subridersix

I'm shaving the rear of my 280Z. I've just finished welding in patches over all the recesses in the rear valence and the gas tank is out. Now is the perfect time to fab up some sort of hidden reinforcement behind the back end if I want to do it. I'm not worried about supporting the rear valence, to my thinking I offered that up to the gods when I pulled the bumper. I would feel more comfortable though knowing there was a little more structure between my now unprotected rear and the fuel tank! My thinking is either a single run of 1" tubing or a pair of 1/2" tubes run between the rear rails would add a margin of safety while still allowing plenty of "give" to absorb an impact. I 'm sure this isn't an original thought on my part. I've searched and found a bit of discussion on the subject but no examples or thoughts from someone who has done this. What's the collective wisdom on the subject. I hate reinventing. Thanks

Appreciate the advise. I'll cut out the back side of what I'm "shaving" if I can get to it well enough to fully preserve it after the filler plate is in. If I can't get to it I 'll just hope for the best. Like you said the face surface will seal with the primer and paint. Thanks again

I'd like some advise about how to handle the the area covered by a filler plate. For example: the door handle recess. If I'm shaving my door handles by welding a flush plate over the handle recess, should I leave the recess intact, cut it out , or what? My concern is about preservation. The last thing I want is rust problems later that I could have avoided. I'm ready to shave the doors, rear filler plate and those little round holes in the rear hatch sides on my 78 280Z. I've got my mig welder, my patch plates cut to fit and I have both DP 40 Epoxy primer and POR-15 on hand. So what do you guys think, what's the best way to do this and ensure I'm not setting myself up for rust problems down the road.

I'm a little concerned about making a void by cutting a filler piece of metal and welding it flush over a indentation. There's really no way to avoid having exposed metal behind your patch even if it's only the small amount caused by the welding. Add condensation and time and I think you'd have a pocket of rust. I would cut out the area, butt weld in your patch and then carefully preserve the back side.

Thanks

Search for the thread "Imsa wide body kit - 5 pieces. I think this is what your looking for.