Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

Hello Experts!

I need some advice on my 1970 Project that my son and I are working on. We have got the car running and driveable now we are focusing our efforts on the bodywork. The drivers and passengers' floors are completely rusted out and all of the quarter panels are in really rough shape after sanding them down.

My son took off the doors and the fenders to address the support and inner fenders and we found this: I wanted to see what suggestions you have with restoring your own vehicles. Should we cut and remove the rust and fabricate new supports or is there a better way to resolve this issue? Any suggestions or advice would be very much appreciated!

"The drivers and passengers' floors are completely rusted out"

I believe Ross up in Canada stamps out new floor pans. Supports, yeah that's pretty bad. More experienced rust guys should be able to offer suggestions.

https://sportsimports.ca/

try: https://www.automotivepanelcraft.com.au ... s/datsun/8

They do door pillars and floors in Australia, but likely Sports Imports floors are better (and closer)

Looks like deja vu again for me!
All those panels are fairly straight forward to fold up from fresh annealed sheet to replace what is (not) there.
Depends on your skill level really.
Even aftermarket replacements may need some massaging to match the parent metal.
I might suggest you do a wee bit of poking around with a sharp metal scribe, especially the sill panels

But, be assured, well worth the effort to cut out the rotten and replace with new.

If the floors are gone and you are showing rust this bad, there is 3 x more rust hiding that you have not found yet.

With this much structural rust - Suggest you cut your losses and find a Arizona, NM or California body-something that has none of these issues. (or far less)

You will quickly surpass the cost of another body shell trying to repair something like this (and it will always be a very rusty body that was patched together )

You will always be much better starting off with a solid shell.

Congratulations! You will be able to enjoy the full Datsun roadster experience!! My '67 required nearly six square feet of 20 gauge sheet steel patch material and that doesn't include the three patch panels that I purchased. You will need to MIG weld the patch pieces in. Get a little hole saw made specifically for cutting spot welds. Butt welds are preferred over lap welds. HF has very useful little clamps for holding the new pieces up to the existing good metal. I used a small light that I was able to snake into tight places to behind the weld to be sure that it was continuous with no pin holes. I recommend using a slag hammer to beat on the rusty metal in order to ID the thin stuff that needs to be cut away. The undercoating comes off quickly with an oscillating tool. A Dremel with little cut off wheels is indispensable. By the time you have rebuilt theses interior parts you will have the skill to tackle the exterior sheet metal without getting heat buckling. Have Fun!

I went through the same repairs on my '69. I didn't buy any specific patch panels, just fabbed them from metal I had (from other various vehicles). But for the footwells, premade patch panels might be a good call. Just know that they will not fit as delivered and you'll still need to trim/grind etc. For me the most difficult part was the ends of the rocker panels due to the compound curves. I had to build them from multiple pieces. I'm happy to forward you photos of the process if you get me your email. Reducing the size of the pics to fit here is a bit of a pain.

This process didn't cost much money, but it did take a lot of time (for me). You will need a mig welder (preferable with gas shielding capability). 110 volt is fine-probably preferred since you do not want to put too much heat into the pieces.

Media blast it to see what you actually have and then start the repairs if you want to do it right. Without going to bare metal, you are chasing your tail. I know that isn't what you want to hear, but that is the correct way.

A donor rust free body will be 100 times easier.

eye wrote: Fri Jun 25, 2021 3:54 pm Media blast it to see what you actually have and then start the repairs if you want to do it right. Without going to bare metal, you are chasing your tail. I know that isn't what you want to hear, but that is the correct way.

A donor rust free body will be 100 times easier.

Not that I have been there and done that (yet) But that is very sound advice.