Deja Vu: 1971 Restoration

[motorman7]

6 minutes ago, Patcon said:

So the paint thinner was enough to remove the overspray. I am surprised you didn't need lacquer thinner or something stronger...

...and the soft wire brush.    I am guessing that they did not 'prepare' that surface so it came off a bit easier than normal.   I do use lacquer thinner a lot, but it was not needed in this case.

[motorman7]

I cleaned up the brake master cylinder, brake check valve bracket and starter.  Also installed them.  The brake vacuum line looks great.  I need to replace the brake cylinder caps with the metal ones, but will leave these on for now.  I installed the starter, but am not really happy with it.  I cleaned it up as best I could but most of the yellow zinc is gone so it looks kind of old.  May look online and see if I can pick up a new one for relatively cheap.  Pics are below.

 

Edited November 28, 2017 by motorman7

[motorman7]

Just had time for a few small items.  Seems the Holidays are always the busiest time of the year.

I got the sound deadening mat in.  This stuff is interesting, like rubber covered led.  It is surprisingly heavy for how small it is.  I will use this on the floor, in the doors and on the rear section of the car.  I know it is not stock but should make the car a bit quieter inside and will not be visible once everything is assembled.

Got the speedo cable in and the carb linkage completed.  Also spent some time aligning the bumper.  I just need to attach a few more hoses (waiting for more clamps;my original order was short the hoses at the fuel tank) and a few vacuum tubes and then I will be about ready to start her up.  Oh, after I get a battery.  Will go to Costco for that.  With a few minor mods, their batteries can look pretty retro and original.

Anyway, here are a few pics for now.

[motorman7]

I got all of the connections to the fuel tank completed today.  It is pretty much like an octopus under there with all of the fuel vapor/smog hoses.  Also got most of the electrical in the back end hooked up.  Put a few more hoses on in the engine compartment.

So this completes the fuel system which is nice to have done .  The brake system, clutch system, suspension, and steering are all complete.  The engine compartment is also nearly done.  Just a few more details here and then I will tackle the interior.

Finding a new windshield has been a bit of a challenge.  RockAuto is out of stock and Motorsport has a two month lead time.  I called Les at Classic Datsun Motorsports and it sounds like he can set me up there.  I would like to get that in this weekend if possible.   The current windshield is not OEM and has a couple of significant rock dings so I won't be able to use that.  The glass guy said that a repair of the rock dings would most likely be noticeable.

A few pics of the gas tank connections are below. (sorry for the poor flash pics)

Edited December 5, 2017 by motorman7

[Hardway]

Your posts with all the pictures and details is so satisfying to read.  Your thread does a great job of showing everything that goes in to truly restoring one of these cars.  The devil is in the details and you are executing everything so well.  I agree, this is a Pebble Beach worthy car and congratulations to you and the owner for what you have accomplished so far.  Keep up the good work!

[motorman7]

I put the sound dampening material in both the drivers and passenger doors.  Wow, what a difference!  Without the material, the doors are kind of tinny sounding when they are closed.  With the sound dampening, it is a nice solid 'thunk' when they are closed.  The added weight also gives them a very nice solid feel.  I love it and need to do this to my cars as well.  I cut the material into about 7 inch wide strips and attached a piece above and below the door center rail, biased aft.  I then put a piece on the forward end that passed over the center rail.  Very nice material to work with.

I got the passenger door panel and parts installed , except for one missing pull handle screw cover.  I know I have one of those laying around some place.  I also made a clear plastic cover to seal the door, under the panel. 

The drivers side panel has small separation on one end.  I was thinking about trying to fix this myself, but will most likely take it to an upholstery repair shop.  That is a bit of a bummer as I was hoping to have the doors finished off today.

I got the interior heater hoses installed along with the new shut-off valve.  Also re-attached the vinyl around the windshield frame.  It was detached for the paint job and needed to be re-attached before the windshield goes in.   

[motorman7]

Got the new brake cylinder caps in.   Also got the rubber seals for the air filter installed along with the carb gaskets.  Got the battery put in.  Still need to get a battery cover and cables.  Need to put the guts inside the engine light.  The original switch toggle was broken off, so I will replace that with a spare that I have.  I am still toying with the idea of putting in a metal switch and painting the toggle white.  Most plastic switches out there are pretty oxidized.

I cleaned up the floor pans, painted with POR-15, and installed the new sound dampening material.  I put it where the old material was but will probably extend it aft a bit.  I think that will look better (although no one will see it since it is under the carpet) .  Seems like it would look better going all the way back to the seat frame.

Got the under dash electrical connections made on the passenger side.  Also got the heater fan put in. 

And, got a nice new custom fit car cover from the owner for it 

[motorman7]

I cleaned up both head light buckets (a lot of overspray from previous paint job) and installed them along with the Koito headlights.  The only problem is the Koito's don't match .  The passenger side headlight has a fine glass grid while the Drivers side has a larger glass grid.  So, I will have to find a third headlight that hopefully matches one of these.  Preferably I find the a fine grid Koito as I beleive that is the correct style.  That is what the '70 has anyway.  You can see the difference in the pics below.

Edited December 15, 2017 by motorman7

[motorman7]

I added some more soundproofing to the floor pan.  Looks a bit nicer this way.  Still need to clean off some of the overspray on the vinyl on the right.

I cleaned up the antenna.   The antenna would not work when I hooked it up to my 12V power supply.  I took it apart and cleaned up the motor area that contacts the brushes.  Also opened up the cable area and cleaned that up.   Quite a bit of rust in there.  I used electrical spray cleaner to clean the motor and cable area.  I also applied a bit of lube to the cable before closing things back up.  Then ran it up and down a couple times to spread the lube.  Antenna operates nicely now .  I cleaned up the old parts a bit but they are pretty oxidized.  I need to go through my stash and see it I have some nicer parts, so just put the antenna in loosely for now.

Edited December 18, 2017 by motorman7

[motorman7]

Got the windshield in.  That was a piece of cake and took just about an hour from start to finish.  Wife helped out a bit on the install.  The more challenging item was the stainless metal trim installation.  It goes pretty well if you use Windex to lube everything up and then roll the windshield rubber over the edges of the trim.  Also got the windshield wipers on, love those things.   Now its back to the interior.

[motorman7]

I finished most of the electrical connections except for the center console.  Also put in new battery cables.  Turned the key and the motor turned over nicely   Woo-Hoo.  It's nice when things work like they are supposed to.   Now I just need some to put in the exhaust system and throw some gas in the tank and she should start right up.  I should have a little time with the holiday break so should have her running by Tuesday at the latest.  

[ray_madera]

Car really looks soo clean. I would like to do the same to my 240z but need a lot of funds. Would you b willing to send me the complete restoration from start to finish on a CD? I will pay for whatever is needed including postage before you send. Ray


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