AMoffat

I don't know Mondie. He is two months off 18 - I'm 41. We have different tastes in these things. So I hold my tongue! I'm a bit the opposite - he is into spraying and modifying but not cleaning. He must see the car as an extension of his bedroom! This is the second car in 18 months we have attacked. The first was a old RWD Mazda 626 that was 'rescued' from the wreckers for $400. It was sprayed a poor mans version of Blood Orange. Neither of us have any trade experience. We just learn from our many mistakes and ask a lot of questions of people who should know more than us.

Something like think of a number and start putting zeros behind it. Stop after twenty seconds.

Well 18 months after doing the first car together - my son and I (plus his girlfriend) sprayed his 1.8L KH Laser S today. Litres and Litres of it. Round and round, 2 litres of primer sprayed, about six litres of colour then 8 litres of clear. Round and round and round. The colour - Toyota's Blue something Mica. What a day, the best was when my 17 year old sion decided he wanted a checker (as in checkered flag) strip up the left side of the bonnet. And it worked. Now for the exhaust mods.

Chris, The orginal Ford GT40 was a late sixties Le Mans winner. Knee high, seven litre mid mounted motor - no weight. The new version is a take on the original, retro french chique for the masses. Well, for the masses of Packers.

normal and loaded with five adults and assorted bits and pices including caravan.

Yes and just when I'd thought I'd settled on a manual. Great story Edge - thanks for sharing it.

That is a really rotten criminal act. Keep your chin up though - sh*t like that does not go unpunished, one way or the other the perp will suffer for committing such a mindless act.

Not the electric window harrow again - I have replaced the actuators in both front doors of the Fairmont.

I got you were joking Dallas - but I am wondering about somes bonnet vents - say two rows of two like the rodders modify on the hoods of their T Buckets. Pluas some flames for the bonnet - what sort of orange colour hue goes with Phantom?

Always having bikes - some with air assisted suspension - I have a good German gauge that is aboutr 20 years old. I use it to check pressures regularly. Helps prolong tyre life if you avoid under inflation.

Happy New Year to you all. Would like to meet up when the car arrives. New Years resolution no. 899 - stop whinging about the waiting time.

Chris, No idea. When the door arrives (along with the car I'll tell you ). But seriously, 32 is fairly high - the manufacturers usually recommend 26 - 28 for that good ride.

Far out - that's worth looking into!

Happy new year!!! I always go the high side of normal - that is about 32 psi all round. The spare I keep at 40, because I don't always check it and there is then some leakage possibly before it ever gets taken out of the boot in anger.

Yes, the turbo (turbine) rather than the engine is the thing that needs cooling. Could be something in the straight six design that retains heat. Longer water channels etc.

If you got the car today, you must have just run inside to post the pictures. Good ones at that.

Spotted it. Nice shots. My excuse is I'm having a quite night as we are off on a four hour drive early tomorrow to visit my wife's siblings. Then four hours home again. I could be crazy.

Fantastic - thanks for sharing the story. Love the car, the colour is brilliant. You've got some good miles ahead of you.

Why surely he has nothing better to do. Oh, OK, you mean some people have a life??

Second that - it was a toss up for me between the Siver and the Phantom. Great colour. And really good shots of the car in interesting light. I was interested in the interior shot, as my Phantom Turbo will have the premium sound, leather and sun roof like your car - so it was a look into the future (hint Ford, get back to work and get amongst it). As an aside - love the house colour too.

Yes - Come on, you have your audience.

Chris, Blood is thicker than water, right. He has a Laser that is multi coloured awaiting the spray gun in two days time. He is doing it all with his own money (made from delivering Pizzas after school). And the clincher is - he is better with his hands on this sort of project than I am. Sure. I'm a proud Dad. It's one of those things guys. You got to live toi enjoy it.

Lights, the young and cops - my story is of my 18 yr old son, KH Laser lowered 1.8 injected heaven, driving donw the Pacific Highway at 10pm in the evening. With some fluro light he had rigged up in the interior on. Don't laugh - the week before he took to thje roof with an angle grinder and made himself a 'moon roof'. The Police Oficer asks if the small blue spot lights werethe cause of the bright light in the interior of the car. No says the boy. And then escapes a defect on the really stupid cause of the mobile UFO. Pitty me - we are now intop the second day of the second major respray of his car. Wish the useless dude was into bikes like his old man. Less rubbing back!

There seems to be so much BS about the service scheduling. 1. Modern oils and engines can probably do real long distances between services. This is due to tighter manufacturing tolerances. 2. Is 15,000 klms too long for oil to provide a barrier between metal surfaces - especially in the combustion chamber? 3. Are Synthetics OK when 'running in'? Given these concerns I propose the following. Ask someone in the know - ie Ford Australia. Rev the motor at every opportunity during the initial running in period of 3000 klms. Change the oil and filter. The filter being the important bit. Use a mineral based oil for the next 5,000 klms (one that meets the manufacturers specifications of cause). Change the oil and filter. Use a mineral oil for the next 7,000 klms. Then let Ford have a go and replace with a sythetic plus a new filter. The important points being - rev it as often as you can. But not prolonged red line stuff. Just ease it there - grab another gear - ease it there. Then back off. Repeat add naseum until the licence gives out. Find the right road and the right time. This is what I have done on new motorcycles. The bikes then are OK to rev but not thrashed. This is the outcome we are all aiming for. Plus - the filter is more important than the oil these days. Get amongst it - ther is nothing better than bonding with the ride during thr 'running in' period. :0

Not very! Just up the road through the national park. Or across Karingia Gorge.