73 Sahara take it or leave it Build Restoration

[hendi72]

sorry....here are the pics of my 1972 florida green 2002 (m2)...as some call them. please...keep us updated on your project!! and remember me if those bumpers come off!!! ha!

thanks

mark

[07GTIMYFAST]

well progress has been slow, body work is taking up most of my time, I got a cheap suction media blaster and some media today that I'm going to use for some hard to reach areas, mostly wire wheel and chemical stripping but some off those weird areas I figured would be easier with alittle light blasting. bumpers are probably going to stay on the car atleast the rear, might build a front "bumper" out of some sheet metal depending on my skills haha.

the project is slow go right now, but I'm finishing up my large powder coating oven currently so I can do the subframes etc.

[07GTIMYFAST]

couple updates, got some work done shaving the hood, trunk, fenders, and engine bay, also removed the rain tray.

pics:

example only, but this is close to were the turbo will go and in the place of the heater box thinking about a air to water intercooler that will reduce the air volume of the piping and intercooler to improve boost responce and help with weight distrobution. coolant tank with pump would go under the rear seat and a heat exchanger on the return line from the intercooler to help heat soak in the coolant.

[07GTIMYFAST]

Giving my first shot at filler work, I have some rage gold, and duraglass. I have the trunk lid and fenders about ready to lay down some SPI epoxy primer. My local jobber was out of high build primer when I picked up the epoxy and activator but should have some in this week so I can lay that on and get it blocked.

Next step is to finish shaving the bay and do the duraglass/filler work in there.

Also removing the sheet metal by the radiator and framing the supports in 1x1" square tubing.

along with removing the gas tank and cutting out the sheet metal and framing the trunk floor/supports in to house the fuel cell and air management components under the trunk floor.

few picks for kicks

it looks like alot more filler than it actually is, thickest spot is probably 1/16" thick

[Mike_B]

It looks like it's coming along nicely. Great work!

I may be wrong, but I thought you are supposed to apply the epoxy primer, then the filler...

[07GTIMYFAST]

Yes that is what is recommended but you can lay the filler down first if you want. I just wanted to get it sanded almost perfect before I put down the primer that way I'm not sanding through the primer when trying to block the filler. For several reasons, but mainly 1. That stuff ain't cheap and 2. I don't want to spray more coats than I have to.

I duraglassed behind all or my metal filler work to keep water from coming through any small pinholes and lifting the filler on the visible side. This is the same for the bay so the duraglass is in the wheel wells to keep the water out of the filled areas

[GRMPer]

I'm interested in how you're using nails as plugs--what size are those? Seems like a simple way to fill the hole and have a heat sink to keep heat away from the panel at the same time.

Per

[07GTIMYFAST]

The nail sizes I used were 10d and 8d common nails, they have a thick head which makes it easy to weld without burning through the head.

It is a very effective way of moving the heat away from the weld much like heat in a wire. I have my angle grinder with a 60 grit flapper disk setup so I can spin the heads of the nails as I touch it to the disk to shave them down to whatever size they need to be, and also add a small chamfer so the nail wedges in the hole. The holes vary in sizes for even the holes for the same thing so they need to be shaved alittle. I also have a drill with a step bit that I can enlarge holes that are oblonged from wear over time to the 10d size and the nail fits perfectly with no shaving of the nail itself. I use a small welding magnet on the back side to hold the nail straight and flush in the hole. I just stick the magnet to the back of the panel next to the hole and the nail shaft "sticks" to the large flat side of the magnet. I also TIG welded all my welds so that made it easy to get near flush and accurate welds with minimal grinding/filler

[07GTIMYFAST]

test fitting a fmic haha

stripping wheel well

[Colin]

Nice project blog. I'm impressed that your girlfriend/wife will come out and help you! What's your secret?

[07GTIMYFAST]

If I told you my secret the social structure in the world could collapse the real secret is to find a friend/coworker that likes to work on cars/bikes. She is neither girlfriend or wife.

[craaaazzy]

cool project and fairly local to me (i'm in alpharetta). definitely keeping an eye out on ur motor/turbo as i would love to be able to do the same some day. subscribed to ur blog now...

[Colin]

If I told you my secret the social structure in the world could collapse the real secret is to find a friend/coworker that likes to work on cars/bikes. She is neither girlfriend or wife.

Well done. I trust you are working hard to make her more than a co-worker

[PSloan]

Details on the air ride setup? Brand, specs, etc? Cool project.

[pip]

any updates???