Project #2...Nissan Figaro

[frank horton]

there is a little Japanesse van that people paint up to look like a mini VW camper..........I have a photo but not worked out how to put it in the forum yet....hint hint.........
personally love this little Nissan, can't u get em via a direct import from Japan ????????? there used to be loads'a firms bringing in Japanese vehicles a few years ago or was that 20 ?????......
I'd suffer the rot issues for the quirkyness........viva la differonce..........Frank

 

[rtbcomp]

I've collected some Figgy Fotos on Flickr if they're any use to you

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rtbcomp/galleries/72157687221082626/

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Cheers rtb that is actually quite useful having all the pics together. I think this arch (from your gallery) looks about right to me.

The problem I have is I was trying to do the arch in one hit which maybe is just too many moving parts. I've decided I really want a nice rear bumper line so I think I'm going to focus on putting the rear lower quarters back in and making sure the rear bumper looks right. I think the front part of the arch is a lot more forgiving. If the bumper line is off I think it will look terrible.

On this car the front and rear arches look to be about the same shape...the problem with a lot of the Figgys I see is that the rear arches have been "done" at some point in their lives. I've even seen a few where the rear arch repair panel has been fitted the wrong way around! This one looks good to me....I might take a template of the front arch as I think that is original....the only part of the figgaro which doesn't really rust is the front wings...Nissan got the rust proofing spot on....guess it helps that they are plastic!

I like this one a lot...I think the arches look spot on in terms of symmetry (front to back) and also the arch height. I think I may shoot for something like this.

 

[jpmillermatic]

not sure if this helps ...but I drew in some reference lines...things make sense for me when I do this to check on what the eye might be fooled by.....you can see the arches are very nearly circular in shape, with the front one being just slightly larger than the rear one.



You can see where the bumper lines up and how it relates to the trim, ect...

JP

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Cheers JP...that is helpful. I was basically doing the same to work out some reference points...I won't get much garage time this week but will have a good think. My gut is telling me to sort out the rear bumper which will give me a reference point to work from. This car just keeps giving...will be worth it of course.

 

[jpmillermatic]

funny how that works....I guess we have to step away from the microscope once in a while!

JP

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Yea totally agree....I decided to take a break and have a good think. No matter how hard I try to avoid it basically the rear of the inner arch is in the wrong place. This pic shows the issue...the arch should be maybe 5mm ahead of the bumper not 25mn.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

To avoid the inevitable I decided to fit the drain plug as a distraction....the original design has a clever side drain and a little notch. Well it didn't work too well so I've done away with such nonsense in favour of an additional drain.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Then it was time to face the music...out with the grinder!!

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

This time I was determined to get it right...I decided to weld in the bottom of the rear quarter....it needs some rust repair (the purple markings) but I don't want to lose the shape so the repair will be done with the panel back on the car.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Lastly I fiddled around for what seemed like hours...refitting bumpers etc. I think I'm now pretty close to what I want. I will repair the hole once I'm happy with everything. So far it's looking good. The black arch outline was the original position....it wasn't a million miles out but I've rotated the arch counter clockwise. When I got the arches I had assumed that I should fit them with equal excess material on each side....I think this was my mistake. I then made the repair to the inner arch match the new panel...compounding my mistake.

On the plus side the rear bumper did fit pretty much perfectly under the rear lights which was a great result.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Next job is to start trimming the arch...some fine fettling and then it will be time to weld it in.

The rear lower quarter will need a little filler along the weld line but other than that I'm quite pleased. Think I got off lightly....definitely glad I stopped to think when I did!

I've lapped the repair arch under the existing arch on the car...I'm just going to trace round with a Sharpie pen and then cut it...leaving 10mm extra all around for fine tuning.

Also need to fix the inner arch but I will do that just before welding in the outer arch.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Decided to stick the wheels back on to check how it looks when back on its feet....the weight of the car will be off of course but I'm hoping the weight of the body brace compensates for the missing bits. Think I'm happy enough that I'm going to stick with this and not mess around with the shape of the arch itself.

 

[Kommer2015]

good progress on the figaro mate.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Cheers Kommer...am a man on a mission at the moment. The arches are definitely tricky devils...just hoping for an easier time on the sills.

 

[jpmillermatic]

very well done, man!


JP

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Tried to sort out a little stretched steel....it's been annoying me for some time. I imagine this is where the original dent was in the panel. In the end I just cut it out. Should probably have just filled it but got annoyed...plus it just pops in and out like a spring! I tried heating and bashing it but didn't get anywhere and I don't have a shrinking hammer so out it came.

I also managed to sort out the inner arch...in the end I just made up a new piece and welded it in....this time in the correct position!

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Good progress on getting the arch welded in. There is some distortion and it's going to need a little filler...but all that said I'm very pleased with how it turned out. The rear penetration is pretty good too (last picture). I tacked it in initially and then used my grinder with the slit disc to keep the panel gaps consistent (I really like that trick....with a 1mm disc it works perfectly). Was a slow process as I could only really do a few stitches at a time to give the panel some time to cool down.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Called it a day other than a little etch primer...I couldn't help myself and had to see how the bumper would look. It's only held on with masking tape....also the bottom corner needs finishing off but I will save that for another day as it'll be a nice little session to sort it out but most of the hard work has been done.

My next big job is to sort out the outer sill panel...I think it's going to be a pain as the sill repair panel I bought isn't really a very good fit. Don't get me wrong....if I was willing to use a bucket of filler I could simply whack it on but I'd prefer to do it properly if I can.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Made a start on sorting out the sill...I had to beat the hell out of it but I think the shape is now broadly right. I did put some marks in the side but luckily on this car most of the sill will be covered anyway by a chrome plate along the outer edge.

Got fedup of using clamps...made up some ply templates which also act as clamps to put the sill exactly where I want it (that bandsaw really was the best £100 tool spend!)..they seem to work very nicely. Next job is to sort the front sill cap out and at the other end how it will meet the arch. I'll take a look at Chung Lee in the morning and copy the standard sill/arch area as I'd prefer it to look stock.

I'll need to be a little careful with the clamps as I really don't want to affect the door gaps...not sure how I will check that everything is OK as I can't yet fit the doors because I still have the brace in the car.

I think what I could do is weld the top of the sills in but leave the plug welds along the bottom until after the doors are refitted....that way I can still tweak things a little if I really need to.

Speaking of welds...are there any preferences as to whether the sill should be butt or lap/joggle welded along the top. On my MR2 I butt welded...I think this is better in terms of eliminating overlapping steel....but the sills will be fully waxed anyway so I'm wondering whether I should make my life a little easier and joggle the top of the outer sill....opinions?