R32 Gts4 - Restoration/rebuild

[Nee-san]

The trim thing is something I have been wondering about too, it'd be almost impossible to find the original ?

Keep up the good work Chris

[Chris Rogers]

yep. part of the reason when I get to that point the seats/panels go on a truck to MLB (or if its around Oct I'll take them myself.) if anyone can find what I'm looking for this fellow can.

[Chris Rogers]

start of rear guard removal. most of it was hit with an angle grinder to get it off.

rear guard section. that took the fuel filler mount with it when it came off. that mount is not part of the guard - it is an extra piece.

rear wheel arch -inside. the rear area lower is almost non existent. panel shop is aware of it and has already worked out how to fix it.

the other side is fine.

still need to remove the sealant around the fuel tank hole

inside view of the lower rear guard - all of this crap is what caused the thing to rust in the bottom corner.

if you have crap like this in your's - clean it out!

this has been cleaned with thinners and ground clean. there is a ventilation duct that sits in the void. the small hole in the top left was a screw.a bit of brass will fill that. the lower white seam will need to be resealed.

more guard removal - the weld mark is where the cut n shut was done. the people that did it certainly liked the stick welder.

close up of bog used on that side. there is 3-4mm there. that is all gone now.

removal of the ORIGINAL panel (top area) that was welded over. once the new ones land it will be done with brass to hide the seam.

original panel gone. note lower area. this was the result of two things: a misplaced sunroof drain and incorrect jacking. I am going to make a hole in the new sills so that the sunroof drains out to the ground and not into the new sills.

close up of the top area showing where the factory roof/guard seam is. cable ties are holding the build plate for the car. I do not have a safe place to put it at this point.

closeup of lower area showing rust from sunroof drain and incorrect jacking. that sill had been replaced once already.

another photo of the crush and where I cut it loose

the above section of panel removed. note rust on bottom.

panel off showing sill damage and rust because of it.

this was the cracked area that is visible quite a few images back. note the build up of crap behind it. at that point the only part of the guard left is on the B pillar.

rear area prepped and ready for new panel. the side window area and rear window area have also been done.

this is how it sits when I'm done with it for a bit. looks bad in the work shop otherwise. great talking point though once I pull the cover off.

[Chris Rogers]

Ordered a couple more small bits today. Fig 78120,78126.

those are NOT part of the rear guard.

in addition to this FIG 78111E & 78100B are also not part of it. 78111E is no longer available new from nissan. I have mine still and its it perfect condition so I will cut it out of the panel and reuse it. I am going to wait on Fig 78100B and see if it is part of the guard. the diagram says otherwise but seems most things on this car are getting revised as it ages.

part numbers for those playing at home:

78120-04U00 - Base Filler lid

78134-04U00 - corner rear fender RH

78112-04U30 - fender rear RH

the first two are cheap at 30 & $50 each. the rear guard though not cheap. $700+ ! yet to order it.

roof panel is due about the 10th or so of may.

had the panel guy out today for a 45 minute chat about the car and what else I needed to do with it. from my side (removal of things and buying new parts) I'm just about done with it. I can't drop the sills off until I get the car to the panel shop. if I do it before hand the thing will be a pretzel and lose shape.

GT motors is quite impressed at what I am doing and how I am pulling it down a piece at a time. to be honest I'm learning a fair bit as well by doing it.

I know now exactly how the car was put together and where all the seams are on it.

to those that call me a mad man - nope determined is the better word.

wait till you see what I do with the inside of it.

[Chris Rogers]

remnant of rear guard. spoke to the panel shop about removal and was told to be precise and punch through every spot weld on it (I have found 6.) and it will slide out.

area around rear guard removed. it has been sectioned when the side was done. rear area has to be rebuilt.

close up of rear area. a lot of crap fell out of that when I ground it off with a grinder

forward B pillar - stray metal removed and prepped with copper paint. the lower sill scrap can stay there for now. the main area I wanted to clean was the painted section so I could see where the sill was and how it fits into this giant jigsaw puzzle.

as it sits now the outer sill is first, B pillar panel second and inner sill 3rd. the outer is going to be easy to get off. the inner one I'm not sure on until I get started in the outer. car has to go to the panel shop for this part of it. I am doing the removal but not at the risk of it folding like a pretzel if I do it in my workshop and THEN move it.

[Chris Rogers]

quick note for those tossing GTR tanks in a GTST body. the rubber bung (to the right of this image) IS THE STRAP MOUNTING POINT FOR A GTR !

that makes my patch job a bit easier as I do not have to worry about strength on that point as the mount needs to slide across a hole.

[Chris Rogers]

fuel strap support removed. that hole was under it (see a few images back) and as such it will be sectioned out and replaced with a bit of steel. the hole I need to use is covered by the steel brace.

rear shot of removed fuel strap support. that is the other side of the rust spot.

this was a right royal pain in the ass to get off. one layer of steel over it and one under it. it did NOT help that it was welded in place from the top down. see next image for a MUCH better explanation.

there's not a lot left in that top corner. I'm in two minds here. ENTIRE rear shelf or a steel plate. body shop can decide there.

the top corner of it was ALL weld not a scrap of steel to punch through and remove. the back end of it was 4 spot welds and it came loose. the top left that mess when I removed it.

[japtaxi]

its a new radiator overflow bottle. there is a trap when buying these things: you can buy the bottle/hose, you DO NOT get the yellow cap. that cap costs $10 extra! bottle cost is $170.

I have a brand new cap you could have for $0 but I guess too late now

[Chris Rogers]

doh! should have told me!!

[Chris Rogers]

spoke to the panel shop today about the mess in the right rear corner of the window - it was suggested that it would be cheaper (labor wise) to replace the rear shelf than it would be to make a patch for it. I tend to agree myself. this is another panel that stays in place until the car goes to the panel shop. given that it ties the middle of the car together I'm not about to remove it just yet. there are 45 spot welds on it that will take me about and hour or so to get off.

part number is : 79400-04U30 for those keeping track

for those that want to check - this is what the rear seam around the boot is 'supposed' to look like. if you do not have one there is a VERY good chance that yours has been crashed and you have the problem I am faced with now.

tape measure showing length of 'caulk' seam. this is mainly for my reference so the panel shop has a reference to work from.

picked this up today. its a GTST item and now I have a full set of reverse lights that are not cracked. the inner mounts are intact as are the steel brackets that hold it to the body. see the next two images for a better description

image showing damaged mounting points and torn plastic tabs

close up of the steel brackets/plastic tabs. 90% of these things are rusted (right side) or the plastic mounting points have been sheared off. in both cases it makes the panel almost useless.

[Chris Rogers]

some new bits: the left one is the lower rear right corner brace for the boot. the right one is the fuel filler panel. this is an addition to the rear guard and not part of it.

I also ordered the rear boot panel today as well. it is a LOCALLY kept piece out of MLB.

the rear shelf is next to order and that too is a LOCAL piece. It seems local support for this car is great!!

there are $90 worth of bits there.

closeup showing part number

close up showing part number

[bigmikespec]

God almighty she is in rough shape... credit to you mate. Great work!

[maclarenf1]

in the thick of it Chris....

nice to see regular updates.. i am an avid follow of the tread

[Chris Rogers]

God almighty she is in rough shape... credit to you mate. Great work!

give me 6 months

the interior arrived today for it , the engine arrives on monday from there it's a case of reassembly once a few more panels arrive.

[Chris Rogers]

spent some time tonight unpacking a pallet of stuff. two boxes , carpet,boot trimmings and lots of panel work. all of it out of a 89 GTR that could not have been over 38-40K old. every bit of it was clean as and I have put all of it away and in boxes. dash included.

it was a far cry from where I started and once the body is done/painted it will go in. purchased it off a SAU NSW club member. cheers pete

I also started stripping the mirrors down and bagging the bits. if I can get the paint off without destroying them in the process then I will start cleaning them up. I have to find new mirror glass that is FLAT glass. I think that is going to be fun

[Chris Rogers]

in the thick of it Chris....

nice to see regular updates.. i am an avid follow of the tread

you got to see it though. most are not that lucky.

I will say one thing at the end of this build. if anyone door dings it I will probably kill them.

[Chris Rogers]

rear boot panel is here. hopefully pick it up on monday.

[Miguelone]

Been keeping an eye on this build, keen to see all the new panels being welded up.

[Chris Rogers]

as am I. I will be doing test fitting on the majority of it. the drivers side should be easy as all of it will simply line up as the factory built it. the passenger side I think will be interesting. I still have a factory fitted guard there and getting it loose without destroying it will be the hard part. I'm not keen on doing that one as well when there is nothing wrong with it.

[Chris Rogers]

just got off the phone to a mate of mine. he's going to drop my wheels around on monday. 17" BBS Vspec 1 wheels

cost - dont ask!