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Ross' Sleeper Z


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The panel I'm using was unlabeled from MSA. In hindsight, I should have got the panel from Auto Panel Solutions.  I have their rear lower valence and it seems high quality. It appears to have with the correct exhaust cut-out and the correct curvature, unlike the Tabco panels. The problem with them is the shipping cost from the UK.  But anyway, like you I can deal with it...but I probably spent 3 hours or so just getting it close to correct and it still needs more tweaking.

 

The 3M adhesive has a rust inhibitor so it should seal the interface to prevent further corrosion. That said, it will always be garaged, at least as long as I have it.  I recall reading about others on HZ that have bonded this panel before and it seems like a good candidate. 

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I’m sure bonding will be OK :) there aren’t many forces on this top panel anyhow. It’s a ledge for the tail light bezels. 
 

done forget the seam sealer. As you can see from your assembly, there are lot of steel lap joints for water to work it’s way in. One drive in the rain can start the rust all over again :( 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I got it fr msa. It works but certainly less than perfect. If I were to do it again I'd buy an Auto Panel Solutions panel. As I said earlier in the tread shipping from the UK will be expensive but the panel quality is likely to be better.

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Have you looked at these guys? https://kfvintagejdm.com
 

I have seen some folks on IG using them, and have not seen any complaints. If I buy new panels for the street Z, I think il give them a try. I can tell their floor pans seem to actually account for the tunnel contours, which is the first I have seen so far. I had to hammer and cut mine to hell (zedfindings), to make them work. 

Edited by AydinZ71
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  • 3 weeks later...

Spent a few hours working on the car today. I'm out of c25 so there was no welding today. The piece from Klassic Fab Vintage JDM arrived last week in like 3 days, shipped direct from Columbia South America. I'm honestly impressed with the quality of the panel and wouldn't hesitate to buy another panel from them.  These guys are the real deal.  Thanks again for the recommendation @AydinZ71! Here's a picture of the panel in place.  It's pretty much a duplicate of the stock panel.  The MSA panel by comparison is generally the right shape but the detail is lacking - like the two holes for the license plate light and seams that aren't quite right.

 

IMG_20210515_152457.jpg.ed98c77685d1f16b57890b80faee3143.jpg

 

IMG_20210515_152506.jpg.a7cef7767355a5e3626c631dab7ef9fc.jpg

 

I also spent some quality time laying in the hatch trying to get the seal gap correct, or at least close enough.  I think I'm sweating the details of this work way too much for something that's going to be covered up - but I just can't let it go :)

IMG_20210515_144800.jpg.96f39262ae35633abaa976650dd6a1df.jpg

 

IMG_20210515_144747.jpg.8e5a8bf614cb971371451bab45f4b0e3.jpg

 

Spent some time panel beating the weld distortion in the license plate area and grinding welds flush.  Again, spending way too much time on something that will be rarely seen after I cover it all up.

 

 

IMG_20210515_155101.jpg

Edited by rossman
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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

During my lunch break today I sanded off most of the hard coating Ospho left behind (since it's not conductive)

IMG_20210607_121018-picsay.jpg.fdd3945d11e47a9230aca50e27aa3e81.jpg

 

Then prepped the surface with tack cloth and wax & grease remover, masked it, then finally painted it with Upol zinc weld through primer.

IMG_20210607_122929-picsay.jpg.ad99798c678a106ed3280c6676077f49.jpg

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Very clean! Are you going to plug weld it, or seam weld the lap joint? If you want the OEM look, drill some 1/4” holes in the funky green part, and plug weld the holes to that base plate you primer-ed, then just grind it flush. That’s what I did. Used several clamps to hold the two firmly together. 

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3 hours ago, AydinZ71 said:

Very clean! Are you going to plug weld it, or seam weld the lap joint? If you want the OEM look, drill some 1/4” holes in the funky green part, and plug weld the holes to that base plate you primer-ed, then just grind it flush. That’s what I did. Used several clamps to hold the two firmly together. 

That's exactly what I plan to do! I actually pulled out my DMM today to verify that the weld thru primer is what it says it is - conducive primer.  While I was at it I tested the Ospho.  As I suspected, it's not conductive, but very thin - if you poke it with the tip of the probe, you get no resistance. The primer is conductive as advertised. 

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2 hours ago, rossman said:

That's exactly what I plan to do! I actually pulled out my DMM today to verify that the weld thru primer is what it says it is - conducive primer.  While I was at it I tested the Ospho.  As I suspected, it's not conductive, but very thin - if you poke it with the tip of the probe, you get no resistance. The primer is conductive as advertised. 


yeah man I used to use weld-through primer a ton. Then I got sick of the smoke and just seam-welded everything. Anywhere I couldn’t, I used the por-15 seam sealer which is bulletproof. 
 

nothing wrong with weld-through primer! Do remember to wear a full respirator. Galvanic poisoning is no joke. Good luck, and it’s looking great! 
 

how about those funky green parts huh! Prices are competitive too. 

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So far I've had pretty good luck with the Upol zinc weld-thru primer.  It seems to work better than the 3M stuff. I only use the stuff when I have lap joints.  Originally planned to seam weld this panel without the lap joints but decided to make it look factory instead, so lap joints it is!

 

Thanks for the heads up regarding the zinc fumes. I definitely will be wearing my respirator.

 

What makes the POR-15 seam sealer so great?

 

I'm very happy with the quality of the Klassic Fab panel.  They are now my go-to source for panels.  I saw on IG that they are working on full 240z quarter panels.  They will be the ONLY supplier of full quarter panels besides NOS Nissan stuff which is impossible to find and extremely expensive when you do.

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I just checked out the POR-15 website.  They are recommending that you apply the stuff over rust holes.  It's shit marketing like that tends to steer me clear of them. The PO of my car painted over floor pan rust with POR "Rust Encapsulator." Guess what I found under the paint? More rust and pitting slowly eating away the floor pans... Anyway, I digress 🤪

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2 hours ago, rossman said:

I just checked out the POR-15 website.  They are recommending that you apply the stuff over rust holes.  It's shit marketing like that tends to steer me clear of them. The PO of my car painted over floor pan rust with POR "Rust Encapsulator." Guess what I found under the paint? More rust and pitting slowly eating away the floor pans... Anyway, I digress 🤪


I like their seam sealer because it is a single component high solids epoxy that cures rock-hard. You can fill big gaps with it, and will bind really well to prepared steel. It is sand-able, and a good consistency to fill seams. It’s also non-porous and waterproof, like most epoxies. I don’t ever encapsulate or paint over rust. What typically happens is the margins of the seam sealer can rust, exposing the underside. Once water and air get under it, it’s useless and will again rust from the inside out. 
 

I'm sure there are other manufacturers, but the por-15 product is conveniently on Amazon. 

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