Need help for various questions re. rust / ect

[Guest HighwaystaR]

Ok im trying to restore an 83 280zx. I wanted to learn how to restore cars and do bodywork so i bought an old rustbucket. lol. I searched but still have some questions! Here they are!

 

#1) GRINDING DOWN RUST BUBBLES. When u get the paint and rust off with grinder the metal is pitted. What should be the next step before body filler or primer? from what i understand you clean the holes out with a pin or something and then wipe the area down with something like paint thinner or something???? am i totally lost? whats a good product?

 

#2) UNDERCOATING. should i scrape off everything i can and put new stuff on? what to use? truck bed liner? They have hippo guard at the canadian tire store (canadian wal mart). I guess its a rhinoliner rip off, is that good stuff?

 

#3) BACK HATCH. Inside the back hatch under the paint its pretty rusty but seems fairly solid except in one place thats about 4" x 4" should i rivet in new metal there? or get the body shop to weld in a new peice while i have it in for floorboard / frame rail repair (im getting them to do the hard stuff)

 

#4) SPRAY CAN PRIMER. Since im doing one area at a time i dont want anything to rust if some metal is exposed for any period of time. Is spray can primer any good? or will it just rust anyways but hide it so i dont know until after the car is painted and i get rust bubbles and want to kill.

 

if u can help me at all and be understanding that im new to all this and eager to learn but I have noone to show me. thanks!

[datsunlover]

Wow.. ok man.. welcome to the forum, and the joys of old Z's.

#1- rust 'bubbles'; If possible, after wire wheel/grinding you can try sand blasting (if possible.. you can get little handheld sand blasters and they work pretty good..) but yah, get that rust gone, and clean the bare metal before spraying anything on it. There is a chemical that shops use, but I can't remember what the name is right now.. basicaly takes off all the dirt and oils from your hands. (use it to clean primered surfaces befor paint as well)

 

#2- I would definatly scrap off the years of acumulated 'undercoating' from the whole underside.. as much as you can. Clean the rust, and then there are differing opinions.. You can spray rust paint, truck bed liner, the canadian tire brand 'under coating'.. which there are 3 difrent kinds of.. Me? I use flat black rust paint (armor coat) and it seams to work well.. but I don't drive my Z in the snow.. or rain if I can help it.

 

#3- body shops.. hmmm.. I'd make sure they're not gona.. screw you. A lot of shops will 'cheeze' stuf quickly, and it doesnt hold up over time. If at all possible, I'd say get your self a welder (or a friend with one.. ) and learn to weld. If that's not an option, yah fix with weld, not rivets, it'll last longer and be stronger.

 

#4- Ok.. there is the cheap stuff (crapy tire red/grey $6 a can) and the expencive stuff (about $14 a can) but if you're gona do one area at a time, and want to 'preserve' any body work till final paint time, DO NOT use the cheap stuf. The expencive stuff is an 'Epoxy sealer' primer and will bond to the metal/bondo/f.glass and seal it, unlike the cheap stuff which will absorb moisture.. which will cause rust to start quickly..

 

If I was closer, I'd drop by and help you out as much as I could.. what you are talking about is a BIG undertaking.. I spent a good 4 months on the body of my 75 280z.. and it's still not perfect, but "It'll do" and I'll redo it in a few years. Good luck man, youve come to the right place!.

[Tim240z]

#1: There are several metal preps for bare metal prior to primer. Here is something to get you going....

http://shootersolutions.com/4cmet.html

 

Tim

[Guest HighwaystaR]

ok thats pretty helpful. Ill stick to this site for information cuz im sick of hearing that old z's are crap and not worth restoring . I know itll be a long road but thats fine. thanks again for all help

[datsunlover]

ok thats pretty helpful. Ill stick to this site for information cuz im sick of hearing that old z's are crap and not worth restoring . I know itll be a long road but thats fine. thanks again for all help

 

Heh.. when people say that to you, just smile and say "whatever.. it's MY car, and MY project/intrest." And watch their jaws drop when you pull out in your shiny clasic sports car in a year or two.

[dj paul]

ok thats pretty helpful. Ill stick to this site for information cuz im sick of hearing that old z's are crap and not worth restoring . I know itll be a long road but thats fine. thanks again for all help

I would punch whoever said that in the face. =)

[Pop N Wood]

RacerX, one of the resident body gurus, is high on the zero rust stuff.

 

http://www.zerorust.com/

 

Guess I should say he talks highly of it. Hell, maybe he gets high on it too. Looks like a pretty good product either way.

 

BTW, if you have rust that goes through the sheet metal, I have always heard you need to cut at least a half inch around the rust into good metal. With an old Z that usually means the little hole in the floor boards ends up cutting away the entire floor and half the firewall.

[buZy]

Strip everything of the body. Sand blast backsides. Weld er up and giver por.

Sounds easy enough.

[Oleh]

use zero rust. I do and love it.