Engine bay is tidy as! Gorgeous
must have been some type of problem there before it was garaged as i have seen them come out of 20 plus years storage, oil into each cylinder and fresh fuel and away they go.

but i am sure its not going to try your talent too much there, Greg. Rebuild, rebuild here we come.



OZ

I was with you oz Lizzies race car got a quirt and sat for a few days and never missed a beat. This one is a little too far gone. The engine bay got a degrease and some truck wash. I also found a push rod dislodged on number 3 when the owner recalls it having a miss. I have a gt block here that needs a look at but it might be the go If the car was not in such good nick I would have to look at a s/b chev or supercharged commo but it is not the right car for that treatment.

yes your right. if it was the green early series down south, tidy up the body an drop something different into the engine bay.
but that engine block could be bad enough for a rebore etc etc rust damage.
that GT block could be just the ticket. better get the coffee on. its going to be a few hectic weeks

and please keep those pictures coming in. they are just great!


yeah

OZ

Great find Greg or has it come to Liz for a comfortable drive,if motor or head out of the old Deluxe is any good to you your welcome to come and take out,Gerry

Thanks Gerry does it have a alloy head ? As I have a g161 block out of a gt the head will be the problem is if I run a cast head it will not be standard and if I put Gt head on it I need a manifold for the standard carby I don't think this exists or run the twin gt carbs. At this stage the florian head is being checked out.
It has always been my thing if the car is a basket case it is open slather do what you want as long as it lives. If it is mint keep it mint or in the case of my sedan, I have sports seats fitted that are 8 bolts from standard. Flori deserves to be as close to standard.
Gerry you might not like this next line as Flori was almost yours as the old owner found a silver gt on the north coast nsw boarder hinterland town and he could not find the owner 1 would assume your car would have been the car he found. The owner lives on the coast but the car was stored in brissie. He has been looking for a owner for 2 years. He knows of bellett net now.

Bizzaro World! Its like Backwards Land! Usually we find krusty bodies left out for how long, take 'em home, spend a few hours & fire them up. Here we have Mrs Pristine with a motor that looks as though its been in the surf! Thats one krusty donk!

I'm pleased that you are looking to stay original - so rare!

I have 1 only spare alloy head that was the original one on Aunty Mary, the head rebuilder used the spare that came with her as there was zero corrosion. This one has some jacket corrosion & would need a little filling, as well as valve guides & seals, bet he said it is do-able. He hardness tested it & said it was OK, so hadn't ever been badly over heated.
I can send it up if you need it.

A really nice example mate, glad he found you.
Cheers, Matt.

Thanks farmer time will tell as far as the engine the sump had a mix of oil and water so we have to wait for the report on the head. The block was out of ol yella and has also seized from siting. At his stage we wait. Are late sedan and flo heads the same I assume yes but confirmation would be good.

the muck all over the head looks very similar to the engine i pulled out of the florian i wrecked, it all cleaned off reasonably easy but left some damaging pitting on the pushrods!
I have a spare florian head here but its possibly in no better condition than what you have!
I love how origional your florian is, it would be nice to see it origional engine but i like the idea of a gt head with twin carbs hanging from it too!

Had to check the Deluxe out tonite Greg,G161 block but cast iron head I'am sure,rocker cover weird alloy with the oil filler right up the front,I'll give you a phone tonite, used to be a Flo gettin around Tugun, body not real good, old bloke I have his name,Gerry

hey Gerry that flo is probably the one I went and looked at 2 yrs ago for farmer and it was on ebay the old fella lived next to the airport at Tugun he passed away and the son was selling it wasn't a bad old thing ended up going to our great friend ken ..believe its up at Maryborough at the moment at lyndsays doing up the motor cheers davo

It's back home now back in it's home address ready for a drive.

Flori update I got the block back Christmas eve and with work commitments it was put in the shed but a few bits that have been soaking in kero were removed today and I hope to have it together sooonish. I got a email from his real dad over Christmas wanting to know what was happening I said 2014 was flori's year
The florian head was saved but the rocker gear was frozen in place but was destroyed when the guys eventually removed it. I sent rocker gear from a g150 a little different but should work. The block from flori is still soaking and still a solid boat anchor. A gt block now with Gemini pistons and rods with the florian head will be the powerhouse. It will look right from the outside not that it is hotted up either[a gt camshaft might turn it into a tyre fryer ] I got a gasket kit from dick so I cant see any hold ups as I now have a manifold gasket. While he has sat I cleaned the fuel tank out ect so i think when the engine goes in a new exhaust we can move on to find the rear end problem at this stage no clues. No bath for Flori i reakon his first show should be as he sits cocky pooop and all . I threaten to take him to carnival but running out of time.

This is the update i have been waiting for! good to hear that its getting some love in the engine department! I look forward to the next update on this grand old car!

"cocky poooop and ALL"

Progress......amazing

B

Greg,
Where did you get the Florian or when you bought it where did he get it from?
My Florian was that same model, I had red air horns installed in the same location and a red coil!!

I think the Guy that bought mine after I traded it in lived near Hornsby in Sydney, gee that would be ironic, there was not a lot of that model sold before the updated front and tail lights

I had not noticed this post prior to today, I might have been travelling when you posted the story!!!
Dave M.

Not yours Dave sorry mate.
This is a 1 owner bought dec 3 1968. The owner tells me it was ordered weeks before they were released here and is adamant that it was the first 1 sold in Australia. The car magazine with the florian on the front page the dates line up and it was sold by Griffons and the car was returned to Griffons to be used as a promo. Warwick the owner can give the full story you and Warwick would be on the same wave length Dave M.
farmer i believe said the screen was a 60's car bra, ash trays were never used but extra insurance was to line with alfoil. The dash and rear parcel shelf were lined and then covered in fur still like new. Carpets are still new also they had loop pile mats upside down then a rubber mat and a mat the right way up. All up it is a sweet ride and very original.
A possible candidate or Carnival.

Flori pulled out of the shed yesterday afternoon under it's own steam since 1988. To get it to this stage was a challenge. As photo's show the engine was not healthy and was soaked for weeks and remain a lump of rusty steel.[bound for china soon]. As stated I had ol yella's g161 block in storage and Flori needed to stay as original as possible. I can say this was not as simple as first thought the head was sent for reco and was saved this was the first concern it was then the rocker gear needed to be forced off and was broken in the process. Bellett rocker gear is different but was modified to suit. Once the head was saved the block was sent for a bore and a new set of rods and bearings the crank had a grind ect this engine has been sitting since 1990 when ol yella returned home to his rightful owner . This is when the fun started a good day with a full gasket set we can bolt this thing together once the block was in one piece we came to a halt as the sump did not clear the oil pick up this is ok we were to swap the pick up. bellett pick up was different so now we need the florian oil pump would be the next option that is still seized in the block this took a few hours to remove as it was seized as well as the cam shaft. The oil pump was soaked over night but never revived. A new bellett pickup was redesigned. A florian sump is recessed at the rear for the drag link so a sump swap was not a option. A rebuilt kit was bought from Holland for a the florian as I thought this would make life easy as I needed a manifold gasket anyway only to find that the dowels were at the top and the holes were located in the bottom of the gasket so new dowel holes were made then to find the stud holes were half a whole out on half the holes.[I think Isuzu had a full time head and manifold designer trying to justify his job ] These problems are only a few of a reasonably simple rebuild.
Flori is booked in or a exhaust next week and some rego. His 1st owner says it has a diff issue but I am yet to find it. Maybe it was in the brakes as they have been rebuilt. Flori when regoed has cost $5000 this was a free project .

hey greg top storey ..................I guess we have all started to work our ... FREE ...is a four letter word we don't use ...mate you were not going to let it beat you well done ....LONG LIVE THE FLO cheers davo

After all morning cleaning off cocky poo it is still ugly .

BEAUTY IS IN THE EYES OF THE BEHOLDER