Upper Middle Petrol Head:

The Dash Board Doctor has acquitted himself very well so far ... by doing nothing! Well, that's not actually true ... . He took the time to phone, explain that the dash pad that had been sent wasn't quite up to scratch (cracks aren't a problem but shrinkage and warping is) and warn that, given its sad condition (it is warped and it has shrunk), the final result may not be as good as had been expected. It was agreed that a halt-work was in order. The doctor clearly cares about his work! A rare beast (a spare GC/D Galant dash pad). Fortunately there was a Plan B involving a secret cache of Galant parts hidden away where only the true cognoscenti might know where to look. However, the dash pad from that treasure trove also presented a few problems ... . It might be fine as a boomerang but it's not quite the crowning glory of Galantdom it was intended to be! A rare, but slightly imperfect, be...

Is it humanly possible to ever, ever get tired of looking at E-Type Jags?  Of course not!  Enjoy!! U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.

If Roy Orbison ever drove a ute, it would have been this one:  the Valiant Wayfarer.   This particular example, photographed in North Hobart, was magnificent! Every aspect of the vehicle - its duco, chrome, badging, interior and accessories - was first rate. Its whole look was nicely finished of with some apparently standard wheels, shod with contemporary radials, featuring red centres and neat chrome outer rings. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.

The Galant resto is almost done, with only a respray for the bonnet, roof and boot, and  the dash-pad refurb remaining on the to-do list .  Enter, the Dashboard Doctor ( http://dashboarddoctor.com.au ) !   Above and below are the 'before' photos, showing a couple of major cracks and a few minor ones, too.  Stay tuned for the 'after' shots which will hopefully show the facia-fixing motoring medico's work at its best.  There will also be an unbiased - meaning unsolicited and unpaid - report on the quality and cost of the job. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.

Who'd have thought it?  Not one but two examples of the  Prince of Utes, the  Suzuki Mighty Boy    (please also see: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au/search?q=mighty+boy ).  Thanks to the T as r anian   Connection for this pic. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au) Smart phone image.

This now quite rare late 60s to 1980 Land Cruiser was spotted in Hobart's CBD on a sunny winter's morning.  Given the large front mudguard-mounted indicators and the big rear combined indicator / tail lights, it's towards the later end of the model range - probably a late 70s version.   Reference to Wikipedia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Land_Cruiser )  suggests that it's an FJ55 , which is described there as the '... first "real" station wagon in the Land Cruiser series, thus marking the beginning of [that] branch ..." of Toyota's off-road line-up.  That's not to say, however, that it was their first ever wagon ; it just means that the FJ55  was Toyota's original wagon-specific model (ie: one that wasn't simply a four door variant of a commercial model).   All up, the one shown here was in pretty good nick, with only relatively minor rust (almost certainly the demise of most of these early examples), glossy pain...

The Alfa Sprint pictured here is the Series (or Mk?) II version of the small front-wheel drive hatch, if that's the correct nomenclature.  Either way, it's the second iteration of the model, sharing the same basic wedge shaped body with its predecessor but with plastic front and rear bumpers, and cosmetic front- and rear-end changes.    The car was in reasonable condition for its age, with some rust and paint fading but nothing drastic  The interior was pretty tidy.  It also appeared to feature all its original accessories, right down to the eight-hole tele-dial Alfa wheels. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.