Z based 250 GTO project

[Jeff H]

Originally Posted by jones

How are you getting on Jeff?

Hi,

Aiming to get it in primer by the end of next week all being well.

[K.C.NewbieUk]

Absolutely awesome.

[K.C.NewbieUk]

Originally Posted by Jeff H

I recently bought this unfinished project,

It is based on a 1975 Datsun 260 Z, the chap spent five years building it in his spare time, he has bought quite a few parts for the car so it is almost 100 per cent complete.

It drove on and off the trailer, the engine seems ok at 1st look, obviously it has had some welding being a RHD UK car, we still salt the roads here and I don't think they were that well under sealed from new.

The kit has been fitted well, he spent a fair bit of time on getting the wheels centered in the arches and making good all the panel gaps.

He also lengthened the bonnet by about six inches toward the scuttle.

The car is currently in primer and has been for some time, this will all have to come off as it was the crappy cellulose stuff which is well known for sucking up moisture and will only come and bite me in the arse at a later date if not removed.

Plans are to remould the bonnet and boot lid as they are way too thick, replace the rear window for the proper 250 one, do the interior and paint.

I have the proper dash for the car but sadly all the gauges are Smiths ones so will need to sort that out.

I am not a fan of the F badges so will leave them off until it is time to sell, I do intend to use this and keep it for a bit 1st any way.

It wont progress much for a few weeks just yet as I have a couple of long termers in the workshop and have limited space to work on it.

Ok pics.






The last picture shows how crude the boot lid has been mounted, I will be picking Gary's (Lancelot Link) brains for a better solution to mounting it.

Absolutely awesome.

[Jeff H]

I have managed to get a bit more done,

I was hoping to get some polly primer on the car but then thought I had better get the bonnet and boot lid done 1st just in case they needed any extra work for fitment etc.

My knowledge of mould making is limited but I do have a good friend who makes GT40 bodies for a living so I spent a few days with him as he had all the products needed to reproduce the panels.

1st thing required was to get the buck nice and shiney, I had some old BRG 2K solid left over from an earlier job that I used, it flats and polishes up quite well.

Bonnet and boot lid painted.




Then the panels were waxed several times with the release mould wax leaving plenty of time between coats for it to harden off.


Next was gel coat, I asked Lee to use a less popular colour to keep costs down, he had some Oxford Blue left over from another job that had essentially been paid for.


We taped the edge around the bonnet to stop any gel coat from creeping under and creating a mechanical lock, next was what Lee called a skim coat of matting, this was the 350 gram stuff and we also used tissue around the edges to stop the corners from lifting.


This was allowed to dry then followed with two more coats of the heavy 600 gram 2 ounce matting and we now have two moulds done.


Once trimmed and released the boot lid mould was cleaned then waxed once again ready for gel and matting. We left the outer skin on the bonnet as we needed to turn it over to take a mould from the inner skin and it helped keep the whole lot a lot stiffer.
Finished boot lid mould.

And the finished piece rested in place on the car.

The same process was used to make the inner and outer bonnet mould, wax, gel and matting, we also taped around the edges to stop the two moulds sticking together.


Lee then trimmed the moulds and released them using wedges, they were again cleaned ,waxed, gelled and laid up, we only used one layer of heavy matt for the inner skin as once bonded to the outer skin it was very strong and more importantly a lot lighter than the original.

[Jeff H]

I wasn't there when Lee released the two parts and joined them for me, he sent me some pics of the process, he used foam between the two skins to stop any drumming, I also had new fixing brackets made for the hinge mounts and bonnet catch, these were bonded in before the skins were put together.

[Jeff H]

I had a bracket folded up for the boot lid mount, it is a bit heavier that I would have liked but it does the job, I bonded it in place with Stixall and glassed over the top for good measure.



I will satin Black the inside of the boot lid so it should blend in ok. I am hoping to get some more done in the next few weeks but the diary is really full with customers work at the mo.

[molleur]

Well done Jeff! Turned out very nicely.

[Mark Burton]

Nice work Jeff. Looking forward to seeing this finished as it’s going to be a thing on quality.

[jones]

Great update Jeff! Looking good!

[Car photographer]

nice work

[JG]

Thanks for sharing Jeff. Always like to see progress shots like these.

What is the white material on the underside of the bootlid?

Also when you say foam between the 2 skins of the bonnet, is this covering the whole bonnet area or just the edges?

Will be doing something similar this year so good to know these tips.

Does your pal have any recommendations for fibreglass supplies, especially in quantities to mould a car and create a body? Think Halfords could work out a bit steep

[Jeff H]

Originally Posted by JG

Thanks for sharing Jeff. Always like to see progress shots like these.

What is the white material on the underside of the bootlid?

Also when you say foam between the 2 skins of the bonnet, is this covering the whole bonnet area or just the edges?

Will be doing something similar this year so good to know these tips.

Does your pal have any recommendations for fibreglass supplies, especially in quantities to mould a car and create a body? Think Halfords could work out a bit steep

Hi John,

The White stuff on the inside of the boot lid is core mat, very strong and light, Lee uses it in a lot of places on the GT40 bodies he does.

As for supplies I guess it is a case of emailing or ringing around for best prices, I have a mate who makes beach buggy bodies and he uses East coast fiberglass supplies , I have used fiberglass direct in the past and as with all this stuff the postage can be high.

For a full body it would pay to get the big 45 gallon drum of resin and the matting on the big rolls. I think the big drum is over £500.00.

[Jeff H]

Oh and the foam was just hot glued at the top of the bonnet where there was a gap to fill.

[JG]

Thanks Jeff, I'll have a look around. I've heard of East Coast, so I'll start there.

Cheers, John

[Simon E]

Hi Jeff, what final colour will you be going for on this one?

[Jeff H]

Hi,

I am 99 percent sure it will be based upon this car, as far as I am aware there has only been one of the originals done in this colour.

We all know that there are tons of red ones about so just wanted something a bit different.

Sadly the car has not progressed at all due to other things going on at mo.

[Simon E]

Well seeing how your previous cars turned out I'd say this is going to look the mutts nutts

[kevemm]

Great work Jeff you will really make a difference to this car. I have looked at several over the years and remember this one on Ebay. For me i do prefer the Datsun kits and with the decent engine you can make them sound right. many are let down by their interiors being left as standard sometimes the rear arches look too narrow IMO. Its great that the fuel cap is in the right location and its got the correct door handles. I have always fancied one in silver, whats the wheel and tyre sizing as that always looked a like the car sat a little too low?
Regards Kev