Datsun 240Z Restoration - Final Bodywork Stages (Part 3)

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Datsun 240Z Restoration - Final Bodywork Stages (Part 3) (youtu.be)

Lots of cutting out, shaping and replacing rusty panels. Tedious work.

Highlight for me and a process I hadn't seen before: Leading of the hood (23:36)

In this video you can see all the bodywork getting completed on the Datsun 240Z. I continued on the rusty rocker panel where part 2 ended. Removing the outer shell revealed a lot more rust. I also had to replace the inner rocker panel and the sheet with the complex shape below that. The wheel arch was also quite rusted and also needed to be replaced. I remade all the panels myself out of flat 1mm steel sheet using a bunch of different tools. With an endoscope I could see that the driver side was also very rusty inside, although it looked fine looking from the outside. That was definitely a good idea, because there was a lot more rust hidden, which required the replacement of more panels. It wasn't as bad as the passenger side, but still was a lot of work. Then I moved on to the passenger floor. I first had to remove both seat mountings to get access to the rusted area. On the floor I made four patches in total. First I always made the sheet I wanted to replace, then I cut the old one out and welded the new one in. After that I welded the seat mounts back in, making sure they're all aligned. The driver floor was in much better condition, it only had some surface rust which I quickly sandblasted clean. I still had to remove the rear seat mounting to get access to the dented floor. The seat mount itself was also cracked and bent. I reshaped it and welded it after a quick sandblast. The engine bay had a bunch of extra holes drilled in it from the aftermarket AC unit. As I'm not putting it back in, I decided to close all these holes. Removed the paint, welded it shut, ground and sanded it flush. And that was the last step on the chassis, making it ready for blasting. The damaged hood which I repaired in part 2 was not 100% perfect. I wasn't able to completely reshape it, especially the front section. I didn't want to use body filler, so my friend came over and applied lead on it. This is much more durable than filler, especially when building up an edge. It turned out very great and the hood is now looking perfect. After I had all the bodywork done on all the panels it was time for the panel alignment which I did off camera. This was a lot of work, it took multiple days to get all the panels fit perfect to each other with nice, even and consistent gaps. In the end it was all worth it and the car looks now amazing. The complete bodywork on this car took me around 110 days in the workshop. It was much more work that I ever could expect after I disassembled the car. I recorded a total of 1500 clips. On Patreon there's a 2h 40 minutes video available which is an extended more detailed version which includes part 2 and 3. Next step of the car restoration will be the paint removal and the new paint job.

Lots of cutting out, shaping and replacing rusty panels. Tedious work. Highlight for me and a process I hadn't seen before: Leading of the hood (23:36) >In this video you can see all the bodywork getting completed on the Datsun 240Z. I continued on the rusty rocker panel where part 2 ended. Removing the outer shell revealed a lot more rust. I also had to replace the inner rocker panel and the sheet with the complex shape below that. The wheel arch was also quite rusted and also needed to be replaced. I remade all the panels myself out of flat 1mm steel sheet using a bunch of different tools. With an endoscope I could see that the driver side was also very rusty inside, although it looked fine looking from the outside. That was definitely a good idea, because there was a lot more rust hidden, which required the replacement of more panels. It wasn't as bad as the passenger side, but still was a lot of work. Then I moved on to the passenger floor. I first had to remove both seat mountings to get access to the rusted area. On the floor I made four patches in total. First I always made the sheet I wanted to replace, then I cut the old one out and welded the new one in. After that I welded the seat mounts back in, making sure they're all aligned. The driver floor was in much better condition, it only had some surface rust which I quickly sandblasted clean. I still had to remove the rear seat mounting to get access to the dented floor. The seat mount itself was also cracked and bent. I reshaped it and welded it after a quick sandblast. The engine bay had a bunch of extra holes drilled in it from the aftermarket AC unit. As I'm not putting it back in, I decided to close all these holes. Removed the paint, welded it shut, ground and sanded it flush. And that was the last step on the chassis, making it ready for blasting. The damaged hood which I repaired in part 2 was not 100% perfect. I wasn't able to completely reshape it, especially the front section. I didn't want to use body filler, so my friend came over and applied lead on it. This is much more durable than filler, especially when building up an edge. It turned out very great and the hood is now looking perfect. After I had all the bodywork done on all the panels it was time for the panel alignment which I did off camera. This was a lot of work, it took multiple days to get all the panels fit perfect to each other with nice, even and consistent gaps. In the end it was all worth it and the car looks now amazing. The complete bodywork on this car took me around 110 days in the workshop. It was much more work that I ever could expect after I disassembled the car. I recorded a total of 1500 clips. On Patreon there's a 2h 40 minutes video available which is an extended more detailed version which includes part 2 and 3. Next step of the car restoration will be the paint removal and the new paint job.

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