mditt8671 Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 I need to replace/repair my floorboards. The Z I bought had non-Datsun seats in it; when I removed them today I saw that to make them fit the PO had removed metal to make them fit. Has the removed steel compromised the structure of the car? Should I look at getting replacement pieces for what has been cut away when I replace the floorboards? Also, I am trying to decide whether it's worth buying the Zedd Findings floorboards or whether I should just make my own from 16ga steel. The worst of the rust is clear up at the front of the driver's side floorboard and I'm not sure if they will even go up that far. I'm ok with cutting the floorboards myself but I'm looking for pros and cons. Additionally, the passenger floorboards are pretty solid but have some good pitting towards the front. I have all winter to work on this car; should I replace that one too? Thanks for any advice you may have Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Replace the floor pans. What the PO did with the seat mounts is normal for these old cars. It isn't the best idea but it didn't compromise the strength of the pans. The amount of rust is your big issue. Since you have all winter, you've now got a new winter project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redneck1545 Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 If your not VERY ocmfortable with sheet metal work yourself, the Zedd floors are worth every penny. I just made my own floors out of 16ga and it is not a job you should take lightly... You might want to look into replacing the subframe connectors while your at it. Chances are if you floors are that bad off then your sub frame connectors are not far behind. Might want to look into how much rust the rest of the car has if the floors are that bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mditt8671 Posted December 19, 2011 Author Share Posted December 19, 2011 The rest of the car isn't bad. There isn't all that much rust-through on the floors but I am planning on doing it right while I have it apart... Zedd Findings floor pans are on the way. I had already ordered the Bad Dog frame rails. I've attached a pic of another area that needs attention in the front fender well. What is this area called? I remember seeing a thread where someone described fixing this exact area and fabbing up everything; it was very descriptive with pics. I don't know the search terms for this though. Any idea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snidz260z Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 I am a welding rookie and I did the Zedd findings floor pans and the Bad Dog rails in my 260z SBC project. I did one side at a time to prevent any structural issues / twisting as the body was on a rotisserie. The stock rails were cut out and new ones in because the original ones were beat up. Next came some serious manipulation of the floor pans. Lots of trimming and test fits but in the end they came out great and so much stiffer. Last but not lease the Bad Dogs were slipped over and stitched on the stock rails. I also tied the rear end in with Bad Dog connectors. I drilled out all the spot welds when pulling the old pans out and used as much of the Zedd pans as possible going pretty high along the trans tunnel. I do not have the links but there are several guys who have stuff out there on how they accomplished the task. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redneck1545 Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 The picture above is called the T/C box and there are several people on here who have fixed the stock ones or fabbed up some custom ones and made some serious modifications as far as adding heim joints and such. I'd be willing to bet my left nut that there is ALOT more rust that you think. Just by looking at the floors and the T/C box as well as the front cross-memeber mount there is a fair amount of rust. Having just gone through an entire strip and blast on my 260z I can attest to the amount of rust popping up in places that looked solid as can be. Don't be afraid to look around with a hammer and a screw driver, but once you find the cancer places decide how far you want to restore this thing. I chose to take my junk-yard rust bucket all the way down and put it up on a rotisserie and blast the entire chassis and coat with epoxy primer and Zero-rust. The places I could "see" before I blasted were the LEAST of my worries after I got through blasting. Just my $.02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snailed Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 I'd be willing to bet my left nut that there is ALOT more rust that you think. Yup...there always is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mditt8671 Posted December 21, 2011 Author Share Posted December 21, 2011 I'm going to pick up some steel so I can dig in to the TC box repairs and see what else is there. What is the recommended size steel for this? I know I need to do a two layer repair but am not sure of how thick the steel should be. I'd rather get a whole sheet and have a bunch left over so I don't have to make multiple trips to the steel distributor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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