Project #2...Nissan Figaro

[slim_boy_fat]

Maybe one with a Figaro that isn't full of rust holes might just be the ticket

That would be me........and millions of others

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Most people would have stuck on some rust converter and a bit of underseal...but I happen to know that the drivers side foot well is a mess and I could see corrosion coming through the seam so decided to investigate further...

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

It looks like the seam sealer has failed from the outside and allowed water to enter the seam....either due to poor panel fit or poor sealer application. I cut a small patch out and there is rot behind so this will have to be cut out.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Yabba dabba doo....it's the Flintstone car!

The steel is triple layered in this area....luckily the outrigger has a drainage hole to let water out so this corrosion is basically where the water has remained trapped between the steel. I was lucky that the middle layer is quite thick and cleaned up ok otherwise it would been a heap of extra work.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Butt welded the inside piece which joins into the floor...and also remembered to take a pic too!

I had to flat the welds down as there will be a plate going over the top.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Decided to continuously weld the outer panel to hopefully keep the water out...the top part is an overlap onto the inner repair in the earlier picture....the bottom is butt welded. I decided to increase the height of the outer panel by around 5mm so the lap weld now sits above the butt weld I did earlier...it isn't really noticeable unless you know it's been done but should make for a better joint.

Of course weld thru primer was used between the panels to give it a fighting chance...also the steel is zinc coated so hopefully this repair will outlive the car.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Flatten the welds back and primed....will also seam seal to finish it off of course but for now this is job done.

Am not looking forward to the drivers side....I was very lucky here that the cross member was in good condition and I could weld to it along the bottom. Lets hope the same is true on the drivers side otherwise we'll be in for quite a bit of fun!

I found a use for those RSJ offcuts....they are the perfect height to support the car on my ramps so I could get the front wheel off....definitely feels a lot safer than axle stands at this height.

 

[jpmillermatic]

more great work!....The season change is really messing with us here in NY....gotta get the mojo back up for the Dakota!

JP

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Hi JP....yea I know exactly what you mean....my garage has required a "pre heat" over the weekend!

I've been trying to keep the momentum going by just tackling smaller repairs. I still have the big stuff to do like the sills but it feels like progress getting some of the smaller repairs done and off the list. I'm "fortunate" that I still have a long list of small jobs I guess .

I take my hat off to anyone who is working outside in the cold...when I'm finding it hard to get myself down the garage!

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Somehow I got lucky on fleabay and managed to buy a pair of doors for £24...the passenger door is in descent condition too which is great.

I know it's the wrong colour but beggars can't be choosers...it would have taken me quite a long time to sort out the one that I already have and that would also need paint so this is a great result!

Just need a lower boot lid and I'd be sorted....oh and a front bumper...and a chrome strip down the side of the car....actually the list of missing bits is pretty long come to think of it but a win is a win

 

[penfold]

The lower pic is of the stainless ones....to be honest I reckon if these were polished up nicely I'd be happy to use them for the tops too. I can't believe they are charging £50 for 10 chrome ones....and these cars have quite a few bolts in them so you'd be needing several sets too!

Those will polish up fine with a power buffer, and if reshaped a bit with elbow grease/powerfile will be indistinguishable from the originals

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

cheers penfold...totally agree...just wish I hadn't sold my mini lathe! I spent a winter stripping it and doing a refurb but then decided I needed more space in the garage so got rid of it...the guy got a bargain I think....grrrr...actually I bought it for £150 and sold it for £250. It even came with a mini mill attachment....what was I thinking!!

I'm going to use chrome bolts on the tops and stainless on the underneaths...people out there paying £5 a bolt must be crazy!

I just realised that the drivers door has one of the chrome pieces that I'm missing....thats a nice result I think .

 

[penfold]

Just spin the bolts in a drill chuck, for this job it's more than adequate.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Cheers...I hadn't thought of using a drill....thats actually a great idea.

Bit more progress....drivers side arch looked quite a bit worse but actually underneath it was a similar amount of work.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

But welded in the inside arch piece then stuck some weld thru primer on followed by the outer panel. I flattened the welds just a little on the outer repair to tidy up but didn't go ott as these will hardly be visible when the under seal goes on.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Bit of etch primer over the outer repair and all done...

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Also worked on the drivers side hinge area...wasn't as bad as the other side. It actually cleaned up quite well....the lower hinge was just surface rust.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Although the upper hinge looked ok the problem is the rust is already inside the joint between the layers of steel....and there is only one way that I know to sort that out properly.

So ended up cutting it out...cleaning it up and then covering with weld thru primer.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Still need to drill out the hinge bolt holes fully but ran out of time. All in all good progress so I'm happy....stuck some etch on there to keep the rust off. Glad I cut it open as it was just full of rust under the outer panel so the rust would have just come straight back through the paint if I hadn't sorted it out properly!

Next job I think is to sort out a couple of holes in the boot floor...just trying to get the little jobs out of the way. The drivers arch and sills will require a couple of days so need to tackle those when I have the time....don't want to start them and then have to come back to them.

 

[jpmillermatic]

soon those little jobs will come to an end and you will be....how do they say it......done????



JP