Rust revival

[datzenmike]

You must know Richard Bong. A native son of Duluth MN.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Richard IRA Bong.

 

Nothing to do with 420.

[Rustbin]

I spent a lot of time just looking at fire walls and pedal boxes, I checked my old photos of the hacked front end and found the pedal box was not there when I got it so the search ended. Onto the steering column mount, I found the same gauge metal in a gm truck fender brace, cut that out and started on fabricating. There was also enough to use for fixing the pedal box, bonus. I drilled out the spot welds and removed both the one pattern firewall and the one from the car I'm working on. Hammering the first one flat for a pattern and leaving the second for measuring hole placement and shape. The existing punch outs meant making little patches and welding them in which took more time but helped me hone my welding skills with the thicker metal.

 

    

 

       

 

       

 

I finally went out and spent some money on some new safety gear, gloves face shield and bought some new metal cutting blades for my jigsaw so as to not risk damaging my wife's heirloom from her long passed father. I also came up with what I thought was a brilliant idea for making sure the nuts were welded in the right locations, so I used longer bolts through the original brace then dropped my fabbed one on top, then threaded the factory stepped nuts on till they set into the holes, which were drilled 3/8" slightly larger that the original metric one. I tack welded then on three corners and perfect fit. I left bending the inside flanges for last so everything fit nice.

 

       

 

   

 

The forecast calls for rain all this coming week so I see what I can do in the shop.

 

 

[Rustbin]

Yup it rained and the wind blew, so I started working on the pedal box. I was assessing how bent it was, how to fix it and how much I needed to replace.

 

   

 

I really need the pedal box from the 69 for reference, I had been trying for about a week to remove the bolts and each time I used more penetrating oil on them. This time I removed the plastic reservoirs and used the 1/2 in drive breaker bar to move them, and they did. It looked like I had found a stash of cocaine when I removed the reservoirs but it was only corrosion, I'm going to need new brake parts for this car. With the two boxes side by side I could see exactly what I needed to do.

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

Starting with making a pattern and laying out my replacement piece I found that the middle stud holes were farther off that the outer ones and my ability to get at it was severely limited. While cutting out the center hole for the brake cylinder my new blade stopped cutting nicely and I thought "Has it gone dull so quickly" but then it struck me, metal blades don't cut wood well at all. I tried to cut the fire wall mounting plate off but was having trouble and realized I was going to have to cut it open to straighten the center panel.

 

       

 

So onto taking a pattern off the the 69 box and laying it onto the 72 box to mark out how much to remove and replace. I could not get the Sea Hawks logo out of my head while doing this. Maybe that is why I forgot to take photos of all the metal bending work I did but the end product did fit nicely over the 69 side when I was done.

 

   

 

     

 

Just clench the teeth and cut 

 

   

 

   

 

Does anyone know whether this bar is stock or just something the guy welded on, I wouldn't think that he would bother. There isn't one on my 69.

I cleaned things up with a wire brush then struggled to hold it while trying to hammed and dolly the dent out. Finally with slim dolly on the 1/2 plate held in the vise, I was able to bring it back into shape. That same plate worked as a mounting pane for laying out where the patch needed to be so with everything clamped together I was able to trim it to fit easily. I also had to weld the nut in before welding the new piece in.

 

   

 

   

 

Three blobs of weld where the factory had three tidy little ones, no ones gonna see it anyway!

 

    

 

All welded up and ground off. I couldn't get in to do anything on the backside but I think I get good enough penetration.

 

   

 

I did the welding in the shop so I cleaned up the corner to keep away from burning holes in the carpet, I did want to get rid of it but not that way. The smell also lingered for a bit even with the door open. I definitively prefer to weld outside.

 

 

[Rustbin]

I put the pedals back in to make sure the center nut would be in the right place. Fitting the back plate was giving me difficulties, it didn't want to sit flat and I couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was till I looked closely at where they welded the center partition, there was a ridge was sitting proud. I cut a slice along the weld seam and tapped it flat using a straight edge to get it right then welded it back solid but missed the after picture. Next checked the hole alignment then I tacked the plate on and test fitted it on my old fire wall and it lined up pretty good. Once the studs are installed it will hold it in place. I know the inside picture is upside down but it very weird the other way.

 

  

 

    

 

   

 

Welded then grinded. Then test fitted again, I do want this to go back together again easily.

 

 

 

   

 

 

I coated it with rust converter and wanted to get it painted but the nooks and crannies were just too hard to get into with sandpaper so next chance I get I'll just spray over everything with rust paint. Makes me wish I had a sand blaster. 

 

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

I use a spot blaster for the in-car stuff. It really does help - https://www.tptools.com/Speed-Blaster-and-Hot-Spot-Spot-Blaster-Kit,7206.html?b=s*spot+blaster

[Rustbin]

Cool. Thanks again Stoffregen, that looks like it would be perfect for this job. I will go to the local discount tool store tomorrow to see if they have one, if they do I can paint this weekend. I plan to paint the one out of the four door at the same time, it doesn't hurt to get things ready for doing that project as well.

[DARIN 510]

You should send your left over firewall to klassic fab jdm so they can reproduce those areas that typically rust. 

[Rustbin]

22 hours ago, DARIN 510 said:

You should send your left over firewall to klassic fab jdm so they can reproduce those areas that typically rust. 

 

I never thought of that Darin, also I don't know how I'd do that. Since I wasn't scheduled to work today, I did get to the discount tool place and they didn't have a spot blaster but they did have a cheap assed sand blaster for $30 so after looking at another place I ended up going back and buying it. The sand I had that I thought was for blasting I realized after a little while wasn't and I had to stop and knock the too big bits out frequently but I got things done and painted.

 

   

 

   

 

   

 

They are not the most beautiful things but once they're in no one will see them so they just got to work.

 

 

[DARIN 510]

I would start with this area. Maybe ask first. I’m not sure what he has as far as panels. 
These areas rust out due to neglect of cleaning out. 

[KELMO]

When I cleaned out that part on the wagon, I got a boat load of dirt, leaves, pine needles, and other sorts of debris.

[Rustbin]

I've been working hard on finding places to put stuff because winter's coming and some things are better not left out in the harsh weather. The patio furniture has been packed into the garden shed with the summer gardening things and the other sheds have been packed with anything I can fit in them. Then I got back to the Datsun.

 

See the rotisserie 510.

 

 

The cart had to be raised up because the jacks don't let the car get low enough.

 

 

See the 510 a la carte'.

 

 

Then my wife was impressed with open space (for now).

 

 

The 510 in the shop for the first time since December 2019, almost 4 years.

 

 

 

[Diabolic kustoms]

Nice, I don't think I'd trust mine to be on a rotisserie yet until I address the quarters and rockers.

[Rustbin]

Not a day too soon. It snowed today.

 

 

7 hours ago, Diabolic kustoms said:

Nice, I don't think I'd trust mine to be on a rotisserie yet until I address the quarters and rockers.

 

One of the reasons for taking it off the rotisserie was to take the stress off the front end while working on it. Welding in reinforcements before cutting will keep things in place, Stoffregen has a good setup. I have learned a lot from watching these guys, https://www.youtube.com/@workshopchidori/videos . Their rotisserie is basically the same his.

 

 

[rosso]

 

Yes, that is one of the first things I cleaned after I learned about it (after years of not knowing).

 

Here's what I got out:

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

On 10/24/2023 at 10:57 AM, Diabolic kustoms said:

Nice, I don't think I'd trust mine to be on a rotisserie yet until I address the quarters and rockers.

Right. Without proper support, that body will sag.

[Rustbin]

On 10/26/2023 at 11:16 AM, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

Right. Without proper support, that body will sag.

 

That's the reason guarders and corsets and bras were invented, oops wrong topic.

 

I got to taking things out of the engine bay, starting with the wiring harness, no problem then every bolt with the Phillips head was rusted solid. I had been putting penetrating oil on them periodically then used heat and only got two to move. Well phuckette I used a drill bit a little bigger than the shaft of the bolt then drill the heads till they popped off. I'll drill out the captured nuts later. When loosening the nuts holding the hard lines into the flexible ones for the calipers I broke the bracket right off the car, I separated the other side with a little heat. I should make a list of all the bits I'm going to need and give it to family for my Christmas wish list.

 

   

 

The wiper linkage has seized up again, I took it apart when I got the car and got them working but should have used more grease. This time only one nut came off the other five broke, I guess I have another little project to do.

 

 

 

I took out the battery tray to get access to the headlight bolts thinking i might get them to turn from the backside and I'm planning to move it to the trunk anyway. After drilling out the spot welds on the rearward support leg it sprang backwards under tension, the front corner is bent too.

 

   

 

I don't know if the horns still work, I should try them out. I have some Chevy ones I was thinking of using but who knows I might prefer the sound of the originals. I did get quite the pile of (you guessed it ) rust out of it.

 

 

 

I placed a straight edge against the rad support to get an idea of how bad it's bent.

 

   

 

 

   

 

I'm going to focus on the fire wall and cowl first and work my way forward to the rad support.

I took this plate out from behind where the wiper pivot mounts, it has a bend in it. Is that for linkage clearance or just bent like so much else on this car?

 

 

 

 

If the weather is good I'll roll the car outside and try to clean the bay with the wire brush.

[Diabolic kustoms]

Your definitely going all in on a car most would pass on. Makes me feel better about my bucket.

[Rustbin]

On 10/29/2023 at 9:39 AM, Diabolic kustoms said:

Your definitely going all in on a car most would pass on. Makes me feel better about my bucket.

 

I almost passed on it when I realized how bad the floors were, but my wife bought me the floor panels and I have the registration. After spending about twenty minutes or so wire brushing the engine bay and cowl, then finding rust holes in the frame members for a moment I felt the same despair I felt when I uncovered the floors but I'm in too far so it's how do I fix them. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I dug around though every thing I just stored away to find the ones off the old front end. They are better, although far from perfect but I think I'll be farther ahead fixing these rather than the existing ones.

 

[Rustbin]

I looked at the dates on the first pictures I took of this firewall repair and it's been almost two months since starting it but today I got it in and it feels goood.  From wondering what holes I needed in it, to fixing the peddle box and making sure it fit right there was a lot of fiddling and fussing. I did tack things together inside but because of poor ventilation I prefer to weld outside and today in the early hours the rain stopped and clouds parted letting the sun rise and shine, so I rolled the car out and fully welded the firewall panel. 

I was slightly nervous cutting out the first part so I welded some supports before separating the seam in the wheel well, then used the removed piece to shape my panel (using lots of clamps)

 

   

 

       

 

I tacked the flange on while things were clamped in the car to get the correct shape, using whatever methods that would work. then full welded it outside between rain storms.

 

     

 

I also welded in the steering column support.

 

       

 

With it raining outside I fitted and tacked the panel in and the little patches to fill the holes left by the now deleted park brake handle.

 

   

 

     

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

On 7/11/2023 at 9:34 AM, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

I may have said this before, but you need to check for pinholes in the finished welds. Use an LED light and shine it from the other side. It helps to do this when it's dark out. If there are pinholes that go unnoticed, they could cause rust issues in the future.

 

I skim difficult areas with two part epoxy and sand it smooth.

 

A wise man once told me this, and with the low sun it really came in handy today. Thanks again.

What do I do next?

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Keep at it.

 

What are you going to do about the front frame rails?

[Rustbin]

8 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

Keep at it.

 

What are you going to do about the front frame rails?

 

I'm still thinking about this. I may do other little things first til I firm up a plan.  I have a set that are in better shape but still need work that I'll use but I'm not sure whether to start with putting in the new rail then working up with repairs or going from top down so the rails are last. Either way I'm going to have to make up some kind of jig to locate the cross member and steering box attachment points so things line up when I'm done.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

I would not remove the rails without either making a strong support for the rotisserie, or using tall jack stands to support the middle of the tub.

 

Quick tip - when using regular jack stands to level out a chassis, you can take up the slack, or make small adjustments with thin pieces of steel between the lack and the body/frame. Tape the shims to the top of the stands so they don't fall out.

 

I use home made adjustable stands that I built with 1.5" acme thread and big nuts for easy adjustment.

[Rustbin]

The tub is currently sitting on the 4x4s of the cart, I was going to leave it supported by the 4x4s and build a jig to keep the front end aligned from there.

With the on-slot of rainy days, my ability to things I normally do out doors has become very limited especially on weekends when the kids aren't working and need quiet home time, I'm challenged to find things to do on my car. I found a piece of barbarque that was the same 22 gauge as the block off plate for the RHD wiper hole and took to making a replacement. I measured and laid out the holes, a 3/8th bit was close enough for the 10 mm holes but I don't have a hole saw close to the 32mm for the wiper pivot, so I just drilled them all with the 3/8th and because 22 gauge is so thin I just used the curved cutter tin snips, then finished it with the rat tail file. A little marking out the crease with the rounded edge chisel on the mudflap and it was easy to bend the corner up like the original. The rain stopped for a few hours and the sun enticed me out to paint the plate and clean up the cowl drain rust trap. I had the car rolled out and was exploring for rust perforations with the wire brush on the grinder when I felt a wet splat on my hand, it was raining! I grabbed everything put it in the car then pushed it back in the shop. I dried off the exposed metal with a towel before remembering the plate. Luckily it was fairly dry so the raindrops didn't mar the paint to bad.

 

       

 

 

 

The place where most cars rust through, this car hadn't, when I got the car I cleaned the center cowl drain out with a garden hose flowing water into the top and a coat hanger up from beneath. I did however find some major rust pitting on the inside where the edge of the sound deadening insulation rested on the tunnel. I will have to put some little patches in there but I was thinking there would be a good reason to replace the wrinkles the factory pressing left in the metal but no. It looked like I would just need to replace the bottom 3cm of the cover piece then I thought about the time to weld it and how simple of a piece it was and If I made a new one the only welding I would need to do other than a few plug welds, was to weld it in. It would look better that way too.

 

   

 

   

 

 

     

 

With the firewall panel in I was looking at laying out where the gas pedal linkage pivot bracket and the stop block goes. I had drawn lines extending onto the trans tunnel with a cardboard straight edge so I could just use them for reference and extend the back onto the new panel when I got it in, you may notice the lines in some of my photos. I always glance in the 4door to remember how things go together but the stop block is different between 69 and 72 so I was looking through stuff looking for a 69 style piece, not finding anything I went back to my photos of this project and saw what it really looked like, resumed the search and found it. I wire brushed it clean, used some rust converter on it and am hoping for a brake in the weather to paint them.

 

   

 

With that on hold I pulled out the gas peddle pivot rod, cleaned the rust off with the wire brush and it looks so much nicer in the photo than in real life. I figured I should do the peddles at the same time so I took them out of the box, pulled the pads off, started cleaning and noticed the hole for the push rod had been bored out. Out to the shed to grab the box with peddles  and stuff in to collect the best for cleaning up. I picked the best two sets wire brushed them to get ready to paint and now I'm wondering about what other rainy day projects I can do.

 

 

         

 

     

 

One of the you tubers I regularly watch is Rat Rods for Africa and one of the things I heard there is  "How does a mouse eat an elephant?  One small bite at a time." At times I feel like that mouse.

 

 

 

[DARIN 510]

Amazing fab work. Keep going on the path. Not many can do what you do. Pretty soon you’ll be ready for body filler and paint 👍