Project Polaris - TMK-001's 1973 squarie rebuild.

[TMK-001]

James, dont stress with the wheels. I want to havea good look at them before I buy... if you want, I will swing past and drop off the seat rails, then we will cruise over to his house and sort it out.

I cant wait until I drive my car again! I will organise that run when I know my car is in sight of being done... anything before would most likely end in a failure of my vehicle to be in attendance and my disappointment of not having a car!

The wait will be well worth it... patience... that is like my farkin middle name right now!

Todd

[doona]

Kev, great to see you over here too...

Thats Ross, Micky, Dan, Evan, Nick, Mark, you, and a few others I know who check in frequently! When it is done, I am goign to put like 100,000km on it cruising around to show everyone!

Todd

Haha I cannot believe I got a mention..... just get the darn car finished already

-Dan

[TMK-001]

Hey Dan! I want this car to eb done more than anyone... it will be totally hawt in comparison to last time you saw it - I hope!

I just have to wait for them to finish a few other jobs before mine goes in to bat. I am really really over it right now. Dead set. I am not over 2002's, just over the whole waiting process... I dont want to rush it as I want it to be spot on, but it is taking forever.

It is't all bad as it is giving me heaps more time to save up for stuff - BLUNT is getting most of my cash :-P I should be getting new door/window outer seal/rubbers, pedal and pedal pads, gear knob, new indicator/turn signals, door handle rubbers, window frame seals, etc.

So it isnt all bad!

Todd

[Biscuit3]

Todd,

Have they actually started to paint your car yet? Seems like almost three months is way too long to have to wait to get a paint job, I don't care where you are. If I was you, I'd more than likely be super pissed off for having to wait that long and regardless if they've started the process, I'd just be like "thank you very much, my car is now being taken elsewhere". Do you actually know the people painting it? I mean like, are they good friends of your's or are they local, or did you pick them because they had the best price when they gave you a quote? I know things sure can add up when you are trying to fix your car, and if you don't believe me, just ask and I'll send you my most recent invoice from when the tranny went bad, but I'm sure most of you have already had a look at that. It seems awfully rude to put other people's cars in front of your's when you have been waiting for so long.

The longest I've ever had to wait was 2 weeks for when I needed some major smash repair. The guy was excellent and spent all his spare time after work to complete my car. So don't get discouraged, there are people out there who actually give a damn about other people and are considerate towards them in regards to getting their car back on the road.

But other than that, keep on them. Whenever I get some jerk telling me to "come back tomorrow" and it's still not done by then, I start hassling them. Visit the shop everyday if it's not too far from where you live or work. If you can't visit, call and say "how's the car coming?" Let them know you are in charge and that you haven't forgotten that they work for you, not the other way around. I think it's just getting on my nerves that I keep checking your updates for your project and keep seeing "I should get the car back from the panel beater soon" or something similar to that. On the other hand, hope you're still doing well because I haven't heard from you in a while. Keep in touch!

[Baker]

When you've got someone that is as good as this though, sometimes you have to wait for it... but in the end its worth it, especially with something so important as paint.

Todd.. remember I've still got that Stillwells slimline plate cover for ya bud.

[Biscuit3]

I totally agree Baker, but it's just the rudeness factor that gets me. Hell, I could wait for the next ice age to come if I knew I would get some benefit out of it. But just seems to me like these guys are dicking poor Todd around, no matter how good they may be at their jobs. I know that repainting a car is not an over night job as well!! Takes time and careful detail, that's the key, however, when I read things like "they have other jobs before mine" it's like WTF? Were those jobs there before your's or did they come in later?

[TMK-001]

It is a hard one... I live in Geelong, the car is being painted in Casterton in eastern Victoria - about 330km away. The dude has done work for my dad in the past, and I kinda know him from around the traps of Mt Gambier where my parents live. He is an awesome painter and I am happy to have him working on my car.

There was no "quote" on what was happening as it was part insurance, part out of my pocket... I had to strip the car for him, but there is stuff that still has not been done on the car that I hoped would have been done and I cant really do much more short of painting the car!

There are some cars that have been there from before mine, but my car has been paid in full back in early March... I was hoping money talked... especially when most of the other cars are not paid up for work done.

The wait will be worth it I know... I am just kinda over the waiting! The 2002 will not go anywhere, dont get me wrong, I am not over the 2002, I just need a break from it for a while to clear my head and hopefully in that time, stuff will happen.

I am not in the business of lynching the bloke, but I will keep on his case this week.

Thanks for popping over Kev! When does your car appear in Hot4's?

Todd

[Guest Anonymous]

Hey Loser missed ya on MSN last night.

Dont be disheartened, I rather see the beast done perfect, the way you envision it to be.

Hope you are well biatch

[TMK-001]

ROSS!!! Hey mate!! I will catch up with you soon... it's been ages! How come you didnt use UB here?

Want to talk about disheartening!?! I went to get my bumperbars chromed today! Over AU$1000 to get it done from one place, I am haggling with another place at about $650 right now.

Todd

[TMK-001]

Hey all,

I just got a heap of new bits in the mail from BLUNT!!

New euro repeaters/indicators/blinker thingos... looks nice and shiney - cheaper to replace them from BLUNT than get the old ones to have the frames rechromed!

New window rubbers with thanks to the wonderful people on 02faq for the details!

New accelerator pedal for my ultra rare pedal set up.

New door handle rubbers and window frame support rubbers...

Spoke to the panel beater today and he said "Yeah, we are still working on the 1/4s..."

Todd

[Timbo]

Nice one Todd! What is rare about your pedal setup? Take care when you fit the door handle gaskets - I think I must have tightened too much on the fixing screws as the rubber wanted to curl up around the base of the handle. Also, damn things cracked after only about a month on the car. Possibly old stock??

[TMK-001]

Thanks for the advice Tim, I will have a chat to the paint shop to see if they have any silicon spray or whatever that will soften the rubbers a bit.

The pedal set up was different to the set up to the US, so it took me a while to find out what the part numbers... then it was like twice as expensive as the standard US one!

Todd

[TMK-001]

I had my dash reskinned at the Dashboard Doctor in Coburg last week... I am veyr happy with it, but I have plans for the dash in the future - distant future that is...

Chromw work is in being rechromed, not a cheap experience at all! Hopefully it will be back tomorrow or the next day.

As for the body, wellllll, I have not spoken to them for a whole week and plan on heading over to work on it this weekend... so we will see!

Todd

[oz_tom]

If you dont mind me asking, how much did that set you back?... people seem to say anything from 400+ and unless we find a crackfree dash which is sooo not gonna happen, we will have to get the one for blacky reskinned.

On another note, Shaun mailed me some 02faq Stickers for us (THANKS A BUNCH SHAUN!!!!!)... Theres 5 or 6 i think so more than enough to go around for the whole Melbourne crew. Thank Shaun next time you seem him guys!!!

Tom

[TMK-001]

Tommy,

I got the dash done at The Dashboard Doctor in Sydney Road Coburg - heading from the city, it is just over Moreland Road on your left...

It cost $250 per piece, $500 total. I am very happy with the job. Looks far better than how it used to.

Small update on the project - I have two new front wings ordered from my local after we decided there was too mcuh stuffing around to fit the original ones - there was damage from a PO that was poorly repaired that was making it difficult to line everything up...

They are coming ex-Germany so with the World Cup on, I am not expecting them to be in for ages! I have spoken to the paint shop and we are in agreement that the project is dragging on way too long... we have decided that once the panels are in, we will have the car out inside two weeks - everything completed...

Thats all the panel and paint stuff as well as the electrical stuff. He has an auto electrician mate who is doing the thermo fan, battery relocation to under the rear seat, iscolation switch in center console, etc.

I am then going to take it to the trimmers pretty well straight from there - after I catch up with the 02faq crew of course!! My aim is to have the car competed by later in the year for a huge German car show in Canberra later in the year...

Todd