MIKE KE55

Spent a lot of time paint removing today. Dipped all the brackets off the engine and removed the sway bar and mount and stabiliser and dipped them too. Going to block not tomorrow and dip the running gear and crossmember etc. Continued beating the passenger front quarter to the shape I like. Committed to a custom front grill to support it all and tie it in.

Lucky you getting someone to build your box, well done. I like the character of your build. I see I've got a loooong way to go.

Cheers mate, I try and find you car and have a squiz. A mate of mine rotisseried one and looking at picks made me realise it would take the pain out of a lot of work that I'd like to do. I appreciate so much about the KE55 but some parts of other cars looks better so ratrod it is or japanese mopar, we'll see.......

So after work today I continued with the front end and emptied the engine bay of a/c, loom, coil and it and every other pipe but for the break booster and fuel lines. I don't know the exact legalities for it but I'd like to blank out the mechanical fuel pump and set up new fuel lines and an external pump with a surge tank to compensate for the radical g force one can expect from a n/a 4k. Next on the to do list is pull out the front end, strip and paint it and add it to the ever increasing pile of bits I've taken off the car. Looks like I will need to get a rotisserie to throughly deal to the underneath of her. I've got the workshop manual, and being that I'm keeping her in original trim, I'm confident I will be able to put her back together again.

This is a pic from the front of the damage. It hit something on an angle and tore the bottom of it 60mm and pinched an 20mm strip flat up against the outside of the chassis. Most of it I've already done in this pic. The first or left of those three grooves was flat and heavily creased.

So I'm starting on the front end while I'm cash strapped. I'm using the existing light surrounds to mock up a mounting plate for the dual lights. I'm panel beating out damage from a previous accident and right now I'm acid dipping the battery tray. I'm slowly stripping out the engine bay so I can deerstalking it and prep it for paint. If I get it my way it will be the only paint I have that I really want to look great. Any colour suggestions? I also have mentioned I've two engines(4K, the 13B comes later) . One which I've got running in the youtube link seems Ok but the truth is both are untested. Either way I will clean them up and paint where applicable. When it all goes back in I will tuck the loom, not that there's much of anything to tuck but hey.

Hydrochloric dip then a spray of caustic before a washdown with Water to neutralise flash rusting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfujDBf09tE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Here's a link to firing her up for the first time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfujDBf09tE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I need a combination cluster, front and rear seats, lest I can fit a roll cage and eliminate the tear seats. Need a surge tank, blank out the fuel pump and install a external pump and lines. Remote oil filter, oil cooler, new clutch setup, floor carpet and odd rubbers.

So that was my easter weekend. I'm married with four kids so you can appreciate that was a fair effort.

It was bubbling like a witches brew.

Here's the inlet manifold boiling in hydrochloric acid before a washdown in caustic the water. Stops flash rusting.

The door innards are on the roof top.

Once my English wheel arrives I will smooth this out.

And I've also beat out the cleft in the front of the front quarter panel. I'm going for a more rx3 style front with aggressive lines and front panels to suit. I've also acid dipped this to clean it up.

As mentioned I dipped the manifolds.

I have has to customise toe subfamily to match the wider low profile portion of the bonnet. As yet I haven't cut the filler panels to complete the job. I'm waiting for a sheet metal folder to arrive. I will also be tiging everything on this project and presenting the final roadworthied Rolla in bare metal with clearcoat.

The center at 42cm wide.

Now for the bonnet chop. I figured on a side by side lamp configuration. That said I gauged the distance between headlights and set the curve down distance 21cm from center. This allows me to chop and align the grill chrome accordingly. Meaning when the bonnet curves down the chrome of the grill will meet it having been chopped to suit the original factory spec.

Here she is after I've stripped her back doors and front fenders excluded.

Cheers B.

So a year of consideration later I dove head first this last week in to it and kicked several goals. I fired up the engine after fitting it too the 5 speed. I couldn't connect the exhaust as the manifold was a single hole type whereas the exhaust fitted to the rust bucket was a dual pipe configuration. At this point I should mention that I purchased a $30 4K engine early on on the piece and it has the corresponding exhaust manifold to suit the installed exhaust. So I pulled the engine and removed the manifold assembly, acid dipped the appropriate exhaust manifold, dipped the inlet manifold and some guards I'm modifying for the front. Once I have the faces of them machined I will remount them. In the mean time I will dip the cover and sump as well. I've also started a bonnet chop. I'm decreasing the width of the bonnet bulge to 40 cm. This corresponds to a dual headlight modification I'm about to embark on. I will customise the grill to suit with custom aluminium replacing chrome.

Decided to restore a Ke 55 from the ground up and customise it along the way. I've been sitting on this project for a year now. I purchased a 79 in typical fashion, bogged like pork dressed as lamb. She came with a five speed and an engine dumped in the bay. Her black interior was completely removed and stored in the cab along with a spare manifold, radiator and all the bits and bobs you want. While her dash is seamless the rear arches and the usual suspects in bottom corners of the rear glass are present along with the expected rust in the front quarters and a kilo of dirt under each of them.

well ive stripped the exterior of the car to bare metal and now want to do the interior, any ideas. I scored a bodywork dolly set and tapped out the first of many dings but it dosent replace metal. I'm contemplating rust treatment and mig welding the holes up, any thoughts???? Mike