mklotz70 project MEND

[mklotz70]

I should have been working on brakes, but the weather was awesome...the doors were open....I got a bug to work on Mend.

 

Nothing to fancy. The bent back bumper has been tugging at me. Plus....I needed to get the new plates mounted up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mklotz70]

With the rear go to go for now, I removed some more stuff from the front in prep for bodywork/paint.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mklotz70]

I had planned on leaving the tow bar on, but after the fight it gave me coming off....it's staying off. It did a great job as a crash bar!! Look at the last 3 pics.....have you ever seen a straighter valance on a 521?? I started taking the paint off the driver's side fender, but the camera seems to give me grief on the last pic that is taken :(

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[datto510]

Ah!..........the never ending uses of the Power Out! Great job on straightning that bumper!

 

 

Personally, I would have scrapped it!:lol:

[Jester]

Ah!..........the never ending uses of the Power Out! Great job on straightning that bumper!

 

 

Personally, I would have scrapped it!:lol:

 

 

I was thinking the same thing..........EVERY WORD! :D

[420n620]

when push comes to shove, get out the porta power. that came out nice.

 

 

 

Mike, is there anything you can't do, you are an amazing person.

 

 

I think the only thing you can't do is quit working on Datsuns which is a good thing. :D

[mklotz70]

Thanks guys. I have another bumper...I even had bumperettes(which went with the 521), but she liked this bumper the best....so it's going to keep this one.

 

 

when push comes to shove, get out the porta power. that came out nice.

 

Mike, is there anything you can't do, you are an amazing person.

 

I think the only thing you can't do is quit working on Datsuns which is a good thing. :D

 

 

That porta power is about 4-5yrs old and this is probably the 3rd time it's been used. Sure is handy when you need one :)

 

There's a lot I can't do.....you just don't see me posting pics saying "look at what I can't do" :) Heck....some of this stuff I'm doing for the first time, but I take pics as I go in case it turns out okay......if it does, I post the pics and you guys think I knew what I was doing going into it. :) .....but, I have been working on cars for 30yrs now....I've picked up a couple of things :)

 

 

I'd like to think I could quit Datsuns....but for now, they fit in the shop and it's what I have on hand :)

[420n620]

you wouldn't want to sell the bumperetes would you, wait I answer that -NO

I don't blame you, I wouldn't either. lol

 

with you and others posting the little / big projects being done, are to me and have to be inspiring, assuming to others knowing that it can be done. I like reading posts that relate to restoring parts and updating old parts to more safer designs like the 411 disc brake set up that you and freaky510 have been working on, just one example.

Without them kind of discussion, people would probly not even care about getting involved into their projects as much. I hope that made some sense.

Since I've been here on Ratsun, I've learned alot and I know I got alot more to learn. I'm glad for what you do and others do to contribute to this wonderful form.

OK

Now back to your regular thread.

[mklotz70]

thanks.

 

I gave the bumperettes away with the 521 :)

[watsonius]

Totally cool.

Perhaps I should explain the bumper- I was making a left with a green arrow on Greenwood and 85th (in Seattle) when the car in front of me got into an argument with a bus about merging rights, so I rather abruptly hit the brakes. The car behind me was not so alert and whacked the bumper pretty hard. We got out and inspected- no damage to his van, and at the time I thought no damage to the truck (I didn

[mklotz70]

Totally cool is that we get a "blow by blow" accounting of what this rig has been through. Any other rig I've worked on, it's always been left up to speculation and assumption as to what happened to it. Heck....I don't care if we're the only three interested in this thread....I'm enjoying the heck out of the "other side" of the story :)

 

 

So....as a refresher....this is what the driver's side front looked like. I thought I'd take a crack at some body work :)

 

 

I found that the strip-it-all discs worked great for getting the paint off. The rougher surface was from sanding discs, the smoother, nicer was from the strip-it disc. It took about 10 min to strip the area and get it roughed into shape. I've got at least two, if not three, nice fenders I could have swapped on, but I'm kinda trying to resurrect Mend with the parts she came with. There's certain ones that will get swapped...like the mirror...but I thought she'd keep more of her charm if she kept most of her own parts :) Notice Paula at the blast cabinet cleaning up parts. :) She spent hours scrubbing and blasting parts to go back on. Sadly.....I'm not sure we'll see much of Amanda working on this project. Anyway....

 

 

 

 

Edited April 6, 2009 by mklotz70

[mklotz70]

I sprayed down some primer so I could see how it looked. The primer also sands back off nice and easy. Trying to look at the metal with the sanding marks is like trying to look at one of those 3D pictures.....a little paint makes it much easier.

 

Keep in mind.....I'm not a bodyman....so this is how I'm doing it....but it may be far from the right way to do it!!! :)

 

The last two are where I hit it with a long board so the high/low spots would show up easily.

 

 

 

 

[fisch]

Way to show that diamond plate who's boss Mike!!

 

You know after seeing you tackle this fender, you've inspired me to try straighten out the fender on my GTi. I was shopping for a replacement, but I might as well give it a try since I was junking it anyway!

[mklotz70]

It took a good bit more than 10 min to massage it to this point. Part of the extra time was because there were about 5-6 other dings that needed some attention too. I don't think there will be any filler thicker than 1/8"....at most.

 

 

[mklotz70]

I probably missed a couple of steps, but this isn't a "how-to" as much as it is an archive :)

 

 

Since I couldn't get to the backside as easily, I opted to try the stud welder on this crease. I spent some time trying to get the edge of the fender/door lined up....the filler will take care of the rest, but seeing a thick flange of bondo at the seam isn't good :) It won't be perfect.....but I'm not after perfection.

 

 

 

[Phlebmaster]

Wow Mike! That is awesome.

 

Mend is as always looking good.

[mklotz70]

The doors are home to two of the most ingenious "fixes" I think I've ever seen! Non-car people typically pay somebody else to fix stuff, or they let it go and put up with the resulting damage. I'll leave the history and details to Brian and Do. :)

 

Not wanting the previous mirror mounting holes to rust, thumbtacks were used to seal them :) I hit them with the cut off wheel to heat them up enough to break their bond and they fell out.

 

The brass strip is used as a backing plate when trying to weld up holes. The weld won't stick to it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mklotz70]

Here's the second one.....and it almost blew my mind when I saw it!! Everyone knows I like to make my own parts, but it would have never dawned on me to come up with this! Now this is ingenuity at it's best!!!! The only downfall was that it needed better glue! I seriously thought about leaving it in, but I already have brand new window channel sitting on shelf.

 

Anyway....if you look closely at the pic...you'll see the stitching.....Do sewed this window channel together from felt and it worked quite nicely!!!!

 

[mklotz70]

As I said....Paula spent hours cleaning parts! More pics will be taken of them as they go back on....but here's one :)

 

 

[freaky510]

that so sweet that your wife and kids help you out like they do:)

i guess the rest of should be happy we get fed :eek:

 

the truck is looking sweet

[watsonius]

Can't write much now but Do and I will be spending a lot of time tonight bringing our part up to date. I think she was a bit sheepish about the fixes, but I have always been impressed. There are a few more for you to find. I think in a slightly different world, she would apprentice herself to you in a flash. Too bad- when she went to school, the engineering buildings didn't even have women's bathrooms. Brian

[denveratsun]

Yeahhhhhhh... Great job on all of this man! I love the thread. Good job on finding a really cool wife that will help clean parts!:D I think it's really nice of her to keep you around.:lol:

 

The value of the older rigs like this one is that there is soo much more metal in them than anything 20 years newer.

 

Great job just jumpin in and learning what works...thats the way some of the best body men in the world have learned to do it.

 

If you have never heard of Gene Winfield, you ought to google some of his work. Among so many other legendary Hotrod builders, his work stands out because of his insane attention to detail and coming up with new and awesome ways to build/shape/create/smooth/paint things. When I met him he talked for a long time about how he had been almost mocked for using Simca hinges on several of his creations. He said everyone was doggin on him for usin that "Fuurrn crap"... I liked hearing him talk about how he did it from the very begining...no matter what everyone else was saying.

 

He said something like..."Try something...if it doesn't work...try something else"!!!:cool:

 

 

Keep up the good work man.

[mklotz70]

that so sweet that your wife and kids help you out like they do:)

i guess the rest of should be happy we get fed :eek:

 

the truck is looking sweet

 

....uummm.....I don't always get fed :eek: LOL...j/k!!! Anyone that's seen my wasteline knows differently!!!

 

 

 

Can't write much now but Do and I will be spending a lot of time tonight bringing our part up to date. I think she was a bit sheepish about the fixes, but I have always been impressed. There are a few more for you to find. I think in a slightly different world, she would apprentice herself to you in a flash. Too bad- when she went to school, the engineering buildings didn't even have women's bathrooms. Brian

 

No bathrooms? Kinda funny in a sad way. Times sure have changed!!! It's always cracked me up how anytime you hear a guy say a woman can't do a particular job....it always comes down to strength....and it usually comes from a guy that doesn't have enough brain power to even make a good argument on the subject.....cause if he did....he'd realize there's no argument!!!! I'm smaller than a 6.5' guy...so I can't physically do the same work he can.......so what does my gender have to do with me being weaker?? NOTHING!!!! I get Paula's input fairly often....she usually points out the obvious solution that I went right past. It takes a lot of brain power to keep things simple!!! Anyway.....I think Do would have a lot of fun being a fabricator!! :)

[mklotz70]

Gene Winfield has some awesome stuff!!! I'm not a huge fan a A-symetrical stuff, but I can really appreciate the amount of talent it must take to make those rods! Far beyond me!!! He's got a ton of stuff I love! I really like Reactor(Autorama special) ...built on a citroen chassis with a corvair eng!! Sweet!! Stimulates the brain!! :)

[watsonius]

It seems it will take more than one evening to catch up but we can at least talk about the