1968 Datsun 510 Sedan (Project Datto)

[MasterDon]

I see the mods have edited my earlier post. ####

Anyway Don.The intention of my earlier posts was not on behalf of you or Komi.Frankly I think you two are beyond help and seem to be living in a bubble where any critisism just bounces off of you.Particularly our good doctor is not equipped to handle anyone's opinions but his it seems,And from you I get nothing but long replies making excuses.Even now you've dug up some obscure article from the internet to disprove me.I would have commented earlier but it's not my car and it's not my thread....Even on the Integra thread(It's not a Type R people!) I noticed many issues but I remained silent because I could sense Komi's enthusiasm.But there is a limit to everything and the bullshit must stop somewhere.

No,my intention was to stop any members,particularly the newbies, from being misled by all this non sense where you applaud mediocrity and glorify daylight robbery.You talk about engine model numbers and other facts quoted from Wikipedia like pros but seem to be not aware that they're basically building you a rust pile back at the garage and are ripping you off...But as I said I really don't care about what happens to you two.Komi will finish this car eventually and he will parade this Cataloy and rust abomination around like a pro.But atleast now the members here will be aware what's really under that car and what not to do when restoring cars.

I just want return the favour Autolanka did to me when I joined seven years ago.I was dropped in to the midst of people who really knew what they were talking about and were also humble.People like Devinda_Z,Supra,Mani,Gearhead,Milindu,GTAm,Malith,Andrew,VVTi,Meangreen,Ripper,Gihan FX,DilanGT,Duncan,Dilesh,Peri,Velocity etc were my heroes and even now when I'm stuck they are the first people I turn to for help...But lately AL has turned in to this who has the biggest #### competition along with lots of mutual ass kissing.Filled with hollow personalities and zero substance...And that makes me sad.

Also if you're waiting for someone bring a better tinker/painter to your doorstep you're gonna have a bad time sunshine.

Edited September 18, 2014 by MADZ
Name calling Mods

[MADZ]

MasterDon...I advice kindly refrain from name calling AL Mods.

As suggested by VVTi lets take few days off....chill dudes !

oh and btw...sorry for not taking part in the essay competition.

[Kavvz]

........Anyway Don.The intention of my earlier posts was not on behalf of you or Komi.Frankly I think you two are beyond help and seem to be living in a bubble where any critisism just bounces off of you.Particularly our

I just want return the favour Autolanka did to me when I joined seven years ago.I was dropped in to the midst of people who really knew what they were talking about and were also humble.People like Devinda_Z,Supra,Mani,Gearhead,Milindu,GTAm,Malith,Andrew,VVTi,Meangreen,Ripper,Gihan FX,DilanGT,Duncan,Dilesh,Peri,Velocity etc were my heroes ......

I see Master Don has forgotten to list my name among his heroes>? No worries, people often forget, but its cool, for as he has mentioned, I am 'humble'

Okay will stop with the corny shit, but seriously MD: GihanFx was your hero? Wasn't he the one that added a body-kit to a KIA something or the other in order for it to look like an EVO and then left in a huff because we didn't bend down and worship him for his ingenuity?

As for the essays: There's a lot of good advice listed among the name calling. I don't plan on restoring anything anytime soon, but still I found it educational. Next I need to get a ding or a scrape worked on I'll be looking to see whether the bugger is piling filler on top of bare metal and yell bloody murder if he is...

Edited September 18, 2014 by Kavvz

[MasterDon]

Whoops!..Sorry kavvz,you are my ultimate hero! ...and let's not forget Kotte Mafia too.That guy taught me the many ways on how to get high on weed.

Yes GFX was the one with kitted KIA and later he went on to convert an STi...he and I had our differences but I did learn a lot from the guy.

[Supra_Natural]

Yes you're right it's not your job. But it sure isn't a courtesy either, so you can get off your high horse. The reason you're replying is cos the tinker/painter you have been (indirectly or unintentionally) endorsing has been proven to be inept. And to keep yourself from loosing face you HAD to explain/defend him.

And I do NOT agree with your segregation of metal work and paint-prep. They go hand in hand. Even the most beautiful piece of metalwork is of no use if it's gonna rust in a couple of years. So someone who truly cares about his exquisite workmanship would try to save it from rust. I'm no-where as experienced as most of you here, but AFAIK, once the tinker has finished his 'tinkering' he would give it a coat of that gray or brown primer to protect the metal. And it is on THIS primer that the painter applies putty on. (MD, Please correct me if i'm wrong)

And if MD doesn't want to share his tinker/painter its HIS choice. You don't have to drop hints about it in every other post. If you (or someone in the forum) ends up having an issue with the tinker after being recommended by MD, you may create bad-blood between MD and his tinker. So enough of "if you know someone tell us who it is".

Weren't you calling The Don out just a few posts up for responding to posts directed at Komi? I believe the term you used was PPDSing

So why are you doing the same thing thing here? Deliberately trying to stir things up is frowned upon and you know that very well. So why do it?

Since Madz says no more arguments, we'll stop it. But, just to set the record straight, by The Don's own admission he was taking part in this as a forum-member and not a moderator. SO penalizing MasterDon for name-calling a moderator is illogical and unfair IMO.

I'm not an expert, but it's just a simple member's logical conclusion.

Generally when you say "we'll stop" it doesn't mean you get to continue arguing by saying " just to set the record straight".

Name calling anyone on the forum is generally frowned upon, as again you know very well.. In this case MD was not penalised, the post was merely edited and anyway it was me that did the editing.

Now you two can turn your guns on me if you want but honestly it would be better if we let the thing slide. MD can certainly point out any errors, that's what the don and Komi have asked people to do from earlier on, but there really is no need to be offensive.

[Kavvz]

Whoops!..Sorry kavvz,you are my ultimate hero! ...and let's not forget Kotte Mafia too.That guy taught me the many ways on how to get high on weed.

Yes GFX was the one with kitted KIA and later he went on to convert an STi...he and I had our differences but I did learn a lot from the guy.

lol !! Well good on you MD, I considered the guy a bit of a joke, but I guess I'm much less the wiser for doing so.

Ah! Ultimate hero status for me? AWESOME! I'm flattered but, I think that status should be reserved for Kotte Mafia! And for the record: There is more than one way to get high on weed? Interesting! See this thread is turning out to be educational in more ways than one! Not bad, not bad at all...

Edited September 19, 2014 by Kavvz

[Kavvz]

...... the post was merely edited and anyway it was me that did the editing. Now you two can turn your guns on me if you want but honestly it would be better if we let the thing slide. MD can certainly point out any errors, that's what the don and Komi have asked people to do from earlier on, but there really is no need to be offensive.

I vote 'yes please' on the whole 'MD can certainly point out any errors' bit. Reading through the thread I've now learnt that my previous Nissan is probably rusting under the filler applied as it was applied to bare metal (yeah I sat there and watched, not knowing any better). Sucks to be the present owner of that car I guess !! I just got my present car painted and I'm going to now check that area diligently going forward for rust as I'm not sure how that repair was done either.

As pointed out by multiple members: MD makes some valuable contributions, albeit with the subtleness of a sledgehammer; but valuable nevertheless. But then again, why should MD even bother helping out when the advice given is being taken in such a negative manner? Not a single "Thank You". Or even a "Shit! you're a wanker for calling me names, but I never knew that was how its supposed to be done." Is to be seen which is a shame.

[The Don]

I vote 'yes please' on the whole 'MD can certainly point out any errors' bit. Reading through the thread I've now learnt that my previous Nissan is probably rusting under the filler applied as it was applied to bare metal (yeah I sat there and watched, not knowing any better). Sucks to be the present owner of that car I guess !! I just got my present car painted and I'm going to now check that area diligently going forward for rust as I'm not sure how that repair was done either.

As pointed out by multiple members: MD makes some valuable contributions, albeit with the subtleness of a sledgehammer; but valuable nevertheless. But then again, why should MD even bother helping out when the advice given is being taken in such a negative manner? Not a single "Thank You". Or even a "Shit! you're a wanker for calling me names, but I never knew that was how its supposed to be done." Is to be seen which is a shame.

The general concensus I have found was filler has to be applied on bare metal. There are people who apply epoxy primer on bare metal and then filler but that is generally considered to result in a weaker bond between metal and filler.

What is generally accepted is that something has to be done about bare metal while the body work is done to reduce surface rust, and surface rust need to be completely cleaned out before filler or epoxy primer or for that matter even primer is applied.

Some of our tinkers apply primer straight away if the metal is going to be exposed for a while while other body work is carried out, and then sand it off before filler is applied. That is far as I know the process that have been followed in our cars.

Lets have a discussion about it on another thread, one dedicated to body work, as discussing this further over here will be taking this OT. A few other memebers would probably like to express the opinions there as well, but didn't do so here as they did not want to get dragged into an unnecessary argument.

As for thanking MD, I will thank him personally the next time I'm in the country for his valuable contribution.

I'm going to lock this thread for this week as Madz's week long chill out is observed, and will unlock it next Friday to continue the conversation.

[The Don]

As promised the topic is now unlocked after a week's chill out. I'm speaking for myself but I certainly needed it.

A few things to point out before we continue;

1. If you have any issues with the standards of moderation, or any complaints whatsoever, please get in touch with the site owner MADZ directly. He will entertain all messages confidentially and deal with them as he sees fit. His judgment is final.

2. Please do not use the forum as a method of settling personal scores. If you have an issue with somebody, please deal with it personally outside the forum.

3. The forum rules such as rules against name calling, bullying, offensive language applies to all

4. All advice/information given on the forum (which includes comments made in response) are given in good faith without any guarantee of being accurate implied or otherwise. Please treat it as such and use it with your own good judgment.

4. Finally, I think we all enjoy reading these build threads. The owners of these threads are novices by their own admission but have taken the time and the effort to share the experience with us. There is much we can learn, even from their mistakes. So please try to keep any criticism constructive.

[Komisiripala]

my bodywork is nearing completion, and i snapped these a few days ago. couldn't post because of thread lockdown. the tinker and his lackey are now sanding the primer down to get the body lines and contours of the car. he's adamant on getting things right, so its taking time. currently he's redoing the front right quarterpanel because the headlight surround didn't align perfectly. looked to me like a milimeter or so off but hey, its become his piece de resistance now so...

this also involves some light panel beating here and there if alignment isn't perfect as well. we were recently having a good laugh about the 15kg of cataloy he removed from my car. we actually weighed all that shizz we removed into two gunny bags just to see how much it was. panels underneath were all dented from numerous dings over the years. all that's been ironed out now. some body panels were also welded to the body and adjacent panels. who does that??

she's more or less about to go into paint.

[DMendis]

Komi,

I see a slight alignment issue in the first image on door lines. is it because of the angle or did you see something there?

[Komisiripala]

meanwhile on don's one, i've been doing some light running repairs. got the brakes serviced, and a pair of side mirrors installed. was near impossible to drive without them. also had that ghastly chicken mesh removed from the front. why do people do this sorta thing is beyond me. whatever turns you on i guess. to me even the "boku allow wheels" this has is nauseating.

here she just after i installed the mirrors.

and then had the grille removed, and much work done to make her roadworthy. i've also installed a spec 510 SSS steering wheel on this, and lo and behold, the cancel cams for the turn signals work. again, why on earth people remove original steerings and install these ps2 stuff is just beyond me. what a joy it to have a 47 year old piece start working again after a hiatus of so many years, as if nothing was ever wrong!

took her to VVTi's mechanic in ja ela for the engine transplant. he's busy building the l18 SSS. the progress of which don will update on.

this was on the CKE. time. of. my. life. she ran it without a single burp or hiccough. was a good sendoff for the l13. but it'll soon be back on one of our projects as gandalf the white. (L16 SSS)

that's my hand in a cast. broke my thumb.

and here she is in ja ela with VVTi's tugboat:

Edited September 27, 2014 by Komisiripala

[Komisiripala]

Komi,

I see a slight alignment issue in the first image on door lines. is it because of the angle or did you see something there?

yes that's the sort of thing he's fixing these days. got that sorted.

[Komisiripala]

here's some more recent photos courtesy of kelum_wj.

dat a$$

[Komisiripala]

kelum insisted i add this

[MasterDon]

I also have my promises to keep...So here I am with the rest of my posts

If the neutral minded few here observe the pictures uploaded by Komi here you'll notice the Catoly'd surface has been left exposed for months now.That is such a basic error.You have to apply a sealer and primer coat over the filler layer within a few hours of applying.Because the filler basically absorbs heat and moisture readily then rots and cracks,especially when you spread it so thickly over the whole car like here with the Datsun(once again- filler is only meant to fill the dents and not be applied allover the car)...As some of you here have experienced a good paint baas won't even let you take the car outside for a minute without spraying primer over Cataloy when doing touch-ups.If you don't believe me visit and see how it's done at car agents and properly trained pros....

As I always say there is a proper way to do everything...Garage baases will feed you all sorts of BS to cover up their mistakes and ignorance.It's your job to weed out the truth...Instead what we get on this thread is basically OP glorifying the garage's mistakes.

Any idiot can printout stickers and stick them to a car.Hell we can even paste a Buggati badge on a Corrolla.but that doesn't make it so...This 'built not bought' sticker is the most abused one in recent times...In OP's case it should read "Built by Datsun,Bought with money.Restored by garage (badly),parts by Ebay and I only took the pictures for Facebook".

[Muditha420]

here's some more recent photos courtesy of kelum_wj.

dat a$$

Adeee Finally some thing to look forward to n read i think i like the dusty images better now...it tells a story of sorts

[Niranjan de Silva]

[img=http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n164/Komisiripala/Datto/photo2_zps245f9d31.jpg]

[img=http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n164/Komisiripala/Datto/photo1_zps6241f57f.jpg]

She's being puttied and lines perfected before paint. Made it to the booth so that's a good thing. This process will take a while he's at it with a fine toothed comb.

Just a question for knowledge sake. Why are you doing the tinkering at the Paint booth. Aren't the dust particles going to hurt the quality of the paint.

Well on a more amusing note don't you think that it is kind of funny and amusing when a doctor fractures his thumb?

Edited September 27, 2014 by Niranjan de Silva

[Komisiripala]

Just a question for knowledge sake. Why are you doing the tinkering at the Paint booth. Aren't the dust particles going to hurt the quality of the paint.

Well on a more amusing note don't you think that it is kind of funny and amusing when a doctor fractures his thumb?

its there to protect it from the elements. the dust will obviously be cleared before painting. the whole idea of a paint booth is lost if they turn on the exhaust fans there with all that dust.

there is nothing amusing or funny about my injury. it has rendered me incapacitated to work or do any basic function like eat button my clothes because i'm left handed. i can't begin to understand what my profession has to do with the fact that you find my predicament "funny". and personally, sir, i sincerely hope you don't break a bone in your body. or you just might see how hilarious it can get.

[Niranjan de Silva]

Forgive me if I antagonized you. Funny and amusing maybe the wrong words to use in hindsight. I think maybe the correct phrase to use is that it is "ironic". For example a lawyer having law suits against him, an architect's house falling down etc. It is a primitive way of thinking I know. Again forgive me :-). Anyhow coming back to the material question. Don't you think doing the tinkering in the paint booth is a duplication of work. Ultimately your collecting dust particles at the place you least want them. I have seen some of the steps that people take to keep the the paint booths free of dust overseas. I would not expect such professionalism in Sri Lanka, but don't you think that a paint booth is a place that you should actively keep segregated free of dust?

[Komisiripala]

It's next application is to paint my car. So there's no real point of keeping it spotless because it won't be used til this car is complete. And this is where it's safest from all elements.

But yes a regularly functioning paint booth is no place to do anything that adds to dust.

[MasterDon]

Haha Niranjan de Silva you're stealing my thunder here bro.The dust thing was gonna be on one of my posts next...And as usual I see doc has given a 'koheda yanne malley pol' answer and has cunningly avoided the issue...oh dear me!

And you CAN expect such professionalism from SL,just not from Komi's garage....Yes there are people here who do it according to international standards and then some...but sadly because of people like The Don and Komi who not only accept but also promote poor workmanship these makabaases are thriving.

BTW I see no paint booth from the uploaded pics...or have they now convinced OP that a tarpaulin covered area is a proper paint booth...Where is the proper drainage system?The lighting?The heaters?Exhaust fans?Sealed room?

[Watchman]

dat a$$

When I look at the photos above, it looks like the entire 'groove' that the bumper slots into is shaped by carving into a thick layer of cataloy. The guy's more a sculptor than a tinker. And with the exception of the door, every square-inch seems to be cataloy. That can't be good right? I know we all get attached to our faithful mechanics and want to cut them some slack, but at some point you need to see him as the mechanic, and your not buddy. Right?

And it's a bit embarrassing if he calls that shower curtain his 'paint-booth'. True, not everyone can afford the fancy heated boxy thing, but if the client is willing to pay I hear the painter can 'rent' the box from a bigger joint for the final painting, am I wrong?

[Supra_Natural]

Haha Niranjan de Silva you're stealing my thunder here bro.The dust thing was gonna be on one of my posts next...And as usual I see doc has given a 'koheda yanne malley pol' answer and has cunningly avoided the issue...oh dear me!

And you CAN expect such professionalism from SL,just not from Komi's garage....Yes there are people here who do it according to international standards and then some...but sadly because of people like The Don and Komi who not only accept but also promote poor workmanship these makabaases are thriving.

BTW I see no paint booth from the uploaded pics...or have they now convinced OP that a tarpaulin covered area is a proper paint booth...Where is the proper drainage system?The lighting?The heaters?Exhaust fans?Sealed room?

When I look at the photos above, it looks like the entire 'groove' that the bumper slots into is shaped by carving into a thick layer of cataloy. The guy's more a sculptor than a tinker. And with the exception of the door, every square-inch seems to be cataloy. That can't be good right? I know we all get attached to our faithful mechanics and want to cut them some slack, but at some point you need to see him as the mechanic, and your not buddy. Right?

And it's a bit embarrassing if he calls that shower curtain his 'paint-booth'. True, not everyone can afford the fancy heated boxy thing, but if the client is willing to pay I hear the painter can 'rent' the box from a bigger joint for the final painting, am I wrong?

In the spirit of keeping things Civil, I have to ask, have you two chaps considered that the stuff that's on the car might be primer (or a coat of paint put on to check the imperfections?). I ask because it occurred to me that it could well be, though it looks like a coat of filler from the photos.

There is a possibility, isn't there?

[MasterDon]

In the spirit of keeping things Civil, I have to ask, have you two chaps considered that the stuff that's on the car might be primer (or a coat of paint put on to check the imperfections?). I ask because it occurred to me that it could well be, though it looks like a coat of filler from the photos. There is a possibility, isn't there?

No machan according to the pics uploaded over the past few months they've put on a buttload of super cut on the car and has basically sculpted a new body out of cataloy....And a paint coat applied to show imperfections (a.k.a a guide coat) should be a colour that contrasts with the filler's colour so that imperfections show up clearly when sanding it.So yellow on yellow doesn't work.

Anyway the sanded Cataloy dust on the floor tells the whole story.

Edited September 28, 2014 by MasterDon