Little Red Wagon...

[Just Joel]

Man, it’s been a while... I've been working on the wagon off and on for a little while now and have made decent progress. I have been a little lazy on the thread updates but hopefully I can get caught up and once again attempt to keep it current.

 

After finishing the engine bay, I turned my attention to the underside of the car. Aside from the oil slick around the rear axle area generated by a leaky pinion seal for god knows how long, the underside of the goon was pretty clean. I considered just leaving this area alone aside from cleaning up the oil and rear axle but after attempting to do so with a little oven cleaner and a pressure washer, it became apparent that more would need to be done...

 

 

As you can see, the combination of being oil soaked for most of the cars 40 years and the oven cleaner I chose to clean it with actually removed most of the paint and factory undercoat. I figured I had two options, I could half ass it and just prime/paint the exposed areas or I could man up and really do a good job undercoating everything. With more time than money on my hands, I decided this was a good place to slow the project down and get the job done right. I started by going at everything with a wire wheal laden angle grinder and a respirator.

 

 

It doesn't look like much in the pic but this is after grinding the crap out of the surface and washing down with acetone. I went to my local automotive paint supply store and they suggested a rubberized undercoating from Evercoat. I was rather skeptical at the time that this would turn into a huge mess of clogged tips and half used cans but out of the eight cans I used, I was able to scavenge ever drop and the product coated very well and applied easily.

 

Rear inner fenders...

 

 

Front fenders...

 

 

And (drum roll please) the underside...

 

 

It’s like a new car :P After the process was over, its defiantly something I would NOT cherish having to do again. I lack the luxury of lifting the car more than a couple feet off the floor so everything happened on my back in the garage. Also, I strongly encourage the use of a respirator during the grinding and spraying process and if you can stand it, a face shield of some sort. The chemical burns on my face (just from the crap I was grinding off!) was enough for me to deal with the shield for the rest of the project not to mention that undercoat crap likes to splatter and it IMPOSABLE to get off without scrubbing your skin raw. Like I said, I wouldn’t want to do it over again but I'm glad I did. I might not get an opportunity where the car is completely stripped again so it’s nice to start fresh.

 

This is just the beginning but my fingers are tired and I need to get back to work so more updates latter.

 

Thanks

Joel

[Just Joel]

After finishing up the undercoat, I turned my attention to the rear axle. Like I mentioned, the pinion leaked, the axle seals leaked, the slave cylinders leaked... you get the picture :blink: There was about a half an inch of grime that need to come off so with my trusty oven cleaner and the pressure washer I went to work...

 

 

After cleaning for a bit, I realized two things... there must have been about twenty pounds of shit on this thing and that the third member is actually aluminum. This is probably a common thing for Datsun but new to me. Pretty sexy when they are all cleaned up. So cleaning and scraping continued...

 

 

After getting all the crud off it was time to break down and clean/pain the diff housing and leaf springs/hardware...

 

 

 

And all the misc hardware and a couple other small bits that needed painting...

 

 

Getting close to reassembly, I need to clean up and repaint the backing plates so I covered up the bearing and went to work scrubbing and painting the backing plates...

 

 

 

This is where I realized that the bearings are shot and they need to be replaced. Wish I would have been paying attention before I went to all the trouble of cleaning and painting them assembled.

 

To be continued…

 

Later

Joel

[Just Joel]

Speaking of bad wheel bearings... WOW, what a headache! Those things put up a fight. Never done a set of live axle wheel bearings before, I set out to see how much a machine shop would charge. After finding out that it was going to be $170 for labor alone, I decided I'd knock it out myself. How hard could it be? Well, first things first, I need a set of wheel bearings. Rockauto was able to accommodate with a set of on clearance for $15 a side and there made in Japan to boot :cool: Next thing I needed to do was get the old bearings off. No problem right? Went down to Harbor freight and picked up a cheap press and made a saddle that would grab the bearing and allow me to push on the end of the axle shaft... I figured a pile of 1/4" angle would be strong enough to do the job...

 

 

Wrong <_<

 

 

You can see some deflection in the upper section but this thing was twisting like crazy with no budge in the bearing. So, frustrated, I made up a simpler/stronger set of spoons to grab the bearing from either side for a second attempt. The tool was holding and I was giving it everything that shitty little 12 ton press could and then some and BANG!

 

 

Great! Now what? Duh...

 

 

It never occurred to me that this would be necessary but I had to do something. Third attempt...

 

 

Its working!

 

 

Success! With a muffled pop, she kicked loose. This simple trick worked equally as well for the second shaft. OK, hard part done right? All I need to do is simply press the new bearing and retainer on and I'm on my way. So I RE-painted ( :rolleyes: ) the backing plates and mocked everything up for the press...

 

 

But what’s this? The press is maxed out and the bearing is only half way on. GREAT! Keep in mind this is about 10 pm after working on these bitches since 7am. So I threw my hands in the air and quit for the night. Time for beer...

 

Next morning, after having the evening to contemplate my predicament, I made yet another tool to add to my growing pile...

 

 

 

This consisted of a section of 1.75 .120 wall round tube sleeved with a piece 1.5 .120 wall that fit perfectly against the base of the retainer ring. I then welded a section of .5 inch plate to the business end so that I could hit it with a sledge to force the bearing on. Like magic, a few taps latter the bearings were on and functional...

 

 

Man what a battle but in the end, the bearings are new, I have a pile of cool tools if I ever need to do it again and I now know what it takes to get the job done. In the end, I would have still done the job myself just for the experience.

 

Later

Joel

[mklotz70]

My thread is a bit buried since I sold the wgn, but I did manage to find it again. Here's a link to where I did the bearing work on my wgn's rearend. You don't need the info at this point, but maybe someone else following this thread will :) I think I have a vid up on the next page that shows how I put them on.

 

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/2049-mklotz70-1969-wgn/page__st__200

 

 

Great work by the way! On behalf of the forum, thank you for taking the time to post pics of all your work!! :)

[Just Joel]

My thread is a bit buried since I sold the wgn, but I did manage to find it again. Here's a link to where I did the bearing work on my wgn's rearend. You don't need the info at this point, but maybe someone else following this thread will :) I think I have a vid up on the next page that shows how I put them on.

 

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/2049-mklotz70-1969-wgn/page__st__200

 

 

Great work by the way! On behalf of the forum, thank you for taking the time to post pics of all your work!! :)

 

Thanks bud... I thought I saw a write up at one point but all I could remember from the article is that it was a pain in the ass :P

 

Later

Joel

[Pacific coast Datsun]

Just browsed through your build pix. Looking good all around. I really like the camber plates you made, they look sooo much stronger than the ones that came in the "kit".

[Just Joel]

Just browsed through your build pix. Looking good all around. I really like the camber plates you made, they look sooo much stronger than the ones that came in the "kit".

 

Thanks man, I have the coilovers assembled and should have the front end back together in the coming week. They provide plenty of support with the stock kit but with the offset mounting position due to the caster option, there was no "clean" way of mounting them up. I spent way too much time, cutting and forming the stock sheet metal before cutting it all off and making my own. Should work great and I think it looks better than even stock :o

 

I have lots more progress to post up in a little while.

 

Later

Joel

[sycloned916]

Dam you do Good work,Nice and Clean!

[mklotz70]

Thanks bud... I thought I saw a write up at one point but all I could remember from the article is that it was a pain in the ass :P

 

Later

Joel

 

funny......that's pretty much how I remember it too!! :)

[Just Joel]

While the gas tank was out, I figured it could use and good scrub and inspection. I pulled the fuel level sender and took a look inside. Unexpectedly, the thing was spotless, not even a hint of rust. The only thing I found was an answer to a mystery clunk I had to listen to all the way back from Washington when I bought the car. It appeared that the guts of a universal locking gas cap had broken off and was rumbling around the bottom of the tank making one hell of a racket. So, with the inside looking good, I turned my attention to the outside. The surface was in good shape with the factory paint peeling off of the galvanized surface but once again, no rust. So, I sanded all the loose paint and washed it down with vinegar to promote adhesion for the paint over the galvanized surface. Before I masked it shut, I flushed the tank with water and then rinsed it with gasoline and allowed all the moisture to evaporate.

 

 

I chose to use the same undercoat product that I used under the car because of its durability and the matching wrinkle finish. Once in place, I will paint the underside with a gloss black to match the axle and hardware.

 

 

The vent lines became a problem once again. Initially, I thought that all the lines were to same based on outer diameter but as it turns out, I was wrong. It actually took a while to find a line with a large enough inner diameter to fit over the fittings and small enough outer diameter to go through the frame rail. Finally (after a few tries) I found a product through Parker that was designed for diesel fuel but can accommodate gas as well (the blue lines on top)...

 

 

 

 

But even with the new (expensive :blink: ) line, it was a pain in the ass to fit over the fittings on either side especially on the lower fender under the car. But with a little persuasion and some liquid wrench, it all worked out...

 

Later

Joel

[Just Joel]

So, it’s now time to start putting the rear end back together... I inspected the front spring hanger isolator before blasting and paint and they were in great shape so they will be re used. Inspired by Jun's goon, I will be repainting or cleaning ever part as they are reinstalled. In addition, new bolts and hardware will also be used to make sure the restoration is as complete as I can make it. It’s a minimal expense and a nice touch on a finished product.

 

 

Also, the rear shackles were in great shape so a good coat of paint and some new lock washer and nuts...

 

 

The original spring bushings were in good enough shape for now. Currently, I'm finding that replacements are NLA, so I'll have to cross reference other applications for compatibility latter on when they NEED to be replaced. For now, I have bigger fish to fry ;) I will share my findings when it happens.

 

With no decent options for lowering blocks other than universal setups that don't fit real well, I decided to make my own. I found new u-bolts through Napa that were exact dimensions aside from being three inches longer. They are probably more expensive than most, but have a nice coating and fit perfectly so the cost for me (about $19 each :blink: ) is worth it. Plus, I'm not buying blocks so I'm saving there. I researched and talked with quite a few people before deciding how low to go. 2" looks pretty good and results in less clearance issues when complete but doesn't offer the look I'm after. Ultimately, my u-bolts were the deciding factor. I made my blocks 2-3/4" tall which left me a comfortable amount of thread left over on the u-bolts to be acceptable. Also, while talking toTroy at Earmish racing, he mentioned that when he builds a suspension system lower than 2", he recommends 3* shims to correct for pinion angle and to add additional clearance for the pinion and driveline in the tunnel. So with this in mind, I incorporated 3* of correction into my blocks. I also wanted to maintain my center pins in the springs and u-bolt plates so I added 1-1/8" hole on the bottom of the block for the isolator mount and a 3/4" pin on top for the axle housing to detent over. This is probably more than anyone needs to think about a simple set of lowering blocks but I like to over think things like this ;)

 

 

Also, while the third was out, it was easy to replace the pinion seal. Damb that’s a pretty third member :P

 

 

That’s all for now, more latter...

 

Thanks

Joel

[M.Creer]

Nice work. I'm all about camber.

[Just Joel]

Alright, back to work. Mounted and bolted the axle in...

 

 

 

For now, I mounted up the original Monroe shocks while I consider the options. I was thinking I might get a set of air shocks for the added load capacity given this vehicle might be used for both camping a parts retrieval. Otherwise, I found a part # for a set of QA1 adjustable shocks that would potentially fit the stock location... But, I'll wait to see how the car performs before making a decision. You can also see that I left the bump stops un cut for now. They will need to be shortened up but I'm going to adjust that once it’s on the road to fine tune the ride. Also, I reinstalled the fuel and break lines after flushing them out and cleaning them up a bit. I decided they were in good shape and would work for now.

 

Later

Joel

[fisch]

Nice update man!

[Just Joel]

Now that the axle housing was back in, it was time to install the axle shafts and breaks.

 

First was the outer axle seals.

 

 

After the shafts were back in place, the brakes could go on.

 

 

 

When I first opened these babies up, everything was shot. The slave cylinders had been leaking and destroyed everything. On top of that, the last guy who worked on the car forgot to install one of the springs so the green upper spring was missing. This turned out to be an issue as no one listed a drum parts kit anymore for the 510 and getting someone to sell me a used spring was difficult as well. Fortunately, a fellow Ratsuner filled me in on the fact that 240z's shared rear drum specs with the 510. So I looked up over at Rockauto and sure as hell... same kit. So new shoes, slave and parts. Doesn’t get much better than that ;)

 

 

And I opted to use the factory drums and just have them turned. They had hardly any wear and all the machine shop had to do was clean them up a bit.

 

Later

Joel

[Pacific coast Datsun]

Loving all the painted parts being reinstalled! Seeing the underside of your wagon makes me want to do mine like that.

[Pumpkn210]

LOVE the blocks, great job! :thumbup:

[Just Joel]

Loving all the painted parts being reinstalled! Seeing the underside of your wagon makes me want to do mine like that.

 

Thanks bud... lots more to come (painted parts ;) )

 

LOVE the blocks, great job! :thumbup:

 

They seem to be working so far... It’s a pretty simple thing but worth the extra effort none the less ;)

 

Later

Joel

[78kingcab]

joel this has turned into a awsome build,...thx for all the great info and pics.....love it

[Just Joel]

joel this has turned into a awsome build,...thx for all the great info and pics.....love it

 

Thanks bud... I'm still kicking myself for not grabbing that L16 of yours when I had the chance :P

 

Later

Joel

[Just Joel]

More update...

 

Well after getting the brakes back together, the last thing left was the e-brake linkage and wheels. The linkage went back in fairly well. I observed that the original finish was a gold cadmium plate so I thought to myself I would find a paint and try to reproduce the look. Well... I was semi successful :P I found a color match paint for an old GMC something or other that has similar colors to the finish. The one thing I can't reproduce is the inconsistencies in the coating. My solid color turns out looking more like paint but it adds some color to the rear axle so it will stay for now. You can also see I finished painting the gas tank the for mentioned gloss black...

 

 

The pinion angle is just about perfect and should afford me a little more clearance on the trany tunnel than I would have had without the correction...

 

 

And here are the refinished snowflakes out back. I think the rear suspension might settle a little more once I cut the bump stops and bounce it a bit but I like where it’s at. I also still need a center cap solution. It seems that the factory "z" caps are hard to find so I may end up just making something...

 

 

Later

Joel

[Abe Froman]

Joel,

 

Do you have any more specs on the lowering blocks you made, what tubing size, and the top pin looks pretty large O.D.. I am looking to build some of these blocks and was in the same boat as you, as far as checking the NAPA website for U bolts and making my own block's do to the crap that is for sale and wanting to do the job the right way. I would love some more photo's of the blocks.

 

Great job, keep up the good work.

 

 

 

 

ps. How many center caps are you looking for?

[Just Joel]

No problem... The box is 2x3 (I think can't remember for sure, I'll have to check) and the top pin is 3/4" round DOM tube. This fits the center pin location in the axle spring perch perfectly. The hole on the bottom of the block needs to be bigger due to the way the spring isolator is formed, I found that 1-1/8" is just about right. The box wall and plate is 1/4" with 3* of correction on the top of the block for pinion angle. Let me know if there is any more I can help you with...

 

 

Later

Joel

[Just Joel]

ps. How many center caps are you looking for?

 

Oh, I need all four... The problem I'm having is that the snowflakes had their own, unique caps and they are hard to find in good shape for a decent price. Pass the word around and if anyone comes up with something, let me know.

 

Thanks

Joel

[WAGON JON]

The snowflakes make the wagon look good. I like all the attention to detail!