Project #2...Nissan Figaro

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Yea that was my guess too...I'd usually tie it to the main loom with cable ties rather than leave it flapping around. Given that they went to the trouble of taking the carpet up anyway it would have taken 10 extra seconds....it even follows the route of the main loom!

I was very pleased with the condition of the floor....some of the ones I've seen have been a bit shocking. Having the inner sill sides in good condition I think will make the repairs much easier as it means less cutting out of structural stuff.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Today's exploits on the nissan....the person who did this was wasted on car repairs....a career as a sculptor is their true calling! Wheel arch nunber1 ....that lump is a little odds?

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

I wonder what would happen if I get the power file on that lump!

Ahhh I see....he couldn't weld and made the patches stick out....then tried to knock them in. The end result was losing the shape of the arch. Time to order another bucket of filler....why not make the patches properly in the first place...would have saved a heap of time and filler. Especially like the way they are just tacked in so the rust can penetrate and push the filler out!

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Turns out the first arch was his better effort....check this one out. After the first one I amended my technique. Hammer and chisel was much more efficient. It was like removing tiles

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

What an utter pigs ear. On the second one the panel has been damaged...I can feel it on the inside. Instead of repairing the dent they've just filled it with filler. It must have taken an age to shape these...the paint job wasn't too bad...such a waste given this is just botched with filler.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Turns out the first arch was his better effort....check this one out. After the first one I amended my technique. Hammer and chisel was much more efficient. It was like removing tiles View attachment 115784 View attachment 115785

Just goes to show how the 'average' punter buying privately could get done, unless armed with a magnet.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Hi Slim...yea totally....this car originally sold for around 6k back in 2012 as "fully restored to a high standard" - dunno what anyone else thinks but to my eyes this is shockingly bad. At the very least the patches should fit and be fully welded in otherwise it's obvious the rust will come through and destroy the repair. A perfectly good paint job ruined by a very poor repair in my opinion.

Am not sure what I'll do with the passenger side rear quarter...I may have to cut a panel from a salvaged figaro as it's now such a mess I can't be bothered to sand all that filler off....it makes a mess everywhere!

 

[slim_boy_fat]

....it makes a mess everywhere!

You need a friend...........

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

There was better news in the "roof trunk". It looks like the owners have been good at removing any debris from the drains. There was a little rust on the suspension towers but not too bad. There is rust in the lower corners but that's expected gives the idiotic design of draining the roof into the rear quarters!!

That red wire looks familiar...didn't I see that yesterday making its way across the floor!! Now I'm curious to know what thats all about....perhaps some poorly fitted security device maybe?

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

So far I'm thinking everything looks fixable....I could have done without the rear arches being made of swiss cheese however underneath the botched repair there looks to be a fairly solid car. Next job is to get her up on ramps front then back and give her a once over underneath just to make sure nothing nasty lurking underneath (I only have 1 pair of ramps so has to be a game of 2 halves!)

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

No it's not a bathroom tile....check out the layers...I count 4 or 5 at least

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Hi Slim...yea my garage dyson blew up 2 days ago so I've been a bit stuffed!

Magnet is no guarantee either....one of the cars I saw the guy was even willing to offer me a magnet. When I tapped the sills I could tell they were just over plated with thin steel and then painted with undersea to cover everything up. Magnet would have made it appear all was well....that car smelled of filler when I opened the door....ran from that one! So far I think this was a good car which was poorly repaired...pretty sure I'll see the same story on the sills too!

 

[rtbcomp]

It's unlikely on a Figaro, but I have a mystery wire in my Volvo that went from the brake pedal to the trailer socket to bypass the bulb failure warning system. Can't see a Figaro having a towbar though.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

I think it's some kind of bypass maybe...looks rubbish for sure.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Dunno what this stuff is but it's all over the sills...some kind of stone chip perhaps. Looks like it would go up a treat when I start welding

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Bit depressing when you turn something that looked perfect into this....but the car is being restored for a friend and I intend to keep my friendship! If I had left this it would have rotted through in a few years and then they'd think I had done a rubbish job!

I think the bottom part of the rear quarter may actually be made of filler...perhaps it's some kind of new structural body filler.

What an utter mess....very depressed today!

At least the side of the sills is solid from what I can tell...been patched of course...badly....well at least if nothing else they are consistent!

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Dunno what this stuff is but it's all over the sills...some kind of stone chip perhaps. Looks like it would go up a treat when I start welding View attachment 115807

Glass mat? Looks to have fibres through it anyway?

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Yea could be....the grey stuff.... It's just such a botch its unbelievable. Don't understand the point of doing this and then spending an age shaping the quarter panels with filler + putting a nice paint job over the top. So obvious it would all just fall to bits in a few years once the rust started pushing on the filler. I have to say whoever did the sanding did a truly amazing job of it....it must have taken them hours if not days to get the shape right (hence all the filler layers I guess). I can't see how this was easier than just cutting out the damaged panel and replacing it.

I'm almost scared to open up the sills now...I wonder if they are also just full of filler too.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Couldn't resist...it would have kept me awake!!....seems that rogue wire is connected into the reverse light maybe. Also seems if you run out of red wire then just chuck a bit of orange in the mix...it's almost red after all isn't it + nobody would expect the colour to change...keeps them on their feet!

I just had a brain wave...I wonder if this is used for a retro fit fog light. I don't think Jap spec cars have a fog light fitted as standard (they don't do fog). As the figaro was never officially exported I think it won't have one fitted as standard so this might be a fog light botch for the UK MOT test perhaps....easy enough to check....tomorrow!!

 

[rtbcomp]

... Also seems if you run out of red wire then just chuck a bit of orange in the mix...it's almost red after all isn't it + nobody would expect the colour to change...keeps them on their feet!
...

I rewired my Landrover like that. Completely non-standard colours and wiring scheme. Ostensibly to foil thieves, but I couldn't afford new wire so I used a load of stripped harnesses. The guy who bought it messed me about over the sale so I forgot to provide him with the wiring diagram

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