the windows were adorned with Tibetan prayer flags. And a hubcap went missing. And the the rear bumper was pushed in, mangling the bodywork behind it. And a mudguard got dented. And rust set in. I fear for this sweet, innocent KE36 Corolla. Somebody please save it before it's too late. Nanna needs you to do it. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) Photos by GlamRock.

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