carterb Posted October 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2020 Correcting the fold. I sure hope I'm not sorry I'm doing this. And a little re-shaping up front for good measure Oh yeah, and we went shopping... Don't let anyone tell you painting a car is cheap. Amazon sure helps though... Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted October 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2020 Next step was to weld up some holes. It's obvious I still don't know what I'm doing because I didn't realize my gas was off for the first hour! LOL It did seem to be welding a little weird but I was so focused on technique - trying to fill holes for the first time - that it didn't occur to me that something besides the operator was wrong. I did have enough forethought to ask Corey if he wanted rocker trim or not and he said no - so I welded those holes up as well. Next on the list was to grind down all the window and door frames that were covered by tape protecting the headliner. This process make me VERY glad I removed it - lots to fix/address in these areas. Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted October 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2020 I'm really excited to start taking a step forward with this car. I still feel like I am making the list longer. I have some new sheet metal in the box just itching to become part of this car. Here is a quick test fit with the lower valance So that looks like it should go right in... The taillight panel will take some work - at a minimum, some of the items welded to the stock panel do not exist on the replacement - like these cable "clips"... and the jack handle clips and the entire box for the trunk latch mechanism. So, I removed those bits and marked their location on the new panel so I could sand away some primer to facilitate welding. The original car already had some rust repair done along the bottom of this panel and so the lower jack clip was missing. Any of you have one I can steel? The wire clips I'm afraid are not going to make it back in place. By the time the spot weld is drilled, there just isn't much left. Has anyone looked into something that could replace or replicate these? Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted October 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2020 So, let's get started then... Some of the trunk floor just has to go! I don't have any fresh metal but I do have some 50 year old Nissan stuff... Thanks Jaybo Racing! I've never done this before so I thought the trunk floor would be a great place to learn! The hood skin is slightly thicker than the trunk floor (no wonder so many of them rust through) but I don't think it will cause me any problems. Getting that repair in place allows me to get the valance in. I drilled holes around the perimeter of the car, test fitted the valance to mark where the welds will be, and again - ground away the primer, and clamped it back in place. Here it is "spot welded" in place More grinding... Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted October 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2020 Next step is test fitting the taillight panel It becomes immediately obvious that some trimming will be necessary. Before marking where, I thought it best to start by making sure that the shell is the correct shape. So I took a measurement across the trunk opening of Slowpoke. And compared that to the trunk opening of Greengo Looks like I need to widen it up a little before welding in the tail panel. If I line up the new panel about where it needs to be on the left side: The overhang is pretty severe on the right side: Here is the old panel sitting on top of the new - centered as best I could. It looks like I need to remove about 1/8" from each end. But before I tackle that - I want to get that battery box in place - much easier access with no taillight panel. I started by measuring the size of the typical battery I run in my 510s Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted October 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2020 (edited) I found that if I section the box I have, it will be just about perfect! This is all great practice by the way... Next I floated it around the trunk to find an ideal mounting location Traced it out, crossed my fingers, and started cutting. Fits like a glove! Then I prepped the area around the cut on the car and where the weld would go on the box. While under there, I was reminded how much work I need to do on the rear seat pan More practice welding up holes! I handed the welder to Corey for a bit too, not to weld on the car yet, but just for the experience at this point - to see it's not something to be afraid of. Then I cut him loose with a grinder to flatten all the holes I filled earlier. And, back to filling holes... This next part is not the prettiest, but it will all get seam sealed top and bottom so I'm not terribly concerned. Turns out my sheet metal fillet welding needs some improvement... But it's in there - that's the important thing right now. Corey went back to sanding. I'm uneasy using the replacement panels right out of the box so we're scrubbing them with 80 grit and will hit them with epoxy primer like the rest of the car. Good enough for the night anyway... Edited October 19, 2020 by carterb Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted October 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2020 Corey and his car got a nice donation from Jaybo Racing! Futofab front sump sway bar. Thanks Jeff and Sam! (And Dave) Quote Link to comment
Draker Posted October 19, 2020 Report Share Posted October 19, 2020 Love the updates!! Quote Link to comment
Trophy24 Posted October 19, 2020 Report Share Posted October 19, 2020 I think I have a scrap tail panel for that jack clip. I will check this week for you Paul Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted October 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2020 On 10/18/2020 at 9:26 PM, Trophy24 said: I think I have a scrap tail panel for that jack clip. I will check this week for you Paul 🥰🥰🥰 Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted January 30, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2021 Time to get back to it. Corey and I are setting aside Friday nights to work on his car together. That should get things moving again... It's still to cold in the garage to do anything paint-wise we I thought we'd tackle the rear suspension. First up, coilovers. I had a set I built for another car I had (Racecar) But after talking things over, these shocks are going to be too short for Corey's desired ride-height. He doesn't find speed bump avoidance as enduring as some of the rest of us I guess. So I reminded myself which model they were and I'll get some longer ones on order. I'm going to aim for 2" so he can be 1" taller and have 1" more droop available. That's the one thing I don't like about my current formula. No droop at all. : ) Plus I think we will go with softer springs for his car. 175# maybe? He has more fillings than I do, so let's not shake 'em loose I guess. We'll let the music do that! Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted January 30, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2021 While rooting in my suspension boxes, I looked at a set of struts I already have converted for coilovers. I forgot what we had planned for his car. 280zx vs 510. He has no plans for racing so we could just stick with 510 stuff I guess but just the fact that rotors and calipers are so difficult to find makes me think we should go ahead with 280zx stuff. I already have inserts and threaded sleeves so I'll just get a set of springs to match the rear and we'll be good to go... But enough of this clean stuff. Time to get dirty! Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted January 30, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2021 Come on Corey! Let's get this stuff apart. We are going to clean it up and paint it, check bearings, u-joints, rear-end, install new brakes, and modify crossmember for adjustable "Byron" kits and larger exhaust hole. Yummy! That wasn't too bad! It doesn't look like a wrench has ever been on any of these nuts! Usually the half-shaft nuts come pre-rounded by the previous owner. Heck, on most of the fasteners, the zinc plating was still in good shape. Nice surprise! Tired of crawling around on the floor, we took the trailing arms to the work table to strip the brakes. The shoes actually look new-ish but I have a new set of Porterfields and new brake cylinders. I'm taking no chances with old hydraulics on this car. I've learned my lesson there many times over. Next step, clean and de-grease and POR15 and order some parts. I call it progress... The U-joints don't have any play but are really sloppy/free to rotate. I think we will rebuild them for insurance. The bearings make no noise at all and there is no sign of rust or damage in that area. Am I dumb to leave them and replace later if there is an issue? The rear end spins so freely you'd be forgiven to ask if there are actually gears in there. Is that good or bad? There is some backlash but nothing scary. What should I check to make sure it is in good condition and doesn't lock up on the first test drive? Quote Link to comment
Draker Posted January 30, 2021 Report Share Posted January 30, 2021 I’d rock the bearings Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted January 31, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 On 10/18/2020 at 9:26 PM, Trophy24 said: I think I have a scrap tail panel for that jack clip. I will check this week for you Paul Paul is awesome! Thanks buddy! Quote Link to comment
Trophy24 Posted February 1, 2021 Report Share Posted February 1, 2021 You bet Carter! Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted February 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2021 (edited) Checked my inventory before ordering some of the stuff we would be needing soon. Found an unopened bag of drum brake hardware! Also found an e-brake cable. What are the chances it is the one we need? Says 520 so I'm doubtful but who knows... Also on the list were brake drums but even though new ones are cheap, I figured if we don't have to buy them, why would we? So I measured the drums that came off the car and they look pretty good. A full 2mm smaller than the max diameter cast into the drum. Then I spent a 1/2 hour at the sand blaster cleaning them up - proving once again that my time is worth nothing. : ) Then I ordered what was left on the list and the kind folks at Summit Racing sent it up straight away for free. Rear coil-over shocks, rear springs, and some POR-15 for good measure. Plus another box that came straight from Eibach - or is that i-box? Front springs They look pretty springy-dingy to me. : ) Edited February 13, 2021 by carterb Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted February 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2021 Next on the list was to finish stripping the trailing arms to prep them for paint. I always forget which way the brake cylinder shims are installed so I took photos as I removed them. Then we spent a couple hours with Simple Green and a tooth brush. Everything cleaned up really nice. The factory inspection marks were even still visible on the rear end! Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted February 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2021 Corey's brake lines arrived from https://www.techna-fit.com/ I've used these on many 510's. I got some additional lines for the clutch slave cylinder too for Greengo and Rice Wagon. Funny story - they offer free shipping on orders over $100 - but only for qualifying items. The 25 cent washers did not qualify. So they charged me $14 shipping for the $5 in washers included in the box. Oh well... I'm happy to support them as a company. Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted February 17, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2021 (edited) Found a set of struts to harvest hubs and brake calipers from. As well as some additional dust shields and stock 510 strut tops And even another set of hubs. This is great because I almost have enough to build two complete sets now... I removed the hubs from the yellow struts and the PO that built them was apparently low on hardware - each rotor is only held on by two bolts, and one of the hubs did not have a seal, so there is grease everywhere! I tried to order some calipers from rockauto yesterday and was pleased to find complete calipers with brackets listed so I added them to my cart, then looked for the bearings and added those. When I went to check out, the calipers were gone and no longer listed as available. Someone bought them right out of my cart?! Reminded me of the days of signing up for college classes at the UW on the "STAR registration system". : ( Edited February 17, 2021 by carterb Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted February 17, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2021 I set up some strings to paint Corey's suspension parts. Here are the trailing arms: Rear diff (still looking for advice on how to check its health) Mustache bar, spacer, brake drums (in semi-gloss) and hood release handle for Rice Wagon They came out pretty nice and will sure make assembly a cleaner more enjoyable process. Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted February 17, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2021 Speaking of clean enjoyable processes, Corey and I assembled his rear coilovers. Probably the only assembly on the car that is/will be 100% brand new parts. QA1 DS902 threaded shock bodies Eibach 12" 175lb/in springs QA1 SS110SDM stud mount conversion kit Corey's new coil over assembly (red springs) next to my old recipe (silver springs) This should work out great! We can adjust them to make his car sit a little higher than mine (his choice) and they will have droop (which mine lack) so his tires should both stay on the pavement even with some additional body roll - which is good since he'll be running an open diff. We collapsed them down and put them back in the box for now. unfortunately it will be a while before we need them... 1 Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted February 17, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2021 Then we put together the front strut assemblies. 280ZX struts w/ threaded sleeve ring welded in place w/ QA1 threaded sleeves. Eibach 8" 175 lb/in springs Tokico HZ3038 inserts (hopefully these are not too stiff for the 175# springs) The struts were powder coated so we started by chasing the threads, then dropped in the inserts. And then locked down the insert (I got a giant crescent wrench from Harbor Freight that makes this super easy now! I used to use a pipe wrench) We need upper spring perches to complete the assemblies. More on that next... Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted February 17, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2021 I used to use upper spring perches from Experimental Engineering that retain the stock 510 top hat and bearing. I want to do this for Corey's car because he's looking for a softer ride and camber plates are a little harsher since they don't have the rubber up there. However, Dave no longer makes these. : ( I asked around and was told that Troy Ermish offers a solution. https://ermish-racing.com/coil-over-kits It appears he uses QA1 parts and the "upper spring perches for stock 510 mounts" he shows are the same ones used on the rear coil overs I build, so I grabbed one to have a look. Although, it would certainly sit on top of the spring and press against the stock strut bearing, there is nothing holding it to center. It seems like an adapter pieces is necessary if actually going this route. I had a couple other pieces to choose from - another version of QA1 upper spring perch that is conical and at least lets you zip tie to the spring and add a safety pin to keep it from falling away from the shaft, but it still doesn't have anything to center it to the 510 strut bearing. And also a simple upper spring perch with a boss on top that just about works perfect! but it is part of a camber plate assembly so I don't really want to separate the set. (anyone know what camber plates these are by the way?) I have a bucket of these upper QA1 eyelets removed from the coil over shocks I buy, they fit in the QA1 upper spring perch. Maybe I can bore out the thread, lop off the eyelet, and turn down a boss that fits the 510 strut bearing. But if I'm going through all that work for a two piece solution that could still fall apart when unloaded, maybe I'd be better drawing up exactly what I want and having a batch made. Unless anyone here recommends a solution... hint hint hint... P.S. I looked at modifying the stock upper spring perch from a 510 since it is already designed to interface with the stock strut bearing and I think it could actually be done, there is an inner cylinder that could be removed and replaced with something that fits the ID of the coil over spring but again, allot of work modifying stock parts to arrive at a custom solution when I could just start from scratch. I might explore it though just for fun. Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted February 17, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2021 (edited) More fun with clean parts. Corey and I built up his freshly painted trailing arm assemblies with new brakes! Raybestos cylinders. Porterfield shoes https://www.porterfield-brakes.com/ Forgot to paint his e-brake actuators... Too excited to stop. We also completely disassembled, cleaned, and lubricated his adjusters. as you have probably experienced, adjusters can often times be locked up pretty tight. I cobbled together a very effective tool to interface with the male 1/4 square drive. I use a 3/8 drive 12 point 11 mm socked a 1/4 drive to 3/8 drive adapter. The 3/8 adapter fits perfect in the 11mm socket. Giving a tool with 3/8 female drive on one end, and 1/4 female drive (to interface with the brake adjuster) on the other. Job done except looking at the instructions (after we were done of course, we are men after all) it shows that I shoudl have the green and orange springs swapped top to bottom. We reassembled the brakes using the old assemblies as a guide. If the instructions are true, then the old brakes were assembled wrong and we just repeated the mistake. I guess we are not quite done after all. I'll have a look at one of my other cars first before tearing these back apart. It was time to go in and make dinner. Chicken and Rice Casserole, yum! Edited February 17, 2021 by carterb 1 Quote Link to comment
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