Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

Here is something that is a bit of an issue for me today. I recently bought a truck and am starting to work through the ghetto work that PO did to it. I found the ignition wire that goes to the solenoid spliced in two places. One with a grossly oversized splice, and the PO was able to completely miss the copper in splicing it together. In addition to that, all four battery clamps (dual batteries in this beastie) were loose, and the bolts were shot. All of those issues resolved quickly (once identified) and for cheap. The PPO installed some gauges. What a ghetto install that was! I haven't seen that many splices since I worked on my old Mustang! The wiring also reminds me of my first Roadster. It had zip cord running from one side of the ignition switch to the far side of the dash and back, and then just left dangling - hot of course. It was never connected to anything.

Why are these clowns allowed to own tools?

I think you should need a license to buy bondo, or at least the dude at the parts store slap you hard ahead of time when you buy it in bulk.

YAY WIRES

harrison wrote:YAY WIRES

You have to love that they took the time to put teminals on the wires, then plug into a fuse, yet leave the terminals exposed to short on everything metal under the dash!
Genius!!

FoxyRoadster wrote:I think you should need a license to buy bondo, or at least the dude at the parts store slap you hard ahead of time when you buy it in bulk.

If your reasoning were to be followed to it's end conclusion, then not a single one of us could work on our cars... period.

That there are people who do poor body work isn't the topic being discussed, it's poor ELECTRICIANS. So, instead let's have a license to buy wire, connectors, fuses, etc. or in lieu of the license, a hard slap.

If we follow that kind of reasoning, then we should also slap people buying any kind of repair parts, after all, they might do a lousy job. So now we have covered electricians, bodymen and mechanics, what else can we license and/or offer a hard slap for? How about ....

In the end, EVERYONE who wants to do their own work on their own car, gets slapped or required to have a license.

So, since I DO buy Bondo in bulk (and paint, and other bodywork items), and I don't want that to happen, I suggest we slap you for even suggesting it. That way we can all continue to work on our cars, poorly or expertly, without having to get slapped when we buy materials.

It isn't necessarily the guys who buy Bondo, nor electrical connectors and wire in bulk, it's the fact that everyone's opinion of their own skills at repairing anything are usually met with the final line of "This is good enough!"; when in another person's opinion it's not.

I painted my own car, and I'm satisfied with the results. To someone else's taste, maybe I picked the wrong color, or...

2¢
E

EScanlon wrote: That there are people who do poor body work isn't the topic being discussed, it's poor ELECTRICIANS.

My intent for the thread was not to solely discuss poor electrical junk, it was just as the title stated - the sins of the PO. I have seen paper towels used as backing for bondo. I have seen carb return springs connected to brake lines. I have seen all sorts of stupid "repairs" or "improvements" done by boneheads. My point was to have folks share the stupid works inflicted upon their cars. That reminds me of another example - on a car apparently the terminal on the ignition switch failed. To fix it, the genius (?) broke it out, ripped the connector off of the wire, and rammed it into the hole. The scary thing is that it worked for quite a while before I found it. Yes, I think all of these knuckleheads need a license for everything - bondo, electrical connectors, breathing, procreating, etc...

Wow Escanlon, pretty strong words, but the funny thing is that - mostly - I agree!

I have to look back upon my youth, when I was A) Too stupid to know better or B) Too poor to afford the "right" thing, and say that I did what I had too to keep my cars on the road at that time ( and budget).

I only later learned what was right by A) Still having the vehicle that I "screwed up" when fixing it the second time or B) learned from doing it wrong in the past and having to fix it after learning why and how I did it wrong.

We all have to learn from somewhere, and I am sure many of us have made mistakes we would rather not admit - and that in the end made us better mechanics.

So, to the guy that bought Bulk Bondo and put 10 pounds of it on the door of my first car a '69 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe - Thank you, you saved it long enough for me to buy it, and put more money into it, and to keep it another 8 years. I further "ruined it" and kept it viable, and hope that whoever bought it can forgive the sins of the previous owner - I am sure that my repairs seemed idiotic and ill-advised to them too!

So saying that, there is no excuse for my mistakes now, and I'll just have to pay accordingly to fix my screw-ups now!

EScanlon wrote:

FoxyRoadster wrote:I think you should need a license to buy bondo, or at least the dude at the parts store slap you hard ahead of time when you buy it in bulk.

If your reasoning were to be followed to it's end conclusion, then not a single one of us could work on our cars... period.

That there are people who do poor body work isn't the topic being discussed, it's poor ELECTRICIANS. So, instead let's have a license to buy wire, connectors, fuses, etc. or in lieu of the license, a hard slap.

If we follow that kind of reasoning, then we should also slap people buying any kind of repair parts, after all, they might do a lousy job. So now we have covered electricians, bodymen and mechanics, what else can we license and/or offer a hard slap for? How about ....

In the end, EVERYONE who wants to do their own work on their own car, gets slapped or required to have a license.

So, since I DO buy Bondo in bulk (and paint, and other bodywork items), and I don't want that to happen, I suggest we slap you for even suggesting it. That way we can all continue to work on our cars, poorly or expertly, without having to get slapped when we buy materials.

It isn't necessarily the guys who buy Bondo, nor electrical connectors and wire in bulk, it's the fact that everyone's opinion of their own skills at repairing anything are usually met with the final line of "This is good enough!"; when in another person's opinion it's not.

I painted my own car, and I'm satisfied with the results. To someone else's taste, maybe I picked the wrong color, or...

2¢
E

Sorry, was being sarcastic... lol Just hate the fact there is so much bondo on this cars body when its not needed.. Like an inch thick for a quarter sized ding that doesn't even go a millimeter deep.. I also dont think you plan on using body filler to be major repair (like rust holes and such then try to sell the car for a profit like my last PO did)

FoxyRoadster wrote:Sorry, was being sarcastic... lol Just hate the fact there is so much bondo on this cars body when its not needed.. Like an inch thick for a quarter sized ding that doesn't even go a millimeter deep.. I also dont think you plan on using body filler to be major repair (like rust holes and such then try to sell the car for a profit like my last PO did)

No worries, I too would like to take a ball peen hammer and do some ball peening on the idiots who think Bondo is a fix-all. They give us all a bad rep.

Too often, it's that much of the "art" of body repairs ends up being somewhat opinion driven. Where I might opt for a new fender, another guy will insist he can "bump" it out, and another guy will just lather it with Bondo.

A neighbor of mine, faced with a pair of rusted out rear fenders behind the wheel on a Datsun 1200, used insulation foam from the inside of the trunk sprayed onto newspaper and cardboard. This gave the foam enough support to set into "shape". Then, from the outside, he removed the cardboard and newspaper and lathered enough bondo to "perfect" his lower rear quarters. He did this on both sides. A few months later, his emergency brake slipped and the car rolled down hill. After going 50/60 feet it crunched up against the back of another neighbors SUV. The SUV ended up needing a replacement bumper fascia, the 1200... the trunk, fenders bumpers were all collapsed to the tires and it went to the boneyard.

The other neighbors STILL laugh remembering his "fixin" his car.

E

Thank goodness they didnt clean and paint the bottom of the inside of the door, or I would of had to burn this stuff out. It was still a PITA and some bloody knuckles to get out.

There's a billion shades of grey between "learning how to do it" and "potentially fatal disaster area". If you're going to DIY, then at least have the sense to know what you don't know, and get someone with more experience to teach you.

Another way to look at it, examine it before you buy it. If the stuff you CAN see looks like crap, then be wary of what you can't see.

I think a dividing line is motive. Was the sloppy work done because of lack of talent or money? Was it done to get by until later? Or was it done to hide the evilness to a prospective new owner.
I ran with three wires soldered to a penny until I could afford a new ignition switch.
Had to go to plan B after I was accused of hotwiring my own car.

Just a few.

Skim coat of bondo over duct tape on an entire quarter panel. This was from a "discount" body shop chain.
On the same car the driver's door latch was broken. A spring in the latch had broken. The fix... roll down the windows on front and rear door. Tie the door shut around the pillar with string and roll the windows up again and don't use either door on the left side anymore.

Broken ignition switch? Easy.
1:Turn the key to the on position and then snap it off in the lock.
2:Cut the wires off the switch and find the ones that turn the ignition on. Install a toggle switch and let it hang where you can see it.
3:Now run a wire from the +ve battery terminal through a hole drilled in the firewall to the glove box and install a push button switch. Leave enough wire so you won't have to lean over to use it. Run the wire from that switch to the starter motor.
Get in, flip the toggle switch, open the glove box and retrieve the starter button, sit back and press to start. Put it back in the glove box.

Install a big stereo amp and put that fancy decorative inline fuse in the -ve wire near the battery so every one in the mom's old honda crowd will know what an idiot you are when the hood is opened. That is if they know any better themselves.

Bed frame angle iron sandwiched and bolted over rusted frame rails.

Scrapyard find on a jeep. A roll bar made from off the shelf exhaust repair pipes joined with what else, muffler clamps. Hammered flat and bolted at the bottom. Something like this needs a light bar so a row of square headlight pots was pop riveted to the bar and then series wired together. I think there were seven of them on this creation.

My all time favorite was the axle grease undercoat. Buy as many tubes as you think you will need and a few extra. Jack up the car, roll up your sleeves and have at it! Take your time and make sure it gets everywhere. Have a few beers too while you are at it. Take off as much trim as you need to get everywhere your hands can reach. Gear oil in a squirt bottle for the hard to get at places. Don't forget the bottom of the hood an inside the trunk too. It was a mess but there really was no rust anywhere. Had that car for many years.

Frank.

Thanks for the laugh Frank - I needed it this morning after "grounding" my roadster last night by playing around under the dash I also have a car w/ a missing ignition key so your second tip is looking like just the trick!

Cheers
James