Seriously Howard, I'm guessing Astill XC Falcon Panel Van at Summer Nats 2025. Your attention to detail on your "cruiser" is 100% dedicated to the Panel Van. Love your work mate. 😎👍
Great work team, lots of patience and knowledge wins out over rip tear and bust every time!. Progressing nicely Howard, looking forward to your next stage video! Bill Mc
hey howard like everybody else, your style of video content is really good and gain a lot out of them. If its possible that when your up to the stage of filler work and you have fitted door locks and rubbers to get correct alignment for panel to panel block sanding can you show us how you fit your door rubbers and also taking them off when you need to apply more epoxy without damaging the rubbers please.Thanks again howard great job mate.
Hey howard, 24 year old shed tinkerer here. Got my xc all running and mobile again and its time to work the body. Youre videos give me great confidence and provide a great reference. Cheers for the detail, have this one on me 🍻
@AstillDesign As I'm doing it in the shed and have time constraints from my understanding once the body is in epoxy, any repairs I do either weld or fill, so long as I get it covered again in epoxy as I go and not leave it open I don't run the risk of trapping moisture and having future issues with my finish when it comes time for colour.
I no it will be a eye catcher finished my brother had a gs all it needed was roof gutters replaced which he had done .it also had blue velvet buttoned rear what a cool ride it was. .
@@AstillDesign Just face it Howard, you have OCD, and you can’t help yourself from doing the best work you can, not a bad fault to suffer, and we all are in awe of your abilities. Keep up the great work.
Im not a trained bodyman but i found a 2x4 length of wood a 4 pound hammer work well for opening gaps and problem issues cause i cant afford panel shops to repair shopping centre parkers
thanks for the education Howard, do you mark where the hinge sits on the A pillar somehow, so that when you take the door off to paint or whatever, it goes on back in the same spot so you dont have to readjust it.
Gday mate. Just curious will you be installing sound deadner to the inside of the doors?? If you were I thought you would have done it before the skins were reinstalled. Keep up the great work.
They were spot welded from the factory, I will be sealing with seam sealer as per original I can’t imagine trying to fully weld and grind up in a 10mm gutter
Hi Howard my question is when you de skin the body panels , most of the time you make those custom pry bars to get the skins off , does the skin distort or crack ? Also do after make up a new hem ? Thanks
@@AstillDesign Hem I meant the lip that gets spot welded to the inside of the inner frame . Also builders just grind around the whole panel like there replacing a skin , do your repairs and then make a new lip or hem .. Of course you after tig weld all around the whole edge of the skin . Could be time consuming ?
Great clip Howard, i am currently rebuilding a classic Vespa and i need to use filler in some spots going on what you recommend primer then filler is the go? cheers Simon
Question-- with the van you have a " starting" point,ie,the rear panels, where would you start with a car like an fx/fj that the rear guards are also bolt- on ???
Hi Howard another super informative video, a bit off your video topic what would you recommend to be the best way to strip HSV wheels, I have tried paint stripper and it removed the top layer but it seems to have a undercoat that is super tuff to remove, would u have any thoughts ?
Great work I love your explanations of how and why you do things, the way you do, and the products you use.
Glad you like them!
Awesome work as always Howard
Thanks again! need more days in the week.
Thank you Darren😆 your expertise does not go unnoticed 🙃
He gets a good mention every time he visits. I would love to have him here every week.
Seriously Howard, I'm guessing Astill XC Falcon Panel Van at Summer Nats 2025. Your attention to detail on your "cruiser" is 100% dedicated to the Panel Van. Love your work mate.
😎👍
Will be on the PPG stand this year in Primer, then paint and assembly
Door adjustment is my nightmare, never really understood it until now
Thanks Mr Howard
Glad to help
Another great episode on your panel van Howard.
Thanks Phil
Great work team, lots of patience and knowledge wins out over rip tear and bust every time!. Progressing nicely Howard, looking forward to your next stage video! Bill Mc
Much appreciated!
hey howard like everybody else, your style of video content is really good and gain a lot out of them. If its possible that when your up to the stage of filler work and you have fitted door locks and rubbers to get correct alignment for panel to panel block sanding can you show us how you fit your door rubbers and also taking them off when you need to apply more epoxy without damaging the rubbers please.Thanks again howard great job mate.
Thanks for the feedback, I will do that for sure
Living legend
Thanks mate, appreciated
I’m going to organise my backyard I may have xc coupe or van doors
Love this build, havent seen a decent panel in sooo long
yes it was a good find
A Holden you mean? 😂
Love seeing this moving forward. Thanks for sharing with such detail.
You are so welcome!
Inspired to get my car going again.
Thanks Howard
Good to hear, getting started is the hardest part
Hey howard, 24 year old shed tinkerer here. Got my xc all running and mobile again and its time to work the body. Youre videos give me great confidence and provide a great reference. Cheers for the detail, have this one on me 🍻
That is awesome! Good to hear its on the road again
@AstillDesign As I'm doing it in the shed and have time constraints from my understanding once the body is in epoxy, any repairs I do either weld or fill, so long as I get it covered again in epoxy as I go and not leave it open I don't run the risk of trapping moisture and having future issues with my finish when it comes time for colour.
Thats correct
Awesome Workmanship. Love ❤ both the Ford & Holden Sin Bins 😅
Hope U Paint ur Master Piece in a Sensational Colour Scheme ✨️ 👌 😅
That's the plan!
I no it will be a eye catcher finished my brother had a gs all it needed was roof gutters replaced which he had done
.it also had blue velvet buttoned rear what a cool ride it was.
.
They were the days
Not a show car but will end up in the top 10 at Summernats! This is incredible work Howard.
Just doing what we do.
@@AstillDesign Absolutely, and I sincerely thank you and look forward to each episode. I hope you have a great day, regards from Leon.
Summer Nats show winner 👍
Just doing my best mate
DaVinci at work...keep at it Howard!
Always!
And remember folks, this is NOT a Show Car.
😂😂😂😂Really it isn’t.
Whatever🤣🤣
@@AstillDesign Just face it Howard, you have OCD, and you can’t help yourself from doing the best work you can, not a bad fault to suffer, and we all are in awe of your abilities. Keep up the great work.
Looks like it’s getting very close to being one 😂😂
@@TooOldToCare-kl3co I agree with you about his "inability" to do something " good enough " WISH I could have the same problem.
Amazing skills
Thanks Peter
Awesome Howard. Love ya work 👌
Cheers mate.
Great show to watch
Thank mate
Im not a trained bodyman but i found a 2x4 length of wood a 4 pound hammer work well for opening gaps and problem issues cause i cant afford panel shops to repair shopping centre parkers
Nothing wrong with a bit of 2x4
hi mate love your videos mate wanted to ask what brand of deoxadine do you use or recommend cheers mate
I use Henkel Bondrite, distributed by PPG
Ppg is my paint of choice these days it use to be Protec but they seem to have disappeared
Welcome to the PPG family
thanks for the education Howard, do you mark where the hinge sits on the A pillar somehow, so that when you take the door off to paint or whatever, it goes on back in the same spot so you dont have to readjust it.
Yeah I would like to no this sounds easy to get it back on in the same place
I have pinned hinges in the past. 1/8 inch drill bit through hinge and pillar.
On the falcons we don’t normally pin them.
Gday mate. Just curious will you be installing sound deadner to the inside of the doors?? If you were I thought you would have done it before the skins were reinstalled. Keep up the great work.
I will be but after all the panel work is done, makes working it easier
Howard .. your birthday this month?
PS .. Yep we knocked this thing together out the back shed 😉 F ing brilliant.
End of story !
No mate, Birthdays in May,
Would you also use the Caustic soda mix to strip things like a bonnet slam catch or a hand brake lever?
It’s good for paint and grease etc but also removes zinc plating. The gold and silver.
If the drip rail isn't continuous welded to the body, wouldn't moisture get into the joint?
They were spot welded from the factory, I will be sealing with seam sealer as per original
I can’t imagine trying to fully weld and grind up in a 10mm gutter
Hi Howard my question is when you de skin the body panels , most of the time you make those custom pry bars to get the skins off , does the skin distort or crack ? Also do after make up a new hem ? Thanks
They normally go back on to their original shape. I haven’t had issues with splitting. Not sure what you mean by hem.
@@AstillDesign Hem I meant the lip that gets spot welded to the inside of the inner frame . Also builders just grind around the whole panel like there replacing a skin , do your repairs and then make a new lip or hem .. Of course you after tig weld all around the whole edge of the skin . Could be time consuming ?
Seems like a lot of work to replace the lip, plus the heat distortion
Great clip Howard, i am currently rebuilding a classic Vespa and i need to use filler in some spots going on what you recommend primer then filler is the go? cheers Simon
You need epoxy on the bare metal, then filler, reseal with epoxy then the primer
Here's my comment
And a good one it is.
👏🍺👍🏻
😀😀
Question-- with the van you have a " starting" point,ie,the rear panels, where would you start with a car like an fx/fj that the rear guards are also bolt- on ???
I would do the shell then the rear then the front.
Hi Howard another super informative video, a bit off your video topic what would you recommend to be the best way to strip HSV wheels, I have tried paint stripper and it removed the top layer but it seems to have a undercoat that is super tuff to remove, would u have any thoughts ?
Aquablast would be good if you can find someone. That’s water and glass bead. Do you plan on repainting or polishing
@@AstillDesign Repainting, i was really hoping i would be able to strip them at home somehow and keep costs down
I bought a cheap hand blaster from total tools that came with media that worked pretty good. you just need somewhere to make a mess.
@@AstillDesign thanks Howard ill give it a look
How big/small a gap should you aim for when doing panels figment someone once told me the width of a stirring stick
I like 5.5mm in steel. That Will end up 4.5mm after paint.
I was just wondering why you were doing the panel beating without the rubbers, latches etc in place?
The rubber is not correct if it changes the shape. I will have them on for the final gaping and alignment.
This is so I can get the skins welded on.
@@AstillDesign Thanks Howard!
Will you be selling the drip gutters in your store? I need a set for my XB ute.
Same here.
Me too. lol.
I will have them priced and made shortly.
Any chance they can make the thicker xm-xp coupe style drip channel love your work 👍
We are focused on XA-XC parts
can you please adopt me as your lost son🤣
I’ve got a few of them.😂😂
Hi mate I have a 1988 Ford falcon panel van for sale if you're interested,
Not for me but someone may be interested
@@AstillDesign no worries 👍