Sue & Dave Morris's 1976 HJ GTS Monaro

What do you do when the kids leave home? Go on a cruise? Do the 'Grey Nomad' thing around the country? Well, Sue and Dave Morris chose to do something a little different - restore a classic HJ Monaro GTS sedan. The husband and wife team shared their story with us on how they turned their spare time - along with a lot of sweat and elbow grease - into a showroom-quality Aussie classic.

Initially, we were after a two door Monaro. However, six months of fruitless searching led us to widen our search to include four doors. We wanted something that was basically original, with good body and interior, as well as an original-spec motor with no modifications. We had placed ads on the Trading Post, left messages on websites and even contacted our uncle and cousin in Queensland to see if they knew of anything up their way. That proved to be a smart move, as our uncle phoned and told us of a car that he had found in a copy of JUST CARS. Actually, we had seen the same ad, but gave up because the seller was too tricky to contact.

As luck would have it, we finally got on to the seller and found out the car was located near Yass, not that far from Canberra. So, after agreeing that this car ticked all the right boxes, we hired a car trailer and off we went with money in our pocket. What we found at Yass was an HJ GTS 4 door Monaro, with a stock 308 motor and auto, dual exhaust, and a body and interior in fair condition. As an added bonus, it came with full maintenance records and original sales books. Now that we had the car, the real journey began!

CLEANING, CLEANING . . . AND CLEANING

Our first major step was to totally strip the body in readiness for sandblasting. With the car at the sandblasters, it was an apprehensive wait, wondering how much rust would be uncovered, but luck was on our side, as the HJ came back reasonably rust free with no unexpected surprises. The body was basically straight, so now it was time to go into 'clean' mode. It took about 12 months for us to totally strip, clean and inspect each part. When I say 'each part', I mean everything down to the smallest nut and bolt was cleaned or replaced. We went through litres of paint stripper, as well as quite a few discs for the angle grinder.

We both spent weekends, after work, holidays and most of our spare time cleaning. When we weren't removing years of grime from the HJ's chassis and body, we spent hours searching the internet for parts to replace those that did not meet our own quality checks. We checked with local wreckers, Rare Spares and when visiting interstate family or friends, we would drop into wreckers in their area, too. Although the majority of badges, trim bits, etc., just needed some TLC, we had to rechrome the front and back bumper bars, scuff plates, and replace the front and back light surrounds. The spare room at home became the parts room. We had the rubber kit hanging on the outside of the cupboard, and the floor strewn with boxes and boxes of new or cleaned parts ready to be reused, such as the side windows, seats and console. Both front and back windscreens had to be replaced and, as is the norm with 'screens from cars of this era, the green tint increased the cost.

After sourcing the best vinyl paint from the internet (initially found in America, but as luck had it, there was a local supplier), we freshened up the interior ourselves. The result was better than we expected, although we did have a small problem with excessive tackiness in some areas. After a quick email to America, they provided an answer which solved our problem immediately. We also used the original seat belts, which were in good condition, and came up remarkably well with a little TLC.

GREEN AND BLACK - BUT NO BLUES

As this restoration was being done to a budget (which we ended up blowing out, but not by much!) we decided to do all the painting ourselves, in the original two-tone metallic Jade Green and black these cars wore from the factory. The two back doors have the 'GTS' logo within the black area on the bottom, as does the rear spoiler. Preparing the surfaces proved to be the beginning of a lengthy process - etch primer, then primer, sanding (wet or dry), masking areas, painting, sanding and then more paint and more sanding. Taping the two tone areas was frustrating and time consuming, but was made easier with good tape (thanks, Bunnings!). Once we had a couple of coats of colour down, we assembled the panels so that the final layers of paint would have the same consistency. We sanded again and then applied six coats of clear which was followed by more sanding. The end result was that the car came up better than we had ever anticipated!

INSIDE 'OUTS'

At this point, we left the paint to dry and turned our attention to restoring the interior. One thing we did find was that some of the interior parts were just that little bit 'out' due to imperial to metric discrepancies, so in some instances, we had to adapt what we had to fit as best as possible. Once we where happy with the interior, replacing the rooflining, carpets, etc., we turned our attention back to the exterior, treating the paint to a three stage buffing. We made sure most of the painting was done in the summer so that we could 'bake' it in our converted garage/spray booth, although the next time we paint, I think we may consider hiring a booth. The need for our 'spray booth' to be thoroughly dirt-free was very time consuming, as it became essential to wipe down the plastic on the walls and floors to remove dust and dirt between each stage.

READY TO ROLL

There were only a few elements of the car that we were not able to do ourselves: the motor, which we got reconditioned and balanced; the gearbox, which was overhauled; and we also replaced the exhaust, getting the engine pipes specially made.

The day we felt the car was complete enough to start the motor and leave the garage was a real milestone moment. It also allowed us to see the paint job out in direct sunlight for the first time. All the time and effort we'd put in to the prep and spraying had paid off, as the whole car looked exceptional.

On the day we booked for our registration check, it absolutely poured rain, the heaviest rain for months or even years. As any car lover can appreciate, restored cars do not go out in rain! On a brighter note, we passed the vehicle inspection (with quite a few admirers) and were now legal on the road -- we had smiles from ear to ear! We joined the ACT/Queanbeyan Pre 80's Car Enthusiasts and take the Monaro to their monthly meets (every second Sunday of the month) at Shannons at Fyshwick. More details can be found at the club website www.actqbynpre80scars.com

All up, the project took a total of two years and six months -- from removing the first parts in September 2006 to actually driving the car in February 2009. Having said that, I don't think we will ever "finish" the car, because we're still running it in and fine tuning things as we go. The best part was that it was a project we did together and we didn't end up in the divorce courts! Now we argue over who gets to drive. You might ask 'would you restore another car?' You bet!!

Our thanks to the following who helped with the project:-
- AA Sandblasting. Fyshwick, ACT. (02) 6280 5128
- Complete Exhaust Service. Hume, ACT. (02) 6260 2130.
- Peter Byrnes (gearbox rebuild). ACT.
- AutoPaint Suppliers. Fyshwick, ACT. (02) 6280 6848,
- Berco Engineering Pty Ltd (engine rebuild). Mitchell, ACT. (02) 6241 6666.
- Differential & Mechanical Services (diff rebuild). Phillip, ACT. (02) 62825678
- Rare Spares. Canberra, ACT. (02) 6209 0529

By Sue Morris