Meet Harvey
I acquired a new project car on Saturday. I’m really quite excited. I’ve named it Harvey.
Harvey’s a Mazda 1500ss with a few, um, modifications.
Off the top of my head, he’s got:
- flared wheel arches front and rear
- RX-4 coupe roof console (woohoo! 20 year old rice!)
- old 929 seats
Oh, and let’s not forget that he’s got a Toyota 18r-g engine and Celica 5-speed gear box engine in place of the 1500ss motor and box. So he’s just a tad more powerful. Well, he will be when he runs.
The paint has been rubbed back sometime in the distant past but because of the lovely dry Canberra weather and the fact that it’s been in a shed the whole time it’s in fair condition for what it is.
Here is Harvey, just rolled out of the shed. My friend Jen came with me and provided much needed expertise in all project car acquistion and transport matters.
No doubt Jen is thinking “What has he got himself in to?”
This picture is a little misleading. The rear flare looks like it’s fibre-glass when it’s actually all steel. Also, Harvey is a complete car, but he’s stripped at the moment.
I’m thinking of keeping the tennis ball petrol cap, even though I have several spares, for that “rat rod” feel.
Harvey was so dusty and covered in spider webs that we literally broomed him off. The things hanging out of the headlight binacles are the under-bumper indicators and parkers. Oh, and Harvey has an early 1800 bonnet instead of a ventless 1500 one.
Harvey on Jen’s Dad’s car trailer. We had to winch him up. In the second shot of the right side you can see what the flares are supposed to look like.
I’ve since primered all the exposed bare metal.
Now all I need is money (ha!) and time (d’oh)!
In the last shot with Harvey on the trailer, you can see (just) a white car parked next to the fence. Here’s a better look:
I’ll be back for some parts off that one later.
There’s a few more pics of Harvey at my flickr, under the tag “Harvey“.
What a machine!
Love the look, should come up a treat with a lick of paint.
I really hope you keep the wheels, some things are meant to be.
Comment by Casey — November 1, 2005 @ 10:28 am
Ben, congrats on your purchase, I’ll have to keep checking on progress. Do you have plans to put a Mazda powertrain in there? Maybe a Rotary? I just found your blog on Bill D’s blog.
Good luck,
Joe
Comment by Joe aka BigFordFan — November 7, 2005 @ 5:16 pm
Fantastic seeing someone planning a restoration of a 1500SS. Beautiful cars! I had one about 15 years ago which we painted in a beautiful dark blue metallic blue (regency blue i think was the colour). The bodywork was excellent, and I’d just started restoring the interior when the front end got ruined in an accident. I rebuilt the front guards with fibreglass, and got a nosecone off a wrecked vehicle, but it was never quite the same after that. I replaced the 1.5L engine with a 2L MA engine which gave it a lot more grunt (retained the warm 1500SS cam and the twin carbs). Eventually though it was just worn out, sold it to a mate for $50, and it ended up going to the scrappers - a sad end to what was once a very beautiful car.
Comment by Graham Fountain — January 22, 2006 @ 5:59 am
The 1500, 1500ss and 1800s are beautiful machines. Mine an 1800 written up in Australian Classic Car May 2000. The cars are just loaded with style.
Like an105 Alfa or an XJ6!
I used the much maligned MA engine with a Gas Research conversion. Put a mild cam on it to make it rev better together with a 121 5 speed box and a 3.9 dif. Runs beautifully.
Good luck. They are cars that deserve to be preserved.
Comment by Allen Crisp — January 23, 2006 @ 10:13 am