opalbeetle Posted July 2, 2011 Report Share Posted July 2, 2011 Hello all. I have been lurking for a while and thought I would post this up. I found this car about 2 1/2 years ago and made a 10 hour trip (one way) to haul it home. I currently have the engine out for a complete rebuild and will also upgrade to dual SUs and possibly a Shadbolt cam. It will also receive all new brakes and suspension bits. You can see the pics of the car here; I just painted the block today and will be working on reassembly over the next week. Todd near Winnipeg, MB, Canada Quote Link to comment
Wide14u Posted July 2, 2011 Report Share Posted July 2, 2011 i don't see any pics Quote Link to comment
INDY510 Posted July 2, 2011 Report Share Posted July 2, 2011 . I'm diggin' your style ....... . . . 2 lugs is where it's at ... . . . :lol: Quote Link to comment
opalbeetle Posted July 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2011 i don't see any pics Try copying and pasting the url into your browser. If that doesn't work let me know. Todd Quote Link to comment
Will Posted July 5, 2011 Report Share Posted July 5, 2011 Oh, nice! It is the same color combination as mine - only the color hasn't been washed away by the sun. Best of luck with your project! Quote Link to comment
opalbeetle Posted July 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2011 Hello, When I started the disassembly of the L20B out of the 710, I wondered if anyone had had the engine apart previous to me. The answer came quickly inside the front cover. The wooden wedge was still there, although it had been carved nicely over the years by the timing chain. Then as I was looking at the valves, I noticed that there was a rag neatly stuffed into a hole in the head. I wonder how long these things have been in there? Here are a couple of other shots of where I am at in the build. Todd Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted July 8, 2011 Report Share Posted July 8, 2011 Hello, When I started the disassembly of the L20B out of the 710, I wondered if anyone had had the engine apart previous to me. The answer came quickly inside the front cover. The wooden wedge was still there, although it had been carved nicely over the years by the timing chain. Then as I was looking at the valves, I noticed that there was a rag neatly stuffed into a hole in the head. I wonder how long these things have been in there? Todd This is all to common with cars this old having had multiple sexual partners.... no, wait. Previous owners that is. I pulled a head once that had a small firecracker in the water passage like that rag. Go figure. '76 710 goon!!!!! FTMFW. I have a '76 too, and a '77 parts goon. Looks like an original side mirror. Only thing I don't like are the side bumper moldings, they ruin the looks and take away from the great shape of the car. My sedan had them but when I had it painted I had them removed and the holes welded up. 10X better looking now. Do you have any history on the car??? How did it survive living in Winnipeg anyway?? How many miles on it, Standard or auto. I'm guessing auto, they seem to survive better because it's hard to drive the crap out of them. Nice car. BTW this is the oil drain back hole and allows oil to drop down through the block and back into the pan. Even if completely blocked the oil level would just rise high enough to spill down the timing chain at the front. I doubt this was the case here. Quote Link to comment
opalbeetle Posted July 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2011 This car actually came out of Alberta. It was bought by a chap in Saskatoon and I got it from him. Pulled it home on a 2 wheel dolly with my 4 cylinder Nissan pickup. Towing that car does NOTHING for fuel economy. The car was reportedly driven by an older gentleman and not very much at all. There is evidence to support that this is a 50000 mile car. It has been painted once and will get painted again in the life of this project (there is some bubbling in spots). It came with a 4 speed, but I have a truck 5 speed that I am swapping in. I'm headed out to the shop tonight to finish the l-series bellhousing swap. I have to drill out the 3 rod holes so the rods will fit through. The previous owner replaced bearings and said it shifted fine and with no noises. He's a good friend so I believe him. Not sure why someone would leave a rag in there, it makes no sense. I have a 4 door as well that is car number four on the project list. It will come after the wagon, the 76 LandCruiser diesel swap, and a 74 620 for my son who will be 16 in two years. As far as finding things in an engine, I built a 510 with a KA24DE (low miler from the wrecker), and we got the thing wired, plumbed and fired it up. It ran but made a horrible noise in the head. My buddy says it sounds like something broke and is floating around in there. We pulled the head and found a 2 1/2" deck screw in the second cylinder. Valves wrecked, piston wrecked, cylinder wall scored deeply. I had a couple of extra drinks that night before I went to bed! I will keep the updates coming if people are interested. Todd 1 Quote Link to comment
opalbeetle Posted August 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 Hello all. An update. After a trip and stuff around the house, the engine is finally put back together (for the most part) and the final stages are approaching. I will be using SUs. The engine bay needs some attention so that will be next. Here are some pics. Further updates as I progress. Todd Quote Link to comment
opalbeetle Posted September 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2011 It has been a while, but things on the car slow down when school starts, and the "get ready for winter" list becomes a priority.I started looking at the engine bay while the L20b was out, and decided to take the fenders off and have a look at the frame rails. Good choice, it turns out, as there is some rust to repair. Here are some pics of what I need to fix. Frame rail inside the wheel well at the front where the bumper attaches. Its difficult to see but there is a hole by the curve near the bottom. There is also some work needed around the mounting locations for the steering box. On the inside of the frame rail, opposite the previous hole. The fender and the valance have some rust on the bottom corners, but should be fixable without removing metal. These are the areas where I will start working with any rust issues. Then, I will move toward the back of the car. Once the frame rails are taken car of, I will get at the floors, which are solid but need to have surface rust removed. Todd 1 Quote Link to comment
Abe Froman Posted September 16, 2011 Report Share Posted September 16, 2011 To bad you are not closer I have a spare fender in decent shape, it has some filler and a little rust in the bottom but not to bad. Quote Link to comment
opalbeetle Posted November 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2011 I manged to get back at the car over the last couple of days. The driver's side has had the first layer of metal removed as it was quite rotten. The layer underneath was not too bad. The pictures aren't that great, but after a good wire wheeling and blasting it is pocked, but solid. I will weld new sheet metal in to replace the old stuff. It is amazing how brake fluid can find its way into evry crack and rot out the steel. The passenger side looked OK until I started peeling away the undercoating and the first layer of steel. There is some rot there that will need a little more surgery than I anticipated. Such is the journey of fixing a Datsun. When this is done, I will be tackling the engine bay for paint and then onto the rockers and some other surface rust. All I need is more time. Anyone know where I can get some of that? 1 Quote Link to comment
opalbeetle Posted January 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Update: The frame rail on the passenger side had a large amount of metal removed from both layers near the front. The patch is welded in and it is now solid. Other small patches filled in the holes that were left after removing rusty sections of the frame rail. I found some more rust as I welded, and had to add patches. Once this is finished, I will seal the bare metal with a chassis paint. Following that I will make the next layer to fit over the frame rail, like it was before I removed it. The challenge will be the "dimples" that are pressed into the frame rail (where the mounting bolt holes are for the crossmember). As an aside, I got a plasma cutter for Christmas, what a great tool! This equals much less time spent with a die grinder and cutoff wheel. Todd Quote Link to comment
opalbeetle Posted January 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Update: The frame rail on the passenger side had a large amount of metal removed from both layers near the front. The patch is welded in and it is now solid. Other small patches filled in the holes that were left after removing rusty sections of the frame rail. I found some more rust as I welded, and had to add patches. Once this is finished, I will seal the bare metal with a chassis paint. Following that I will make the next layer to fit over the frame rail, like it was before I removed it. The challenge will be the "dimples" that are pressed into the frame rail (where the mounting bolt holes are for the crossmember). As an aside, I got a plasma cutter for Christmas, what a great tool! This equals much less time spent with a die grinder and cutoff wheel. Todd 1 Quote Link to comment
Will Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 That looks like some intense work! Hopefully the worst of the rust is behind you!! Quote Link to comment
docbainey Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Kool, reminds me of replacing kick panels/rockers on a 2000 and my 1st 510. Living in ohio the only way to own these cars is to know how to weld! I've done all my crap the hard way, - gas - . The TIG unit I have won't run well with sheet metal unless the parts are a really good fit, and that don't happen doing rust repair. Quote Link to comment
opalbeetle Posted January 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 So, between helping my 14 year old dig his snowmobile out of snow drifts and clearing the driveway, I manged to get out to the shop and finish the final layer for the passenger side. The "indents" are noticeable on the whole piece. When I removed the rust, the final shape ended up curved. It likely would have been easier if the top was straight. The small holes are for "spot welds". The larger holes are for the idler arm bolts and the bumper bracket bolts. This is what the indents look like from the back. This is what the indents look like from the bottom of the patch. This is what they look like from the front of the patch. I hopefully will get out to the shop and weld it in in the next couple of days. It's supposed to get down to -35C or -31F here this week so a warm shop will be the place to be. Quote Link to comment
b3y0ndd34th Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 I LOVE this!!!! I keep seeing all these builds, and I can't WAIT for the warm weather to get here so I can tear in to mine. I'll keep checking back to see if you can teach me anything else on the way! Great work so far bro, she's looking beautiful. Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 good work man Quote Link to comment
opalbeetle Posted January 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 Thanks for the kind words. It helps keep me motivated. Quote Link to comment
datsuntech Posted March 11, 2012 Report Share Posted March 11, 2012 Updates Man! Where are the updates? Brock Quote Link to comment
opalbeetle Posted March 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 Here are some pictures of the patches welded in. The quality of the photos isn't great, but the idea is there. As for Datsuntech asking for updates: get your ass in your car and come see it, you know where I live! ;p) The project moves along. It has been an interesting learning curve. Now that the frame rails are patched, the next phase is the engine bay. I started on the driver's side getting at the brake fluid damaged paint and any surface rust. It looked way worse than it actually was. The rust was surface, and there was no rot at all. Here is a picture after some paint was stripped off. Once the engine bay is ready, I will post final shots of that. Then it's on to the rockers. There is not a lot of rust but definitely in need of some repair. Quote Link to comment
opalbeetle Posted June 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2012 So, after finding a couple of hours to get in the shop to find rust on the car, I did exactly that. Still mostly solid but the passenger side seems to be worse than the driver's side. There is a little rust in the rockers, no surprise there, and also right at the bottom corner where the indentation shape for the bumper is. Here is the rocker work. I turns out that the car had been hit at some point in the rear wheel area, as this is the spot I found a good layer of bondo smoothing it out. I have no picture of that area. The following surprised me. The bubbling paint did an outstanding job of hiding some time consuming metal work! I have a spare front door that I will use for the front door, the rear door will be a challenge! This will set me back a bit in terms of time. Quote Link to comment
datsuntech Posted June 13, 2012 Report Share Posted June 13, 2012 Yup, you got some work to do. Any paint bubble will be hiding rust and sadly, it is usually worse than it looks. :console: Quote Link to comment
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