Project Torana update: Part 2

Date: 21.12.2015

We decided on a colour that you won't have any trouble finding in a carpark. What do you think?

Project Torana: Part 2

We really shouldn’t be surprised by this. Old cars always have a history and much of it is hidden under the paint. By the time something like our Torana reaches a good age, it’s been through several owners and there’s bound to be a colourful history in there somewhere.

You could argue that what we should have done with this car is give it an oil change, a detail, maybe reskin the dash, give it a cut and polish and send it on its way. It was a pretty solid and very driveable car.

What’s really saved us so far is having the expert guidance of Mick at Glenlyon Motors when it comes to wrangling the project.

Meanwhile Chris Pearson, the ringmaster at Corporate Auto Body, reckons that, while our car looked pretty straight, you had to get the first few layers of paint off before the real story emerged. We reckon Project Torana has seen a bit of track time at some stage in its career, judging by the number of ‘love-bites’ it had on its flanks. Plus some of the upper bodywork, like the roof and hatchback surround, needed a lot more repair than expected. No matter, that’s what happens when you roll the dice in a resto project.

As always, the paint gurus expended 90 per cent of their time in preparation – that’s the mantra: prep is everything. Laying down the colour is the quick part.

This isn’t a pukka A9X, rather a tribute car, so we feel no obligation to stick to standard, least of all when our mates over at Street Machine mag are also involved. So we’ve abandoned subtlety and gone for a good lairy seventies-style colur. It’s a Ford Focus hue: electric orange. Though our version is a pearlescent and much deeper than you’ll find on your average production car. It looks sensational.

While that was being sorted, we scuttled off to the Dashboard Doctor in Coburg (Vic) to get the dash pad reskinned. Alan, who owns the shop, has done a heap of our cars and is pretty much the only game in town. His turn-around is quick and the result is perfect – it makes a big difference to the whole feel of the cabin.

We’ve also found a trimmer – Auto Image Car Interiors, which has been around a while and ‘gets’ the whole project. Now the paint has dried, the progress will be rapid. Watch this space...

PROJECT TORANA HERO LIST:

• Glenlyon Motors
tel (03) 9380 5082

• Corporate Auto Body

• Precision International
(engine components)

• Koni suspension

• Dashboard Doctor

• Quick Fuel Injection

• Aussie Desert Cooler

• Auto Image Car Interiors

• Autotrax Group
(transmission)

• Glenroy Exhaust

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