Dave W 1971/240Z rebuild

[Patcon]

Got it. And your always thinking about cutting through while trying to get rid of them! 😵‍💫

[grannyknot]

I tried to stay out of the shop but I couldn't, resprayed the sugar scoop in the morning and spent the rest of the day doing fun stuff, installing shiny things.

The new door handles I was raving about do have one flaw, the hinge pins are longer/wider than the original pins, so I had to file out a notch on both openings to accommodate them, then seal up the bare metal. Not a big deal but it wouldn't be difficult for them to just use a shorter pin.

[inline6]

12 hours ago, grannyknot said:

I have tried a few things but I can never get that clear glass look, they're only a few microns deep and they are all on the surface of the clear coat. Just haven't found the technique yet.

 

 

Hmmm.  Are those in the clear coat only, or showing up from underneath the color coat and transferring to the top surface? 

What is your process starting with fresh clear coat that is ready to sand?  Sanding with different grits?  Wet sanding only?  Buffing with different compounds?  Changing pad type as you change compounds?

 

 

[grannyknot]

2 hours ago, inline6 said:

 

Hmmm.  Are those in the clear coat only, or showing up from underneath the color coat and transferring to the top surface? 

What is your process starting with fresh clear coat that is ready to sand?  Sanding with different grits?  Wet sanding only?  Buffing with different compounds?  Changing pad type as you change compounds?

 

 

They are on the surface of the clear coat, first grit after the clear coat has cured is 1200, dry on a 6: disc sander to remove the orange peel, then wet blocking with 1200, then wet 1500, 2000 and finally 2500, thoroughly cleaning everything between grits. Buffing starts with a 7" lambswool pad on a rotary buffer with Mequiars Pro speed 100 compound, then Menzerna compound 400 on a separate 7"lambswool rotary, then TLD The final polish on a 6" orange foam pad using a DA sander, then Carnauba wax on a white foam pad using a DA sander.

[grannyknot]

I should add, before I start wet sanding the clear coat, it is still shiny and I can see using an intense light that there are no scratches in the clear, paint or primer.  If the those spider webs (also called swirls) are left over from wet sanding in an X pattern then that points to not enough buffing with the 7" rotary.

That is the probable answer, not buffing long enough.  A 7" rotary with a lambswool pad is probably the best method of buffing in a shine, it's also the best tool to burn through clear coat.

[Patcon]

At one point my jobber told me to start at 1500 grit. I was starting at 1000 or 1200 and couldn't get all the scratches out. That was also when he told me to cut and buff within 3 days of clear

[inline6]

11 hours ago, grannyknot said:

They are on the surface of the clear coat, first grit after the clear coat has cured is 1200, dry on a 6: disc sander to remove the orange peel, then wet blocking with 1200, then wet 1500, 2000 and finally 2500, thoroughly cleaning everything between grits. Buffing starts with a 7" lambswool pad on a rotary buffer with Mequiars Pro speed 100 compound, then Menzerna compound 400 on a separate 7"lambswool rotary, then TLD The final polish on a 6" orange foam pad using a DA sander, then Carnauba wax on a white foam pad using a DA sander.

Much of that looks similar to my process.  My sanding utilizes those same grits. What is most different is the second pad, and DA.  I use a rotary buffer for all three buffing stages.  I use Meguiars Diamond cut M8532 with a lambswool pad.  Then I switch to M8332 with a Meguiars yellow foam pad.  At the end of this stage, the paint typically looks good enough to call it "finished" from just a few feet away, but there are typically some very light "swirl" marks if you look at it in the right light, or if you wait a week and look at it in direct sunlight.   I don't see "light scratch" imperfections going in various directions at this stage. 

And for the final stage, I use Meguiars number 7 on a Meguiars black foam finishing pad.  I have found this stuff to be excellent at removing the last evidence of any kind of buffing or swirl marks.  I also use it for final polishing of plastic parts like light tail lights and the clear dashboard instrument lenses.  

I didn't wet sand and buff my current restoration project, but I have used the above process many times and the resulting finish is without flaws.

 

Edited February 10, 2024 by inline6

[grannyknot]

7 hours ago, Patcon said:

At one point my jobber told me to start at 1500 grit. I was starting at 1000 or 1200 and couldn't get all the scratches out. That was also when he told me to cut and buff within 3 days of clear

I could have started with 1500 but it would have taken a lot longer to get through the orange peel.😄

7 hours ago, inline6 said:

Much of that looks similar to my process.  My sanding utilizes those same grits. What is most different is the second pad, and DA.  I use a rotary buffer for all three buffing stages.  I use Meguiars Diamond cut M8532 with a lambswool pad.  Then I switch to M8332 with a Meguiars yellow foam pad.  At the end of this stage, the paint typically looks good enough to call it "finished" from just a few feet away, but there are typically some very light "swirl" marks if you look at it in the right light, or if you wait a week and look at it in direct sunlight.   I don't see "light scratch" imperfections going in various directions at this stage. 

And for the final stage, I use Meguiars number 7 on a Meguiars black foam finishing pad.  I have found this stuff to be excellent at removing the last evidence of any kind of buffing or swirl marks.  I also use it for final polishing of plastic parts like light tail lights and the clear dashboard instrument lenses.  

I didn't wet sand and buff my current restoration project, but I have used the above process many times and the resulting finish is without flaws.

 

I have some Meguiars #7 and a black foam pad I've never used, maybe I'll do some tests, Thanks.

I got a bunch of stuff installed today,

This is the only effective way I've found to install the T/C rods, come to think of it, I might have picked it up from someone here.

[grannyknot]

I got the diff in and all the associated pieces, waiting on a rear wheel bearing to replace a new wheel bearing. I've never seen a bad bearing right out of the box but this one is, starts grinding as soon as I tighten the nut, NTN maker.  Gas tank is in as well as the engine and trans.

 

[Yarb]

@grannyknot Is that Eastwood Aluma Blast paint on the transmission? Also did you use a primer as well?

[Yarb]

On the T/C rod install are there recommendations on how many threads showing once installed?

[Zed Head]

There's a metal sleeve that the nut seats on.  Threads showing is determined by the sleeve.

https://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun/Z-1969-1978/axle/front-suspension

Part 23.