Pillock Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Quick question, how many of you are there? mat_the_cat, 500tops, Ratdat and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratdat Posted May 4, 2014 Author Share Posted May 4, 2014 Finally, I managed to dig a complete new clutch out from my stash (I didn't even know i had this!). Genuine cover and release bearing but plate of unknown manufacture. Probably old and made of asbestos I'd imagine... I noticed when fitting it, the original bolts had been over tightened in the past. I bet these would have sheared if I'd have used them! Ready to go... Finally, I decide as I want to fill the cooling system with something nasty to try and flush it out, I'd re-install the old waterpump for now. I don't really want to subject the seals on a new pump to it just in case. I stuck the pump in some Deox-C to remove the rust from it as it doesn't seem to eat aluminium like phosphoric acid does. Next job is to finish and refit the sump, then strip and rebuild the alternator and fit the final bits and bobs to the engine. Then it's out with the master cylinders and rebuild those. I'll be glad to get this first lot of mechanical fettling done as I'm itching to lay into the grot with my new mig! danthecapriman, scruff, Jim Bergerac and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratdat Posted May 4, 2014 Author Share Posted May 4, 2014 Do you have a bottomless pit of energy, enthusiasm and old Datsun parts? I'm not jealous of the last one mind! I wish! It's more determination to get it fixed than anything else but I'm enjoying doing it so enthusiasm is playing a big part. I decided I need to put some hours in so I'm staying out in the workshop late when I get the chance. Years of hoarding parts is really paying off now! I had a massive clear out last year and got rid of everything that didn't fit the cars I was planning to keep. Luckily, I'd collected a lot of 510 parts for my other one although in all honesty most bits are available still... at a price! So far, all I've had to buy is an air filter and oil filter... everything else I've already had. DeeJay, scruff and Bobthebeard 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asimo Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 The gas-tank cleaning technique is really usefull. Thanks for sharing real rust-ninja knowledge! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratdat Posted May 12, 2014 Author Share Posted May 12, 2014 This thing is progressing, although I didn't get chance to do anything on it over the weekend as I was away. I did manage to get quite a few more jobs done on it during last week though. First was finishing the sump and fuel tank. The sump was last seen looking a bit crusty so it went into a bucket of old Chemodex rust and scale remover to dissolve the worst of the rust. This stuff had already been used for cleaning out a big ships intercooler when I got it so it has some copper contamination. Although it gets the rust off it tends to deposit a thin layer of copper on the steel, some of which will wash off. After an overnight soak in that I chucked it in some Deox-C to finish the job... This eventually got it back to bare metal, although quite heavily pitted. It's not thin anywhere though so perfectly usable. You can see the pinky tinge left by the copper... After drying it out I spotted that the baffle in the sump had fractured. Very odd... I've not seen that happen before. It'd cracked down one corner and a bit in the centre. Quite what's caused that I don't know but I buzzed it up with the mig. Hopefully it won't happen again. I etch primed it and sprayed it with a couple of big cans of satin black so it's got a good bit of paint on it now. I also found a new sump plug and seal in my stash so chucked those in and boshed it back on the engine with a new gasket. Next I gave the fuel tank some paint and set about testing the sender unit. It worked but seemed a little intermittent so I had a look for a new one. I didn't have one but did have a couple of new ones for a 710 which are very similar... A bit of bending and it looks like it'll do the job. If it doesn't read right I can always take it out later and tweek it about as it's accessible from inside the boot. Here's the tank done. I haven't re-fitted it as I've still go work to do in the boot etc but just chucked it back in here to get it out of my way. More to come in a min.... Lacquer Peel, vulgalour, mat_the_cat and 7 others 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratdat Posted May 12, 2014 Author Share Posted May 12, 2014 I still had a few bits to do on the engine so got those out of the way next. All new bits in the distributor. Points, rotor, condenser and connector. I had previously pulled the contact plate out and cleaned it all out inside. It was re-installed with a new O-ring. I'll have to do the timing after it's back up and running but for now it's near enough for it to start and run... Then this crusty old bugger wanted looking at.... The chances are it probably worked fine as they are pretty reliable alternators, especially being externally regulated, but there's no harm in giving it an overhaul so I know for definite it'll work. To strip them fully you need to de-solder the stator wires from the rectifier and remove it... ...then the bit that holds the brushes, then the pulley and fan and finally the three casing bolts. Not much to them really.... The rear bearing on the armature was really shagged and I didn't have a new one so I stripped a second alternator and used it's armature as it was fine. All it needed was a clean and the slip rings cleaning up. Annoyingly, after doing that and finishing the whole job, I later found a brand new armature complete with new bearings in my shed. Balls. Next, I gave the stator a clean and a coat of paint... I found a new rectifier in the parts hoard. It appears to be for an L140 model alternator (this is an LT135) but it looks the same... ...so I soldered it in... The casing of the alternator was cleaned by dipping it in caustic soda for about a minute (but no more! it'll dissolve!) Then scrubbing with alloy wheel cleaner and TFR with a toothbrush and some green scotchbrite. Bolted back together (I used old brushes as I had no new ones and there was nowt wrong with them anyway) and back on the engine.... I even found a nice new genuine Nissan fanbelt to fit it! That's the engine more of less done. It needs plug leads, one hose and the air filter box needs painting as it's a bit grotty but otherwise it's ready to go back in.... More later as I've got shit to do now! garethj, mouseflakes, Alexg and 17 others 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Astonishing. I tried stripping an alternator and got entirely stuck after not very long at all! Amazing how clean ancillaries improve the look of an engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise2cv Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 I used old brushes as I had no new ones What?! I'd be having words with the parts man. Seriously this is really fascinating, thanks for keeping us up to date and posting such excellent pics. Where do you keep all this stuff? More later as I've got shit to do now! Oh please please let it be SSShit. Pretty please! DeeJay, mouseflakes and Ratdat 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KruJoe Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Amazing progress.Tested and taxed for Shitefest? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratdat Posted May 12, 2014 Author Share Posted May 12, 2014 Sadly not because, apart from anything else I can't go It clashes with Beaulieu Spring Autojumble where I have a stall. ...and because it's a bit fooked Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratdat Posted May 12, 2014 Author Share Posted May 12, 2014 Astonishing. I tried stripping an alternator and got entirely stuck after not very long at all! Amazing how clean ancillaries improve the look of an engine. I did consider giving the block a coat of fresh paint but it's going a bit far IMO. I'm not looking for a show winning resto, just to take it's condition back to how it probably was in the late 70's. Solid, functional and tidy. The next bit of broken shite to come in for some TLC is the brake master cylinder. Unfortunately with this, replacement is not an option as I am unlikely to find the the right master cylinder for an SSS. The bore size is the same as most other 510s (3/4) but the bleed nipples are different. the one nearest the bulkhead points to the right to clear the clutch master cylinder but the other one points the opposite way to clear the air filter. A situation unique to the LHD SSS I'd imagine. Stripping this thing apart was a MUTHA. The end part of the piston had siezed into the end of the bore. In the end I had to heat it up super hot with a blow lamp and then bash the shit out of it to get it loose. Thankfully it eventually came apart and it all looked in surprisingly decent shape... I had what I thought was the correct seal kit lined up for this but it turned out to be utterly wrong. So, I dragged out the Big Box o' Brake Bitzâ„¢ and rooted through it for anything that looked like it might help. I got shot of all my old Datsun parts apart from those for the 510 and 710 over the last year but I decided to hang on to anything that could potentially be adapted to other uses hence having the Big Box o' Brake Bitzâ„¢. Here's some of it... Thankfully, this yielded something that looked remarkably close. Right bore size etc but a few differences in pistons and whatnot... Anyway, it was good enough to cobble together a functional piston assembly using the old metal bits cleaned up with the new seals. The cylinder body underwent the same cleaning treatment as the alternator casing and I gave it a good honing out and popped it all together with some of that red brake grease. The reservoirs were cleaned by leaving overnight in TFR then a good scrub. Found some NOS reservoir caps to finish it off... One handy by-product of this job was I made the effort to sort out the Big Box o' Brake Bitzâ„¢ and make it more useful by ditching anything obviously of no use and sorting the rest into compartment boxes like this.... Having spent a couple of hours doing that, I expect I'll never have need of it ever again... or it'll at least never contain what I do need! Micrashed, ed5000, danthecapriman and 14 others 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeJay Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 You know you're bound to need the bits you've binned. tooSavvy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigel bickle Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Mate. I'm in awe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skizzer Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 I don't understand. This is what happens when you have a weekend away? Have you hopped over into some different space/time continuum or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratdat Posted May 12, 2014 Author Share Posted May 12, 2014 I don't understand. This is what happens when you have a weekend away? Have you hopped over into some different space/time continuum or something? If only! No this is all from during last week. I'd nearly be onto some welding now if I'd had all last weekend on it! At the moment I'm stripping the dash out in preparation for some bulkhead welding... Fortunately the rot under the fusebox doesn't look any worse up behind the dash. I was expecting the worst really as all of the bulkhead and scuttle is covered in thick felt backed sound deadening material, the kind that soaks up water like a sponge. The only other thing I've achieved is a bit more stripping of the engine bay...horns, brake pipes and wiring are now all out, and I finally removed the wiper linkage. Even after some prolonged soaking with penetrating oil I still snapped off three of the mounting studs but all repairable. No surprise really as they are tiny. I think the wiring harness will need looking at as I think there is definitely something amiss with the headlight circuit as I can't get the high beams to work, even with a new switch and new relay. One thing I like about the 510 is the way the whole engine bay harness passes through one single grommet in the bulkhead and joins the dash harness with plugs just inside the car. Sensible design which makes it dead easy to remove. There's clearly been some bodgery on this so I'm gonna strip it and inspect/repair it where necessary then rebind it with proper loom tape. So, this is the current state of play. Just got to finish taking out the dash, pedals, clutch master (which unbelievably is nut and bolted through the bulkhead! I'll need Mrs Ratdat's assistance on that) and steering box, then drop the gearbox and prop off. It'll still be a little while before I start welding as I'll clean up and refurb all the bits that have come off first. I doubt much will get done in the next week though as I'm super busy with other stuff until after the weekend. I might get the rad off to a re-conditioners hopefully though. I decided it needs a proper rebuild as it's falling apart! danthecapriman, Peter Patina, ed5000 and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexg Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Blimey 'O' WTF, how in the name of holy hell did I miss this thread? I've been so engrossed for the past 45 minutes that my Missus just got the hump with trying to talk to me, mumbled something about me being 'rude' (I'll have the Daily Mirror check exactly what was said), before pissing off into another room... Seriously, thread of the year! And amazing progress, you're clearly still mega-mojo'd up on this, and that's just excellent. scruff 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratdat Posted May 25, 2014 Author Share Posted May 25, 2014 Update time! I made bugger all progress last week as i was too busy with other shit, but I got a whole day in on Friday, half of which was spent tidying up and labouriously cataloging/bagging bits and pieces I've taken off. More on that in a bit. When I actually got cracking at last, I dropped the propshaft and gearbox out first. The bolts have been soaking in penetrating all ever since i got it into the workshop so they all came undone no probs, however, whoever last changed the clutch saw fit to use bolts with the wrong thread to attach the gearbox crossmember so the captives in the floor are now fooked. It looks fairly oily for something out of a Datsun but I reckon it has mostly come out of that little breather on the top. The oil was sparkling clean which is promising... I gave it a clean with some degreaser and it's not looking too bad. A bit of caustic soda or alloy wheel cleaner should sort the rest. Handily, these old 4 speeds have a removable sump so I'll pull that off to have an inspect. If there's no obvious wear or damage, I'll chuck it back in as is. I've yet to have a rummage through my bearing hoard to see if i have any new prop UJs. I'll buy some if not. Might as well renew them while it's out. Next, I finished stripping the dash out, front seats, handbrake mechanism and stripped off all the sound proofing from the floor and tunnel.... The floor is pretty surface rusty as you can see. It varies from very light surface to really crusty horrors in places. Under the front seat is one such place... The right hand inner sill isn't bad, just some grot and a hole in the bottom of the A post... The left inner sill is pretty poorly though. It's like this pretty much all the way along... In light of the level of rust found, I thought I'd have a close look at the boot floor as I need to make a descision on how best to proceed... After a quick whizz over with a knot wheel, the boot floor looked pretty much how i expected it to. Very, very thin. There are holes everywhere around not only the boot floor but also the wheel well... which at some time as also been badly repaired after being stoved in from behind... At this point it's quite clear that quickly getting it solid for a test in the near future isn't likely if I want it done properly, which I do. There's too much surface rust and grot to deal with manually, so I'm going to get the whole shell blasted inside and out. I'm also going to get medieval on my other beloved 510 and use it as a donor. It's a hard choice to make but it will make life a great deal easier, especially as it's boot floor looks like this... I will also be able to use a great deal of the rest of that body to repair this one too, such as rear quarters, rear valance, inner sill, rear floor pans, scuttle and bulkhead. Probably a lot more besides. Plus I'll end up with lots and lots of spare bits. I've also just put in an order for these two new panels from the states. These were quite recently reproduced and look to be very good quality... So, where does all this leave me? Well, with regard to the body, things will be on hold for a couple of weeks until these new panels turn up. I want to put the shell on a rotisserie to make it easier to work on and for it to be blasted but at the moment I can't do that because the right hand rear bumper mount is non existent... so I have nothing to bolt the rotisserie to. So, I need to repair the back end (boot floor rear quarters, valance and back panel) before I can get it mounted. Once that's done it can go off to be blasted then all the welding can begin in earnest.I still don't think it's done badly for a rust prone model that's sat outside in a scrapyard for over 30 years. I know there's a fair bit of work to do on the body but it's actually not a lot worse than my other 510. At the moment the job is to finish stripping the shell and continue refurbishing bits. At present it's got to this stage... For now the doors will stay on as I need them there to make sure the new sills are aligned properly (I'll put the sills on before blasting I think). I won't get the doors blasted as they are going to be re-skinned anyway. I mentioned the cataloging of bits right at the start of this post. Here's what I'm talking about. Everything that's removed from the car is bagged, labelled and cataloged. This might seem excessively labourious but I makes my life considerably easier when the time comes to re-assemble everything, especially as I have the memory of a goldfish. I've decide to have a go at re-plating some of the rusty brackets and components too, so having everything bagged in sets will make that process easier too as parts hopefully wont get lost or mixed up. The long term plan was always to restore it fully, but now, rather than get it tested and registered then restore properly later, it's all going to have to happen now and at double quick pace as I still want it registered ASAP. Looks like I'm going to be having a lot of late nights over the next couple of months! drum, 500tops, Semi-C and 14 others 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratdat Posted May 25, 2014 Author Share Posted May 25, 2014 Oh, and in other news, last night I found this magazine on French eBay. Apparently it has a 16 page road test of the 1600 SSS! Bon! AndyW201 and Junkman 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skizzer Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Top. Your bagging and logging discipline is exemplary - I'm better at it than I used to be but still have a box of random things that might or might not be vital to mk1 Golf brakes. You might want to PM Scooters about blasting (and rustproofing) - he's in that business and although he doesn't do cars I think he might have a deal with someone in your part of the world that does. KruJoe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cort16 Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 I'm impressed by your organisation I bet it pays off when you come to put it back together? Have you considered reshelling it using your good one or are they different? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Bo11ox Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Yo Ratdat! If you like, send us some scans of the road test and I'll translate it so we can all have a read!!! scruff and Ratdat 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HillmanImp Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 If only I could organise my car parts (or anything) like that. In my current garage the problems are confounded by the fact that there is NO ROOM to move because of the 4 bikes and all the missus's stuff (and her families) so as soon as I put it down I lose it in the mire of crap lying everywhere. I really wish I had the skill and could make myself put this much effort into my cars. I agree it does look pretty good considering it been left for so long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minimad5 Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Top thread.Shall be watching this for further progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratdat Posted May 25, 2014 Author Share Posted May 25, 2014 Yo Ratdat! If you like, send us some scans of the road test and I'll translate it so we can all have a read!!! Cool, I'll do that when it arrives! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratdat Posted May 25, 2014 Author Share Posted May 25, 2014 I'm impressed by your organisation I bet it pays off when you come to put it back together? Have you considered reshelling it using your good one or are they different? I've tried to be organised in this way before but only in a half-hearted kind of way, usually forgetting all about it long before the job is complete but this time I'm determined to do it properly and see it through. It's a bit of a test for myself. As for re-shelling it, it's viable but I really want to keep the original shell as it's the original LHD SSS one, so even if it needs significant repairs, it's still 'that' car. Plus it deserves rescuing after surviving all those years. My other shell is very good in the places where this one is rotten and generally better overall but things like the bottom of the rear quarters and the rear of the sills are quite a bit worse. Plus of course re-shelling it would be of dubious legality which would mean I couldn't really publicly document the job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratdat Posted May 25, 2014 Author Share Posted May 25, 2014 Top. Your bagging and logging discipline is exemplary - I'm better at it than I used to be but still have a box of random things that might or might not be vital to mk1 Golf brakes. You might want to PM Scooters about blasting (and rustproofing) - he's in that business and although he doesn't do cars I think he might have a deal with someone in your part of the world that does. Good thinking, I'll do that. I was considering going to Retropower over near Leicester, who will do the blasting (with crushed glass I think) for around £500-600, then another two and a bit for a coat of zinc phosphate primer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beko1987 Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Top baggage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael t Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 How on earth have I missed this thread for so long?? I'm just making myself a cuppa so I can sit down and read this through from the start Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drum Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Good to see a proper job being done. Helps bodgers like me do it better. Ratdat, forddeliveryboy and Peter Patina 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisbon_road Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Phew. Speechless really, this is all so thorough and organised. I am in awe. I look forward to these updates, I really do, and it gets me moving on my own rather trivial projects. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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