New to me, 280Z...

[Patcon]

If you have MIg & TIG welders then you should be well off.

I would try KF vintage for what I would call the upper "frame rail" or the "fresh air channel". See if they can supply it. If not I would talk to a local metal shop about fabricating it. Lastly I would make it myself

[dar5052]

Made some good progress today.. the car is now basically stripped with the exception of the doors and the hatch. I'll pull those off after I finish the bodywork and get the car ready for paint. 

On the underside, I intend to tackle any visible surface rust. I'll use a wire wheel to get to the bottom of it, repair what needs to be repaired, and POR15 the rest. Then undercoat the bottom to make it uniform... any suggestions from any other builders?

The disassembly is complete... only took 2 weeks, basically weekends only, lets hope the rest of the process moves along just as quickly😂

 

 

[dar5052]

the best decision I have made thus far is to buy the $14 harbor freight moving dollies.... its so much easier working in a smaller space (three car garage) with moveable, heavy components. 

[dar5052]

anyone know where I can get a molded section for under the battery tray? Ive seen some on the common sites but they don't seem to have the compound bends.... trying to fix some of the wrongs from the PO...

[zKars]

https://kfvintagejdm.com/product-category/datsun/

Search for “Firewall” and or Battery Tray. 

[dar5052]

Thanks @zKars. Found what I'm looking for. Don't know how I missed it the first time around. 

[dar5052]

Patch work of rotted out areas has started... There are a few that I've found during disassembly, notably on the rockers under the front fenders, under the battery tray, under the passenger seat, and on the front and backside of the passenger side rear wheel well. All in all, not too bad but there was bondo on the front part of the rear passenger wheel well and as I grinded it out, it went right through to the lower portion of the quarter panel... oh well.. Luckily its a small and simple patch. 

Front of rear wheel well:

Grinded out to metal on the passenger quarter:

Rear of passenger rear wheel well:

Driver side front rocker panel:

Passenger side front rocker:

Under passenger side seat:

 

Edited December 30, 2021 by dar5052

[dar5052]

under battery tray is on order, I'll cut that out when I get the new piece. 

[Patcon]

All very common rust areas.

I like those railroad jacks! 😉

[dar5052]

@Patcon gotta use what I got lol....  After a few beers on new years day I decided to tear up the old soundproofing.... figured it was best to address any issues while the interior is apart. I am glad I did because I found surface rust under the passenger side that would likely have created issues later on. Driver side isn't bad but I'll need some dry ice to remove the remnants of the sound proofing. overall it seems fairly clean... and surface rust.

I'll next turn my focus on the underside of the car.... still not sure if I want to media blast it... I go back and forth daily. while I would like to, I am not sure if I want to awake sleeping dragons although I like the look of the underside of a car when its clean and rust free. I currently have a good layer of undercoating. 

What have some of y'all done? did you blast the bottom and not put undercoating and just primer and paint? or put undercoating regardless? Just trying to figure what's best for this build... I know its up to me in the end, but would love to hear some opinions/experiences. any help or advice is appreciated.

 

[dar5052]

that's a pic of the under side fwiw...

[dutchzcarguy]

4 hours ago, dar5052 said:

What have some of y'all done? did you blast the bottom and not put undercoating and just primer and paint?

I would put some primer/grounding paint and a layer of clear wax on the underside. That way you can always see in what condition your floor is..

The trouble with that black undercoating is you can't see anything until it's to late..