REBELUTION

AAAAARRGGG! I do thank ya all for the advice and input. I've put too much sweat into this car to trash it, coupled with the difficulty to find a good shell at an affordable price, here in Florida, I'm going to go head with the project.... I'll keep ya posted.... Thanks you again

Hmmm, Let me add one other thing that may or may not make a difference. When I purchased the car, the prior owner had just replaced the floorboards and cut out the floor rails, which are still missing. Without the floor rails present and the driver's side engine rail rusted, could I have possibly caused the crack while putting the car up on jacks (I lifted that side first)??? Reason why I ask is, although it was hidden under the coating, the crack appeared fresh when I looked at it from inside the engine bay.

Ouch! I thought I did a thorough walk around on the car prior to buying it. It was only after I put it up on jacks and took off the fender, did I notice the crack. It looked like just a ripple with the undercoating covering it. Only evidence I found of a prior collision, was semi-minor damage to the rear passenger side fender, as if the car had been backed into something. Since I'm positive the clip has not been replaced, there are no other signs of major damage, and I have serious sweat investment already, I'm gonna roll the dice and go with a new set of rails. I'll hammer and dolly the crack back into shape and weld with a brace. Afterwards, I'll take it to have the alignment checked prior to any other investment. Thank you all so much for the advice! We'll see how it goes.....

Fist time poster, but have been using this invaluable site for quite awhile on my build. Quick background…. I’ve done a few minor builds through the years, but nothing with a unibody design. Got a hold of my Buddies ‘76 280z and during the teardown, found way too much rust to deal with, (He had it tarped in his back yard for 8 years in Florida!) I then located a nicely priced ’74 260z shell. I started in the rear and have replaced every spec of rust with solid metal. As I just moved up to the front end, I found a horrible looking tear/rip/crack on the passenger side inner fender! The Engine frame rail on that side is in good shape, but front 8 inches of driver’s side engine rail is rusted out. I’m building this as a Resto/Mod with a Ford 302/T5 power train. My question is… can ya take a look at the pics and tell me if I’m dealing with some catastrophic structure failure, or would simply welding up the tear/rip/crack suffice? Any ideas as to the cause? BTW- My ’76 was fully equipped, with newly rebuilt tranny and freshly rebuilt L28 engine…. Body parts are pretty much trashed, but trim/interior and such were in OK shape…. Get with me if you need some parts. Thanks. KRIZ (Tilt your head 180 to the left in order to properly view the first photos )