1973 Datsun 240Z Restoration

Rear Quarter Panel Removal Vid Feb 8/2021 Today I drilled out the last few spot welds holding the rear left quarter panel on and removed it.  This is a big job and it's easy to get impatient and make a mess of things.  I will need to re-use the upper half of the rear quarter panels so I took my time and spread the work out over the past couple of weeks.  I'm quite satisfied with the result. Removing the panels was not absolutely essential as I could have simplified things by cutting away the lower half only, but in order to have full access to the outer wheel well and rear tray for repairs and rust removal, I felt that this was the most effective approach.     This rear tray area is not available from supplier so and i'll need to fabricate a replacement Outer Wheel Well/House:  Believe it or not, this is the better of the two Thankfully the rust damage to inner rocker is minor This channel is hidden away but quite vulnerable to rusting from within....

It feels great to finally see the bare metal  This stage of the restoration includes removing all necessary paint, undercoat and rust from the body.  I have chosen to perform this work at home rather that have the car shipped out for media blasting.   Today's post is kind of a hodgepodge of panel and rust removal:   I'm working carefully to expose every bit of hidden rust for repair.  All the typical rust patterns are present on this car so it's time these repairs were made properly.  While grinding the paint and rust away I discovered various body repairs where body filler was used.  In most areas where body filler was present, the rusting was made worse as a result and it was quite evident that the filler was used to cut corners and simply bury any damage.   I ran a few tests on the undercoat to determine the best process for removing it.  I find that a 20 minute saturation with aircraft stripper followed up by a good scrapin...

Happy New Year! Front End Jig Installed Kerfed Curve for Front End Jig Internal Structure for Front End Jig Revised Curve for Rear End Jig for Increased Strength Wood Gluing and Laminating the Plywood Stack It's been just over a month since I began working on the 240Z and progress was smooth until the Christmas holidays.  That's not to say that the holidays caused the slow down, rather, I was working out the design for a wooden tilting jig that was safe, strong, functional and affordable.  I'm happy to report that the jig is complete and performing exactly as designed.   Watch the videos below to see the me roll the 240z easily on the 4.5" locking casters and tilt the car on its side with assistance from my brother.  I decided, after much internal debate, to go with a home-built solution for getting the car on its side.  A rotisserie would be the dream solution and something I intend to purchase in the future should I find that I am regularly needing to do ...

  The Transmission is Out Datsun really went the extra mile to simplify everything on the 240, especially the transmission mount and bell housing bolt pattern.  Just 4 bolts connect engine and transmission and all are easily accessible, so much so that I was confused for a while as I couldn't really believe that was all there was to it.  I was sure I missed a hidden bolt somewhere but no, it's just that straight forward.  Another 2 bolts connect to the mounts and with those gone, the transmission is free to drop easily.  The drive shaft is only connected to the transmission by a slip joint and will slid out and dump fluid everywhere if you aren't ready to catch it... Complete Rear Suspension Removed Dropping the rear suspension complete was a treat.  It's not so clear a removal as the transmission but pretty intuitive.  About 10 or 12 fasteners plus brake and e-brake lines, need to come off before it can be lowered on a jack.  I placed a 2x6 board...

Naked Rear End  Lots of progress over the weekend and into the first half of this week.  I gutted the rear end, removing lights, gas tank and any hoses, lines or wiring harnesses.  I must stress the importance of situational awareness when working around gasoline.  While preparing the tank for removal, I unscrewed the drain plug and nothing came out, so I assumed (mistakenly) the tank was empty.  The drain area must have been clogged with sludge because a few moments later, while lowering one end of the tank, gas poured out of a side vent just inches from my old school incandescent shop light! That could have been nasty.  Lesson learned.    Weber Triple Carbs and Cannon intake manifold Lowering the engine  After some consideration and flip flopping, I decided to drop the engine instead of hoisting it out.  The arguments for each method are valid and in the end I wanted to save a buck and avoid buying a hoist.  I first removed the bu...

Cjsw, the campus station for the U of C has the best shows on Friday, so I was motivated today.  Thanks Wooly Bully and Future Language!   The first item on the agenda was to drain the rad (and remove it) in order to disconnect the heater.  The last pieces of vinyl wrap on the interior A pillar were tucked under the windscreen seal so the windshield needed to come off next.  The rubber seal was impossible to save as it was held fast with urethane sealant.  Things moved quickly and before long I'd disassembled most of the front end...