rturbo 930

Cool, that's how I'd like to try to do mine. I never thought just slapping a flat plate over the hole was a good way of fixing rust, though sometimes I will admit it's sufficient as in the case of my floors. I really prefer the OEM look. And yes, while I agree my rust is more extensive, I don't believe it will be too much more difficult. For example, I don't believe my crossmember mounting points are rusted out, and the frame rail reinforcement behind it is mostly flat. What I am most concerned about is how to fix it. I don't know much about welding, etc., but I suspect that simply welding in a new piece by butt welding it may not be as strong as original, and may be prone to cracking due to the heat that went into the metal. I could certainly be wrong. Also, The edge of the metal often seems, to me, to be the weakest point to weld to, whereas with spot welds, there is metal all around the welding point, if that makes sense. What I am considering doing for the frame rail reinforcements is getting a strip of metal to spot weld behind the hole to serve as a reinforcement, and also something to spot weld the replacement piece to. That seems like it would be the best way to do it, but I really don't know. I'm even more concerned about fixing my C pillars since that is an integral structural part of the car. I don't want to make it too weak, or so strong that it doesn't flex, and ends up cracking. Anyways, it seems I've gone off on a tangent... Most of my rust is in a mostly flat, unseen place, except the roll pan and hatch sill. There's also a dent I need to take care of, and the dog legs, and the top side of the C pillars I think is all that is actually body work. Yeah, I agree I should at least attempt to stop it from progressing further. It's a bit cold for paint, and I don't have a lot of time or money at the moment, but I think that'll be a project for when school gets out in May. I have already removed the driver's fender, and the cowl to remove pine needles and other debris since the car say outside for a while. Some of the fender mounting points were totally rotten, but aside from the firewall connection to the cowl, it doesn't seem to have done anything else. I've also wire brushed other parts of the car. I am aware of the patch panels from Tabco and MSA. I have doglegs from Tabco that were intended for my 280Z, as well as a rocker, but the two other pieces I got, the rear lower quarters I was pretty disappointed with. I know MSA sells the roll pan I need, but it's 16 gauge, and the other panels are 18. I think I'm being too picky, but I'd prefer pieces made from 20 gauge, but I'll probably end up buying them anyhow. I would just prefer 20 gauge since in thicker steel, the edges won't be as sharp. I also have a Lincoln MIG welder, and many tools my father, grandfather, etc. have collected over the years, so I'm pretty well covered there. It's the skills I don't have (yet). Thanks a lot for the input guys. It's appreciated. Sorry if I rambled, haha.

My car also has minor front end damage. I'm planning on a making a new radiator support that's a little improved over the original. Honestly, I think you had a much better car to start with. Here's what's rusted to some degree that I know about: TC rod reinforcements on frame rail - both sides. Floors Top of rockers, and a small spot inside the pass. rocker where there was a mouse nest. Bottom of A pillars C pillars Rear hatch sill (severe) Rear roll pan Dog legs On the driver's side, the seam that the inner fender supports (I forget what they're actually called - splash guards?) is rusted. It's not bad, but it's rusted. Don't know about the pass. side. Firewall where it meets the cowl. A seam on the underside of the car, passenger side. Roughly 8" of the seam is rusted. Driver's side interior wheel well seam, as mentioned. Spare tire well. And there's a little bubbling around the car that can be dealt with using body filler, and also the rear fender lips were replaced, so there's that to deal with, but I'm going to go with ZG flares. A lot of what I mentioned is NOT severe. I don't think anything on the car is completely and totally rusted out. The inside of the pass. rocker could probably just be POR15'd. The driver's rocker has a few small holes from me testing the metal. The rest is just pitted. It looks bad (IMO) but it's really not. Regarding the A pillar rust, I'm not positive it's even a threat. It doesn't LOOK like the rust has even made it to a single spot weld, it's just rusted the edge of the metal. The pass floor has a hole (and patch) under the seat, which could just be finished off, and one on the front right corner. Driver's side has a small hole near the front seat support, and needs a somewhat sizable patch at the front left corner. Doglegs are just standard rusted out doglegs as far as I can tell. Same with the TC rod reinforcements, I don't think they're too far gone. Hell, the subframe under the floors that is almost always rusted out is rock solid. The hatch sill is gone though, and the C pillars will need some significant work. The spare tire well I don't really care about. The firewall needs some work though, I think the car sat outside for a bit too long on the coast of CT. Hopefully that gives some insight as to what I'm dealing with. I can't get any pictures right now to show you better. As far as I can tell, the structure isn't really compromised, and it could all be fixed with a lot of work... it's just a pain in the ass, and I'd like to have a Z to drive sooner than later. I'm planning on getting a second opinion on fixing my rust at some point since I might be making it out to be more than it actually is. I will say though, I too have seen worse fixed. The other day I was looking at a thread about a '70 on CZC that was repaired that I think was definitely worse off than mine. I think just about everything that was prone to rust on that car was rusted out...

Although I'm sure I'll change my mind several more times, that's the conclusion I've come to. I WANT to fix it, but it's a matter of my abilities, and I don't think many people will want to take on the project, so selling it is out. Also, at this point I think I know this car pretty well, and what it needs, although there's just a few areas I've yet to uncover. Personally, I like the car because I can do whatever I want to it without feeling bad, and I like that it's a series 1 since it's the ORIGINAL Z design. IMO, they got worse as the years went by. Not to mention, finding another (from the west coast) shipping it, etc, etc, will be a huge hassle. Although, I'm somewhat of a perfectionist, and I highly doubt I can make this shell perfect, but I think I'll be okay there... It has some rust though that's going to be a royal pain to fix. A few weeks ago I decided to take the vinyl off the rear strut towers, and found exactly what I was hoping not to. There's a small amount of surface rust in the seam between the inner wheel well and the outer wheel well. It seems mostly superficial for the most part, but it's just another thing to fix, and if any actual surgery were required, it would be a MAJOR pain in the ass. There's a few other areas like that on the car, but not quite as bad as that. For the record though, the pics you see here are pretty flattering.

If your engine mounts give up, you're going to regret it. Do it right or don't do it at all.

Am I the only one that thinks those engine mounts look dangerous? Even if you did box them in, I don't think I would trust them.

What is the SEM rebuild treatment?

Scott, do you have any detail pictures of how the roof goes together at the B pillar? Mine is rusted, and I'm trying to get a good idea of what will need to be done.

sticky, if you looked at his forum you'd see that Justin has actually recently sent out revised control arms, and unless the recipients were just being nice, they seemed satisfied with the revised product. What kind of scammer would do that? And you are definitely bashing the guy.

Don't suppose you guys have the specs of that bolt on hand? I'm missing one.

http://www.modern-motorsports.com/catalog/default.php

EvilRufusKay I think did all metal YZ flares, but his website is down. There is also this: http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/53985-my-free-widebody-project/

Brad, there's a report button on the bottom left of every post. I would also agree with you on how lazy we have gotten in communication. If you ask me, if you don't have a handle on your first (and often only) language, you simply do not know how to communicate, and that is a pretty depressing thought. I haven't perfected the English language, but I put an effort in.

Are you putting in a muffler, or just straight pipe? What's in the box? I can't tell.

"The importance of proper grammer." The importance of proper what now?

I don't know much about driving on a track but after watching the first 30 seconds of the video, I'm going to guess that these gentlemen have no clue what they're doing. Am I close?

Small update: I ordered an RT diff mount and bumpstops. Got a choke hooked up, and the rev limiter working correctly, as well as the alternator. I'm about to order a new tach, but I can't decide between black or silver face... surprisingly hard decision for some reason. Going to order a new (used) driver's lower hinge as well. That's it until winter break.

Two things... 1) Those flares look like they're mounted REALLY low. Maybe consider raising them? 2) IMO, Zs don't look too great with stripes, although a select few pull it off. IMO, just paint it a solid color.

How are you planning on fixing your rocker? I've got similar rust that definitely needs to be fixed, but isn't enough to justify a new rocker IMO. I'm not really sure about just cutting out the rust and welding in new metal either since the rocker is such an integral part of the car's structure.

The hood: http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/35939-ss-style-hood-with-cowl-induction/page__p__285112__fromsearch__1#entry285112

No, it says "FUEL SAFE.,"

There is a third bolt hole above the quarter window on my early '71. Yours might have it as well, but I don't know if 3pt seat belts were standard on the early cars. You might give this a thought: http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/SIC03D/40-7490

Pictures would be extremely helpful.

I never said that made me, or anyone else, an expert. Would you mind telling me how you would replace a set of floor pans so that I can see what I'm missing? I really just don't get what's so crucial that only a professional can do it.

That's why I put in the clause that they have thoroughly educated themselves, which you seem to have missed. Of course I don't think anyone can pick up a welder and properly do the repair. But you are suggesting that anyone that does not do auto repair work for a living cannot repair their car. That is what I am saying is ridiculous. There's a lot of people on here who are qualified to do their own work that do not do auto work for a living. And you're right, I have not spent any time around an collision repair facility. Also, if you don't mind, help me see what I'm missing. How would you go about replacing his floors?

double post