my financial mistake... Corolla, Opportunity to learn Metal shaping.. Options

[njccmd2002]

well i bought this car, thinking it was the best for me. Turns out, came with a lot of problems..

Bondo, i hate it, it hides the bad stuff, which is good for the looks of the car, but common. an inch of it is ridiculous...

So when i saw the car online, i needed to have it, when i saw it in person i tought i needed to have it.. When I got home, rude awakening...

So many things i have going, keeps my RA24 project to the side... lol

some carnage pics...






so much bondo removed, revealed rust...

grinder and few regrets later...









after a few videos, and trial and error...





all done by hand with basic tools, lol.



Did not take pics of the bending process. but hey not bad for a begginer. Of course bondo will be used, but not to the 1 inch thickness...

[njccmd2002]

actually took a few of the transfer processs...



used blue tape for a template...

came out allright..

[Bitter]

Just skip the bondo and get some lead bars.

[bloodMoney]

"Came out alright...."

You're getting pretty good at the fab work there pal...

[jordisonjr]

Looks good to me!

[cheela]

WOW! and I thought my RA24 was bad.
as you already know, buying any old classics, you usually have to buy two.
but fab skills are getting pretty good. keep it up Noberto!

[njccmd2002]

thanks guys, but when you buy a car and cant even sell it for 40% of the original purchase, and have to invest time on it. Its a good thing to learn, but also frustrating not to work on the other cars. but hoping to get it in decent condition the wife even pays attention to it lol....

ill work more in the next couple of days and try to picture the fabbing process, does imgur allow videos?

Cheela, i still have your parts lol.... found them again yesterday, send me an address....

[Box]

This is why you get cars made of plastic, no rust.

[njccmd2002]

This is why you get cars made of plastic, no rust.

like saturns, right... pieces
flying all over the road

[narly_charley]

Cancer (rust) repair SUCKS. It's a great skill to have, but it's not fun at all. Like Cheela said, your best bet is to get two (or three) of them and use them as body donors. Damn rust!

Good job on the body work though!

[Box]

This is why you get cars made of plastic, no rust.

like saturns, right... pieces
flying all over the road

Well you could've gotten a Corvette and that's fiberglass. Mmm, fiberglass.

[Bitter]

This is why you get cars made of plastic, no rust.

like saturns, right... pieces
flying all over the road

Well you could've gotten a Corvette and that's fiberglass. Mmm, fiberglass.

Sure, a Corvette.
http://jalopnik.com/heres-how-a-corvette-w...h-of-1806727930

[Bitter]

This is why you get cars made of plastic, no rust.

like saturns, right... pieces
flying all over the road

Well you could've gotten a Corvette and that's fiberglass. Mmm, fiberglass.

Sure, a Corvette.
http://jalopnik.com/heres-how-a-corvette-w...h-of-1806727930

http://jalopnik.com/the-dirtiest-corvette-ever-1798462801

[njccmd2002]

more disaster pictures...

rear windshield angle..... this part took almost 3 hours from start to finish....









the roof line, was also a disaster...









same side.......






Final result....



next to be tackled....





seriously that had the most bondo

[cheela]

wow! so have you found ANY part of the car that isn't bondo?

[Box]

Bondo is the devil.

[njccmd2002]

wow! so have you found ANY part of the car that isn't bondo?

there is bonfo in every panel, you have to consider its 40 year old, and it has been a beater racecar for most of its life...

model code TE37, the rare SR5, in japan was the Levin. Only brought to the us for 2 years, rare examples sell for 5k and up towards 10K in ebay recently.

there is a beater in Wyoming that they are asking 6k, lol. most that sell beaters are asking 3k. I cannot find a wreck one for parts. so its rare..

I tried to sell it, and refuse to loose 50% over it. so I decided to learn a few skills, and try my luck afterwards, but im hoping to make a drastic change in look..

Bondo is the devil.

you got that right, your cvar needs bondo

[njccmd2002]

on a glory day, this car was like new.

[Box]

My car doesn't need Bondo, it's made of plastic.

Ooooh, fender mirrors.

[njccmd2002]

another day to work in this car, and more things to be done.... Practice makes perfect, and this time went easier...

templates are getting better, and faster...



next is to cut the most rusted places, dont be afraid my wife says..



better view....



started to pave the way slowly... first the lateral support...



i used...



then the rear



then the exterior portion to the back...



well not always perfect... lol.. but it can be fixed....



i had to stop due to unforeseen reasons. will pick it up later

[Box]

I feel sorry for you. At least on old American cars everything is reproduced these days, I imagine for something like this it's all donours and fabrication.

[njccmd2002]

dont be, i enjoy working on it, and its a challenge every find that i do lol.. I could easily get rid of it and write off the loss. but its not the money. Its the car, ive grown to like it in a way, decided to save it. even if i sell it in the end, it wont be crushed...

[cheela]

I feel the same about my RA24. It's pretty rusty but part of the fun of buying a cheap classic is finding and fixing all this.
my RA29 on the other hand is a get in and just drive car. I can change things here and there but it'll be a slower restoration where I can still take it out. other than a paint job, i don't see me doing too much to it.

[njccmd2002]

more work in past couple days...



windshield edges



finished product...



whipped out the toys..



some massage required..



welded a few sides here and there and then some wirebrush to clear rust....



lol, por15 and call it done....

[rave2n]

Damn Sir, you weren't lying!

Thats a hella task, but I believe you are well equip for it!

[njccmd2002]

yes i know. its hard, but i keep doing

[njccmd2002]

more updates to this thread...

stripping



more



getting there...



oops, rust...



with a combination of phosphoric acid, and shop towels,



and then a little sandblasting. surface came good. but did not take many pics, lol..

but then por15



next is to clean the electric power steering system and few electrical upgrades...




relays

[Box]

You should get POR-15 to sponsor you.

[njccmd2002]

lol, por15 is so cheap.

[njccmd2002]

oo, great news, found a complete parts car. stay tuned

[cheela]

[bloodMoney]

Bahahahaha

[njccmd2002]

lol. you guys are maniacs

[Box]

They just don't realize you have four project cars or something.

[njccmd2002]

well i was able to finish the power steering parts...



in this past week week i bid on ebay on a parts car. got this....



came with original steelies.. and caps



The rear passenger drum was seized, and it a pain, in the asz



here they are side by side, the project and the donor



last time registered was in 87, and has been rottin since



disgusting trunk



bad shape willy



by the way who knows how to electroplate bolts, i love it...

[Bitter]

What did you plate them with?

[Box]

Need an electroplating machine and the chemical solutions for whatever plating you want to use. Can find old plating machines for cheap, the solutions can be pricey depending on what you want to use.

[cheela]

They just don't realize you have four project cars or something.

four project cars... hmm.... where have I heard that story before.....??

[njccmd2002]

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread....-Nuts-and-Bolts

I read this for electroplating

[cheela]

and Noberto...
WHAT IS THIS?



are you TRYING to create more work for you or is this how you always park/push your cars?

[njccmd2002]

1 inch there!

[Box]

Another thing you can do for nuts and bolts is cold blackening.

Here we go: http://www.caswellplating.com/metal-finish...oxide-kits.html

Would be my course of action, super easy and makes a nice finish. Not that expensive either.

This post has been edited by Box: Oct 27, 2017 - 11:18 PM

[njccmd2002]

The electroplating is easy too. I tought about the blackening. Caswwll is where i get the yellow chromate.

For the lazy ones, that dont read.. check out you tube channel arnolds design. He has a video on electroplating. Thats exactly what i do.

[Bitter]

I've copper plated some tools at work without electrocity, just need copper sulfate and bare steel, it plates all on it's own! As a matter of fact I might clean up and copper plate my control arm bolts to protect them from further rusting, good idea buddy!

[njccmd2002]

ok, won let this die.....

fix a mistake with another mistake...

whoa!!!!



and then....



shiiiiiiite!!



who is up for this task!!!!

stay tuned...

and in the meantime, here is my plating tank....



ahhh forgot, the block was seized. water inside and trash



11 bucks at the recycler... trannys in good shape...

the fun begins very soon

[bloodMoney]

GO! GO! GO! GO!

I need to live vicariously through you!

The baby has killed all car activites for me for the forseeable future....

[narly_charley]

The baby has killed all car activites for me for the forseeable future....

Haha! It's so true... I don't see myself getting anything fun or starting anything fun for 3-4+ years...

Edit:

Then I'll be f'd again, because we'll probably have another... Damn our fertility!

This post has been edited by narly_charley: Nov 16, 2017 - 9:22 AM

[njccmd2002]

The baby has killed all car activites for me for the forseeable future....

Haha! It's so true... I don't see myself getting anything fun or starting anything fun for 3-4+ years...

Edit:

Then I'll be f'd again, because we'll probably have another... Damn our fertility!

thats why its good to have em young.

[slavie]

You got 11 bucks for the engine or the car shell? Hard to tell which one you decided to trash, both are good candidates in my eyes.

[richee3]

thats why its good to have em young.

The same can be said of racecars!

[Box]

This is why I'm never having kids, well passing on my genetic ****storm aside.

[njccmd2002]

You got 11 bucks for the engine or the car shell? Hard to tell which one you decided to trash, both are good candidates in my eyes.

engine block, the car i just bought. The block was full of water, and i did not need it....

thats why its good to have em young.

The same can be said of racecars!

lol

This is why I'm never having kids, well passing on my genetic ****storm aside.

Adopting? maybe an answer....

[Box]

Not to derail any more, but yes I plan to adopt when the time is right. Plenty of children already out there that need a loving home, and I couldn't live with myself if I had kids and they ended up with it. What I keep trying to tell my mom, she didn't know so it was different whereas I do know.

Anyhow, what do you plan to use off the donour car so far?

[njccmd2002]

the outside skin will be used for mine and will see how it goes.....

have not been able to work on, because i decided to work on the RA24

i started again with rusted used bolts



then i blasted them



after a good scrub, and i mean a really good one, dipped each one in muriatic acid and cleaned with distilled water...



yes the acid is now yellow due to several uses...

one by one each bolt went through the plating process....



of course these are for the crossmember and the lateral arms..

check out the bolts for the idle arm...



new washer, new lock washer and new JIS nut..

here is a pic of the crossmember bolt, worth saving...

[Bitter]

I'm jealous.

[3WayStunna]

I really admire your skill and dedication towards this car. Amazing work you have done!

[njccmd2002]

its going to get better.......

[Bitter]

I forgot to ask, is the bolt plating going to be functionally durable or is it just some eye candy? How tough is it I guess.

[njccmd2002]

its durable. you can scratch it, but its not easy. Im hoping to last for the life of the car.

the you tube guy had the bar he plated 6 months in the rain and snow. it did not rust.

Im crossing fingers. lol.

[Box]

As long as the bolts outlast the car it's holding together that's all you can really ask for right?

[njccmd2002]

its better than paint them, paint cracks, and rust comes.

[Bitter]

I guess my concern is that tightening a nut onto the threads would scuff the plating off and let it rust exactly where you don't want it to rust. Otherwise it looks nice, will this plating polish to shine?

[njccmd2002]

should polish. Rust, with time maybe, but since im using lock nuts, i always use antiseize in the threads, and that will prevent rust...

[njccmd2002]

the hardest part is choosing, and making a decision..







by know you guys know whats going on here....





yes boys and girls, only one survives....



special body cart made to handle the process. good solid 3 days to tear a car apart by my self, of course with a lot of breaks and goof offs...

then i need to take the electrical stuff out...



and came to a wtf moment....



wtf, wtf, wtf..

how in the hell one can wire like this... what a mess. im having headaches....

well i hope i finish tonight so i can get on with live, will cut the parts i need for the other shell, and so forth.....

[Box]

Seems like a truck left their axle in your way.

[njccmd2002]

lol. old cars....

finished pulling the harness.. or wiring or wtf,



feels like im working on a house... look hidden fuses....



the spider of death....

and here is to future headaches...



going to leave some pics of a nice car....









I let my emotions get the best of me, paid a steep price.... but the concept will be saved

[Box]

At least it looks like they somewhat labeled things.

[njccmd2002]

no, i did

[slavie]

Hey, that looks like race car wiring - it has to work, and the car has to go fast. Looks are only considered through the lens of sanctioning body regulations ("wiring has to be tucked up, no loose wires"). Some won't let you on the track if your car really looks like crap, or even if too many body panels are just in primer.

Perfect candidate for a LeMons car though, already has a cage...

You got 11 bucks for the engine or the car shell? Hard to tell which one you decided to trash, both are good candidates in my eyes.

engine block, the car i just bought. The block was full of water, and i did not need it....

I'm bummed out my sarcasm was lost in transmission from server to server.

This post has been edited by slavie: Nov 29, 2017 - 8:28 AM

[cheela]

[njccmd2002]

yes i know, i said the same thing, when i saw it for the first time, 2 years after i bought it....

Hey, that looks like race car wiring - it has to work, and the car has to go fast. Looks are only considered through the lens of sanctioning body regulations ("wiring has to be tucked up, no loose wires"). Some won't let you on the track if your car really looks like crap, or even if too many body panels are just in primer.

Perfect candidate for a LeMons car though, already has a cage...

too bad the car shell is not worth 500 bucks, lol. In my opinion is worth more. Why. Because the cost of a rollbar in my new shell will be at least 800 or more if i hire someone to do it. and also i need the parts of this car to fix my other shell. I once put it on ebay and someone offered me 500 for the whole car. I LOLd hard. Then i realized, in the current condition the car will never sell. Then i started to care for the bastard, and now im using it to fix a much better shell. At the end, what matters is the end product...

This TE37, once restored is a beautiful car.... Not a Lemons candidate any more.. Ill use for shows, or maybe sell for a profit to the right buyer....

This cage is coming out of the car, will get blasted, painted and reinstalled. All the components removed, like the rear sway bar, fuel cell, and race engine and ae84 brakes and coilovers are to be swapped.

The wiring will be fixed...

the shell car will be cut, and the rest sent to scrap. thats the way its got to be done....

[Box]

or maybe sell for a profit to the right buyer....

You mean not a kid that just wrecked their last car?

[njccmd2002]

or maybe sell for a profit to the right buyer....

You mean not a kid that just wrecked their last car?

a te37 will only be sold to an adult, with kids. LOL..

a kid that just wrecked, wont be able to afford it.

Usually these sell for 6k to 10k range... The right collector will come along. like i said. the te37 only made it to the states for 2 years before ir had an ugly facelift.

Not many examples left... and in the end, i rather keep than loose money....

[njccmd2002]

well i just wanted to give this thread closure. because, i did not want it to just die like most. Recently My te37 went to racecar heaven.......





used a plasma cutter, what fun i had...



got it out in one piece....



last but not least, the donor parts....



I will be woking on the new shell, wont post thread here. maybe somewhere else.....



It kinda made me sad....

the end.....

[bloodMoney]

Kinda dramatic eh, Noberto?

I like seeing what you're tinkering around with.... Reminds me of all the things I can't do now that I have the baby.

[Box]

So the new shell ended up being in a lot better shape or something?

[njccmd2002]

drama is good.

box, the floorboards are gone.... need to weld new ones, outside is better.

[cheela]

so you're gonna open it up from the bottom, stick the cage in and then weld in the floors?

[njccmd2002]

so you're gonna open it up from the bottom, stick the cage in and then weld in the floors?

thats for another forum hahahaha....

I wont continue the updates here, but of course not, that would be impossible..... Im going to use shrinking fluid....

lol, dont know yet.

Ive started my thread in JNC..... where it belongs...

[Box]

We see how it is.

[njccmd2002]

I will keep updating box here...

So let me show you some halloween pictures of my new project.....



the brown is not paint...





that is paper thin rust...

and moving on to the interior...







and the side





Just because the car is so rare to find for sale, and was only made for two years, but made me regret spending on it thinking it was a better shell. Well only exteriorly....

[Bitter]

If you have an air hammer get one of these for the nose of it so you can blast rust off frames and stuff real easy, this chews through scale and gets you down to nearly bare metal in a jiffy, down enough to paint on rust encapsulating paints or grind to bare metal in much much less time with much much less wasted grinding media.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ironton-Utility-Ne...TAAAOSw0W5aDgSC

[njccmd2002]

NO!.....

Thats the worst repair, sure it can be quick. but the metal is already thin... so it only weakens it... The solution is on the works...



and here is the hump removed...



the second hump was removed...



of course i need to remove all that paint and bedliner and fix the minimal rust this floor pan has....

and of course all the other sections will be transplanted as well...

[Box]

Hopefully you have enough between the two cars to make one. I want to know where these cars were sitting to get so ****ing rusty. With the *counts* five 60's to 70's domestics between my brother and myself none have been anywhere as rusty, yeah they had the usual pan rust but that was it. I don't think domestics did any rust proofing beyond paint either then, of course there are plenty of old domestics just as bad. Then again he had that '79 280ZX as well and it wasn't rusty either, so I guess it's more an issue of no salt exposure period to any whatsoever and it's all over.

[Bitter]

It's meant for heavier parts like frames, engine blocks, differentials, transmission cases, etc cause jesus it would punch right through sheet metal!

[cheela]

whoa! makes your RA24 look in great condition.

[njccmd2002]

in so lazy with the RA....

[cheela]

no, I hear ya. why do we keep picking up new projects when the old ones aren't even done yet? hahah

last thing I did was slap a pacesetter header on a while ago. lol

[njccmd2002]

the hardest part is to prep the donor...



and of course removing spot welds....



that bedliner was thick...

[Bitter]

You'd better get an article on Jalop when this is done

[Box]

Bed liner fixes everything though.

[njccmd2002]

You'd better get an article on Jalop when this is done

nah, i do this for fun. plus i love the lines of the car

[njccmd2002]

one step closer, the floor has been separated into 2 pieces, to repair damage...

DSCN1754


removed what was left of the rails

DSCN1755



DSCN1759


they were previously repaired, badly, with no drain hole, so it was rusted beyond belief. makes me better about cutting up the donor shell


i would say stripping the paint, was the longest part..

DSCN1758


started patching properly some previous owner mistakes.

DSCN1760


DSCN1761


Its got long ways to go before its worthy...

DSCN1762



also scavenging more parts for the proper fix of the engine bay frame rail

DSCN1756



its tedious to remove all spot welds..

DSCN1757


this is all a one man job, so until next episode....

[Box]

You need to invest in a soda blaster, would make stripping parts so much faster.

[njccmd2002]

You need to invest in a soda blaster, would make stripping parts so much faster.

lol, soda does not do anything to rust, and i do have one and its not cheap to use soda to strip, leaves a mess, and you cant recycle.

I cant do too much sandblasting because of the rain. its been raining almost every day since december, its cheaper to strip with chemical stripper, then the last clean up to blast it.

Been there and done it...

Soda blasting is perfect for plastics, leaves a clean surface, ready for adhesive promoter and then paint.

[bloodMoney]

Are you making your own frame rails, or are those from the other car?

I like how you added the ribs to that floor section to help stiffen it up... Great job as always!

[slavie]

What bit do you use to drill out the spot welds?

[Bitter]

What bit do you use to drill out the spot welds?

https://imgur.com/gallery/qyIqv
He uses those.

[njccmd2002]

lol, 3/8 spot weld drill from Harbor freight..

[njccmd2002]

tackling the car, today i had to remove the rear bumper, well it was seized.

pulled out my favorite tool

DSCN1777


came out like bolts that were greased with crisco, very easy, lol

tried to tackle the rust in the trunk compartment..

DSCN1775


i usually do this, 2 or 3 times, while i go do other stuff, it really removes rust. Impregnate a blue towel shop with Phosphoric acid, and brush in between.

DSCN1776


after 1st round, realized a patch is headed this way, lol... oh and the wheel tub, was cut out...

DSCN1778


the pinholes became quarter holes, lol.