my 1932 datsun replica build

The shaft the shop cut was just a tiny bit short, but I had enough material in the other end to make one that fits. Here are the old one and the new one that is marked to be cut. so I cut the other end, tapped it into the column and checked to make sure everything fit.

OK, the shaft has been marked and dropped off at the shop for final welding. (I could do it myself, but it will look better if they do it.)

This means that the steering should be functional by mid-to-late next week.

Just picked up the steering column. The guys who did it are Stamey's Auto Parts, and it looks good. (...as you'd expect from any parts place that has their own machine shop on the premises.)

Doing some minor frame modification: before the cowl and firewall are put in place permanently, I need to have a way to support the spare tire mount (...because the thin sheet metal of a washer stand is not going to be able to do it. I'm adding some steel plate that will sit behind the sheet metal.

It's late, I'm tired, had to stop because welds were getting ugly.....but I'm happy. That spare tire mount is not going to move at all. Pics later

I love the smell of angle grinder in the morning! Weekends are awesome....

The steel plate just before rattle canning it to keep the welds from rusting.

I just welded in another support bracket for the lower (front) steering mount where it goes through the firewall. I also ground the mill scale and rust off off of the chassis in several areas, then spray painted it to protect the metal.

I also came down with a a nasty lower back pain.....I must have twisted it while working in the garage. I'm probably done for the day.

I was just removing a full sized spare tire from the underside of the 910 wagon (i.e. drivetrain donor) and dropped it on my hand.....skinned knuckles suck.

got two of the remaining three door lock actuators off the car. Cannot figure out how to open the door to get to the last one. (Child safety lock)

I got the last of my stuff (i.e. spare tire and solenoids for door locks) off of the donor last week. Today, it was hauled away.

Max_Archer wrote:

JoeyM wrote: BTW, I've been thinking about this.....

Max_Archer wrote: your car is totally what would have constituted a "Special" back in the '40s and '50s.

....and I'm not sure I understand what set of features makes a hot rod a 'special'. If anybody knows, please share.

I don't think there's really a definitive definition. (That sounds really awkward...) In my mind, a hot rod has a chopped up stock body, while a special has an entirely new homebuilt body, which is what this is.

BTW, I just found a pretty good definition from Lionel Baxter in the Haynes Car Builder's Manual

I suppose that a "special" is any car that is not standard. From almost the day motoring began, enthusiasts have been making their own cars, either because they could not afford to buy the one the wanted, or because they preferred a car that would express their own individuality and suit their needs more precisely than the standard production article. There are those, and I would count myself as one of them, who just like mechanical engineering, and see building a car as one of the highest Do-It-Yourself achievements.

I'd definitely call your hot rod Datsun a "Special", and be damn proud of it!

Thanks.

Dad came over and tried sitting in the driver's seat. We're probably going to shorten the column by 1/4'-1/2". This will be an absolute pain in the butt, but it will give dad a teeny/ tiny little bit more room. I also just ordered a smaller steering wheel and a model-specific (i.e. 1982 maxima) install kit from summit. That should also create a little more room in the cockpit.

After that I messed around with shapelock/polymorph plastic to create a core for a sword-style gear selector. I took a stab at that earlier (back in 2010) and the results looked good, but were very fragile. the wood had to be very thin on the sides to allow for the gear selector shaft...so thin that it broke even with the fiberglass coating. I'm trying it over.....this time the handle core will have a plastic center and a thin aluminum (i.e. soda can) skin. Then I'll wrap it tsukamaki style, as above.

I tried making a metal skin to cover the plastic core......good thick metal from neighbor. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out good.......will need to try again

this morning I messed up the core of the faux katana handle that I'm making for my gear selector......I'm trying to affix a metal skin to a thermoplastic body, using the smallest screws with countersink heads that I can find (i.e. wood screws) and the entire think is looking really ghetto.

Wood screws would not be my first choice, but they were the smallest thing I could find at lowes.....and they are still too long!!!! If I use them, I will need to back each one out and grind the tip off.

I may just start over from scratch.

UPS delivered the new steering wheel and install kit. (I think smaller wheel will be more comfortable for dad.....we'll see.) I got it in a four-spoke design because the real car had a wooden four spoke wheel. I'm thinking of a chord wrapping to hide the fact that it is not wood. It was good enough for this bentley

Major setback: The pedals - and firewall - are too close to the seat for Dad to drive the car. I'm not just going to have to buy new pedal assemblies to accomodate Dad's leg length, I'm also going to have to redesign the bottom of the firewall to make a box that extends forward so Dad has leg room.

This will take a while.

Love the wheel, by the way. Cord wrapped and all.

Really sorry, so basically you have to make a brand new pedal box? I can't imagine that's going to be quick. Do you have any other options?

JoeyM wrote: this morning I messed up the core of the faux katana handle that I'm making for my gear selector......I'm trying to affix a metal skin to a thermoplastic body, using the smallest screws with countersink heads that I can find (i.e. wood screws) and the entire think is looking really ghetto. Wood screws would not be my first choice, but they were the smallest thing I could find at lowes.....and they are still too long!!!! If I use them, I will need to back each one out and grind the tip off. I may just start over from scratch.

missed this update before...Try Bondo, with chopped fiberglass mat mixed in for strength. Make it oversized and shape it with an angle grinder and a flap wheel. You could even embed a nut for screwing the handle onto the gear selector. Ive seen other projects done this way, and the results are pretty decent if you take your time.

Another option is a hunk of aluminum, an angle grinder, several grinding discs, and many hours of shaping.

If a big issue for the handle is that attachment measurements are causing issues, maybe welding a plate to the stick so you can mount this handle in a perpendicular plane, versus the traditional screw on style, could solve this? Katanas have a Saya (scabbard or hand guard) on the handle...this could also serve as a pretty good mounting flange if you had a flange also welded to the stick. Then, you simply use some small machine screws to mate the 2 flanges. The saya is usually somewhat ornate. It would be pretty easy to hide the screws in the decoration if youre clever with it ...just an idea.

Sorry to hear about the pedal assembly setback...dont let it take the wind out of your sails though, youre making steady progress. Keep it up!

tuna55 wrote: Love the wheel, by the way. Cord wrapped and all.

I think the Grant wheel, when wrapped, will look good. The picture above is of the Bentley wheel I will imitate. The original datsun wheel was also a four-spoke.

Here's the wheel I bought:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/grt-434/overview/

The wrapping is just how I plan to cover the ugly foam.

tuna55 wrote: Really sorry, so basically you have to make a brand new pedal box? I can't imagine that's going to be quick. Do you have any other options?

Maybe. Dad is talking about reversing the pedal in the assembly. (I doubt that will work since it will limit the range of motion.) There's also the option of throwing out the donor pedal setup and using something like this wilwood setup.
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Wilwood-Reverse-Swing-Mount-Dual-Master-Cylinder-Pedal-Assembly,1958.html

Again, though, I don't think that will work. I'm hoping and praying that dad only needs an extra inch or two of room. If that's the case, I may have a pre-made part off the back side of a washing machine that could be appropriated. If he needs six more inches, I'll have to fabricate something.

4cylndrfury wrote: If a big issue for the handle is that attachment measurements are causing issues, maybe welding a plate to the stick so you can mount this handle in a perpendicular plane, versus the traditional screw on style, could solve this? Katanas have a Saya (scabbard or hand guard) on the handle...this could also serve as a pretty good mounting flange if you had a flange also welded to the stick. Then, you simply use some small machine screws to mate the 2 flanges. The saya is usually somewhat ornate. It would be pretty easy to hide the screws in the decoration if youre clever with it ...just an idea. Sorry to hear about the pedal assembly setback...dont let it take the wind out of your sails though, youre making steady progress. Keep it up!

Since you speak katana, I'll be more specific:
I've got a tsuba that I made from some scrap 3/16. I just took the the plastic tsuba off my bokken and traced the outline of it onto the 3/16 with a sharpie. The tsuba has been cut out, shaped, and drilled for the gear selector column, and for two screw holes to hold it onto the bottom of the tsuka from the underneath where they cannot be seen.

I will post pictures later.

In reply to JoeyM:

I could recommend taking the chrome off that wheel, too. In fact, you could treat it with a hammered finish or something like that to make it a little more interesting. Are you going to remove the foam too? That might make everything a bit more proportional.

Here's a better dash/wheel picture of the real car

I like the idea of a hammered finish, or something that looks like dull aluminum. I hadn't thought of pulling the foam off of it. (In fact, I'm not sure if it has a metal core....I thought it might be plastic with foam.) If it does have a steel core, how difficult would it be to pull the foam off?

JoeyM wrote: Here's a better dash/wheel picture of the real car I like the idea of a hammered finish, or something that looks like dull aluminum. I hadn't thought of pulling the foam off of it. (In fact, I'm not sure if it has a metal core....I thought it might be plastic with foam.) If it does have a steel core, how difficult would it be to pull the foam off?

I never tried, but the Summit cheapie foam I had could be wire-wheeled off pretty easily.

As promised, a simple tsuba