body rust...

[leonZ]

hey all, finally got a permit for a unregistered vehicle. anyways i went down to a local mechanic today to have a puncher repaired and to sus out wether the body rust would pass a road worthy. turns out I'm going to have to sand it back and fix or hide it..

I've never done anythin like this before don't really know what to expect in regards to how much rust will actually be under the paint. lol i really hope i don't end up needing

to fill up my baby with bog.

 

im going to start tomorrow and ill try to remember to take a few pics before during and after so y'all can tell me how im going

 

PS, still got a list of other problems to get to the bottom of before roadworthy

blinkers only flash once then stays lit

gauges need to be fixed

round headlights only work on highbeam

no hazards (button is there just doesn't work)

fuse wires from the bonnet fuse box need to be replaced

 

 

[Zedman240®]

It would help if you could fill out your location... if you are around the corner I could help!

[reverendzed]

Leon...although I know it is hard, it is better to do it properly once rather than bog it up and get 6-12 months before it needs doing again.  If you shop around you will find someone who can weld up the rusted areas at a reasonable price and then you only have to 'sometimes' put a smear of filler over the top...this repair will last you up to 10 years.  Post some pics and guys onm the site will be able to give you some great advice, who knows maybe Lurch will have his rust repair and panel relacement emporium going by then! (I think he should do it!)

All the best Leon.

Rev.

[leonZ]

heres a few pics the rust after ive taken the paint off. i thought there would be alot more to be honest. going to have another look at it tomorrow before i put any bog over it, all opinions are welcome and i really appreciate all the help

[reverendzed]

uhmm, sorry to say Leon, but there's more rust than what you're currently exposing!  all of that crazed area (in pic 2) has bog underneath it and the bottoms of the doors have bog right the way along, it all has to come out.  The problem is there is moisture behind all that and if you bog over the top it will just trap all the moisture in and rust away everything underneath.  Good bet most of the sills will have filler and have you checked your floors and rails?

Rev.

[leonZ]

should i look into sandblasting then? i have checked everywhere for rust, but dont really know what im looking for. from what i can tell the only rail that is rusted is under the radiator where it was leaking and floors seem in good nick

[reverendzed]

Unless you're going to do a full resto, sandblasting is just about impossible because you have to strip the entire vehicle.  The best bet is to get a sanding flap disk (from Bunnings) and a grinder and get rid of all the bog that you can see, if anything has even the hint of raised paintwork you can bet there is bog and rust under it.  I'd be happy to look at it for you but unless it's drivable over to the south side we'll have to do it via pictures. Safe to say that you need to do a lot of grinding to see what you're left with.

Rev.

[Zedback]

Leon, is that last picture (rust4.jpg) on the edge of the roof above the rear window?  If so, it is probably the nastiest bit, the rest looks like typical Z rust which as reverendzed has said will be more extensive than it looks.  If that last one is where I think it is, then behind it the roof rails will be badly eaten as well.  This is what it looks like on my '71 240z:

 

[Zedback]

Oh, and stripper discs like these work well too for chewing through paint and bog.  I find the ones for grinders tear apart too quickly, either get a 9" polisher and matching discs or stick with the drill mounted ones.

[leonZ]

ok im goin to bunnings tommoro morning, then ill grind till i see metal and post the results tommoro afternoon

and zedback (rust.4) is indeed above rear passangers window.

[maddos]

Looks like it has had a sunroof filled. Might be a better option to reskin roof and fix that rust as you go. Probably a bit more work than you were hoping to do though.

[leonZ]

i think i did better this time, i found a massive section of rust thats making me think i might be stuffed. how am i going to fix there??

[C.A.R.]

Meh, I've fixed worse...

It's not to far gone at all Leon.

I'd be interested to see what the roof is like under the bog though.

 

If you need a hand to fix it, either Reverendzed or myself could help you out

[Zedback]

Meh, I've fixed worse...

It's not to far gone at all Leon.

I'm still ignoring my '71 with the rust in the roof rails.  Too hard for now, but it'll get fixed one day. 

 

What is your goal for the car, take it off the road and restore/renovate, or get it roadworthy and back on the road as quick as possible?

 

 

[leonZ]

i want it on the road as soon as possible like in the next month or so, but at the same time i want it to be done right and i only have about $1500 saved for it atm which i don't think will be anywhere near enough. my brother thinks i should get another car for the moment to drive and take my time on the dato. i want the 260z though not some normall car lol

[C.A.R.]

In this case mate, your head should rule over heart. Buy a cheap bomb to drive around in while you fix the Zed.

Rust repairs are never cheap & they always take longer than expected.

 

Trust me - I've been through all this before...

[leonZ]

I'm thinking I'm going to have a go at the hatch area tomorrow if its real bad then i might have to get another car but if possible i want to keep doing what I'm doing and go without a car for a while. i don't need to drive for work so it taking a while longer to fix isn't too much of an issue and i get alot of free time to work on it so hopefully ill be able to get it in decent shape in a month or two. im enjoying the restoration its moving along an becoming more and more my baby also having ya'll to talk to has given me alot more confidence i think its too late im hooked on Z lol

[Zedback]

In my view you've got three options:

1) Quick bodgy repair with body filler to get you through

2) Renovation where you are looking to patch what you've got rather than replace

3) Restoration where you are looking to replace all rusty or damaged sections

 

I'm going with option 2 for mine.  I wouldn't recommend option 1 except as a short term measure when doing a rolling renovation.  My '71 is a result of someone taking a bodgy approach with an expanding foam that retained moisture, not pretty.

[leonZ]

hi all ive been busy last few days so all ive done is take off as much rust as i could find and treat the rusted areas with septone after that i just primed it to stop rust from growing while i get my act together and figure out which way im going to go, maybe a bog job.......... while i save to have it done properly along with paint, a few more months bogged up wont hurt will it? after all the main goal right now is to get the car on the road

[reverendzed]

Leon, I think you know after all the advice given which is really the only way to go!  These cars are really for resto only, sadly, delaying the process with a quick bog job is false economy because most guys I know that do a temporary fix rarely get around to a proper resto.  Perhaps we should put a warning on this site that says 'for every Zed you buy under 10,000 make sure you have another 4-5k to spend to fix it' otherwise you end up with just another 'old car'!  whatever you decide I hope you get some enjoyment from your Zed.

Rev.

[C.A.R.]

Bogging up rust - bad BAD idea.

Body filler acts like a sponge absorbing water, then rusting out the surrounding metal.

It's false economy in the long term.

 

Buy yourself a rego'd bomb to drive around while you fix the Zed.

 

[Zedback]

Leon, it sounded like the budget is tight but you might have a fair amount of time you can spend on it.  Of your $1500 I think you mentioned, a good approach might be to find and go to one of the TAFE panel beating/restoration night/weekend courses that someone was recently posting about.  Then beg or borrow a mig welder and renovate/restore it yourself, whatever your budget allows for.  The more you can do yourself, the less you are paying for someone else's time. 

Good luck, it's your car and there is a lot of projects you can review for ideas on how to approach it.

[leonZ]

OK OK i get the picture either weld it up or be a douchbag   i got this on ebay today http://cgi.ebay.com.au/BRAND-NEW-130AMP-MIG-MAG-WELDER-WELDING-MACHINE_W0QQitemZ370235690643QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Power_Tools?hash=item5633c44e93&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262 i know it's a cheap welder but i need to start somewhere ya? and i guess having a welder will come in handy for a lot of things so i feel good about the purchase. also what thickness and type of steel should i be using on the body?

 

[C.A.R.]

0.9 - 1.0mm

[warrenz]

Hi Leon,

 

I'm a little closer to you in Kensington. So I could come out and have a look and give you a bit of guidance in where to look and what to expect. Been there done that on my 240Z.

 

If you are interested PM me your mobile number.

 

Warren