'71 510 - Another SR20DET

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DonnieDatsun
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'71 510 - Another SR20DET

Post by DonnieDatsun »

I got to the realm last December right after my purchase of this time capsule '71 510: viewtopic.php?f=33&t=28583
(Full gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/137765905 ... 749483980/)

Just this month I did a swap which involved that 510 going to Brandon while I acquired the 510 covered in the "Cuban Missile Crisis" thread from the Engine Swap forum: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=12071

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Lots of good engineering already done on this car, but cosmetics have yet to be addressed, along with a few other things.

This is where I'll plan on documenting / (mostly) asking tons of questions during the course of this build. Starting with...
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DonnieDatsun
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Re: '71 510 - Another SR20DET

Post by DonnieDatsun »

...rust mitigation!

I discovered these two fun areas on closer inspection inside the passenger side fender well. These seem to be the only rough spots on the car at the moment as I didn't find anything in any of the other wheel wells or underneath during a quick go-over:

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This isn't catastrophic yet, but it has me thinking I might shoot for stripping down the car and sealing it off and painting it sooner rather than later. That said, I don't even own a welder at this point and I'm certainly not a pro at it. Obviously it's tough to know the full extent of the problem until you start grinding away at it, but based on reading other threads where people dealt with similar issues (actually, worse, usually), I think I have a pretty good feel for where this is going. I'm thinking I might save for a strip down and patch up metal work this winter. Does anyone have a good feel for what this might set me back? Metal work is always the most expensive part of body prep, but I'm hoping nothing too extensive is required.

I'm looking to do this right from the get go because the intent is for this car to be a driver-quality vehicle that will last for the long-term. I have no intention of taking shortcuts that will result in pain down the road. I welcome any suggestions regarding how to proceed.
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510wizard
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Re: '71 510 - Another SR20DET

Post by 510wizard »

There's an article in the old 510 news letter, that shows most of the popular rust areas on a 510. I am sure that Okayfine has the #. I would check it out for possible other rust areas. Also realize that the 510 used multiple layers of metal stacked on top of other, so even if you see rust on the surface, it can go into the other layers. Rust can and does start from the bottom layers of said metal and work its way out , but hasn't shown its ugly head yet in the surface metal (as they say it's a cancer). As you stated you want it done right, so that means full body strip with media blast. It will show areas that you thought to be rust free,(be prepared for more rust and all that initials).
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DonnieDatsun
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Re: '71 510 - Another SR20DET

Post by DonnieDatsun »

Vol. 5 Iss. 3 ;)

I'm definitely familiar with the areas! That's why I'm completely unsurprised that this one is rearing its ugly head. And I'm sure this rail needs help inside, which is why I'm sure I need some metal work. The passenger rocker may also need some more significant TLC. Any estimate what I should budget for a good media blast and a little metal work? I don't believe there will be much, if any, metal work required beyond this area.
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