Keith gets a 4x4 Friend for Christmas!

Week 28-30: We have been looking forward to this Xmas.

Our USA friends Jim and Linda arrive today and we were hoping that the car carrier from Darwin would get through all the QLD flooding and deliver our Xmas present!

Danny bought a roof basket from ebay for $100 and picked it up from a guy at Sandstone Point. It needed some adjustments, so Poustie managed to get it done on his day off from Moreton Island.

Hoorah! We picked up our 1996 Suzuki from CEVA at Acacia Ridge two days ago. We bought it from Larry, a semi-retired sparky in Cloncurry a couple of weeks ago. It was advertised on ebay, but we made an offer and bought it over the phone. He seemed like a genuine guy: the car was owned by his daughter, had no beach work and had only 176 000km.

The Suzi drove back from the Southside of Brisbane with no problems and Danny got stuck into it straight away.

First he gave it a good cut and polish and pushed out a dent in the bonnet. Then he pulled out all the carpet and replaced it with the rubber matting that was in the back of the ute. This will make it easy to literally hose out after going up the beach.

Danny then black-jacked underneath, took all the tyres off and sprayed with rustkill lanolin to protect all of it. Two days of work and she looks and sounds great. Thanks Danny.

Hope you'all have a wonderful Xmas and holiday season from Keith, Danny, Sammy, Indigo Velvet and the Suzi xx

Straddie, Art Proposal...Keith waits patiently.

Week: 14

Toad Fish

Keith and Indigo Velvet stay home, while we go to nephew Simon's wedding on Nth Stradbroke Island.
More whales! and dolphins and a great weekend catching up with family.



Elliott & Amy

And Lissie makes a new friend called "Donna the Dead"



Week 15:

Serious work on Danny's public art proposal. Postie busy with other jobs and a trip away.

Keith doesn't mind. He is very patient.

Week 16:

Been a bit of rain, so we decide to put the big tarp over the front of Keith - covering the bedroom and bathroom.

Poustie will come back when he can get a run of 4 or so days to re-skin.

Keith will hopefully be regsitered by Christmas

Byron Bay, Archerfied and Rocky

Week 11 & 12: Keith has a rest

Sammy and Danny spend a relaxing couple of days in Byron Bay at Clarkes Beach Caravan Park. Next time we will take you Keith! (although Dogs not allowed...)

Then Danny has his Briefing for the Redcliffe public art project he is putting a proposal in for. Sammy packs up the big display cabinet and tv chiffoniere and off to they go to Tikki Boo, Clontarf.

Week 13: Off we go to Camec

Poste takes out the windows and doors.

Danny takes out the lights...a little too enthusiastically, but Poste says it can be resurrected.

Sammy gives the bedroom curtains to the op shop and manages (after much difficulty) to stuff all the couch cushions in the shower/toilet cubicle.

Poste and Danny take an interesting trip to the southside to Camec (they don't like to give too much info away) and purchase: roofing & sidings sheets, a screened door and back window (20% off this month) and fridge vent kit.

Sammy goes to Rocky for some gigs, Poste starts on Johnno's "beck dick" (said with an NZ accent) and Danny works on his art proposal.

All ready to strip off the roof...this week?

Front End: Repairs Finished

Week 9 & 10:

Poste tidies leads and Toys (Redcliffe) do the break leads for us. Danny strips and bogs the front vent and doors.

Then some more blackjacking in the engine bay and undercarriage.

And bright blue for the foot wells.

Lots more sanding and bogging and spraying of grey paint. Keith's lookin good...

Poste welds some framework for the skirt on the drivers side.

Danny finishes spraying the cab and puts the doors back on.

Keith looks awesome!

But what colour to paint the cab?

Danny & Poste - A Big Couple of Weeks

Week 7 & 8:

Poste sick on Sunday, but resurfaces Monday to start rebuilding engine and cab plates.
Danny blackjacks inside...then strips and bogs the bonnet.



Danny cleans up the stove and they test it and the fridge with our bbq gas bottle.
They both work!
Poste reconfigures the tray in the engine bay for water diversion, while Danny primes the bonnet and tries out some colour combinations. He then starts to strip the doors...

... and Indigo gets a pair of PJs at the Redcliffe Jetty Markets.

Harry's Big Trip To Redcliffe

Week 6: Harry gets on the train and Danny picks him up from Sandgate station about 10:30am. He has brought a few parts in his bag: including head lights, windscreen wipers, front vent and an ashtray.

Danny continues to strip the bonnet and bogs up more of the rust, while Stevie tidies up the wiring (and manages to disconnect something so the motor doesn't start when he leaves!)

Harry makes a surprise visit with a mate and drops off another head light. I think he likes us!

Danny is tired, but still having fun and Poste will be back on the weekend to get stuck into the cab and engine bay again.

Every morning we open the door and there Keith is...waiting.

Bogging and Stripping

Week 5: And Danny jacks up Keith a bit more...

and bogs...

And bogs some more...

And I visit Repco several times for more Karglass, filler, spray putty and a battery charger. It wasn't flat after all, just the connections a bit wonky. But it will be useful down the track.

Also Mitre 10 ( I don't do the B word) for sandpaper and some edge primer.

Next Danny uses his handy restoration skills to paint strip the front of the cab, scrape it back and then hit it with the primer.

My late mother and grandmother were both Mitre 10 women. I proudly uphold this loyalty and tradition.

A LOT of Help From My Friends

Week 4: Having gutted 70% of the interior, what to do next?

Danny and Poste decide to cut out the rust and build metal plates for the rusted spring hanger and inside the floor of the cab.

Looks like the body was originally lime green. This is one of the colours we are considering for the outside of the cab.

Rastas and Clint also lend a hand with welding and advice.

And Stevie drops in with lots of useful info from his days restoring an old Bedford.

Repco offer me a trade card...Yes, they will be seeing a lot more of me.

Hooray for Harry

Week 3:

When we were driving to my brother's house at Mt Greville (near Boonah), Danny saw 2 old Transit vans in a farmhouse yard. He said:

"We'll stop on the way back".

We had a great stay with my bro, his partner, their young and old dogs and our dog.

And then we stopped at Harry's on the way home.

Harry's yard had a few cars, trucks and the transits. He told us there were lots of Transit Vans in Melbourne and this is where these 2 came from.

He sold us some parts to be removed from the 2 vans - a front vent grille and ashtray. It was hard to get away, but we eventually paid him and got his number to arrange for pick up somewhere closer to us. Good onya Harry!

It's always the things you see out of the corner of your eye that shape your destiny...