That Ozzy Guy

Once the shell was complete and back in my garage it sat untouched for a whole year. Since then progress has happened in short bursts but the latest one has been very productive and long. I always beat myself up for not doing more but I am pleased with how it's turning out. Here's my apprentice testing the steering.

Big milestone last week. Car is back on wheels 5 years after I stripped it down.

Any engine oil will do. Only use 50ml. Thrown on some grease on the bottom of the strut as well if you'd like. Don't use what the above poster mentioned. That's for original wet legs.

My rears had between 5 to 6mm gaps. Plenty of engagement though so nothing to worry about. Front I had 2mm and 4mm. Car is a 1970 Australian delivered model.

Good to see so many young faces. Expecting big things from Leclerc but as an Aussie, even bigger from Ricciardo.

From Holland to the US and down to Australia. Thanks Koni and MSA.

Thank you It has to be footy. Cricket is too slow for my taste.

Two years after shipping the rusty heap we have a complete shell ready to come back home.

Progress has been slow on my end as I've become a father to a very energetic and happy little boy. He brightens every day of my life and I haven't been able to bear to draw myself away from him and slave away in the garage while he's experiencing a lot of firsts. Fortunately progress has been made with the body by a skilled team over 1,300km away.

The only numbers that speak is the cash someone parts with to own one. Your reasoning, however valid, idealistic or delusional, is moot and holds precisely zero relevance to those that own or aspire to own a Z432. The market is the market for reasons beyond reason.

I used media blasting to clean and then satin black to paint. I will be redoing them with the navy green original colour once I find something close to it.

Great! I restored my horns and now I'll have to paint them again... Oh, and still have the bolts to do now that I think of it.

Most of the car is still there. There's a surprising amount of metal left considering the damage done to it by the elements. All the guts are present and usable. The glass I should be able to save. Interior was shot. The paintwork I couldn't save...

Gav, Both had been neglected for some years and both required a 'nuts and bolt' restoration which I believe they are receiving now. Well, I know one of them is being looked after. They were undoubtedly in better shape than what I ended up with and had more savable parts as well. At the time I wasn't willing to do a full restoration and wanted something ready (or near enough) to drive. They also wanted way more than what I thought they were worth but in retrospect they were priced reasonably. By the time 19 came up I had been in the market for some months and saw the values escalate rapidly. I also came around to the long term view with this purchase, something which has always eluded me. Must be getting old...

Going in to this project I faced the dilema you mentioned. I had two choices. Get hung up on it or get on with it. I could have easily cut 2 inches on either side of the VIN and stuck it in another shell but that would never have felt like #19 to me. This car that I'm sweating on does feel like #19 - we're saving as much of it as possible and that's all that can be done. The alternative is to scrap it and I know no one wants that. A friend told me about grandfather's axe before I began restoring this car. A grandfather bought an axe as a young lad and worked it pretty hard througout his life. One day the handle split and he had to replace it. Soon that handle got chipped and dinged and aged with the axe head. The grandfather passed on the axe to his son who left it in the shed for so long it rusted and pitted beyond repair. When the grandson inherited the axe he got nostalgic and decided to fix it so he bought a new axe head and started to use his grandfather's axe. One day he will pass on his grandfather's axe to his son...