Careless

Found someone who does vapor blasting that is somewhat "local". When I send some items out, I will let you guys know of my experience- but here's the type of finish achieved: BEFORE: AFTER: Basically folds over the pores, rather than opening them with dry abrasive blasting. Soda blasting is close, but not quite the same. This comes out nearly "as cast". Similar to the inside of the timing cover. We'll see how she goes!

Thanks sdyck! I managed to remove the vapor canister, but the lines are still there. The only one that came out with the unit was the one you replaced there. They all look like they are in good condition, so I will use them from the car. Just gotta see about cleaning the fabric weave.

Update (Without pics). I bought a 50lbs bag of triangle media (pyramid is harder to come by, but triangle is virtually the same). It was 5x cheaper than buying from any online store, but the quantity is way more for a minimum purchase. It's ok, it will be used in time. The parts come out AMAZING after about 6 to 8 hours of use. I found that the Speed Clean solution works great. The media has to be visibly damp (in reference to colour) but not sopping wet. If you don't have it looking wet, it will occassionally dry out, and even if left overnight it will turn into a cement like clump of metal and media, which is hard to clean. The best course of action is to add water every 3 or 4 hours. Running a little low on speed clean, so I'm substituting with some sunlight dish soap. just a couple of squirts. maybe 2 table spoons or so, give or take. The media, oddly enough, HAS to be lubricated. If it's not lubricated with the speed clean solution or similar, it will glaze over and take forever to work. It will essentially tumble and polish itself. The damp environment for the media creates a waterfall effect. The dusty particulate sinks to the bottom, exposing new media surface that is rough, and as the parts are pushed through the dusty/sandy slurry at the base of the bowl, it gets further cleaned- while the media refreshes. This is how it was explained to me by the tumbler media supplier I went to, who was very well spoken and had taken the time to explain various finishes and media types to me- so I am passing this information on! I found that 10-12lbs of media and 5-6 lbs of parts works best. It keeps the media level high, and allows a lot of media to "fall" onto the parts as they vibrate towards the center and climb back up the wall of the bowl. The other thing I have noticed is that the bowl occassionally rotates at a slow pace depending on how tight the lid knob is. The issue I had with this is that even with a lock washer or with over-tightening, it will come loose. The worst part about that situation is that the bowl will eventually thrash around as the media gets more dry (ie- you didn't add water again, dumbass!), and as a result- it WILL widen the hole that goes through the center of the bowl. This is simply due to the bowl being loose, and the vibrating threaded rod in the center of the bowl not being tied to anything. The threads really bung up the plastic bowl. Luckily I caught it before it got bad! But I have some plastic bushings I can use to take up any slack now. The perfect solution to what I think would be a common problem (since it's not in the operating manual) is quite simple! Just use a second threaded knob, disc washer, and rubber washer (my tumbler came with two sets), and fasten the bowl with one set first, and you can keep it open, or fasten the lid on AFTER the first knob is all the way down. The bowl should NOT move. If it does, the rubber feet will wear on the underside of the bowl, and this is not supposed to happen. Overall, I've done about 15 lbs of items now, in 3 days. A lot of occassional "getting it right" type tweaking. But now that I know how it works, I am going to bring the tumbler home with me so that I can tumble the items while I sleep, and set alarms to wake up and check up on it in my garage. It works great for small screws too, and it doesn't seem like the thread is marred or damaged, even on the hose clamp screws. The amount of hose clamps i'm plating would cost the same as the tumbler unit IF they could all be bought new, so I think it's worth it! After tumbling, I wash the items in water, give them a quick rinse with brake cleaner, and then apply WD40 on them and put them in a plastic bin. Before I take them to get plated, I do the same as I did with the brake lines and fuel rail... wipe with WD40, then wipe it off with a clean rag. It prevents them from flash rusting, and has just the right amount of WD to not require extended time in the etching bath or produce poor plating results. The corn cob media will not be used. It is tooooooo shiney, although I have not used it yet. The plastic/green media works great, is actually what is used for a "pre-plate" finish, and It looks as though it will match the datsun texture perfectly. I also kinda like the smell. hehe So far, it looks like the unit was a good purchase, and in the mean time I've taped the engine off, tore down two alternators, drove around to numerous places to get items processed or discuss pricing and scheduling, and have done a lot more research in regards to parts and whatnot.

gotta head home now, but I had an hour to clean out the bowl and strain all the green pyramid media. Didn't add water this time because I didn't dry the media- just ran water through a strainer until it came out clear and dumped it into another container. Rinsed the bowl out and dried it good, then put it all back in after rinsing off the parts too. I think it was moist enough. I put 2oz or so of Speed Clean. I think i loaded it with the right amount of "juice" this time. she sounds a little more "dry" and the parts are starting to come out reallllllll bright with the green pyramid media. these are gonna look fantastic when they're plated. New Idea: Probably gonna buy a timer at some point so I can come in, set it up for 8 hours and let her rip long after I'm gone. For now I'll have someone shut'er down at 7pm ish. Next up: - Brake Line hardware - Rear/Front Suspension hardware - Engine hardware will post pics Monday or Tuesday evening of the first batch of small hose clamps and such.

I think I still have to play with the mixture of water/speed clean. Right now it's a slurry. Sort of sandy. Not quite dry. but definitely not runny. It's thick enough to not be drained from the hose outlet on the side. However, It's still doing a great job. I just tossed the alternator tension bracket in there. It has more of that damned ford blue on there. Gonna see what it comes out like around 5pm. The rest of the stuff looks great. All the clamps are clean. I might run them through the dry shine... Not quite sure yet. I'm going to give eastwood a call to see what their recommendation is for the consistency of the mixture. Perhaps I have too much media in there as opposed to too much material- as is the most common mistake. In the mean time, I had a boxing match with the oil pan, and managed to remove the timing cover without messing up anything. Headgasket is clean and straight. Pan needs a slight misting of black paint- but the previous paint had tons of runs. Not that I would ever look there, but if it's up on a hoist- definitely noticeable. All in all, I'm getting two jobs done at once!

I just dumped a bunch of those small hose clamps in there. 10lbs of green pyramid media (eastwood co. 7lb + 2.5lb), about 5oz of water, and 2oz of speed clean... it's been on for maaaaaybe 45 minutes, if that... And the clamps are already done. There is about 2lbs worth of parts. No more than 3lb. There's a small wheel chock and one of the wiper or starter relay covers (I don't know what it is yet, tbh). I dunno bout you guys, but that's pretty good to me for 45 mins!!! I'll post photos of how it comes out at aroun 2 or 3pm if I can send to my google drive.. (3 to 4 hours total vibe'n time)... If I come here for 3 days in a row and continue to work on the vehicle, I can do the entire rear, front, and brake line hardware sets done in that time and ready for the platers at the end of the week. I doubt I'll be going with the dry-shine corn cob... From what I'm seeing, a lot of the NOS datsun parts that are sealed and packaged well are ALMOST like a sandblasted finish. It's almost as if the metal is clean, but the plating was done very dully. I think the green pyramid media might be where I end the process on my side before sending to the plater.

Are you guys using the tumbler units correctly? It needs to vibrate at a specific rate per minute in order to actually work. I got the 18lb tumbler here, and have read reviews from car resto guys that it's an excellent tool. I'm using the rust cutting media, as it leaves a finish that is smoother than sandblasting and not quite polished. I have the corn cob media as well as the speed clean solution. It should be filled with 2/3 media and 1/3 parts. I also have a scale here. Hope it works, I'll post results. It's not a rinky-dink 5lb rock or brass casing polisher. It's the largest unit available for under 300 dollars.

that's all I will be doing, is disconnecting them up top and at the bottom, so I can fish them through one by one. guess I'll have to shampoo them gently after to get them looking clean again. or RIT dye them, but I'm not sure unseen lines need that much attention. maybe just some conditioner :-P

Interesting discussion about the standards used. It's amazing the amount of knowledge you guys have about these items and their purpose/classification back in those times. I originally intended this post to be right/wrong bolt "design" for each specific application/part, but it sure has taken a turn for the better. I just received the 18lb media vibratory tumbler from eastwood co, so I will be cleaning and posting my findings for whatever bolts I can chuck in there and match to the parts I will be refinishing and replating. Could you imagine sandblasting 500+ fasteners? in a dimly lit blasting cabinet, no less! At least now I can flip a switch and walk away for 4 - 6 hours, and finish my day with tagging and wire wrapping items so that at the end of the week I can drop off a tub of bolts all wired and ready for refinishing. so excited! ::

it'll be fiiiiiiiiiine!

will do. I'm going to have to pull the differential and the tank to get this thing out safely with all the lines, aren't I? ... damnnnnnnit.

weird.... on the left, the bolt is a flat top, but integrated flange- taken off the 01/70 and the 71 i have too. the right is the new one. perhaps I have some other bolts kicking around. I'll end up plating both sets if i do, and use whatever comes back nicer.

The engine has been completely overhauled, it was just painted with the silver paint. I don't like the silver engine enamel because it turns yellow and flakes off. If I do pull the covers, I am going to have the aluminum vapor blasted and then I will treat them with sharkhide metal protectant. It will stay looking OE for at least a decade. I would love to soda-blast in house, as I do have the equipment for it in my garage, but the place where this engine is located is not "media blast" friendly. there are too many other items in the shop, and I would not be able to get all the baking soda out of the engine. Anyone who has soda blasted knows it gets everywhere... and it's not a good idea to do it near an assembled engine.... I could give it a shot, but I'm not sure if I want to go through that mess.

no, the silver paint still looks terrible because the engine is on a stand with all the items removed- because the bonehead who painted the block painted it the wrong blue as well, so I have to do that too. So to answer your question, it looks even worse i have enough seals and front gaskets to do like 3 more motors, and there are some boxes I haven't even went through yet. I just hate this flippin' silver paint on everything! IT CAUSED SO MUCH WORK.

lucky for us series 1 guys, the raised bump that is on the pain rail is closer to the folded over outside edge. A small maple or oak or other hardwood piece to smack on the rail just inside the bump is all that is needed. As Chickenman stated, the pan will conform the rest of the way. Now I'm not sure for the later pans, but if you have a raised boss that is right in the center of the rail, what you want to do is get some hard wood like maple or oak, and make a small wedge that fits in between the pan rails, and has TWO tips, with a small section cut out of the middle- just about the width of the raised boss. the thickness of a generic mitre saw blade has been enough for me in the past on other nissan pans that I've fixed. The same can be done with a throw-away cold steel chisel and a grinding disc with a couple of keen slices- but I find it's a bit too heavy or aggressive for nissan pan rails. They tend to be on the thin side.

Hello everyone, Is it at all possible to remove the Timing cover without having to remove the head. Perhaps just the front two bolts on the head just need to be removed, along with the oil pan, and then just pop it off or something? I don't like the silver paint on the timing cover, as I know it yellows over time, so I want to have it vapour blasted to bring it back to the OE look. I'm just worried that it will pull the front of the graphite head gasket down and cause it to split or leak or something worse. If it's a huge deal, I'll leave it, but I seriously hate this silver paint on everything. Looking for advice on removal if there are any tips!

What's the trick to getting the Air Gallery tube off without messing it up too badly? I have to plate the one here, and the only two options I have are 1) try to remove it for the 3rd time without damaging it. or 2) zip it off and gun the bolts off, and then purchase an NOS one for the customer. The only thing is, the NOS ones look to be a different plating than original, now. It's more silver/zinc than yellow/zinc. Also, the last runner has one of the tubes slightly frayed, as in, it's chipping away at the very end. Do you guys think just cutting the tip of that one off (maybe 5-10mm) is going to affect anything terribly? Trying to use what I have rather than purchase things all the time- Our dollar not doing too well and most of the good stuff is State-side!

jack-pot, the 71 parts car has the plastic tank, all fasteners look to be in excellent condition, as well as the vapor hoses and twin-ring hose clamps. but the thing is browwwwwn. I was thinking of giving it the 'ol hydrogen peroxide and wild rice rinse-a-roo. Has worked for me in the past. Any thoughts? Should I be aware of anything before removing this unicorn part?

that's odd... both the 01/70 and 71 I have here show the bolt head on the left of the photo that I took. the one on the left of the photo that you took, zKars, is the new style of bolt I have in the bags, and it is also the same style that is on the 73 that is here as well. There are no distinct markings on the bolt on the left (70/71). It has a flat top, flange, and threads rolled to the tip. The newer ones, and the ones on the 73 have scalloped head with the 7 marking, and a non-threaded tip for starting, as you mentioned zKars.

johnc from HybridZ? My concern isn't really the strength, it is whether the bolt is the original one or not. There are a lot of small differences between the 70's models vs the later ones, I'm finding... If I can keep the small details 70's oriented, I'm sure the owner would appreciate it, as it will be more true-to-resto rather than rebuild. I just hate seeing "DORMAN 5/16" on bolts that are in plain site. If it were in an inconspicuous location, it would bother me a little less. Did the datsuns ever come with a "TR 7" bolt, though?

Here's another conundrum. Exact same ordeal. The 71 I have here as a "reference car" has the same bolts holding the valve cover down as the ones currently on the 01/70 engine (sprayed silver, ughh). The Bolts that I have that are NOS and Part Number 01125-00151 which are a match are different and have the marking "7" (on the right). would you guys agree that using the originals and having them plated is prob a better way to go about it? don't mind the huge mess of parts in the background.

I found some overspray photos on the disc I've been given for the teardown of this project, but the photos posted are far better. In your guys opinion- if doing a "like OE" resto, would you guys bother with the resto, and spraying over the freeze plugs and whatnot? I'm at a cross-roads. I don't think the owner will care, but I do! Part of me likes fresh-n-new, part of me likes the "assembly line" details.

I'm just rifling through the 9 million bolts here with the 01/70 resto project. I found a bag of these bolts, brand new (top right: 08120-8501E) that sandwhich the trans halves together. The ones I have pulled from the trans, and also some of the ones that I have discovered in the box-o-bolts have a head marking that says TR on one edge of the hex, and 7 on the opposite edge of the hex, and the washer is slightly thicker than the new ones. On the new one, it has the italicized "7" that I have come to expect on many of the datsun bolts, as I've seen 7's and 9's embossed on the hex heads on most Nis/Dats. Now I know I'm splitting hairs here, but I have new bolts, so I might as well use them... But did the TR 7 marking ever show up on any datsun bolts? Is this an early Datsun thing? I would much rather use what came on the car, to be honest, since I'm getting them tumbled and replated at some point. They are the exact same thread and length.

Thanks for all your help, gents! This car is really coming a long rather quickly due to your assistance.

welp... off to the classifieds I will go! thanks everyone; great help!