blaze73 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 (edited) Wanting opinions on my current discovery. PO had patched with an awesome combination of fiberglass and bits of cedar shingle to fill the gaps which was all undercoated over, hiding everything. Think its worth patching in new metal? Also half way considering a tube front end...other ideas? Edited September 2, 2011 by blaze73 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emeraldlion Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 It always amazes me what people will do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin.pk Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I feel spoiled rotten with cars in texas... wow. That's pretty fubared.... I'd be worried about what you are going to find under the driver's frame rail where there looks like a piece of sheetmetal was welded over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 (edited) My opinion: Get a new chassis or do a tube frame. With rust like that, and having had a Z with rust like that, I'm guessing the rest of the car isn't great either. I'd junk it... that's what I did. Edited September 2, 2011 by rturbo 930 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getoffmyinternet Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 We all know wood is the best structural repair for water damage areas... Owen is right, it just begs the question how much more of that am I going to find? I'm sure there's plenty more patchwork, rust is never localized. You'd have to strip the entire chassis to know what you're really dealing with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blaze73 Posted September 3, 2011 Author Share Posted September 3, 2011 The sheet metal in the engine bay has a few patch panels (some welded, some riveted), the main frame rails have some 90deg sheet welded over them, the floors have been replaced etc. The car has definitely had some work done in the past but most of it is in the open and no rust is showing through the paint or anything. There doesn't appear to be any patches in the rear of the chassis although I wouldn't be surprised if the body was full of bondo. Its going to be a autox car for the most part so it doesn't have to look pretty, I just want it structurally sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redneck1545 Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Cedar shingle is one of the most structually sound woods on the market.... No really IMHO, listen to what others have said and it will probably pay off in the end. If your still stuborn like I was then spend the 500 bucks to rent some equipment and sandblast the chassis and see what your REALLY hiding under all those areas you think are sound. at least in this case you will know what direciton to take with the tube chassis or another chassis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FricFrac Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Do you have a trailer? Four of my Z cars are from the US. It's easy to import and you should be able to get a solid shell at the very least. You know what rust is like on a Datsun - whatever you can see (including the area where the holes are now...) as far as rust goes you can at least double it where you can't see.... There are typically two kinds of Datsuns on the Island - Rotten and Restored. I've looked at lots - they are all the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blaze73 Posted September 12, 2011 Author Share Posted September 12, 2011 So I took the drivers fender off to see what secrets that would reveal and...well... I am going to give the rest of the car a once over for any more bad structural rust and if there's any there then I'm probably going to scrap it otherwise I think I will attempt a tube frame front end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PR280z Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 (edited) Buddy, Have you ever check EBAY? I found one on ebay,yes the whole section from the rear all the way to the front tip. Brand spanking NEW! YES! I paid a pretty penny for it but i have it boxed and stored for if i ever do need it. You never know what type of an accident you`ll find yourself in. By the way there is a person here on this site that i highly recommend for all z related parts. He sure help me keep my Z alive and that's 1NONLYZ out in NEW MEXICO! Try to get in touch with him. GOOD LUCK! Edited September 12, 2011 by PR280z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PR280z Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 I just remembered i do have a junk parts car out in the woods some where. I`ll check to see the condition they are in and send you some pics. Will let you know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PR280z Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 (edited) Some surface rust. Let me know if you want them? Cost? $20.00 for parts(bits/cutting disc)and labor and you pay for the shipping. Edited September 13, 2011 by PR280z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blaze73 Posted September 16, 2011 Author Share Posted September 16, 2011 Thanks for the offer PR280z but I don'd imagine shipping 2 large pieces of metal from Puerto Rico to western Canada would be cheap. At this point I'm looking for another shell semi-locally or doing a tube frame front end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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