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| Post-1950 Vintage Cars & Classics from year 1950 onward. |
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9th August 2006, 16:48
| #1 (permalink) |
| BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Pune
Posts: 118
|  My Datsun 260C, 330 Restoration [MY DATSUN’S RESTORATION Credit to GORDON for editing and reformating Specifications Model : Datsun 260 C , 330 Series Also Known as : Cedric and Gloria Car type : Large Body type : Sedan Production : 1970 to 1979 - Mine is 1973 model Max Power : 138hp Engine : OHC 6 cylinder, 2 barrel down draught carb Cubic Capacity : 2565cc , 2.6 litre – L 26 Manufacture : UK Colour : Metallic Sky Blue Dirve : Rear Wheel, Left Hand Drive Gearbox : 4 Speed Manual Fuel : Petrol Doors : 4 Seating Capacity : 6 Owners : 2 Accessories : Limited Slip Diff Power Windows and Power Steering. Original Radio with auto tuning in perfect working condition. A/C – Only High spec models came with Air Conditioning. Features : A quality 70's Japanese car, Wonderful piece of Datsun history, you don’t see many of these around these days. Very Reliable, (Starts every time). (Note :- My Car Started after 5 Years on the third starter.) Drives well - The 2.6L, Straight Six Engine runs like a charm. Clean and comfortable car. Interior is good. Has a lot of character, and a suitable choice for a low rider, has a lot of potential (quite a few of these cars have been modified into lowriders. Technical Details Overall Length 4690 Width 1690 Height 1440 Wheel Base 2690 Thread Front 1360 Thread Rear 1360 Weight 1330 Turning Radius 5.5 m Carb Diphagram Pump Tank Capacity 70 lit Lubrication Pressure Feed , Full flow type oil filter, Gear Pump Cooling Corrugated fan, Tube Type Radiator, Centrifugal Pump Cooling water capacity 7 lit Electric System Battery 12 v 50 ah , Alternator 500w Ignition System H. T ___(Coil) , Vacuum & Governor Distributor Clutch Dry Single Disk Suspension Front Independent coil spring , Double action telescopic shock absorbers, Torsion Bar type Stabilizer Rear Semi - Eleptic Leaf Spring , Double action telescopic shock absorbers Brakes Foot Brake - Master cylinder with Vacuum Servo Front Disk Rear Hand Brake - Mechanically operated on rear wheels Steering Recirculationg Ball Type , Variable gear Ratio 19.0 - 22.5 Tyres 6.95 - 14.4, 175SR 14 Radial Tyres Body Construction Monococoque Restoration My first job was to access what work was required. The car was lying around unused for around 5 years in our parking lot, abused by the weather & in addition the construction on second floor of our bungalow subjected it to cement which clogged the drains & thus rain water was collected in it, thus rust kicking in. Also quarter of the tires were underground My Inspiration to restore my “Datsun 260 C” car was the show on Discovery Travel & Living – “Overhaulin” On January 2nd 2005 I Made my Decision to Restore My car, as it was then I became aware of the huge FanClub of Datsun’s & other Vintage & Classic Cars In USA & UK and all over the world. January 2nd 2005 – I summoned a crane to pull out the car from it’s “GRAVE”. Jacked it up & removed all tyres. Took them to a local Puncture removal shop. Had every thing checked up. Punctures removed, Air filled. Amazingly even with flat tires for 5 years there was no damage to the Tubes inside. It only cost me 200 rupees for the whole thing. The wheel rims were sandblasted before, and I painted them with rust proof material. Attached all rims & tires back on ready to roll. Mechanics - Work could now begin on the mechanics. The pump delivered fuel but unfortunately not continuously and the brake master cylinder leaked. The set of new rubbers installed. Replaced it with a Gypsy set. All said and done eventually the car was turned over and after a little coaxing of the set-up the engine burst into life at the third starter. All the brakes were made fully functional along with some minor repairs. Interior The interior was complete but rather tatty. The seats were removed first and then the door panels, then the Dash board, A/c, the Flooring Mats, Fuel Tank etc. These were stored away along with all parts bagged and marked The Fuel Tank The petrol tank was removed cleaned internally and only then the bottom was treated with flow solder to ensure any minor surface rust had not penetrated through. The tank was then tested for leaks and the sender unit overhauled and tested. All the tank was then treated to primercoat and then 2 coats of black gloss coat applied. The Exterior All the Chrome trims, the Badges & the Bumpers were removed. Then the Head lights & the grille, the indicators, the rear lamp assembly, The nuts and bolts surprisingly undone with the aid of "Plus-Gas". Those that didn't were angle ground off. The chassis was in good condition considering, only two small sections required cutting out & strengthening The body was next on the agenda as the body requires lots of work and not too much financial outlay. The Running Board & Boot were the worst. The running boards were so rotten at the fixing points a good hammer and chisel was all that was required. After much searching, sending of pictures and quotations, one of my fathers friend Mr. Pawar (with experience at shaping metal & wielding) accepted the challenge as a one off at reasonable cost. I transported the body to his workshop, where we together did the needful. The rust evident in this area was Boot The boot floor was filled with water when I opened it. The spare wheel was completely submerged in water & totally rusted. The whole Boot compartment floor was done in two piece & wielded back The boot floor is now installed after some minor repairs to the surrounding sheet metal the boot is “OK”. I prefer to use the butt weld oxy technique for this type of repair as there is very little finishing required after welding. Fortunately the Spare wheel tub was not damaged or else it would have been a very hectic job to be done. Thank God. Now that the boot tub was basically back to it's correct shape, we started working on the boot lid. The front left edge of the boot lid was damaged so was the Inside Edge of the Rear lamp assembly. Mr. Pawar did a great job here. The result was so good that one could hardly recognize that it has been replaced. The Boot. Windshields & Windows – All power windows were working fine. They were removed along with the Front & rear windshield. On the Left “A” pillar We decided to fabricate a new section in 2 pieces due to the many folds and curves of the back panel and its attachment. After much hammering and a second attempt the section was ready to be fitted. After cutting out and stitch welding, & checking. Minor adjustments were to be made but the fit was quite good considering and the final welds made. Floor On removal of the Flooring We understood the nature of rust on the floor & the running board. The floor was only rusted at certain flat areas. The rusted parts were carefully removed & new sheet of required size were cut & wielded back on. The floor board was reshaped considering its strength requirements a higher grade steel was used & finalized. Door Sills After spending a lot of time and taking lots of dimensions off the old rusted sills & running boards, which was in original shape in certain areas, we made wire mesh for reference in making & shaping new sheet metal. The new steel for running board required quite a lot of bending, rolling, hammering & shaping it to the correct size & shape and then getting the contour correct. However, higher grade metal was used to increase the strength of the guard and prevent flexing. But there are few plastic moldings which should fit on it dint fit properly. So again lower grade metal was used & finalized. Doors – The doors were rust prone on lower ends. These parts were carefully removed & replaced on all doors as required. Unfortunately due to other commitments and my “On the Job Training (Hotel Management), little was done between August and October 2004 but I made a start eventually and set to work on some proformas. My first attempt was as they say "a learning experience" but the second go fitted reasonably and I then set to work Any small rust prone areas inside the cabin were restored to original. A coat of Hammerite was now applied to the interior walls of the body. The damage was removed with careful but time consuming panel beating and a new complete set was welded back to the Body. The rusted areas have been cut away and the replacement section trimmed to suit, after checking the fit on the car. After each tack the shrinking that takes place is released using a hammer and dolly so the the area retains most of its shape, it is a slow process but getting it right at this point is critical. The minor patch work was soon completed. I repaired this using what seems to be the usual method of cutting an 1 1/2 inch hole through the area of the crack and welding in a patch. I used the T.I.G welding process for this. The Floor, sills & running board, bonnet, boot, the A pillar and boot lid all came out ok, the front guards (wing), has shown up a couple of areas that will improve after some more work before being painted. Then I started the process of finishing the panels that we have repaired so far, the bodywork is without doubt the most labor intensive part of the restoration so there isn't a lot to show for a lot of work. Finally, an end to the bodywork! and the body was now ready for paint removal. It was decided to use paint stripper rather than sanding due to the health risks. Over a period of one week, the whole main body had been stripped of paint. I now made minor fillings to the small dings and blemishes and then finally sanded the complete lot down with dry wet and dry. The complete areas were then thoroughly cleaned with cellulose thinners and I was ready to spray. It was decided to spray an Duco primer onto the metal to give a very strong adhesive coat for the rest of the paint and the final result is shown. I used 2K black primer on the floor. The chassis was treated with Rust Proof Material before finally being coated with 2 coats of rust proof Duco Paint. As usual the images don't do justice the the amount of time that has gone into this so far. New Tubes Tyres were put before, due to the rains of June – September 2006 the respray of the body and panels has been defered until October. The complete body was sprayed with several coats of High build primer followed by flatting this back ready for top coat. Whilst looking to be a quick job, it turned out to be quite lengthy due to ensuring alignment was correct before final fixing. Thing’s Need to Be Done :- New Metallic Paint. New Seat Covers, New Flooring/Carpet, New Roof lining. New Wiring. New Hose pipes – they become dry & fall apart & leak. Window Seals – Find out which existing cars seals will fit. Any Help?. Chrome :- Headlamps, Bumpers, Windshield Trims & other trims, Rims, Hubcaps, etc Polish all Plastics interior. Bringing the engine to this condition Finally “A New Enclosed Parking for My Restroed Datsun 260C” Almost A year exactly has passed since I started this restoration, in the process I have re-established old friendships and made a lot of new ones. The other reward has been the tremendous amount of satisfaction gained from seeing a pile of junk turn into a car that will turn heads wherever it goes. I think it is rather fitting that the last image that will be posted (in near future) will be from the rear, because disappearing into the distance is the view most other motorists will get. Cheers! Will Post new Pics After New Paint. Thank U for your time. Any Suggestions are Welcome. You can contact me On “TEAMBHP”, or @ shreeramparulekar@hotmail.com Here are some pics of the interior but from a right hand automatic version Last edited by ajmat : 9th August 2006 at 17:32. |
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9th August 2006, 17:12
| #2 (permalink) |
| BHPian  Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune/Memphis
Posts: 970
|  Whoa! When can we pop over to see the work Shreeram? Looking forward to see your car in flesh. @gordon : Thanks a lot buddy!
__________________ Its big, slow, thirsty and American - but love is strange! |
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9th August 2006, 17:20
| #3 (permalink) |
| BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Pune
Posts: 118
| Thanks Thanks Sajo & gordon. Sorry for the incorrect formating. Working on it right now. Dint realise it got posted before formating. @ mods please delete earlier post. Sorry for the inconvenience. @ sojo - Come any time bro. Pics Before restoration started   The Boot [IMG]http://img301.image shack.us/img301/5103/image017wu1.th.jpg[/IMG]  Paint removal    Engine - what it will be like  Interiors   Last edited by Shreeram : 9th August 2006 at 17:38. |
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9th August 2006, 19:55
| #7 (permalink) |
| BHPian  | Awesome write up dude.. eager to see ur ride.. the baby responding after 5 yrs of parking is astonishing.. esp the power windows part.. eagerly waiting to see her completion.. wish u all the best mate.. meanwhile.. did some image search. here is what she could look like!!  Regards, Maverick.
__________________ Live to ride.. Ride to live.. Ladakh.. Been there done that!! Forever Michael Schumacher Fan!! |
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good job there buddy! Good luck with the pending work... and really looking forward to seeing some pictures of the finished product
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10th August 2006, 12:02
| #11 (permalink) |
| BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Pune
Posts: 118
| Thank You Thank U all for yor wishes & with your support i will surely COMPLETE my restoration soon. Will keep you updated on it. I am also writing up "My Yezdi '88 Restoration & Also "A Story about a Table Lighter" hope you will enjoy them. Will Also be posting the History of Datsuns & The Stroy of them Being Stolen & Why? @maveric - thanks dude. The Pic you posted is of the 230 series. Mine is the 330. @All You can see my cars original photos in my introduction section. "http://img301.imageshack.us/my.php?i...d2whole9ak.png" "http://img301.imageshack.us/my.php?i...d6whole1xh.png" Or Click Here http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/introd...tml#post253414 (New member from Pune, Shreeram) Last edited by Shreeram : 10th August 2006 at 12:20. |
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21st April 2007, 14:34
| #14 (permalink) | |
| BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Mumbai
Posts: 88
| Where you from bro mail me i'd sure like to see ur baby in flesh! rock on! Quote:
__________________ Never Ride Faster Than Your Guardian Angel Can Fly ! | |
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