| JANUARY 2, 2006 |
| The coupe has made it to another bodyman as the last guy was unable to finish due to other commitments. I’m still working on some smaller bits (will it ever end??) but have run into a snag with the newer style tires. It seems that BFG no longer makes the 285 and the 275 just don’t look wide enough and the 295 are way to wide for the right look. I may just end up using the vintage tires full time. Zoomie tips are now permanently welded in place and an issue with the clutch pedal/slave cyl push rod has been solved. I also had to redo the flared ends for the brake lines going into the master cyl….seems they’re not the standard ‘double flare’ after all. Most importantly though is that the car can finally move around under it’s own power !! |
| JANUARY 3, 2006 |
| Brought a few more parts to the bodyshop. The doors have been straightened and the bonnet needed some attention. Some of the acid had come through and caused a bit of rust on the edges so it was blasted out and the small pin holes welded up. I guess with the car sitting so long since it was previously done was a benefit and it allowed us to catch that tiny bit of left over acid. No new pics to post yet either. |
| JANUARY 9, 2006 |
| Body is being sanded down and getting straighter. The ends of the rear spoiler needed some mods and now suit me fine. I eneded up ordering a drivers door glass from GT Ford as mine had some serious scratches. Also ordered some new clips for the door mechanisms and some new bits for the bonnet pins….I could have bought something close locally but nothing beats the right parts. I spent quite alot of time cleaning the door mechanisms and then regreasing them….what a difference, should be good for another 30 years (I hope). I’ve also picked out the paints for the coupe….was tougher than I thought. |
| JANUARY 16, 2006 |
| Dropped off some more bits at the body shop and had a very pleasant suprise….. the whole car except the front guards were in the first coat of primer (now black instead of blue). This really gave me some insight as to how it’ll look when painted. The boot spoiler has been messaged and looking great! The underside of the bonnet is painted in gloss so I got a chance to see the black paint on a larger scale. Although everything looked fine to me, they’ll still spend more time perfecting the panels (don’t anyone call me fussy again). |
| JANUARY 28, 2006 |
| Doors have been installed and lined up, more blocking being done on the body as well as the boot lid. The crate of parts I’ve been waiting on has arrived and I just need to go pick them up. |
| JANUARY 31, 2006 |
| The 2 new front windscreens are finally here as well as the proper front flares, new shifter handle and boot lid springs and a spare (updated) boot spoiler. Flares have been dropped at the bodyshop and installing will begin right away along with the front guards and nose cone. |
| FEBRUARY 2, 2006 |
| Another coat of black primer and still some more blocking to be done, had to line up the holes for the side scoops, started getting things figured out to mount the nose cone and flares and started some mods on the fenders, rear bumper and exhaust panel now painted and will come back home with me to be installed later. |
| FEBRUARY 9, 2006 |
| Door jambs, inner doors, inside of fenders, cowl panel and the underside of the trunk lid now painted (see the photosite for a few pics). Will be going to the shop tomorrow to make a final decision on the placement of the side scoops. Thanks to Mike for the pics !!!! |
| FEBRUARY 10, 2006 |
| Doors are permanently mounted along with the latching units, front fenders put on and getting lined up. I’ll need to move some wiring around when it gets home as if interferes with the bonnet hinge….not a big issue though. |
| FEBRUARY 18, 2004 |
| Nose piece is mounted permanantly and looking great. Took a bit to get lined up properly (along with some colourfull words) but now it’s down to getting everything blended in. The original bumper bar I had made needed some alterations as there were a few other differences found from the ‘van’ front I had originally used. The rims are also getting done and from what I’ve seen so far is very promising!! Brought home a few more ‘loose’ parts that have been painted including gas cap, window trim, bonnet locks. |
| FEBRUARY 21, 2006 |
| Nose cone and flares are all blended in !! All that’s left to do now is block the front and then we’re on to paint ! |
| FEBRUARY 26, 2006 |
| The body shop is still working their magic and all is coming along great……seeing this thing come together is like winning the lottery !! Ordered the door glass for the left side as I originally bought the drivers side and then realised I didn’t really need it….OOOPS. Working out the details now for the paint scheme. New clear plastic for the dash guages has arrived so I can move forward on that part of the resto. |
| MARCH 4, 2006 |
| What a great day indeed !! The XB is finally painted ! Mike (the painter) did a great job and everyone involved with the bodywork also did fantastic. Although I’d settle for the car as is, it still needs to be sanded and polished and then have the flat/satin black applied. The bonnet still needs to be painted but that’ll get done later in the week. |
| MARCH 10, 2006 |
| Bonnet and cowl panel all painted. The polishing is almost finished, just the bonnet and boot lid left to do. The left side door glass arrived today which was the last of the big parts to come in. Finalising the layout for the flat black and pinstripes. |
| MARCH 17, 2006 |
| All the polishing is done so I went to the shop today to guide the placement of the masking for the flat black areas. The area to be painted was then sanded and the next thing to do is roll it into the paint booth one final time. |
| MARCH 21, 2006 |
| Painting is COMPLETE !!! I can’t thank the guys enough for the awesum job they did. The attention to detail and patience on accuracy are second to none. Mike himself got VERY involved with studying DVD captures. All that’s left to do is polish a couple of spots and general clean up and the XB will be back at home for final assembly. |
| MARCH 25, 2006 |
| The XB is back at home once more. So now it’s time to get all these pieces in their proper spots. I won’t bother doing a daily digest but instead I’ll just wrap things up and post on the weekends…… let the fun begin !!! |
| APRIL 5, 2006 |
| I’ve installed the following: headlamp buckets and covers (made new covers with screws in proper places), tail lights, rear bumper and lower valance, new boot springs, restore dash, dash frame in, ran wiring for RVS radio, siren speakers (damn is it loud !) and air horns, antenna, GT bonnet locks, GT side scoops, new shifter handle and a few other bits. I’m not happy with the height of the front springs so that’s being changed this weekend. |
| APRIL 9, 2006 |
| The coupe finally sits right and I was SOOOO tempted to take it for a spin down the road but with the front end not properly aligned I didn’t want to press my luck. |
| APRIL 17, 2006 |
| I’ve installed the wiper motor and linkage, complete e-brake, had to fix an issue with the repro tail lamp lenses, redo the bonnet latch spring (heavier and proper one), running more wires in the interior and finally finished the dash/instrument cluster which was just put in tonight. I’ve also insulated the fuel line as it was causing some loud vibrations due to the electric fuel pump. |
| MAY 2, 2006 |
| The dash has been in and out a few times but is now in permanently (I hope). The speedo had some remains of the old ‘plastic’ cable broken off inside the head so I removed that and also changed the tachometer for one with a cleaner needle. Dash pad now in, 99% of electrical working, weather stripping put on. |
| MAY 10, 2006 |
| Got the vintage BFG’s mounted on the spare set of rims until the correct ones are finished. Side glass all in except the left rear 1/4 glass as a new one is on the way thanks my stupidity. Put in the new roof insulation as the headliner should be in this weekend as well as the carpet and seats (that’s my goal anyways). Got the accessory switches hidden (fuel pump, fans) and also mounted the switch for the blue light under the ignition cover as per movie. |
| MAY 17, 2006 |
| New 1/4 glass window came in on Monday and was installed right away. The headliner was something I decided I didn’t want to handle so the guy that installed the front and rear windscreens did it for me…and what a perfect job !! Big thanks to ‘Steve’ . Carpet and seats are in as planned and the console is ready to go and the vapour barries are now in place so I can get the trim panels in too. If the weather holds up I’ll be getting the alignment done tomorrow and then driving her home and do some finishing touches for the first big cruise of the year this coming Sunday. |
| MAY 21, 2006 |
| The weather was lousy so the cruise night was a wash out….HOWEVER, I finallly took the car for it’s maiden voyage yesterday. My son Aeron and I were out for only 30 minutes but it was definately a blast. The only concern I have is that the front springs have settled a bit more and now it sits a bit low for my tastes. I didn’t ‘open it up’ yet as the one rear rim has a slight warp in it and I won’t try it with 30 year old tires either. The car definately puts you back in your seat though which is impressive for the engine having very few mods. As of today I still need to get the proper rims finished, install the RVS radio, interior light lenses put in and get the rear seat in (didn’t have proper bolts and stores were closed). I should have the front end up in a day or 2 and then I’ll get some pics posted…… we’re 99% there !!!!! |
| JUNE 11, 2006 |
| Where to start….? Took the coupe for it’s first cruise to Niagara Falls on May 28. It was a very hot and humid night which made the car warmer than usual while sitting in traffic, but no real issues. I have since had the rear springs rearched and adjusted the shackles to the lowest setting and the tires no longer rub on big bumps. The RVS radio is all mounted and working perfectly (sound board not in yet though). I entered my first car show today and out of 300 cars I won ‘outstanding vehicle’ (1 of 20 handed out) and won ‘most unique’. One of the fellas running the show said I should have also won the ‘most photographed’ award. Cruised the Falls again tonight and was stopped by a local police officer as he wanted to settle a long running argument between himself and his brother as to what kind of car Mad Max drove…… in short, it was an excellent day !.A very big thanks to ALL those that have helped me with this project over the last few years…… you’ve helped make a dream come true. |
| JUNE 25, 2006 |
| I installed a set of rear air shocks and can now set the car at the proper height. After taking a few pics in front of an abandoned gas station we located a side road that was perfect for taking some video of the coupe doing it’s thing. |
| JULY 2, 2006 |
| Had an issue with some bad fuel last weekend so I spent the week going over the car and also found a bad plug wire and small coolant leak where the block heater was installed (installs in frost plug hole), Frank Balbar cleaned up the carb for me and all is well (Petro Canada fuel sucks).BIG thanks to Lee and Kelly Theobald of Theobald & Co Graphics and Laser Engraving…. They made up a very cool keychain and an awesum black shirt with MFP badge on the front and “MFP” script on the back. |
| SEPTEMBER 29, 2006 |
| Well summer has come and gone and it was definately a FUN one !! I drove the XB as often as I could and was able to make it to 6 car shows…… I received 5 firsts and a second place trophy. The best part was meeting tons of people from all over ( even a family from Sydney that was on vacation) that enjoyed the car and the movie as much as I do. I am also very proud to have participated in the ‘Hair dare Dukes day’ for cancer research that raised $14,600 in just one day. I was part of a ‘star car’ display along side an A-Team van, Blues Brothers car, Knight Rider, Starsky and Hutch Torino, several General Lees, a few Hazzard County Sherrifs cars and a Bat Boat replica. Byron Cherry, who played Coy Duke in season 5 of ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’, was also there to meet the fans and it was a pleasure meeting him. |