Jump to content
HybridZ

Chassis rust repair/reinforcement suggestions wanted


turbogrill

Recommended Posts

Hi,

 

My 280zx is pretty rusty and I race it so I should fix this.

Initially I was going to rebuild the frame rails but after some research it turns out that the rocker panels and the pillars are the important structures.

 

I am looking for some inspiration on how to reinforce the chassi. I assume many of you have done this! Pics would be great!

 

This needs to be fixed:

post-51874-0-14205800-1475689804_thumb.jpg

post-51874-0-23489300-1475689824_thumb.jpg

post-51874-0-89412400-1475689841_thumb.jpg

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm with FricFrac, you need more then inspiration, you need a solid car. If that is the visible rust then the stuff you are going to find when you really start digging is going to stop you in your tracks.  Here is a Z I had before I started work on it, I thought it would be pretty straight forward,

post-28202-0-53206600-1475706052_thumb.jpg

Here is what I really had,

post-28202-0-26726300-1475706266_thumb.jpgpost-28202-0-65841100-1475706236_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey man i had this same rust ( not as bad) but in the same area at the turn up at the end of the rail. I used 18 gauge sheet and bent it using a hammer and a vice to the correct width and length the cut in the middle to fold it upward to get the bend there. Cleaning to bear metal all around the area and mig welded it in there coating with self etching primer then rust proof black rustolium rattle can. I would look for another shell as i have thought of doing many times and yours looks much worse than mine. Good luck sir.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would rather rebuild a cage then try to rebuild a chassis that is that far gone. Just my preference, I suppose. 

My thoughts exactly. My S30 build has had many hidden rusted surprises that added up quite a bit. I'm sure another, better candidate can be found with a little searching. 

Edited by Nelsonian
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My thoughts exactly. My S30 build has had many hidden rusted surprises that added up quite a bit. I'm sure another, better candidate can be found with a little searching.

A new cage is like $4000, maybe half that if reusing what we have (if possible).

 

I think it would be cheaper to just add tubing under the chassis to strengthen it a bit and also cut out the holes and weld in sheet metal.

Will see what my welder says.

Edited by turbogrill
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I didn't have it that bad but I had the same spots. I bent up sheet metal and replaced part of the rails. the corner part was for sure the trickier part but just piece by piece replaced it all. at some point I tell myself to stop looking and start doing. I did do afterwards frame ties out of stainless 1x3. welded it to the front frame rails, welded along the bottom of the car and made a piece that went up to the rear subframe and welded to that, that would help you a lot. hope this helps

post-24014-0-40173000-1477499409_thumb.jpg

post-24014-0-29617800-1477499436_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

im mostly just restomodding my 280zx for learning purposes but personally i took 16 gauge sheet metal i bought from home depot cut out the rust and took some rough estimates (i had never done this before!) but used a hammer and a tape measure and a grinder! and made myself a more solid floor. what i learned in this process is HAVE PATIENCE! just keep in mind since its your race car weight reduction:lol: good luck!

 

IMG_0738.JPG

IMG_0739.JPG

IMG_0746.JPG

IMG_0748.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/6/2016 at 6:24 PM, turbogrill said:

Will see what my welder says.

It's going to cost you a lot of money to pay someone else to repair the car. Probably more that the car is worth including the roll cage. It's possible to fix it yourself, it's just a lot of work.  I just replaced the floor pans and frame rails on my car. It took much longer than I initially thought but I learned a lot along the way.  Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...