This Coupe has been a long-term project, commencing in 1993 with the acquisition of a coupe, in running order and registered, but requiring a fair amount of TLC. A donor car was also acquired which was not much more than a rolling shell, and a few boxes of loose parts, but happily free of any heavy duty rust.
The car that is my coupe today, is a composite of these two, or as some would say a mongrel. Much of the rebuild time was really just moving these wrecks around in the garage so that I could store more coupe parts as the collection grew and matured. The motor and transmission actually sat under a tarp tucked in behind the front fence for nearly 10 years with a nice little garden bed around it !
Apart from being a mongrel, this car is also a community car, as many friend’s and clients have contributed over the years. Mostly I would get a phone call from someone to tell me that they have found something for the Coupe, and that it is on its way to me. For example, one morning a semi-trailer pulled up out the front with a Cleveland motor and transmission which had come as a top load above a shipment of Kelloggs Corn Flakes from Brisbane, a set of wheels arrived in the back of a Sales Reps station wagon from Launceston, the Landau interior arrived in the back of a Spare Parts delivery ute from a collector in Altona, and the lights and grille turned up amongst a crate of computers after having come across the Nullabor from a friend in Perth.
This is not to mention the smaller items such as windscreen wipers etc, that just kept turning up. So, to all of those donors, I thank you. I also owe, Owen of Kearsley’s Spares, Mark of C&S Brakes, and David from Blackburn Service Centre for the unpaid labour that they have contributed in rebuilding and installing the motor and transmission.
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After 16 years, the Coupe finally hit the road under it’s own power in June 2008, and after another month or two of fine tuning, It’s first outing was to the Hanging Rock mega show in February 09.
This XA Coupe has had a few identity changes, starting life as true 6 cylinder manual XA GS, and with the addition of the donor panels it took on the appearance of a square headlight XC, and finally thanks to the good work done by Tas Mouras from Palace Automotive in Moorabin in early 09, it can now be visually identified as an XB.
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Like all lengthy rebuilds, you strike some trades people that in retrospect you wish you had never met, and some stand-out professionals that you cannot praise enough. I have only mentioned the stand-outs here.
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Thanks also go to Muscle Motor Trimmers, especially for the great work they did on the centre console, and Ian at East Side Auto Electrics.
The objective of this rebuild was never to build a show car, but to end up with something that reflected my own motoring tastes and, hopefully, be complimentary to what was always going to be a classic car, from the day it left the production line.
This Coupe is garaged most of the time, and is used for club events and other special occasions.
Alan's 72 Specs:
Specifications :
Rebuilt, stock, 302 Motor.
Rebuilt, stock C6 Transmission
Retensioned springs all round, lowered about 40mm
Engine bay cleaned up, battery relocated to the boot
Disc brakes front, drum brake rear
Tailshaft hoop fitted
Fireproof barrier between boot and cabin
Rear track widened by 70mm
Power Steering
Reconditioned Dragway wheels, 235/60R14 tyres
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