Rolling Chassis (2 Sep 2011)

Well the chassis is rolling on its own...my plan is to drop the drive train in and get the exhaust done.

Frame Pads (2 Sep 2011)

The original horsehair pads are rust magnets...water is captured by the material and held against the frame..I bought the same size thickness material in a compression rubber from Grainger. The piece was 17 dollars, but was enough for all of the pads.

Front pad area (2 Sep 2011)

I cut the pads per the dimensions of the pads I removed. The 311s.org site has a great template for pad layout.

Rear pad area (2 Sep 2011)

This is the original pad configuration on the rear...you could probably use one pad across the back, but the spaces were there for wires to lie across the frame.

Glued! (2 Sep 2011)

After I was sure of all of the pad placements, I used a black silicone to glue them to the frame...I also sealed the edges to keep water from creeping under them.

E Brake ( 7 Sep 2011)

I moved on to the E brake assembly...these tend to rust into an unmovable system...it's a pretty simply system of rods, cables, and levers all working together. This is the driver's side rod.

E Brake (7 Sep 2011)

Passenger side E brake rod...the small tabs on the rods hold return springs that attach to the brake backing plate.

Brake block and swivel (7 Sep 2011)

The rear brakes connect using a brass junction block and the E brake uses a greased swivel to pull both brakes...this is the condition of the parts prior to cleaning and painting.

E brake connection (9 Sep 2011)

This is the greased connector that pulls both rear brakes.

Complete (9 Sep 2011)

Small shafts with cotter pins hold the rods in place.

Pass Rear Brake Line (9 Sep 2011)

I'm using all new brake lines...basically I'm trying to copy the bends of the original lines...I did have to purchase a new double flaring tool to make the lines. Here the small line connects to the brass junction block.

Drivers Side (9 Sep 2011)

Same as the other side...the new tubing has a green coating (corrosion prevention)...it will work great along the frame pieces, but I will go with a SS inside the engine compartment area for looks.

Floor Coating (12 Sep 2011)

It's time to move onto the body; unfortunately the floor and underside of the tub are covered in hardened rubberized coatings.

Undercoating (12 Sep 2011)

My plan is to remove all undercoating, seal the metal with POR 15, paint, and then undercoat the same areas. Once the underside is complete I will move the body onto a square tube dolly and complete the exterior body work.

Inside Fender area (12 Sep 2011)

The undercoating has chipped off in areas and I want to make sure there are no surprises underneath...so off it comes!

Can't beat heat! (12 Sep 2011)

Using a paint scraper and my heat gun I softened the undercoating and scraped it off...I followed that with some Krud Kutter to remove the tar residue.

Metal Ready (14 Sep 2011)

After I removed everything to bare metal I treated the area with Marine Clean and the Metal Ready.

Ready for POR 15 (14 Sep 2011)

This is the area ready for POR 15.

POR it on! (14 Sep 2011)

This is the first coat of POR 15.

POR 15 take two (14 Sep 2011)

The entire inner tub area really looks great and it should be well protected from the elements.

Dusted (14 Sep 2011)

After the second coat of POR set I dusted the area and let everything dry.

Complete (17 Sep 2011)

This is the driver's side complete, time to move on to the passenger side and then...yuck...the undercarriage!

SS Flex Line (19 Sep 2011)

Connected the SS flex line from the rear brake block to the frame.

Return Springs (19 Sep 2011)

These are the return springs for the E brake to rear hubs...I let them soak in Evapo Rust for a few days and they came out great!

Rust From Fender Foam (21 Sep 2011)

The door pillars can get pretty rusty on a Roadster...Datsun installed thin foam on the inside of the fender and you can see the line of rust that formed under it.

POR 15'd (21 Sep 2011)

I went ahead and POR 15'd the whole area.

Dusted with Primer (21 Sep 2011)

Same step as other areas...I dusted the POR when it was just set up.

Hinge Area (23 Sep 2011)

The inside of the door pillar is visible when the door is open so I really didn't want to coat this whole area with POR 15, but I did want the benefit of rust protection under the hinges so I did that area only.

Pass Side Inner Tub (23 Sep 2011)

Same as the drive'rs side...I need to remove the undercoating and check the area. There is rust damage right where the battery sat.

Heat and Scrape! (23 Sep 2011)

Slow process...heat gun...scrape...heat...scrape...clean with solvent (Krud Kutter)...repeat until complete.

Bends (25 Sep 2011)

After a good cleaning with Marine Clean and Metal Ready I saw some quick damage that need to be fixed before the underside is recoated.

Hammer Time (25 Sep 2011)

A quick session with a hammer and dolly and the seam was straight.

Better (25 Sep 2011)

Not perfect, but much better than before...once the seam sealer and undercoating go back on the repair will be unnoticeable.

Chem Stripper (27 Sep 2011)

Trying some chemical strippers to see which performs the best.

Rear Quarter (27 Sep 2011)

I believe the red/brown red is the original primer and the grayish green was the original color. Hard to tell actually because the door jams were red and the engine bay was black (both could have been repaints).

Rear (27 Sep 2011)

Old logo area...the area by the bottom light is pushed in...will need some work here.