1970 HLS30-06521 Re-Restoration

[Captain Obvious]

4 minutes ago, Patcon said:

 I have also found those paint curls can be razor sharp when cooled

Wait. You didn't cut yourself with the razor, but you cut yourself with the paint. Did I understand that correctly?   

Sorry... I know it's not really a laughing matter. But.

So that adds a new meaning to it when someone says "Wow. That car is really sharp. I like the paint!"    

[Patcon]

Yes, they will cut you The older I get, the easier I bleed. Tis merely a flesh wound... 😉

[CanTechZ]

3 hours ago, Patcon said:

Yes, they will cut you The older I get, the easier I bleed. Tis merely a flesh wound... 😉

Luckily so far no cuts from paint, and btw I am wearing eye protection, more chance of an injury with that. However I did shave off a strip of lead from the quarter panel to roof joint. Strangely some of the paint chips/strips were sharper.

[dutchzcarguy]

Wow.. what a job.. i was glad someone else took over that job from me.. cost me a 1000 euro or so..  and someone else took over the wheel housings for 100 euro a housing... i would not do it for 100euro.. a housing.. would you? (There was a thick layer of anti rust, very hard and dry.)

Paint is a sort of plastic at the end and can be very sharp edged.. Lead is a soft material, not so sharp..

[CanTechZ]

6 hours ago, dutchzcarguy said:

Wow.. what a job.. i was glad someone else took over that job from me.. cost me a 1000 euro or so..  and someone else took over the wheel housings for 100 euro a housing... i would not do it for 100euro.. a housing.. would you? (There was a thick layer of anti rust, very hard and dry.)

Paint is a sort of plastic at the end and can be very sharp edged.. Lead is a soft material, not so sharp..

Actually I did strip all of the dealer applied heavy tar like undercoating from my wheel wells and the full underside of the car myself, with a scraper. For me the money I save on things I can do myself goes to parts and things that I can't do. I wish the list of things I cant do was shorter. 

Yes I agree that lead is very soft as far as metals go, but that little piece I shaved of was surprisingly sharp, especially with the jagged edges.

[CanTechZ]

Continuing with the paint removal today. For others who try this method don't cheap out on the razor blades. I started out using Richard brand made in the USA blades, which work very well and stay sharp for quite a while. Then I used some cheap ones I ordered on amazon, Titan brand made in China. First off they were loose in the holder and and they lost the sharp edge quite fast. I'm back to using the Richard blades.

Today I've been working on the RH quarter panel. I had the quarters replaced in the early 1980's and even then my local Datsun dealer was not able to get a 70/71 panel, so I had to have my body man weld in a patch to close the vent hole. I found evidence of the repair while doing the paint removal this morning. During the paint removal I found body filler in that area that was up to .10" (2.5mm) thick, but with heat and razor blading the paint and filler came off in one go.

 

Here is another video showing removal of paint and filler (glazing putty?) on the LH quarter.

 

Edited March 6, 2022 by CanTechZ

[ETI4K]

Good commentary on the razor blades.  Having the brand of a good product always helps.

The heat gun/razor blade paint removal process beats the hell out of chemical stripper.

Along that line, back in '97 my brother the "expert" body man was helping me with my restoration (that went dormant until last year).  So last year when I was cutting out a bunch of crappy work I had done back then I found 1/4" of filler in the rear lower quarters.  Darn I said, how did that get there?  Can you imagine, a 1/4"?  Guess who's not helping this time around? 😁

[dutchzcarguy]

17 hours ago, CanTechZ said:

I started out using Richard brand made in the USA blades, which work very well and stay sharp for quite a while. Then I used some cheap ones I ordered on amazon, Titan brand made in China. First off they were loose in the holder and and they lost the sharp edge quite fast. I'm back to using the Richard blades.

We all tryed the cheaper ones and ... then we knew why they were so cheap! 😄  The saying is not for nothing (overhere at least:) Good tools is half the work!

[CanTechZ]

15 hours ago, ETI4K said:

Good commentary on the razor blades.  Having the brand of a good product always helps.

The heat gun/razor blade paint removal process beats the hell out of chemical stripper.

Along that line, back in '97 my brother the "expert" body man was helping me with my restoration (that went dormant until last year).  So last year when I was cutting out a bunch of crappy work I had done back then I found 1/4" of filler in the rear lower quarters.  Darn I said, how did that get there?  Can you imagine, a 1/4"?  Guess who's not helping this time around? 😁

I should expand on the low quality of the Titan import blades from Amazon. It's not only that they don't last as long, but how they wear as well. They don't seem to wear evenly and loose sharpness on part of the edge, this makes it difficult to make even straight cuts. The blade wants to turn and tends to gouge, especially on concave curved surfaces.

If anyone tries this method also make sure to use only enough heat to slightly soften the paint, especially on flat areas like the hood. I found that on flat areas if I couldn't hold my hand on the heated surface for at least 3 to 5 seconds, it was too hot. Good to move around quite bit. It's surprising how little heat it takes to warp the metal.

[CanTechZ]

Recently received this new OE Mirror from Whitehead Performance, one more part crossed off my list. These things have sure jumped up in price.

[Namerow]

4 hours ago, CanTechZ said:

These things have sure jumped up in price

Ouch!  Cdn$355 (plus tax and shipping).  Cdn$270+ for an OE gas cap.

Maybe I should start parting out my car.

Edited March 28, 2022 by Namerow

[colinc]

4 hours ago, Namerow said:

Ouch!  Cdn$355 (plus tax and shipping).  Cdn$270+ for an OE gas cap.

Maybe I should start parting out my car.

I think you might do quite well with that.  Restoring a Z in Canada is an expensive proposition. Parts cars are almost nonexistent and there are only a few after market parts manufactures that have limited catalogs. Buying parts out of the US is ridiculously expensive given the exchange and shipping costs. I feel nauseous every time I add up the costs of parts I have ordered from Zcardepot or Motorsport.  With retirement on the horizon I think it may be time to let the Z go.