New World Datsuns...

Dude that thing is nothing but awesome. and then some more.

Maybe I forgot, maybe its the heat... is that a corvette rear end? Full corvette suspension? looks super nice!

izzo wrote:Dude that thing is nothing but awesome. and then some more.

Thanks, man.

Laecaon » Sun Jun 28, 2015 12:44 am wrote:Maybe I forgot, maybe its the heat... is that a corvette rear end? Full corvette suspension? looks super nice!

Front suspension is '90 Corvette that has the Z51 option which has larger brakes and used to feature stiffer springs, larger swaybar, quicker ratio rack, and a steering cooler. The brakes and control arms are all that's left. I sold the rest.
Rear suspension is '81 Corvette. '80-'82 was a crossover/hybrid. It used the same architecture as the earlier Corvettes but used an aluminum batwing and diff housing. They were still a Dana 44 and mine is a 3.73 posi. I've also upgraded to adjustable camber rods and built a couple more adjustment points in to the trailing arm mounts. The later Corvettes used 4 aluminum trailing arms and have a little more sex appeal but most are actually Dana 36 and they just don't fit my frame very well. Most guys just back-half the frame when doing a C4 install. The C3 fits surprisingly well.
It looks kinda goofy right now since there's no weight on it. Has Baja bug camber now but will eventually be about 4-5" lower. I'll need to have the full weight on the vehicle before I can dial in the ride height. On the front it's just a coilover adjustment. On the rear its a matter of using longer or shorter bolts that go between the end of the leaf spring and trailing arm. I may decide to remove leafs also. That's a ways away though.

Hot damm Jess that is looking sweet!

Just placed the order for new bed parts. Not a complete bed, but most of it.

lol

JIgsaw puzzle

Only half of it so far.

Spent the day cleaning the shop and reorganizing. '35 chassis tucked in the corner while I continue to wait on the body work. Moved the cab back to the paint shop.

Lol. Have a feeling it's going to be there a while, may as well get it out of the way huh

You're probably right. I heard some big talk from him about getting started but I've heard it all before. I called him on it Saturday while I was cleaning and he asked me what I was doing. Told him he'd fucked it off too long and now there's not enough time to get it done by June. Thanks a lot.
He's a great body man and a decent painter. Aside from the fact that he's already been paid, I just want him to do the work. He's always had a tendency to wait until the last possible minute then hammer it out -- usually with good results. A major thing that kills an otherwise great paint job is shrink-back. That's when you look close at shiny paint but see sanding scratches, not in the paint but all the way down in the primer layer. Typically shows up 6-12 months after it's sprayed out. It usually happens when you don't let the products stabilize before moving on to paint. From the very beginning I've made it clear that I absolutely do not want to see that when we're done. Last time we discussed it at length he said he'd have it all done and in primer by the end of the summer, let it cure all winter, then paint it in the spring. Like I said -- out of time.

Oh my he has already been paid..
For sure on the shrinkage,Alot of the 2 part stuff now has less shrinkage than way back

510freak » Mon Sep 28, 2015 6:45 am wrote:Oh my he has already been paid..

In a sense, yes. I think I mentioned early on that it was part of a 3-way deal between my brother, our dad, and myself. There was labor, parts, and cash in play. All parties involved agreed. With the exception of this paint job, all the other parts of the deal have been done for a couple years. The whole point was for the 3 of us to help each other get 4 cars on the road. So, technically, I'm not sure if he owes me or my dad at this point. All I know is I'm the only one without a car.

510freak » Mon Sep 28, 2015 6:45 am wrote:For sure on the shrinkage,Alot of the 2 part stuff now has less shrinkage than way back

+1
The early 2 part stuff had many problems, it's much better these days.

I'm sorry to hear the painter hasn't been more on the ball. I hope it all works out well in the end.

A lot of it also has to do with material quality too. Just seems that the longer it cures, the better the odds are that it stays stable. If it was white -- no problem. The color I have in mind might not be so forgiving.

Car boner over here!




Just got done talking to my dad. He's coming in to town next week to help (prod) my brother on my pickup. This is a good thing. He is an excellent catalyst and things seem to always progress rapidly when he gets involved. Things are looking up for next week. Stay tuned or progress reports. Hell, I might even get dusty.






PS: He was in Salem last week and started prodding my uncle to get ready for the Pendleton show in June. There's a better than even chance that we'll have 2 '35s and 2 '36s lined up next year. Considering the family history, that would be beyond cool. My uncle's '35 has been in the family since '56(?) and lived in Pendleton until the mid '70s. My brother's (formally our dad's) '36 spent decades in Pendleton. My '35 was my main transportation while I lived and worked there for 5 years. These trucks have roots.

YES!!!!


I am excited to hear this man. I would like to see this progress more. Believe it or not, I'm pretty excited about this truck.