There isn’t an infinite supply of parts for the machines we love. Sooner or later, the gravy train halts and it’s up to you to keep the machine going. Finding replacement panels for all but the most beloved models of history is damn near impossible on many counts. Unless you’re lucky enough to have scored a parts car with good metal, the only other answer is to get working with your hands, and in a day and age where it seems like the next replacement piece is a few keystrokes away, saying “build it yourself” tends to scare a lot of people into running away from older metal. The skillsets were abandoned by many years ago as being outdated. But there is a beauty, an art to creating with your hands. It doesn’t matter if it’s that kiln-fired clay project you did when you were in grade school or the patch panel that you whipped up to fill in a rust hole. You created that. You did it. That is your mark on the car, forevermore.
The Holden HQ Monaro is one of Australia’s more timeless pieces. Beauty and beast in one, it’s GMH’s monster musclecar, one of the legends of the Supercar Scare era. The two-doors in particular are considered one of GMH’s best efforts, and without question, an HQ Monaro two-door is a vehicle worth saving nowadays. But you can’t just go get a quarter panel…for starters, Holden is now pretty much an import service and not even a manufacturer. If it’s got to be done, it’s done by hand, and watching the guys from Kustom Garage create the skin that composes the rear third of this particular car is time well spent.
Thanks to Tubbed Pacecar for the tip!
I always enjoy seeing the craftsmanship of making body panels, metalworking is a skill that has to be preserved and not become another “lost art”.
What`s that fancy welding device ?