Cheers for dropping by. There's been plenty of time and effort put in, even with tight money!

I encourage you to start a thread and post some photos, its nice to get some interest from like minded people to boost the interest in actually doing something.

Car wise, the past few weeks my foots all better, I'm looking at some work as a TA for a cabinet maker, I've been helping him rebuild my mums kitchen as a love job for her but he's keen to get me helping with a few other kitchens he has coming up. So hopefully there are some funds coming in to finish off the Lane and get the LTD done too.

Don't need much, just an alternator, oil and I can start up the engine..

And carpet to finish off the EL interior... test all the custom wiring and get the details working.

Nearly 12 months without her has made me pretty sad...

Good work with the lane man. How does it go with the rebuilt cammed motor?

I'm heading up to the shed soon. Have to source an alternator and I can start the engine..

Need to find a NF/NL for the carpet and I can finish the interior.

I'll take some more photos today too.

Update this arvo..

So I got out today, and lined up some parts through the wreckers I used to work at and found they had a neat(ish) NL V8 Lane, so I got the following goodies..

Carpet. Its still folded up in the pic, but just needs a pressure wash and has only a few small marks, main one being a ciggy burn beside the drivers seat, but not easily noticable once installed..



Also it had some decent looking, albeit falling off on 2, "Fwoodgrain" (fake woodgrain) trims and Ghia badges all in place so I grabbed them too, a bit af a wash and some armourall and they will look nice, then glue the 'grain back on properly.




Have the chrome handles too, they need the housings replaced as they are all cracked (seems to be a thing as both sets I've seen were cracked)



And just to see if its gonna look any good but I got the chrome weather strips too, not too sure if it will suit though only being the door ones. But I'll try them anyway..



Got an alternator lined up for tomorrow so *HOPEFULLY!* It will get started tomorrow night..

Also have a mate coming over to do the tint on the new TJ Magna family wagon...

so busy busy busy this week, aiming for driving the Lane by the weekend...

Till next update..
Thanks for watching!!

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Time is passing, progress is happening...

I now have the thermo fan switch wired up, I figured I'd do it all properly this time and used to forget the old dash switch on occasion.. Got that neatly wired in and tidied up all the wiring under the header tank while I was there..

New spark plugs are in as the set I had were a little black and once again, I might as well do it properly..

Just need to put on the new oil filter and fill with oil, also hook up the factory oil pressure sender wire which I cut off many years ago when I added some aftermarket gauges, thanks to TimmyA for the help there with finding it.

I seem to have lost the airbox lid I made, so I have got a 45deg 3 inch piece of intercooler piping, a new filter and joiner and will be making something similar to what I did earlier to mount a pod in the air box, I might also add some extra intake holes and ducting to the box lid, but I'll see about that later..

First on the plate is to start the engine..

I hooked up the battery (warily) yesterday and there were no sparks, I then turned on the key and the lights all lit up and the dash didn't start smoking, so it seems everything went well with the dash loom and cluster adapter. Thanks much to BenJ there..

I need to source a diff and handbrake setup before I install the carpet to save removing it later to drill the hole for the EL style cable. I have a few 3.45s in mind, just need to sort out freight.. I dont want to pay $500 for a 3.23 in town here so I might as well spend the equivalent on the best option..

Some photos below, and more to come.. Ill try and do a video too of the first start..

Some pics..

Its annoying Ford decided to place the plug on the opposite side of the radiator, and to save customizing the wiring as I usually do I just fitted it as they were.

The factory plug had melted on one terminal, so i got a 4 pin plug kit and replaced that, then mounted the Thermo fan Switch down low near the radiator.




I mounted the relays up to the rad support and tidied up the wiring to keep easy access to the headlight globes if the need arises.




Its getting close now.....

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SO!

Headed in yesterday, and topped up all the fluids, Oil, Coolant, P/Steering fluid.

Hit the key and only got a click at the starter relay...

(stupidly) pulled out the starter and tested it, then checked the battery and found it had dropped from 13v to 10... *Facepalm* Went and found a battery with balls..

Hit the key primed the fuel up and VROOM! started on the third wind, sat and idled like a kiten. Let it idle for 15 till the lifters got full oil pressure and the tcking stopped. Sounds nice and deep, revs excellently, idles perfectly.. STOKED!!!

Just a few minor electrical things on the cluster, the Tacho jiggles, and the oil pressure isnt working but that comes later..

Next is to put the EL diff I scored into it, Need to get the front cable bracket and weld it in place but otherwise its all in place, cut the hole in the floor to fit the cable, and i need to get the rear brae lines and splitter off the EL to fit them on too.








Bolted on the Lane front again.. Bringing it back to life slowly!!


So im off to the XR out in the backyard now to remove the required parts then off to the shed to get as far as i can with this install..

Gotta try do a video of the engine running...

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Now have the handbrake bracket welded on and fitted up..




Swapped the watts link to the EL diff.



Fitted the EL rear brake line across above the diff, original line circled in green



but need to get a line made up to join it to the factory NA lines. This is the splitter in position where it will be bolted like in an EL



To join from the EL splitter to the NA lines...

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Something along the lines of this..

Using the EL splitter and the bend from the end of the EL line into the splitter Ill get some flexible hose attached with a joiner to the NA line so i can bolt it on easier.

I sussed out using the EL line completely, and I think this will be the easiest way to make it fit easy..




Ill take some photos when i get it made up of how it fits..

Also I uploaded a youtube video too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_11bDdwBu8

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Got the carpet in and the door trims on with the chrome handles, a couple of handles had cracked housings so I had to swap those over too.







One of the trims seems to have a lighter odd colored arm rest on it, they all still have the factory clips etc so maybe it has just faded, either way I have a better on to put on later.

Carpet fit well, just needs to settle in, I think I left it folded for a little too long...

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Got creative with the brake lines.

They all have the same thread on the fittings so i pulled the flexible line off the EA diff and it was the perfect length to screw in and join to the rear line on the car.





Hopefully it works and flexes enough. knowing prices around town probably saved $100 getting somthing custom made.

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Got the rear line in place and tec screwed the brackets on, used some rubber hose around the brake line to avoid rubbing and possible holes, holds in place nicely now.





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So the diff is in, bolted up and ready to go..

had to get a set of EL rear lower control arm bushes to fit to the EL diff...


but its in there now,





And I should have thought of it in the first place, but I need a station wagon or fairlane front handbrake cable so its long enough to reach the joiner.. (Thanks to SWC for the extra braincells there).

Got the BA XR6 rims today as well, just need the adapters to fit them on..

All is coming along nicely..

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Territory Day today, Firecrackers going off everywhere!!

Diff is completely in and done..

I had a little think about the handbrake cable dilemma... I wasnt able to get a wagon or lane cable in town and didnt want to drive around the camps to find a wreck.. so I looked at what I had and thought up a fix... all up costing $1.45

I cut the cable joiner off the EA handbrake setup and ground the round opening larger..

Got a M6 110mm allen head bolt and ground the splits in the joiner a little so it would slot in. and drilled a hole in the end of the EA joiner the bolt could go through.

hooked the head of the bolt into the diff end of the joiner, passed it through the hole and put a nut on the other end in the EA joiner, hooked the front cable through and tightened it up..

A picture is worth 1000 words...




Sat these on there for a teaser..

Sit in WAAY too far without the adapters, but still would work on the rears only..




Order these off ebay and away we go...



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WOW.. so much to update...

This will be edited later so this is just a memo for me to play with tomorrow...

NA has the bonnet on, now has a NC front end but still looks nicer than the EB front.. Pics to come...
EL interior is in, just need to finish off some minor wiring issues and that beast is complete..

New XR6 engine with the mods had HEAPS of power, nice crackle in the exhaust now too when reving it. Smokes up the 17s with ease, and still dances well with the 3.45 LSD.. Have the spacers fitted and rims as per earlier photos fitted up.. As I said, MANY more pics to come..

Got the DC LTD in, already have the lowered springs fitted up. This one needs some major TLC maintenance..

Full service, filters plugs new leads, trans service and a really good clean up.

Removed the SLS already, and re-routed the ABS lines and deleted the ABS system. Pics of that mod and details to come.

Its lovely inside so its mostly just engine work needed to make it a little more reliable, 400+K and it still runs well, just needs that maintenance. The coolant is still bright green..

Looked it up on the Ford ETIS site, and it is listed ad a 5.0 V8 high power, so i need to research more and see, but it may be fitted with an XR8 engine?

And the newest addition is an AU (or is it DU?) LTD.

Flew to brisbane to pick it up and cruised back.

A few issues inside, passenger seat electric switches being the main one, and the sunroof cover handle and trip computer LCD dropped out a few bars.

Had a broken upper hose that I have fixed, and a new drive belt pot on. It got a wheel alignment too and needs brake pads, and a camber adjustment bolt is broken.

I have some 1.7 roller rockers and MSD coils lined up, will probably lower it a little or a lot, depending, and maybe a new exhaust system.

It already has a twin system, but it sounds too quiet to me, so Ill look into that later.

I gotta get to the shed tomorrow and get snap happy and take lots of photos...

Thanks for watching....