Just Joel Posted December 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2010 Hmmm, those are cool... Where are they found? I’d have a hard time giving up the clear backup lights but different none the less. ;) Later Joel Quote Link to comment
Wide14u Posted December 12, 2010 Report Share Posted December 12, 2010 this thread makes me like goons Quote Link to comment
troyt Posted December 12, 2010 Report Share Posted December 12, 2010 Hi Joel, the all red taillights were Ebay specials from a seller in Mexico, they show up regularly. They are high volume, cheap quality, repops that are just fine on my race car, but you would probably be disappointed for a fine restoration like yours. I'm not sure what international market they were for, but I have seen pics of them using a separate reverse light located where the US market reflector below the taillight is mounted. I have also seen single reverse lights below the rear bumper. I don't use a reverse light, but then again, if I'm going backwards, I'm in big trouble... As others have told you, it has been a privilege watching your project. The high level of quality and ingenuity is a pleasure to see, and your patience to do things rights is to be applauded. I used the same DP front kits you did, and your solution to the top plates was simply elegant. I spent over 16 months and hundreds of knucklebusting hours on my Lil' Red Wagon build (Wagoon race car project), and can certainly appreciate your effort. I was lucky that I could shortcut the body work as a race car only needs to look good from 20 feet ;-) Happy Holidays, Troy Quote Link to comment
hang_510 Posted December 12, 2010 Report Share Posted December 12, 2010 the all red taillights were Ebay specials, cheap quality, repops that are just fine on my race car, but you would probably be disappointed for... ...any other g00n. doesnt the R side have an R stamped in the plastic too? try rod$ part$ for the euro len$e$ Quote Link to comment
vegas810 Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 man I wish I had ur talent for body work, my 810 is gonna need quite a lot of work... but I can always learn :cool: Quote Link to comment
Just Joel Posted January 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 man I wish I had ur talent for body work, my 810 is gonna need quite a lot of work... but I can always learn :cool: Thanks man but I have a lot of learning to do myself :P I've been working on a bit lately but have been lazy with the thread. I'll be updating the status soon ;) Later Joel Quote Link to comment
jun Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 That is some ace bodywork!!! Loving this! I'll keep an eye out for more JDM tails. Quote Link to comment
Just Joel Posted January 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 That is some ace bodywork!!! Loving this! I'll keep an eye out for more JDM tails. Thanks Jun... I'm looking everywhere and coming up short. Later Joel Quote Link to comment
denveratsun Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 Very nice build....great detail, awesome forward thinking project. Great job jumping into places where your personal experience has yet to go. Now youve been there! :rolleyes: Your goon is looking very very good man. What are your interior thoughts at this point? Quote Link to comment
goes2fast Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 Great build, You have talent, and figure out how to get things done well. For others that are reading this thread I'm going to give some pointers. I would have shot some epoxy primer on the bare metal before shooting the undercoating. To ease the process of installing the axle bearings, put the axles in a freezer if you have one, and heat the bearings in the oven to expand them, and they will slip on a lot easier. If you are planing to paint your self, there is an exellent article in the new Hot Rod magazine on how to do show quality paint, I learned a few things from it that I hadn't run across before. I hope that some day after I finish some of my projects, I can score a 510 for an affordable price, and build one as nice as yours is turning out. Keep up the great posts. :cool: Quote Link to comment
Just Joel Posted January 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Very nice build....great detail, awesome forward thinking project. Great job jumping into places where your personal experience has yet to go. Now youve been there! :rolleyes: Your goon is looking very very good man. What are your interior thoughts at this point? Thanks... The interior will develop later. Fortunately, it’s in pretty good shape to start with and mostly complete so once its running, I'll drive it as is and make improvements as I go. Later Joel Quote Link to comment
Just Joel Posted January 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 Great build, You have talent, and figure out how to get things done well. For others that are reading this thread I'm going to give some pointers. I would have shot some epoxy primer on the bare metal before shooting the undercoating. To ease the process of installing the axle bearings, put the axles in a freezer if you have one, and heat the bearings in the oven to expand them, and they will slip on a lot easier. If you are planing to paint your self, there is an exellent article in the new Hot Rod magazine on how to do show quality paint, I learned a few things from it that I hadn't run across before. I hope that some day after I finish some of my projects, I can score a 510 for an affordable price, and build one as nice as yours is turning out. Keep up the great posts. :cool: The epoxy primer is a good idea and one I thought about for a while but with the existing factory undercoat and the current lack of rust, I figured a simple coat of the good stuff would work. It made it 40 years with little more than a coat of primer and a spotty undercoat job so I figure this would last at least a while before it needs to be redone ;) As for the bearings, those steps would probably help. I underestimated the job a bit. I will say the reason I passed on the heating of the bearing idea is because I was worried about the fact that the bearings are sealed and packed with grease. If I were to heat them, I might spring a leak or worse, melt one of the plastic caps :blink: Thanks Joel Quote Link to comment
goes2fast Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 The epoxy primer is a good idea and one I thought about for a while but with the existing factory undercoat and the current lack of rust, I figured a simple coat of the good stuff would work. It made it 40 years with little more than a coat of primer and a spotty undercoat job so I figure this would last at least a while before it needs to be redone ;) As for the bearings, those steps would probably help. I underestimated the job a bit. I will say the reason I passed on the heating of the bearing idea is because I was worried about the fact that the bearings are sealed and packed with grease. If I were to heat them, I might spring a leak or worse, melt one of the plastic caps :blink: Thanks Joel You only need to heat them to about 200 degrees, which isn't more than they would be in normal use on a hot day under heavy use, and with the axle chilled, it does the trick. :cool: Quote Link to comment
Just Joel Posted February 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 Hello Ratsun... Been a while since I've updated this bad boy but the good news is that I have made progress since the last time I posted. I'll start with the front wheel bearings. I know many of you are well aware of this procedure but for those that aren’t, I'll post a few pics of my experience. Started by disassembling and cleaning the hubs. Ran them through the sand blaster and found that the last idiot that worked on these things fucked up the seal housing on the back of one of the hubs :angry: I sourced a replacement hub but after thinking about it for a while, I couldn't bring myself to break up a perfectly good zx setup, so I decided to fix what I had. The damage was a chunk about an inch long and a quarter inch tall missing from the seal housing lip on the back of the hub. What I did was take a small piece of 1/8" sheet metal and shape it to fit the opening. I beveled the edges and welded it into place. Then I took a grinder with a cut off wheel and shape the lip and inner seal surface. Sorry, no before shots but this is what the finished product looks like. Not perfect but considering this is only a grease seal, I'm not worried about it. Next I removed the original races with a drift... New races going in... I found a socket in the shop that matched the upper edge of the race but fit inside the lip of the hub... And tapped her down snug... At the same time, the factory wheel studs were rusty and old so I replaced them with a new set from Nissan. I chose to use stock zx studs because I'm using zx wheels and lug nuts so length isn't an issue. And there she is, ready for paint and assembly... Later Joel 1 Quote Link to comment
Just Joel Posted February 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 With the boring stuff mostly out of the way, it’s finally time to work on some of the fun stuff. I've had this front suspension sitting in a box since last summer and it’s finally going in! I mentioned earlier that I had all the front suspension components powder coated. Rather than just rattle bombing everything like I did the rear, I chose a more permanent coating because I’m fairly decided on the front suspension. The rear will be an evolution over time and when I’ve finally dial everything in back there, it will get the same treatment as the front... The parts... Before I had the front struts coated, I welded on the coilover collars... Here's the setup before it goes in, I almost forgot to grease the bearing on the spring top hat... Surprisingly enough, the dust shields were salvageable. Bolted in the cross member, trailing arms and control arms... Here are the cone shaped bushing that Troy sent with the other suspension bits. Should work well ;) I just couldn’t justify adjustable arms seeing as I’m not going all that low and I don’t need the strength a track car might. I also figured that with my changes to the strut towers, I should have enough caster to suet my handling needs. Bump steer spacers and struts are in... All new moog steering parts... Remember the molded camber top plates? Here's how they turned out... As you can see, I made them a little tight and after paint, the slides wouldn't fit :angry: So I have some paint touch up to do <_< And last but not least, I bolted the hubs, new rotors and new calipers on. I couldn't resist painting the calipers red :P High performance indeed :rolleyes: I went with a stock like parts on brake consumables for now. Figured there wasn't much point in going overboard here until I see how they perform. And done! That’s all for now until I retrieve my camera from the shop :rolleyes: Later Joel 1 Quote Link to comment
Laecaon Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 Looks good! Im jealous, so is my Goon. Quote Link to comment
INDY510 Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 . Hey man!!!! ... ... .. I can see a speck of dust haha,, just kidding...... .. .. . :lol: ........ .. that's probably the cleanest wagon front end I've ever seen!!!! .... nice work!!!! Quote Link to comment
Shagy Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 damn it.....beautiful!!!!! Quote Link to comment
dennis Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 looks great, pretty damn good body work for a 1st timer. Quote Link to comment
datrod Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 Can I lick the bottom of your goon. DAMN!!!! That's clean. :thumbup: 1 Quote Link to comment
Pacific coast Datsun Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 Clean work ! Quote Link to comment
Just Joel Posted February 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 Thanks all... A bit on the steering box... When it was out, I drained and debated cleaning it with a solvent cleaner (break cleaner). Ultimately, I decided against it (based on help from others here on the board) and simple did a drain and refill using Redline 75-90 GL-4 synthetic gear oil. And resealed and adjusted everything. Lucky for me, this box has very little wear and I was actually able to adjust it down nice and tight with no bind at full lock. I'm rather relieved about its condition... The last thing I need is another thing to worry about on this build :rolleyes: Later Joel Quote Link to comment
the510keeper Posted February 19, 2011 Report Share Posted February 19, 2011 I'm lovin it :D Quote Link to comment
Just Joel Posted February 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2011 I'm lovin it :D Thanks Keeper, I'm working on the fenders right now and I can't help but dream about the day I can drop this thing off at your house so you can make her beautiful ;) Your build threads have been inspiring too say the least. Quote Link to comment
Just Joel Posted February 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2011 So, with some more of the technical stuff done, I’ve decided to go back to work on the body <_< Under the rear bumper, the gap filler panel was crushed in on the driver’s side. When the corner was hit, the bumper was replaced but the panel was ignored. Initially, I decided this piece was a lost cause and too far gone to repaired but after trying to find a replacement and realizing this wasn't going to be easy (or cheap) I decided I’d try and fix it the best I can until I can find a replacement... Not having much confidence, I didn't even take a before picture of the piece, but I can assure you it was messed up... Fortunately, the other end of the panel was relatively straight so I had something to compare too. I went to work with my hammer and dolly to straighten it as close as possible. It actually turned out better than I thought it would. Next I skimmed, sanded and primed... Then I sealed everything up... Then I top coated it with a simple rattle can enamel that is actually extremely close to the original color code. Seeing as I'm not going to be painting the car any time soon, I've decided that this is the easyest option for now to weatherize my small spot repairs until the day I can strip the whole car and finish it properly. Until then, it’s going to look ratty but that’s fine with me... miss matched paint is way better than rust ;) Considering how bad it was, I'm rather happy with the finished results. I'm still in the market for a replacement but this will work for now. Later Joel Quote Link to comment
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