putting plastic tubing over the tailgate chain stop the annoying rattle, i did that on my ute much better, saves wear on the paint job aswell....i like the vents..well done

Great build mate, well done! Really like the colour

They're from Singapore. They seem to be ok, not AWESOME, but good value for that $. I haven't put them on yet, but I can give you more feedback once they're mounted.

Ok so I got a new exhaust welded up last Saturday (from the extractors back) and it's all looking pretty good. The dude at the exhaust place wasn't sure if I needed a cat or not for an 85 model (his book only went up to 79 for datsun/Nissan 1200s) so he left space for one in case I need to put one in for rego.

Finished putting in the crystal headlights and mirrors, will have pics up soon.

Rigged up the carby a bit dodgily just so I could finally get the engine running, and realised I hadn't put coolant in the radiator yet. So I filled it up, got ready to turn the key and... Ralised coolant was leaking out everywhere. From what I can tell the dope who had the A14 before me changed the head gasket but put it in upside down, cos I can see it doesn't exactly line up. I should have looked more closely before I put the engine in, but you live and learn.

So next weekend will be a fun day of taking everything apart again to get the gasket in properly. Sigh...

Here are some pics of the headlights, exhaust and mirrors

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First of all.... Good luck with the build
Looks like you have got things happening and on its way back to the roads.
I nearly brought this car myself... Was so so so close to getting it but funds at the time were not on my side trying to get a business off the ground with a few set backs.
Sweet little shell this one but again timming is the key!

Keep the pics coming mate your doing a great job

nice little ute- reminds me a lot of my old one.

2inch is perfect for a14 and webber. dont need a cat for 1985- 1986 onwards and not sure but may not need in yte as was classed as commercial vehicle.

get it going on the road- first thing0 get rid of those drums, but make sure you get all the parts you need first- nothing worse than missing a bolt or two. get all the struts and calipers/rotors ready to just bolt in, also make sure you have right brake booster and lines, the drum one has a residual pressure valve in it you would want to remove for the front brakes.

OK, so a bit of a setback...

Spent yesterday taking the engine apart. Took off the head and found that the gasket HAD been put upside down so spent a couple of hours trying to make sure the head and block were smooth and resealing it with gasket maker. Looking at the block, one of the cylinders is looking pretty oily so I think it might have ring issues too. Left it overnight to set and tried filling it up with coolant again today and...

coolant started dripping out of the carbie. F*ck. I took the carbie off and it's coming out of all of the ports... my best guess is that whoever had it last running blew the head gasket but ran it long enough to warp it (or crack the head), did a bodgy job of changing the gasket and then realised it was still stuffed and didn't bother going any further. Which given the oily cylinder is all I think I can do.

Anyone out there got a running A14 or A15 they want to sell me? The more complete the better.

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There is some good news though. Got my vents back from the metal place, and they've come up great. Got the drain things done in a zinc, and the vents done in chrome. Looks great with the mirrors. Was a bit pricey but here they are!

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Won't the zinc thingo's react with the chrome grilles? Ain't electrolysis a bitch....