One rusty boi (Update: We have steel!)

"sony1492" (sony1492)
06/06/2020 at 17:35 • Filed to: 280z

A fter 3 hrs of hammering its ready, c an’t quite weld in yet but happy with the panel shape and fit.

*Everything below is pre-update*

The exterior trim cracked during removal, time to rev up the fiberglass

Its becoming more and more clear that the 1.5 month time frame I gave the owner is not viable. On one hand id love to quit my dead end job to work on this for a couple months but on the other I have little faith that finding another job will be particularly easy as the economy tanks. Before everything happened I’d saved up and planned on quitting for a month, then going and finding a better job but alas, that idea is no longer reasonable.

The water is because the foam inside the panel is highly flammable and didn’t like the angle grinder.

This weeks progress so far; The trims been mostly taped off, major rust in the rear is ready to be cut out, the surface rust on the body got sanded off, and by the end of this weekend that rear quarter will be ready for paint.

Digging into some of the key marks lead to discovery of a rather wide rust pit

that same key mark nearly ready for bodywork

DISCUSSION (19)

Grindintosecond > sony1492
06/06/2020 at 12:23

I don’t know if i will ever learn body repair. I’ve found that picking up a bit of overtime and paying someone to do the work is better for me, as the result will be so much better than what I would come up with, plus, they will get the work done faster than I will in that day I work.

My dad had a 4-digit 240z....it was awesome. He loved it. He still remembers the number too, but I doubt it will ever be found. which I should probably try to do after I get the mini done this winter.

sony1492 > Grindintosecond
06/06/2020 at 13:37

Im still not good enough to be confident working on anything worth over 5k, I think without an apprenticeship bodywork is a long journey

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > sony1492
06/06/2020 at 14:42

Man, I’m very scared of doing any bodywork and thats a lotta work that you are doing...Keep up the good work!

sony1492 > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
06/06/2020 at 17:17

Buy a car you arnt afraid to spray paint then redo t he same dent 6 times because everytime you think it’s done, its not.

-learning-

Victorinoo > sony1492
06/06/2020 at 17:40

Once you weld it in place, how do you spray the inside of that patch panel to prevent future rust?

sony1492 > Victorinoo
06/06/2020 at 17:46

We ld-through primer, but in this case its also accessible from the cabin

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > sony1492
06/06/2020 at 18:00

Man, I wish I had the tools/space/money/time to do this...I want a decent FIAT 126p and a P iaggio Ape TM, but I harbour a secret dream of the Ape I import being not quite right and needing to fix it up on my own :)

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > sony1492
06/06/2020 at 18:05

“Ant” makes it look so easy in Wheeler Dealers... It’s not!

Great work. It will be awesome when done.

sony1492 > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
06/06/2020 at 18:12

An ape checks the box for space, you could get a competent set of tool and equipment for less then $500, money and time will be carved out of the general fund.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > sony1492
06/06/2020 at 19:17

Ya....I would like to do that once I own a house

TheRealBicycleBuck > sony1492
06/06/2020 at 19:33

Perhaps you can negotiate for four 10-hour days and have Fridays off or if you have enough vacation built up, just start taking Fridays off until the project is done

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > sony1492
06/06/2020 at 20:26

Well, $500 Ameribucks maybe....that’d be almost $700 here :(

Snuze: Needs another Swede > sony1492
06/06/2020 at 21:22

That looks great!

Want to come help me fab a roll pan for my Volvo in a few weeks?!?

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > sony1492
06/06/2020 at 22:28

Mine had a dent in that lower rear area, we were able to bang it out though. One of the few trouble spots we didn’t cut out etc.. Along the top of the windshield can hide stuff behind the rubber.

Kinja'd!!!

sony1492 > Snuze: Needs another Swede
06/06/2020 at 22:33

If you were close i would

sony1492 > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
06/06/2020 at 22:37

Its really cool to see how your rebuild went, anything thats into the window seals is beyond the scope of this project but seeing the way you’ve done gives hope.

Did you go over your patchs with f iller? How did that look.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > sony1492
06/06/2020 at 22:51

My friend and his brother own a shop, one is the mechanic and the other body and paint. They are both quite talented at what they do, they apprenticed at a Nissan shop when they were young and the owner specialized in Zs, so they know everything. He tries not to use much filler, just a skim coat to smooth it out he says, he made a new piece for my truck cab too .

We did the dog leg and hatch area first, the other stuff came a little later before we painted it. I can post a few pics here of the work:

Kinja'd!!!