datsunfreak Posted May 20, 2018 Report Share Posted May 20, 2018 So once again, 510 experts: How far down the fender do I roll the inner edges. Right now, I rolled the front part to about where the front bumper meets the fender, and the back is at the same height. Should I roll it all the way down, or is this far enough? Don't want to do all this, then find out it's wrong after it's painted.. Honestly, I only do about 10-12" of it. You already went "too far"... ^_^ 1 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted May 20, 2018 Report Share Posted May 20, 2018 I wasn't happy with the smaller amount of thread engagement on the lug nuts, so I'm chasing down some longer wheel studs. '90s Nissan Quest rears, same size but 10mm longer. 1 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted May 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2018 '90s Nissan Quest rears, same size but 10mm longer. I got 280zx rear studs. They are about 10mm longer then the fronts. They had SO many applications listed for them, I think these are probably the same ones used on the Quest. Honestly, I only do about 10-12" of it. You already went "too far"... ^_^ I might bend them back then :) Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted May 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2018 Yanked the fender off today.. Spent about ten minutes and corrected my "over rolled" fender edges. Thanks for the advice, John! This actually went much better than I thought it would. I have the gap pretty uniform at around 3/16", and it didn't take too much time. It's difficult to use a grinder on metal and get a uniform edge, so I widened it, then used 1/8" solder to lead the edge of the fender. The lead is soft and easy to file, so it went better than I expected. I wasn't sure if I could use lead on the narrow edge, but it worked fine using 1/8" solder. I have one of those 140 watt Weller soldering guns that is probably terrible for soldering electronics, but it's great for doing small repairs and things like this on car bodies. Other than some fine tuning tomorrow, the major work is done. (Other than repaint, of course) 3 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted May 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2018 The only way I could be having more fun would involve my pants being down around my ankles... The gap is much better, and it's nice to be back in my little home shop working on this. 3 Quote Link to comment
datrod Posted May 25, 2018 Report Share Posted May 25, 2018 Damn!!!! Your a picky fucker.. 2 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted May 25, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2018 Pretty much.... B) Damn!!!! Your a picky fucker.. Quote Link to comment
hang_510 Posted May 28, 2018 Report Share Posted May 28, 2018 Damn!!!! Your a picky fucker.. *you're :fu: 2 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted May 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2018 Put my longer wheel studs in today. It went much smoother than I imagined. I still have the steel wheels from my old Sunny, so I used one to attach the hubs to for breaking bolts loose and to torque them down. Worked out great. That special tool on the right is actually a "tapered cylindrical caliper stand" and not a bucket. It was specially designed to hold a detached caliper safely so the hydraulic line doesn't get kinked or loosened. It's a highly specialized tool, and you'll only find them in more upscale repair places. 1 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted June 25, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2018 Been a while since I updated my thread.. Got the fender gaps done. The passenger side couldn't be better. The driver's side is still a bit close and I may redo it. It won't happen this month or next month. It was a shit load of work and I'm really sick of bodywork and paint right now... Still need some advice from my Ratsun buddies... I know the rear of the back seat is painted a light grey. Fortunately, the PO left it as it was. The seat bottom and the hinges were rattle canned dark grey. (Like damn near everything else in the car) It's getting near time for upholstery, and I'm going to have the upholsterer remove all the seat covers. Once they are bare, I want to repaint them. I'm thinking the light color might really stick out too much with the black upholstery and carpet. Was thinking a satin black. Is the light grey the proper factory color for the seat bottom and the hinges? Thanks! 2 Quote Link to comment
mrbigtanker Posted June 26, 2018 Report Share Posted June 26, 2018 Yes mark. I will try to post some pics. Powder coat them. quicker Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted June 26, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2018 Thanks Ray. Look forward to seeing your pics. I already have the paint stripper and paint from other projects, so I'd rather just do them myself. At this point the material cost would be $.0 and it would only take a few days to paint. Most of that time is waiting for stuff to dry before moving on to the next stage.. Yes mark. I will try to post some pics. Powder coat them. quicker 1 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted June 27, 2018 Report Share Posted June 27, 2018 Is the light grey the proper factory color for the seat bottom and the hinges? Yes, but... Was thinking a satin black. This... :thumbup: 2 Quote Link to comment
mrbigtanker Posted June 27, 2018 Report Share Posted June 27, 2018 Check your cell phone Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted June 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2018 Thanks Ray. Your powder coating looked good. I'm still pretty sure I'm going to go with black. I need to drag my seat out and get some estimates to a few upholstery shops. I haven't used an upholsterer for quite a long time, and need to find another one.. Check your cell phone 1 Quote Link to comment
mrbigtanker Posted June 28, 2018 Report Share Posted June 28, 2018 That stock by the way. I did not redo the seat frame. 1 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted June 28, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2018 Moar fun.. After playing around with front wheel spacers, I ended up with a 10mm. The 15x7 +11 Longchamps were fouling the coil over adjusters. Funny thing is that I have effectively ended up with a 15x7 with a 0 offset now. I'm going to be on the lookout for a pair of 15x6.5" or 15x6" Longchamps with a backspace of about 4" instead of 4.25" that I have now. Anyway, it's about 2" more low in the front, and looks a LOT better, IMHO. No rubbing anywhere, but I haven't driven it over any majorly big bumps. It works, but still not a fan of wheel spacers though.... 3 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted July 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2018 Well, yet moar phun... Back in April of 2017 right here on this thread, we had a lengthy discussion over my oil pan hitting the center link. I also noted that the steering geometry looked very strange to me. After replacing the oil pan, I kind of forgot about the steering issue. As crazy as it sounds, it appears the wagon arrived here with a LHD center link. Equally crazy is that a LHD link will actually bolt in and somewhat work, even though the correct geometry is out the window. By adjusting the tie rod ends to equal length, and setting the camber to appx 0 degrees, the car would go straight down the road, but the steering felt very strange. The good news is I located one from Japan, and it should be here in a few weeks. I do have a factory idler arm in it, I only hope that it is a correct RHD version for my vehicle. This one takes the title for strangest thing I have dealt with on this build... 2 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted July 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2018 I think we might have talked about this in Kelmo's "manure" thread, but here are my back seat hinges after a day and a half in my special paint remover. I actually use a $6.00 per gallon grease remover I buy at Smart and Final. If you let the parts soak in them for a couple of days, it takes spray paint right off. Every time I use it, I'm always surprised how well it works. These hinges were literally encased in spray paint that was really hard to remove. I flipped the hinges and stuck them back in the coffee can to get the areas that didn't fit into the solution. The stuff works great and is super cheap.. 1 Quote Link to comment
thisismatt Posted July 4, 2018 Report Share Posted July 4, 2018 Superclean is maybe $12/gallon and works a lot faster :P Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted July 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2018 For that price, it should be twice as fast.... :thumbup: Superclean is maybe $12/gallon and works a lot faster :P Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted July 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2018 On 7/4/2018 at 8:38 AM, Duncan said: Well, yet moar phun... The good news is I located one from Japan, and it should be here in a few weeks. I do have a factory idler arm in it, I only hope that it is a correct RHD version for my vehicle. The very bad news is after confirming availability and price, I gave the seller my shipping address and heard nothing. Three emails later, still nothing. Found one in an Aussie junk yard at "heart attack" pricing, but I don't have a better alternative but to pay it... I plan on ordering it tomorrow.. Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted July 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2018 (edited) Huge leap of faith here, but everything I found online says this is exactly the centerlink I need for a RHD 510. This is Japanese made, and found in Texas, of course..? https://www.ebay.com/itm/TRW-ES2454-Steering-Center-Link-For-Datsun-1967-76-Bluebird-1973-77-Violet-RHD/183251070762?epid=749818556&hash=item2aaa9d6f2a%3Ag%3AcPUAAOSwkkNbD-HH&_sacat=0&_nkw=trw+2454&_from=R40&rt=nc&_trksid=m570.l1313 Edited July 16, 2018 by Duncan 3 Quote Link to comment
datrod Posted July 17, 2018 Report Share Posted July 17, 2018 Hey Mark. The wagon is lookin good. Are you ever going to take it out of the garage? And how you doin health wise?? 1 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted July 17, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2018 (edited) Health is okay. Not getting any better at this point, but considering what other people my (our) age go through, I feel pretty damn lucky and grateful. It can always be worse, and I am grateful for that. Considering the steering geometry is in left field, (and not safe by any means) at least I can look at it and admire it for the time being? My center link shipped today, and my friend in San Diego is coming up (along with all of his pullers) in the next week or two. He's really good, and he has the chops to get it apart without destroying all my new stuff under there. I pulled it all apart the first time knowing everything under there was going to get replaced. It wasn't terribly pretty... Truth be told, I'm really chomping at the bit to get this thing fixed and driveable. I can't do much with it until it's driving. Edited July 17, 2018 by Duncan 2 Quote Link to comment
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