DIY Datsun Script Emblem Repair & Refurbishment

[Hardway]

Like any vintage car NOS parts usually carry a premium price and our cars are no exception. One thing that our cars seem to suffer from is emblem breakage either from age or damage when being removed for a paint job. When I bought my Z the Datsun script emblem on the hatch was missing but the small capture clips were still in the body with paint on them. My only guess is the old emblem did not fare well when it was removed. I actually have a NOS emblem sitting in my display case but with NOS emblems now at $60 and knowing I would eventually be painting the car in the future I did not want to install it on the car. However, I also did not want to look at the void and the 3 holes in the hatch either. So I started watching Ebay for a used one to come up in need of some love. Sure enough it did not take long for one to pop up with all of the pins broken off. I won it for $8.64 shipped. It arrived just as expected and was indeed in need of some refurbishment. On the plus side it had no physical damage besides the pins being broken and some minor pitting on the edges. More importantly, the original silver aluminum finish was still intact but with a layer of black over spray.

To start I took a small flat head screw driver and removed all the left over gunk and residue that was around the pin locations. I also marked off the 2 pins I would not be using.

After that I gave it a good scrubbing with some soap and water and a soft parts brush. I followed that up with a good once over using some super fine steel wool on the aluminum finish of the letters. This helped remove most of the over spray and lightly polished the letters. It was already look 10x better!

Before doing anything else I did some test fitting to see what would be best to serve as new pins on the emblem. After a few tries I settled on a #4-40 x 1 machine screw. The diameter was perfect and I figured the threads would give the tangs in the capture clips something to hang on to.

On the back of the emblem I used a punch to provide a point for the 1/16 drill bit to start. This is crucial as I did not want the bit to walk as there was little room for error. I drilled very slowly since the soft plastic takes no time to drill in to. I followed up with a 5/64 drill bit so I could ensure the screw would not crack the plastic as I screwed it in.

Next, I carefully screwed the screws in to the holes making sure to stop once I felt they were seated.

With the long screws to serve as handles I used some Testors flat black paint to touch up the black around the emblem. Once dry I applied a dab of JB Weld epoxy to all the studs. Once dry I used my Dremel tool to cut off the head of the screw plus a 1/4 inch. Looking back on it I think this was over-kill since the screws were wound in to the emblem with several threads.

Seeing how the JB Weld setup around the pins I knew it would create an issue in not allowing the emblem to sit flat on the hatch panel. To correct this I used a small mild sanding cone on my Dremel tool and knocked down the JB Weld. As I said before, if I did this again I would not put any epoxy on the screws since I probably removed 80% of the JB Weld.

In my opinion, the end result is fantastic. The emblem fits perfectly and from even a few inches away it looks like a newer emblem. It sits flat against the panel which something I was concerned with but the fit is no worse than the newer 240Z emblem right below. In total I have around $10 in parts since the screws cost me $1.50 and I probably have 2 hours of time invested. To save $50 and proudly put the emblem back on the car where it belongs is priceless!

[siteunseen]

You're making my life easier, thank you.

[240260280z]

EXCELLENT! Keep-em coming!

[bacarl]

Ingenious, nice work and great results.

[240260280z]

btw if you wanted to "tap" those holes first, just get one of the screws/bolts and file a couple of axial grooves in it using the long edge of a file.

This works great for chasing/cleaning bolt holes and for taping soft materials like plastic. (I first did this using old head bolts to clean the holes in the block.

Here is a picture of someone starting the "tool making" but the grooves have to go all the way along the bolt.

Here is a variant that is cut a bit deep and only a single. 2 or 3 cuts are recommended

Edited July 23, 2014 by Blue

[zed2]

Consider 3M double sided adhesive. Using the barrel clips or other pins may remove the paint in the hole and expose the bare metal to potential corrosion.

Keith

[Hardway]

Good idea on the home made tap Blue! I will definitely keep that in mind for future reference.

I had thought about getting some 3M emblem tape to use and not mess with the pins. But I really did not want to stick anything to the car with adhesive. The car will never see rain under my ownership so I am not too worried about it.

[tlorber]

The emblem looks nice. The tail light looks nice. Please get that finishing panel painted in the appropriate contrasting color.

[Hardway]

The emblem looks nice. The tail light looks nice. Please get that finishing panel painted in the appropriate contrasting color.

I actually picked up another finishing panel set that was still in its original satin black finish. Seeing that the silver paint on mine is so nice I figured someone else might want it as-is and make some $ back on selling it. I will be waiting until the fall to install it as it is HOT in Austin right now.

[siteunseen]

Hey Hardway. Did you use the barrel clips from Nissan on those machine screw size #4-40? I've painted mine with the flat black and am ready to put the pins in and was wondering what you used. It looks like the barrel clips are removable if i ever needed to.

Here's the clips I'm speaking of, http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/body-paint-s30/33399-installing-emblems-drilling-through-paint.html

post #13.

Thank you.

[Hardway]

Hey Siteunseen. Yes, I used the barrel clips as they were still in the hatch when I bought the car and had been painted over. Yes, the machine screws are size #4-40X1. They are made by Hillman and are part# 491277. They come with 10 screws and 10 nuts per pack and can be found at any hardware store. You are correct, the barrel clips are removal as one of mine did come out when I test fitting everything. It did not hurt the paint and it went right back in. If you have any other questions just let me know.

[siteunseen]

Thanks! I bought 10 from my Nissan dealer Friday. I am just getting around to installing them, I cleared them with Valspar Flat and it looks dusty dirty. I've bought the Duplicolor Matte clear for the rear finisher and will hit the emblems with that. I'm hoping the matte finish will look better than the flat.

Thanks again.