James Mk3 Zephyr Ute – New Zealand

Hi, I purchased this Ute at a farm clearing sale / estate sale near Rakia in south Canterbury in 2005.

At the same sale were about 10 zephyrs and zodiacs, mostly Mk3 and some in VERY tidy order – one still had plastic overlay on the door panels!

A very low miles car.

I hadn’t really thought too much about buying anything, I was down at the sale for a nosey more than anything – with a mate and my father, horrible cold day I remember too!

Having had a desire for a utility vehicle, I had thought about a Falcon or similar Ute for weekend duties – even pondered a trailer for a while – but when I saw this old beastie, I thought it might just fit the bill.

Covered in about 20 years worth of grime and mud it certainly looked awful, the motor was in a sorry state – just a visual under the hood could tell anyone that!

But the bidding started, and we were away – we won it for a ‘good’ price, a quick scramble to a mate’s house and we were trailering home a Mk3 Zephyr Ute.

Funny thing was we were bidding against her original builder!

I am in contact with his son, who has promised some history / photo’s or the vehicle when it was originally built.

Looking behind me in the rear-view mirror I got the familiar ‘buyers remorse’ that comes with these old cars sometimes – after a high-pressure wash down at the parents farm it was decided ‘it aint that bad’.

Upon playing with the semi-seized engine we managed to get her free enough to get a few coughs and splutters – a few jammed cam followers and some bent pushrods later and the motor was hauled out and sold ‘as is’.

It was a horrid mess in there anyway – a Mk2 block with Mk3 head, everything looked a hundred years old not 40!

James Mk3 Zephyr Ute Progress Report

                                 27 / 9 / 07

Hi, I have finally got the front suspension back into the Ute – every bush has been replaced with Super-pro Polyurethane parts.

Every Tie rod end has a new boot, and has been thoroughly checked and greased accordingly.

The lower outer Ball-joints had been re-kitted about 5 years ago and had no use since, I have used parts salvaged from my stolen and recovered Mk3 as well as the original parts from the Ute.

Above: Steering box mount strapped along the lines of one of the two designs we

have on site. A common weak point on Mklll's.

The front shock absorbers have been fully reconditioned by Glasgow & Sons here in Canterbury.

I’m not painting or panel beating the Ute for a while yet, I like the look of it fresh from farm duties – the paint is faded, and has the occasional knock here and there – but its all original and in theme with what I had in mind for a ‘hack’.

It’s a shame the registration has lapsed on the Ute, as it will need to have new numberplates and be re-complied, and basically have to perform as a brand new would during an inspection!

Make no mistake – this car will be very presentable, I am having the engine bay fully prepared and painted in the coming months, ready for its engine and delooming after that.

Tyres have been a bit of a drama – I intend running 215/60/14” tyres all round but find they are hard to obtain (even though I’m a mechanic and ‘know’ the right people), but will keep my eye’s peeled for something soon.

I’m also looking for the ‘right’ engine for the Ute – I wanted to build a wild 6-cylinder Mk3 engine for it, but am struggling with parts suppliers as usual.                                       

It seems a small block Ford V8 is a helluva lot cheaper option in this day and age, so I purchased a Mk3 Zephyr in August 2007 to strip for parts, the only really salvageable part was the healthy 302W which I intend to warm over a little before fitting. The rest of the car has since been sold.

I have been blessed lately with getting a lot of advice, phone numbers and addresses of people that can certify (any modification like this in NZ must be signed off and a cert plate affixed to the car stating what the modifications are and who has performed them), so I now have a welder that can build my cross member up to the correct standard, a certifier that can look over the cars progress and note changes as they occur, and a structural certifier that will be looking over the panel / rust repairs as they take place to make sure its all up to a legitimate standard - a huge part of the process and somewhat costly, BE WARNED THESE 'SIMPLE' PROJECTS ARE NOT ALL THEY SEEM. I have seen many people commit financial hari kari due to not planning a restoration on this scale

Paperwork is the biggest headache, and making sure that all 3 people know what needs to be done and why.

So for now the Ute sits in the shed, awaiting the next stage – engine bay is stripped down and basically everything is removed, bare metalled, filled and primed ready for a panel beaters keen eye to rub out any further imperfections.

Above: Note battery to be removed out of the engine bay.

Above: James has removed the strip that holds the twin electric horns (a trick I did

in my own car) to mirror the battery box side of the engine bay.

I want to have an engine bay I can eat my dinner from – the battery will be relocated, and the engine bay should be well deloomed to tidy things up even more, less clutter the better!

I haven’t decided on a colour yet – of course I will paint the engine bay the colour the Ute will eventually be shod in – I’m thinking a deep blue, being colour blind I find blue to be a very pleasing colour – and also one I can ‘SEE’!

I am still in the process of looking for a gearbox to suit, ideally a box with a nice tall top gear as the Ute will be our car for longer trips away etc.

Well I hope you enjoyed my update – I hope to add some more soon, including pics of the car sitting back on terra firma with the wheels fitted – strange isn’t it how the right wheel and tyre combo fitted to your project makes you all the more enthusiastic!

You can see the Mazda bucket seats in the back, yep - from a coupe so they flip forward so i can make use of all that space!

Last updated 27/09/07

Cheers, James Holvey, Christchurch, NZ.

Assistant Manager Galeforce Zephyrs.