1970 Subaru FF-1 Project car

john · **Posted:** Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:05 pm

Also, you might not have time to wait, but we'll be doing an article in JNC soon about "the basics of bodywork"... :tu:

Kostamojen · **Posted:** Mon Aug 24, 2009 6:42 pm

Waiting is something I don't mind doing, especially if it will be in the next issue!

Kostamojen · **Posted:** Mon Aug 24, 2009 6:44 pm

Datsunrides wrote:

You have a very good filler there. I personally am not a fan of the "cheese graters" (the file thing). I see you have flexable sanding blocks in your pic. If that is what you are using for sanding, I can see why you are having problems. Get yourself a longboard (it's a solid wood piece that has handles on both ends) and an air powered body file if you can swing it. It will make the task bearable and give you a much better result. I'm getting ready to start doing bodywork to my Toyota wagon and can post up a few pics of the process I use, or you could swing by for a tutorial in a few weeks.

Mark

The cheese grater was cheap, I only used it to get rid of the "globs" that I had so I wouldn't waste sandpaper.

I'll have to look into the longboard, I think they had them at the paint shop I got this stuff from (minus the grater, that was from Kragen).

I don't have a compressor, so air tools are out of the question. I think there is a electric sander somewhere in the garage, but its not the long variety.

Datsunrides · **Posted:** Mon Aug 24, 2009 9:12 pm

Get the longboard. It will make it easier to get a nice repair. The air powered body file is not that much faster than hand sanding. I use it because I have a compressor, and only use it for the first cut with 36/40 grit. Everything after that is hand sanded. My opinion, FWIW, is to stay away from D/A sanders and electric sanders. The surface area is too small to easily blend in the repair area and you can end up with waves. Now, a D/A does work very well for spot repairs, but for anything larger than the size of the disc, go with the longboard where you can. Try to avoid going in one direction only. I like to rotate between left to right, then left to right while sanding down, then right to left while going up. The purpose to it is to match the contour of the panel, which is where the longboard comes in. Because of the length, it should be riding on a part of the panel that is not damaged, thus blending the repair to the existing straight panel.

Mark

john · **Posted:** Tue Aug 25, 2009 6:46 pm

Datsunrides wrote:

FWIW, is to stay away from D/A sanders and electric sanders. The surface area is too small to easily blend in the repair area and you can end up with waves. Now, a D/A does work very well for spot repairs, but for anything larger than the size of the disc, go with the longboard where you can.

Which is what I should have said...

Thanks for the clarification. I only use the D/A for leveling/blending small spot repairs.

MPJ · **Posted:** Wed Sep 02, 2009 6:01 pm

How did you get your sun visors black? Re-Cover? or Did you "paint" them with a special product?

MPJ · **Posted:** Wed Sep 02, 2009 7:16 pm

Are you aware of the FF1 that is available through the 360 Driver's Club? Apparently it is has good mechanicals but a rusty body. Check it out on the Discussion Board, if you haven't already.

Kostamojen · **Posted:** Wed Sep 02, 2009 8:15 pm

MPJ wrote:

How did you get your sun visors black? Re-Cover? or Did you "paint" them with a special product?

Vinyl paint. Works great, when used on Vinyl.

Kostamojen · **Posted:** Wed Sep 02, 2009 8:16 pm

MPJ wrote:

Are you aware of the FF1 that is available through the 360 Driver's Club? Apparently it is has good mechanicals but a rusty body. Check it out on the Discussion Board, if you haven't already.

I've actually got everything now required to reassemble the car, minus things like wiring, fuel lines, radiator, etc. which i'm going to make new or have made.

MPJ · **Posted:** Wed Sep 02, 2009 8:20 pm

OK, thanks.
What an Excellent project you have going! So cool you hooked up with Ed Parsil for tools, etc..
I have been lurking and following your progress. Keep it up and keep posting.

r100guy · **Posted:** Thu Sep 03, 2009 12:18 pm

Just stumbled across your thread and noticed on page one the "before" photos. The license plate frame read "Teddy Bear Havas Motors" in Reno. Gawd I remember that dealership! LoL They had a big teddy bear sitting way on top of the Subaru sign. A tiny dealership just big enough for a new unknown japanese brand. One night the teddy bear blew down and from then on it was just Havasubaru. Memories.........

Kostamojen · **Posted:** Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:34 pm

r100guy wrote:

Just stumbled across your thread and noticed on page one the "before" photos. The license plate frame read "Teddy Bear Havas Motors" in Reno. Gawd I remember that dealership! LoL They had a big teddy bear sitting way on top of the Subaru sign. A tiny dealership just big enough for a new unknown japanese brand. One night the teddy bear blew down and from then on it was just Havasubaru. Memories.........

LOL! Well the car was originally purchased there from what i've been able to gather, so it hasn't gone far from home

john · **Posted:** Sat Sep 12, 2009 4:35 pm

You mentioned earlier in the thread you were "collecting photos"? Do you have this one already?

Kostamojen · **Posted:** Sun Sep 20, 2009 5:09 pm

Spent all weekend working on cleaning up the transmission case and starting the rebuild...

For reference, the transmission is being assembled using THREE different transmissions :p

Case and differential from a '71 FF-1 1300
Gearing and forks from a '83 1600
Rear housing, flywheel and bellhousing from a '74 1400

I had to swap the gear from the differential to the FF-1 diff, I'm also having to use the "shift levers" from the 1400 that are at the rear bottom of the case in order to use the 1400 rear housing (due to the FF-1 housing being broken

). I will also have to have a clutch modified to use the splines from the '83 main shaft since the 1400/1300 clutch has a different spline size.

Its complicated, but it will be worth the change in gearing!

ben · **Posted:** Mon Sep 21, 2009 1:34 am

It must have been a pain to clean, but it looks stellar. :tu:

Kostamojen · **Posted:** Mon Sep 21, 2009 5:51 pm

Ya, had to get in there with a dremel with the small wire brush... And that was AFTER hot tanking it at work! PITA, but worth it.

Kostamojen · **Posted:** Sun Oct 04, 2009 5:42 pm

Just finished the transmission.

I'm about 90% sure I got the backlash right, but i've never done this before so I can't be 100% sure :p

I had to bore out the throwout bearing holder to fit around the wider spline from the '83 main shaft, but other than that, it went rather smooth after getting a couple of the oil seals installed at work properly (after I destroyed a couple...)

zukiru · **Posted:** Sun Oct 04, 2009 10:55 pm

dude! it's got an input shaft plate!

does that mean the seal could be changed without splitting the tranny?

:tu:

loks like a new tranny! good work!

Kostamojen · **Posted:** Sun Oct 04, 2009 11:12 pm

You mean the oil seal behind the plate? Yes it can be replaced without splitting the block.

Kostamojen · **Posted:** Sat Oct 10, 2009 4:20 pm

Getting ready to try some more body filler:

1970 Subaru FF-1 Project car

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