Order Of Resto/rebuild

[Dionysus]

Hi All

 

 

I've been recently looking into workshop who can put out some quality paint/fab work in NSW and at the same time I'm been doing some engine research to see which path I want to go down which made me think, I wonder what other peoples opinion are on which order they rebuilt their Z..

So I guess I'm asking anyone who has restored a Z in which order did you go about it? Is there anything you would of done differently or anything beneficial to others that you have learnt?

 

Thanks

John


 

[C.A.R.]

Zip lock bags!
All bolts, screws & fasteners go into a Zip Lock bag that gets labeled - don't be stingy on the description!

 

Strip the Zed down to a bare shell.

Media blast shell on Rotisserie.
Undercoat in an Epoxy primer.
Perform rust repairs.
Perform any body modifications you wish to do.
Refurbish brakes, suspension, & driveline.
Before paint, 'dry build' the Zed to check that any modifications you've made from standard will work/fit.
Strip shell & paint.
Rebuild.

My big advice - take your time & enjoy the process.
If it takes 2 years, it takes 2 years.

Oh & get all the FACTORY steel fasteners, brackets etc re-plated...

[daretobedifferent]

If you're looking at performing an engine swap then the best thing to do is;

 

1. Repair the body/shell of all rust and damage and coat it in PRIMER and not the colour yet.

2. Mock up all the mechanicals; engine, transmission, cooling system, suspension etc. You don't want to go cutting/welding a newly painted shell. 

3. Once you've got all that sorted, remove all the mechanical parts. Get the door gaps right, shell sorted and get it painted.

4. In the meantime work on refurbishing and getting the mechanical work finished for installation.

5. Interior, glass, trim, carpet and etc should go on last.

6. Drive away no more to pay hopefully haha. 

[Dionysus]

Some solid pointers...

 

 

What happens when the car you bought came with these?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B40h9BYddH11YkZXUkdYS1VTS1E/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B40h9BYddH11N0pTajFZTWxydVU/view?usp=sharing

 

Do any of the car manuals specify bolt size? I don't mind spending a day sorting/bagging them..

I know majority of 80s/90s Japanese cars are pretty uniform with sizes but unsure of the 60s/70s.
 

[C.A.R.]

Ahhh! A challenge!

Nissan marks the heads of their bolts with a 4 (std grade) 7 (high tensile) & 9 (extra high tensile).
There are exceptions to these, such as some of the Phillips head screws, but the majority are marked.

Also a large amount of bolts used on Zeds are 'Sems" type with the captive flat & spring washers.

If I was closer, I'd come around & help you sort them...

Edited June 30, 2016 by Lurch ™

[CBR Jeff]

Hi John

 

This might be of some help: http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun/Z-1969-1978

 

What the boys have said is spot on with variations that fit into your schedule, budget and skills. It is possible to swap a few things around remembering these projects are always fluidic.

I will only add that you always need the budget to accomplish your goals, to keep at it and that I was given some very sound advice by an old bloke who said " try to accomplish something every week, order parts, do some research, get some work done or do some work on the project". I try to follow this advice, so even if I cannot get into the shed and my hands on the car I am always moving forward.

 

Is the car you picked up not in as good condition as is was reported to be? My understanding was that it was an Alice Springs car all its life and was very free of rust? It was reported to have had all the body work done already and was ready for a top coat of paint? And it just needed the mechanicals sorted and the interior put together. It was supposed to have lots of new parts from the US? My friend who looked at the car said about 10k plus and engine and gear box would finish the project off.

 

Regards

Jeff

Edited June 30, 2016 by CBR Jeff

[gav240z]

I'll fix that...

 

If you think it will only take 2 years, it's probably going to take 4.

 

 

My big advice - take your time & enjoy the process.
If it takes 2 years, it takes 2 years.

[gav240z]

Some solid pointers...

 

 

What happens when the car you bought came with these?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B40h9BYddH11YkZXUkdYS1VTS1E/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B40h9BYddH11N0pTajFZTWxydVU/view?usp=sharing

 

Do any of the car manuals specify bolt size? I don't mind spending a day sorting/bagging them..

I know majority of 80s/90s Japanese cars are pretty uniform with sizes but unsure of the 60s/70s.

 

 

George took a bunch of photos of his fasteners and S30Z bits before he sent them to a plater for reference. He was going to send me the photos so I could make them public / available for reference by all.

 

I may do the same also anyway with mine, turns out when getting the bolts plated they can't keep them all organised, they just dunk them all into the tank at the same time.

 

If you're familiar with S30Z's you'll probably recognise where a lot go, which is a good start. The rest you can probably refer to parts manuals etc..some can still be ordered new...

 

I've seen some people selling parts lots of S30Z bolts for about $50 on eBay etc.. I was thinking of just buying a job lot of bolts like that and getting them re-plated and using my original ones as a reference to sort them once returned. That might be doing thing ass forwards first though..

[EJ101]

whatever you do don't lose any fasteners. Auto manufacturers have a tendency to get fasteners made to suit their application and because of high volumes the cost is negligible. If you go through any car you'll be surprised how many unique fasteners there are. Things you can't just go down to Bunning or even a fastener supplier to get. Thats my 2 cents worth.

[C.A.R.]

whatever you do don't lose any fasteners. Auto manufacturers have a tendency to get fasteners made to suit their application and because of high volumes the cost is negligible. If you go through any car you'll be surprised how many unique fasteners there are. Things you can't just go down to Bunning or even a fastener supplier to get. Thats my 2 cents worth.

Agreed.

For instance, the 240Z speedo & tacho gauge bezels are held onto the gauge bodies by 4, M2.5 x 0.45 x 7.5mm phillips screws - no ones supplies these in that length!

[1600dave]

If you're familiar with S30Z's you'll probably recognise where a lot go, which is a good start. The rest you can probably refer to parts manuals etc..some can still be ordered new...

 

There is also an excellent manual put out by Nissan called something like "Standard Parts Catalogue". It lists stuff like fasteners, clips, etc from all models by part number and gives all details like dimensions / type of finish for a particular part. It is possible to convert a part number from a parts catalog to a full set of specs using this manual.

[gav240z]

Where does 1 acquire such a manual?

[1600dave]

Personally, I just walk over to my bookcase......

 

I "acquired" it while working at a Nissan spares place in the 80's.I would guess the only way to get a copy now would be ebay, etc.

 

I should try to scan it one day, its quite a useful manual.

Edited July 1, 2016 by 1600dave

[1600dave]

I will also vote for Lurch's approach to restoration, with one extra step. As well as labeling, take photos of everything as its dismantled.

 

I'm just getting back into a restoration / modification project after a few years break tending to non-Datsun stuff, and spent most of my garage time last night looking for the gearbox cross-member mounting rubbers. Then realized that there are two different sets of mounting holes on the shell for the gearbox x-member, and can't remember which ones were used when I dismantled it.

 

So yeah, lots of photos !

Edited July 1, 2016 by 1600dave

[Scoota G]

These are my Weapons of choice for tear down. Buy four containers one for each area (Interior, exterior, engine bay and under carriage)

[Dionysus]

Nissan marks the heads of their bolts with a 4 (std grade) 7 (high tensile) & 9 (extra high tensile).

If I was closer, I'd come around & help you sort them...

Appreciate the offer, the above info will be a massive help when it comes to assembly.

 

This might be of some help: http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun/Z-1969-1978

 

I will only add that you always need the budget to accomplish your goals, to keep at it and that I was given some very sound advice by an old bloke who said " try to accomplish something every week, order parts, do some research, get some work done or do some work on the project". 

 

Is the car you picked up not in as good condition as is was reported to be? My understanding was that it was an Alice Springs car all its life and was very free of rust? It was reported to have had all the body work done already and was ready for a top coat of paint? And it just needed the mechanicals sorted and the interior put together. It was supposed to have lots of new parts from the US? My friend who looked at the car said about 10k plus and engine and gear box would finish the project off.

Good advice Jeff..

Your friend is mostly correct, the body itself to me looks to be in solid decent condition so no issues there, I know the car has been resprayed once or twice in its life so what it's like under the primer is a mystery to me.. I've found a restoration shop not far from me who I've asked to pop around and give it a once over with a trained eye..

It was advertised as a complete car but there is some parts that have gone missing between the panel shop and the previous owners house plus all the parts that you would be better off replacing. 10K may be possible but we can all see what the classic car market is like these days so I want to make sure I do it once do it right.

 

George took a bunch of photos of his fasteners and S30Z bits before he sent them to a plater for reference. He was going to send me the photos so I could make them public / available for reference by all.

 

I've seen some people selling parts lots of S30Z bolts for about $50 on eBay etc.. I was thinking of just buying a job lot of bolts like that and getting them re-plated and using my original ones as a reference to sort them once returned. That might be doing thing ass forwards first though..

Maybe we should hassell George for these pics..

 

I've also seen some sites selling kits of stainless bolts but they seem to cost a mint and don't mention anything about high tensile.

One of the more affordable kits I've found are these guys but I'm not sure whether how they are packed and what the postage cost is.

http://www.mmsacc-stainless.com/html/Datsun.htm

 

whatever you do don't lose any fasteners. Auto manufacturers have a tendency to get fasteners made to suit their application and because of high volumes the cost is negligible. If you go through any car you'll be surprised how many unique fasteners there are. Things you can't just go down to Bunning or even a fastener supplier to get. Thats my 2 cents worth.

Thanks EJ

 

Personally, I just walk over to my bookcase......

 

I "acquired" it while working at a Nissan spares place in the 80's.I would guess the only way to get a copy now would be ebay, etc.

 

I should try to scan it one day, its quite a useful manual.

Would be great to see this, many pages?

[PeterAllen]

Don't over-complicate things. Just keep it all in a neat pile and if you can't find something just buy another one, it's much faster overall.

 

By the time you do find what you were originally looking for, the car is on the road and the bit you've found has tripled in price. It's a win-win.

Edited July 1, 2016 by PeterAllen

[Dionysus]

Haha,how old is that oil?

[gav240z]

I have often bought the same part twice forgetting I had it in the first place .

[PeterAllen]

Haha,how old is that oil?

 

Age doesn't matter. Just strain it through a pair of pantyhose and you can pour it back into your rebuilt motor.

[1600dave]

"Standard Parts Manual" is about 30mm thick, contains heaps of info like this :