Administrators gav240z Posted September 5, 2009 Administrators Posted September 5, 2009 Looking good mate, still trying to solve the image enlargement issue so I can't see them fullsize yet. Still looks great anyway though. Quote
Zeddophile Posted September 6, 2009 Posted September 6, 2009 Looking good mate, still trying to solve the image enlargement issue so I can't see them fullsize yet. Still looks great anyway though. Oh good, its not just me! Quote
xa1973 Posted September 6, 2009 Posted September 6, 2009 Impressive tradesman...... Out of curiosity...whats she owe you to date............if you dont mind.. Quote
S30Mike Posted September 8, 2009 Posted September 8, 2009 Woah looking niiiiice.. Adam that Lotus Color would be AWESOME. Nat really is tops, good bloke AND a master craftsman.. cant wait to get the time so he can give mine some attention Quote
Sirpent Posted September 8, 2009 Posted September 8, 2009 Fantastic Results ! Dreaming of the day when I get close to where you are Cheers John Quote
FLEXZED Posted September 12, 2009 Posted September 12, 2009 looking awesome mate if i ever get same time would love to get to Nats and see it Loui Quote
acf321 Posted September 12, 2009 Author Posted September 12, 2009 Week 17... 4 months, and wow time has flown. I'm actually starting to believe that I own a third car, and not just some rusty mess that keeps getting smaller each week at progressively higher expense. The problem with me is i'm what my mates call a 'nut and bolt guy', which is I think is another name for fanatic. I mean, I could have just lobbed into the local crash repair mob and asked for a $6k re-spray between commodore and camry fender repairs, but I wanted a lot more, and I know i've lucked out with Nat doing the work for me. As far as originality goes, i'm getting pretty excited by the thought of the end product. I can just see the car in my mind (for the first time!). I found two totally fantastic colours last night, and i'm keeping the final choice to myself from here on.. Lets just say, it'll look bloody good finished! (and thanks to you all for your suggestions, all of which have gone into the final decision). Anyway, this week was a good one in that I received my Diamond Vinyl kit from Datsun Spirit that looks absolutely awesome. Having recently removed the OEM wheel arch covers, and comparing to these, there is genuinely no readily observable difference. It is a complete 100% perfect copy (lets hope it fits as good as it looks). Ditto for the seat covers, except the vent holes are mildly different in their manufacture. So now I have the motor, carbs, cam, pistons, shell, f&r bars, steering wheel, seat and diamond vinyl, and almost everything needed to get the project completed. Still need lots of small parts (AND A NEW PASSENGER DOOR!!!! - yes still), but the bulk of the expensive parts appear to be in my possession (with the exception of the Watanabes). Nat's been filling and blocking the car this week and it looks frankly amazing. He does it all by hand (without machines), so I guess this accounts for the quality, and hours!!! He noted that the rear left corner was ~6mm further forward than it should (despite the chassis rails being good), so this appears to be the only area where accident damage created any alignment issues. We're about 80% through shaping, but still need to complete rear arches, and rear light section (to ensure the rear fascia fits perfectly). Nat also mentioned that despite what appeared to be a very straight roof, once blocked, this did show up some undulations. I'm very impressed by the shape that Nat has cut into the car, and excitement now replaces depression as I get to the workshop each weekend. We're getting close to the end (really we are!!!) ... the only steps now include; 1) completion of shaping, 2) spray filler, 3) hand sand, 4) high fill, 5) sand, 6) guide coat, 7) sand, 8. re-prime, 9) sand, 10) paint, 11) wet sand, 12) clear coat, 13) wet sand, 14) polish! Of course, we've got to do the suspension, and install the motor and rebuilt tranny. I got a new camera for Fathers Day .... check out these shots !!! Cheers Adam Quote
acf321 Posted September 18, 2009 Author Posted September 18, 2009 Week 18... The body is being bolted together (still a 'one door' coupe) and the car has been coated in shaping material. Once the panels are fit correctly (which is proving quite problematic in places), the car will then be re-cut and shaped. I really never had any idea how much work and process goes into it all. As you can see from the pics, there is some filler being used to match up the pass side sugar scoop, as was done with the drivers side yesterday. Any residual high and low areas are also being treated this way. Seam filler will be applied to all seams to stop water penetration and to give a tidy 'factory' look. Nat received the new wheel well today and this will be installed in the coming days. Quote
Brabham Posted September 18, 2009 Posted September 18, 2009 Hi, Where did you end up getting the wheel well from? Thanks. Quote
Administrators gav240z Posted September 18, 2009 Administrators Posted September 18, 2009 Week 18... I really never had any idea how much work and process goes into it all. Definitely the difference between a refresh and a proper restoration. The body on this will look immaculate when its painted. Can't wait to see what colour you picked. Keep us in suspense though till you have it painted . Makes for good television that way. Any news on the engine rebuild? Quote
acf321 Posted September 18, 2009 Author Posted September 18, 2009 Thanks Gav Yes forgot to mention that I received my Iskanderian Stg3 Cam, springs, lash pads and retainers this week. The quality is genuinely right up there, and the lobes are big but not offensively so. Ben Zed is ordering me the Kameari twin idler and adjustable cam sprocket in the coming weeks, so then we will have everything needed. The pistons have arrived and are being modified to fit the E88 head also this week. Capacity will be upped to 2.5 litres giving me a slight advantage, although importantly L24 will remain on the block! I think 250hp should be achievable in NA form according to James, so I pretty excited by it. My 930 was 300hp , but weighed a good 350kg more, so I think pound for pound this little 240 should be enough to put a grim on my face! I REALLY NEED A PASSENGER DOOR !!! ANYONE ?? Cheers Quote
PeterAllen Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 I REALLY NEED A PASSENGER DOOR !!! ANYONE ?? Have you tried Paul Woolf at Zbits in Qld. Quote
acf321 Posted September 25, 2009 Author Posted September 25, 2009 Week 19... Following last week's filling and shaping, this week Nat has been doing more of the same, with the passenger fender and bonnet in these photos showing the meticulous detail in more clarity. Rear hatch is on and being aligned with factory seal, lock and side aligners. Car is still covered in polyester being prepared for final shaping as panel alignment is completed. I dropped off my fender mirrors for Nat to drill the holes for prior to final shaping and paint. Also dropped off the bonnet louvres for correct fit and finish. Spare wheel well has arrived, but is yet to be installed. Nat had three colours mixed to show me this week ... we've narrowed down to two, and will be sharpening these up further this week. Won't give away the final colour, but what I can say is the actual codes are proving difficult to find and we will be using German Glasurit two pac paint. We've decided to use the two passenger doors we have and new skin to make a new complete door. Should have some pics of this in coming weeks as Nat makes a start on it. Need to take the front and rear bars in next week to ensure alignment, and correct fit. Re-chroming is the next step. Will also have the new DatsunSpirit seat covers installed in coming weeks ready for installation on the factory seats. Check out the nice 105 alfa... I love these too! Cheers Adam Quote
NZeder Posted September 25, 2009 Posted September 25, 2009 Looking good - can't wait to see the selected colour on the finished shell Quote
S30Mike Posted September 26, 2009 Posted September 26, 2009 Adam those power figures are impressive for an L24! will be a little rev box of fun! Quote
acf321 Posted October 2, 2009 Author Posted October 2, 2009 Week 20... Dropped off the F&R bars for alignment to the body today, and checked out more of the panel alignment Nat's been doing. All going very well, but some flimsy areas of certain panels are causing a few headaches. Discovered that one of the sugar-scoops appears to be after market as no way will it properly align, so this will be slightly altered for a perfect fit. Work has started on the door and removing the skin we discovered a home made side intrusion bar that was over a 1/4" thick which will not appear on the completed product. Rust does not appear to be as bad as we had expected, so this door looks to be coming on nicely. James is busily working on the motor with week, working on the crank and con-rods, particularly boring out the small ends for the 1mm oversized gudjeon pins. They've also started on the head, a job that is likely to consume half the labour bill on this build. We'll be repainting the block to OEM blue, and finishing the rocker cover in period style alloy finish. Have ruled out crinkle paint and high polish. Gearbox is being disassembled and rebuilt also and will also be finished in the same fashion as the rocker cover. Not entirely sure of the process, but I think a mild bead blast and mild hand polish sums it up. We mixed the final colour today and did some testing with it ... Not too dull, not too bright and period fashion is all i'll say. Its not red or silver, and the real bonus is my Wife even likes it. More next week. Adam Quote
FLEXZED Posted October 2, 2009 Posted October 2, 2009 sugar scoops ? not sure what they are ? please help me learn Quote
xa1973 Posted October 2, 2009 Posted October 2, 2009 sugar scoops ? not sure what they are ? please help me learn The headlight buckets / surrounds Quote
acf321 Posted October 10, 2009 Author Posted October 10, 2009 Week 21... Wow ... what a difference a week makes. This week we have a newly made passenger door, hung and aligned. I've got to say the quality of this stuff is really very impressive and Nat's only modestly happy at this point. The next move is to block the car to 'get some shape' into it. The drivers door still needs some gap alignment and moving about, but at least we have a car with all the panels on it now. The front bumper has been attached and fits nicely. Rear still needs some work. Rear hatch is in need of some persuasion to get the alignment 100%. Suspect a big mallet might be used here! Colour is finalised and we're both very happy with the choice we've made. Of course, still need to see the car with it applied to be certain. I'm playing catch up on the labour so things might slow down a bit in the coming few weeks. Suspect I'll go and pay James a visit in the coming weeks to see how the motor and tranny are coming along. Given we're rebuilding the tranny etc, am considering maybe a slightly lower diff ratio for those extremely fast getaways !! (need to do some more work on this idea). Note the 'parts' photos is some of the rust Nat has removed. This does not include floors x2, door skins x2, and quarter panel. Not bad for a 'totally rust free' car. Adam Quote
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