datsunfreak Posted October 3, 2023 Report Share Posted October 3, 2023 On 10/1/2023 at 10:51 AM, Stoffregen Motorsports said: Good story. Cool cars (and guitars). The color is very German. Like from war-time BMW or even VW. It's muddy yet bright at the same time. All car people have paint remorse. It happens. Every single time. There's the thought that you could have missed out on another color. I'm going through that right now with a Land Cruiser project. I've chosen three blues, which are all very similar to your wagon blue. Two of them are modern, one being Toyota and the other the new Bronco blue, but the third is a classic SII Land Rover RAF (royal air force) blue. I've pulled the trigger on the RAF blue and can't wait for it to be painted so I can stop worrying about it. FWIW, there is a stock 510 blue similar to his, just a little lighter. 1 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted October 4, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2023 (edited) 5 hours ago, datsunfreak said: FWIW, there is a stock 510 blue similar to his, just a little lighter. By the way, I couldn't find my old PPG Catalog, but I remembered the color was listed under International Navistar. I just googled that, and indeed it was a semi truck line. I always thought the blue on my wagon had a sort of industrial look to it. It seemed that color always looked a bit different in photos than in person. The guitar and matching amp look really great, IMHO. Very close to Lake Placid Blue but with a slight touch of green in it. Edited October 4, 2023 by Duncan Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted October 4, 2023 Report Share Posted October 4, 2023 (edited) 10 hours ago, Duncan said: By the way, I couldn't find my old PPG Catalog, but I remembered the color was listed under International Navistar. I just googled that, and indeed it was a semi truck line. I always thought the blue on my wagon had a sort of industrial look to it. Like Stoffregen, it always looked like a vintage German color to me. Like BMW's Riviera Blue, maybe? Edited October 4, 2023 by datsunfreak 1 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted October 4, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2023 I've owned a few '69 Camaros and Lemans Blue was always my favorite color on those. It's also very similar. I was actually going to paint my old yellow 1200 Coupe Lemans Blue until I discovered it is a metallic color. That's a hard no from me on an older Datsun. And a friend of mine called me yesterday. He bought some Japanese bike that is Harley knockoff. Apparently, it fell over, and needs some bodywork on the tank and the tins. I told him I could do that for him. Somewhere, he found a British Racing Green that is metallic. I don't believe that the original BRG was ever metallic, but I didn't want to argue with him. 😁 Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted October 4, 2023 Report Share Posted October 4, 2023 The color has to fit the character of the car. Metallics are also a hard no for me on older, smaller cars. Years ago, a friend of mine, who was and is a world class painter, showed up at my house with his Sunbeam which he just painted a metallic green. I think it was an early '90s Honda color. The color was great, but not on that car. I could barely conceal my dislike for the color. I was young then, and this has always stuck with me. Colors from different eras can be used, but metallic paint should be carefully considered before squirting the car. I have a bunch of "rules" for how to build a car, and this is one of them. 1 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted October 4, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2023 I remember in the 90's when the Green, Yellow, and Purple Hondas were all the rage. oofff 🤒 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted October 5, 2023 Report Share Posted October 5, 2023 On 10/4/2023 at 9:46 AM, Duncan said: I was actually going to paint my old yellow 1200 Coupe Lemans Blue until I discovered it is a metallic color. That's a hard no from me on an older Datsun. On 10/4/2023 at 10:27 AM, Stoffregen Motorsports said: The color has to fit the character of the car. Metallics are also a hard no for me on older, smaller cars. I have a bunch of "rules" for how to build a car, and this is one of them. The only metallics allowed on any classic car are silver and gold. 😁 2 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted October 5, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2023 i spoke with my friend, and he talked himself out of the Metallic BRG. Now he's talking grey. I approve. He also doesn't understand that painting in my garage is a bit of a challenge, and metallics are more prone to problems due to dust and other environment challenges. I'll do whatever he wants, but a non-metallic will get better results in a garage setup. I'll explain the hows and whys before he buys any paint.. 1 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted October 5, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2023 And....I got the seat cushion cover done. It's not pulled tight or anchored down at all, but I pretty chuffed at the result. 2 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted October 5, 2023 Report Share Posted October 5, 2023 (edited) 54 minutes ago, Duncan said: i spoke with my friend, and he talked himself out of the Metallic BRG. Now he's talking grey. I approve. Nimbus Gray is a nice non-metallic, just so you know... 😁 Always wanted to do a Datsun in this color. And I just might for the next one... Edited October 5, 2023 by datsunfreak 2 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted October 10, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2023 (edited) Movin' on with this little upholstery project. I am foaming up the seat back. Originally it had this very soft cotton padding. I tried some of it, but didn't care for it. If you put a seat cover on temporarily to check for fit, the cotton got messed up when you pulled the cover back off. I bought a piece of new foam and had enough for both seat backs, so I test fitted a slightly damaged piece I had leftover from the seat bottom. I spent so much time fitting this one, I just went ahead and repaired it. The piece of vinyl glued on over the repair smoothes it out, and won't show any imperfections through the seat cover. More scenery to enjoy in my front entryway patio... Edited October 11, 2023 by Duncan 2 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted October 11, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2023 On 10/5/2023 at 11:22 AM, datsunfreak said: The only metallics allowed on any classic car are silver and gold. 😁 I remembered seeing a fully hot-rodded '56 Ford pickup that was a bright metallic gold a few years back. I remember making a mental note to myself that metallic gold could look very nice on a larger 50's lead sled kind of vehicle. I remember the truck had an all bright white interior, and a white steering wheel to match. It was really beautiful. 1 Quote Link to comment
KELMO Posted October 12, 2023 Report Share Posted October 12, 2023 I always love popping in here to see what you're up to with this thing. It is really awesome. If I had just a little bit of your talent, I would have some really special cars. 1 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted October 13, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2023 10 hours ago, KELMO said: I always love popping in here to see what you're up to with this thing. It is really awesome. If I had just a little bit of your talent, I would have some really special cars. Thanks Kelly. That's very nice of you. In reality, I'm just some schmoe fooling around in the garage. I wish I started with the upholstery thing about 20-30 years ago. I'm old, and I can't put the work hours like I used to.. Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted October 26, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2023 (edited) I FINALLY found a place to install my newly refurbished/updated stock gauges. There's a place in Long Beach (home of JCCS) that I had do a little work on my 510 wagon when it first landed, and they have a few employees that do nothing but auto electrical stuff. They did a great job on the wagon, and seemed very competent AND honest. I can't wait to get this in there! A friend reminded me of that, and I can't believe I forgot about them. Also, after some fishing around on the internet, I also discovered that a stock, unmodified 1940 Ford speedometer cable will screw right into the speedo, and the other end goes right into a Chevy transmission.. Who woulda thunk it? I live right down the street from Art Carr's transmission shop, and they can recalibrate the trans/speedo combo for $75. The next item is getting rid of the ridiculous modern steering column.... Edited October 26, 2023 by Duncan 1 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted November 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2023 (edited) My neighbor went with me to a local cars and coffee event. We painted his Pantera about 25 years ago, and damn if it still doesn't look good. He just sent me this pic he took of his car parked next to my '40. He won the "Car of the Week", and now people are asking me if I want to paint their cars...Deja Vu all over again. Edited November 9, 2023 by Duncan 1 Quote Link to comment
EDM620 Posted November 10, 2023 Report Share Posted November 10, 2023 Quite the contrast! The roof only comes up to your beltline! Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted November 10, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2023 (edited) 14 minutes ago, EDM620 said: Quite the contrast! The roof only comes up to your beltline! I've only ridden in it once. It was a very quick trip, and it was really uncomfortable. If you're over 5'7" or so, it's not so great.. Edited November 10, 2023 by Duncan Quote Link to comment
EDM620 Posted November 10, 2023 Report Share Posted November 10, 2023 I can imagine! Since I'm gimped up now I can't even consider getting into an exotic anymore as I won't be able to get back out! An F430 becomes a suit... Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted November 12, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2023 Well, still slugging away on the covers for my seat backs. I got fairly close on the last attempt. Hoping this one turns out better. (really bad lighting on this pic) 1 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted November 13, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2023 Got this mostly sewn up and done, but (unfortunately) not good enough to use. I'm going to let this one rest a bit, and I'm going to strip the other seat and do the springs, foam, etc, etc. I need a break from making pattern pieces and sewing them up. I've gotten better at it, but I need to work on something different for a bit. 2 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted November 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2023 (edited) Gauges back to stock. I was very surprised, but it appears the speedometer is pretty accurate. I have a GPS unit in my daily driver that also has a speed readout. I'm going to check it out and see how close it is.. The undorkification continues... Steering column is next on the hit list. I'm also planning on moving the small tach and trans temp gauge farther back under the dash somewhere. Edited November 30, 2023 by Duncan Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted November 30, 2023 Report Share Posted November 30, 2023 59 minutes ago, Duncan said: The undorkification continues... Steering column is next on the hit list. So that means no more billet shift "knob", right? 😁 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted November 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, datsunfreak said: So that means no more billet shift "knob", right? 😁 Limeworks makes an aftermarket 40 column that looks just like the original. They do have a small gear selector indicator for automatics. The selector lever is straight and looks like the original 3-on-the-tree. It even has the maroon knobs that match the knobs I have for lights, wipers, and (of course) the cigarette lighter. Since the 40 had no turn signals, I have to use one of the aftermarket add-on types which were popular in the fifties. The indicator is at the end of the turn signal lever 🙂 https://www.limeworksspeedshop.com/Safety-Shifter-Kit-p/sskit-indicator.htm Fancy turn signal add-on switch. This one has hazards, as well. https://cwmoss.com/products/universal-turn-signal-switch?_pos=2&_sid=2a052d3a5&_ss=r Edited November 30, 2023 by Duncan Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted December 1, 2023 Report Share Posted December 1, 2023 15 hours ago, Duncan said: Fancy turn signal add-on switch. This one has hazards, as well. https://cwmoss.com/products/universal-turn-signal-switch?_pos=2&_sid=2a052d3a5&_ss=r That is what we used on Tim's '64 Econoline and it worked a treat. 👍 1 Quote Link to comment
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