grayson260z Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 We found today that the frame is pretty rusty on the drivers side and the problems are starting to pile up. It's getting down to some serious decision making time. We don't want to spend anymore on swapping it or fixing it up anymore only to end up not being able to drive it. Luckily I've located a Toyota cressida. Sorry Datsun guys but a rowdy ass JZ X chassis will always have a place in my heart. (First turbo car I ever rode in was one) Anywho I guess if we decide to cut our losses I will likely part it out. Just gotta make a donation so I can sell on here. I'd really like to save this car but this damn South East rust has just gotten to it. Sorry Z didn't even get to drive it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Well Bad dog rails would likely save the car. They're not too hard to put in but it's now much do you wan tto do. First though I'd put it on a lift and go at it with a hammer and see how bad the rust really is. if there's holes in the rails then replacement is likely in order. As for the JZ, you can swap that to the Z, it's been done and makes a nice ride. these are older cars so yes, if it's a project, maybe you can sell it to someone who will save her rather than taking another off the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Rust in the rails that run under the floorboards is pretty common. Though, you should think about stripping the car down and seeing just how much rust you have to deal with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luseboy Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 In my case I had to replace the frame rails under the floors and about 1/3 of the floors themselves. Aside from one of the dog bones and a few other small areas like under the battery tray etc. I didn't have too much rust. I replaced my frame rails with some U channel steel I bought at home depot, and replaced them laying on my back with the shell on stands. If I were to do it again I would flip the car over somehow, probably with a rotisserie. It's up to what you want to do but in my opinion it's not too hard to replace them. The thing that kills these cars in my opinion is the rocker panels, as they are so important to the chassis. Quarter panels are tough too. Otherwise I think most of the rust issues are somewhat easy to work around. Whatever you do, please don't scrap the chassis as the more that happens the more rare these cars become. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Or just buy a rust free example to begin with...it's not an historic car, there's thousands out there. Just get another without the rust. Put you JZ in that. Looks better than your Grandfather's Cressedia! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grayson260z Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share Posted March 11, 2014 Hopefully we can get the drivetrain out to really assess the problem but as of right now it's looking grim for the ol' Datsun. Would the baddog 240z rails work on a early 260z? Or are there any more options avaliable out there for 260's in particular? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grayson260z Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share Posted March 11, 2014 Well Bad dog rails would likely save the car. They're not too hard to put in but it's now much do you wan tto do. First though I'd put it on a lift and go at it with a hammer and see how bad the rust really is. if there's holes in the rails then replacement is likely in order. As for the JZ, you can swap that to the Z, it's been done and makes a nice ride. these are older cars so yes, if it's a project, maybe you can sell it to someone who will save her rather than taking another off the road. Yeah I think that's the route we're gonna go. Only thing is my dad is really losing interests because it seems like it's 1 step forward and 15 backwards. And as for the 260jz duuude my mouith starts watering at the slight mention of it but as of right now I feel like any power more than a Briggs and Straton would cause havoc. The cressida is in all around good shape body wise little to no rust just some shotty spot welds but Meh. It's painted like a WW2 bomber plane too haha complete with the Smile and everything. Today we can hopefully start pulling the drive train to assess the situation but I dont have high hopes seeing as the Pass. side floor pan was even worse than the drivers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dexter72 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Im originally from Maryland and when i was younger and putting cars back together, we would just use sheet metal or aluminum sheet to replace floor boards. Pop rivet it in and seal up the edges, Braze it in, Weld it in, Body glue the peices in. Those are all options you can use for the floors, and whatever else is rusted through. Nothing wrong with doing this on a car that is not a show car, that rare of a car and so on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grayson260z Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share Posted March 11, 2014 Yeah same here I'd really just like to get this thing on the road SHowmanship be damned. At least for the underside any way. Since when do shows involve a lift? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dexter72 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 (edited) Thats my feeling man, I had to add a plate to my drivers floor, and build a new area under the battery box. I did this all with sheet metal and rivets. I sealed the floor board piece before rivetting it in place, then sealed the underside. Sprayed thick undercoating on the entire underside of the car and i was done. They brazed body parts in on our old z's anyway, so doing that is an option if you don't have a Mig, Tig, Arc welder. Edited March 11, 2014 by dexter72 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luseboy Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I'm sure aluminum floor pans is fine on a body on frame car but unibody means that all metal parts of the car make up the frame. Of course the floors aren't super structural compared to say the rocker panels or a pillars, but nonetheless it still has something to do with the general stiffness of the chassis. If you're gonna do it, do it at least halfway right. Sure aluminum won't rust, but it's also not very well connected to the steel of the rest of the car... I'm sure it's fine if you're not looking for performance but if you care about stiffness, it doesn't sound right to me. I'm no expert so maybe I'm missing something but that just doesn't sound like the best way to do it. Welders aren't that expensive, a decent mig or even flux core welder will be able to handle putting in new floor pans, and if you are doing an engine swap then you're going to need to be able to fab and weld brackets, mounts, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Also, if I'm not mistaken, the aluminum will react with the steel, not in a good way. Definitely best to weld in replacement metal - don't bother with rivets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 YEah I wouldn't use Rivets. I've popped enough of them in the SCA to know they're temporary at best. Welding in new metal is the war to go. You can buy new pans already preformed and yes the bad dog rails will work fine on your 260z. If you can't weld it yourself, a good shop shouldn't charge too much to weld those in. But that being said, you're probably going to spend more than the car is worth dollarwise on it. But once you've got nice new pans and rails in there you're going to be in awesome shape. The Bad dog rails are strong enough to handle being jacked up under and such, so they're a lot better than the OEM rails. They don't add that much weight to the car either, especially when you consider how much they add to the stiffness. Those with the JZ would be awesome, but don't limit yourself to just that engine. Look around, there's TONS of engine options. As for your dad, you're going to need to think of a plan and keep him motivated. If you're excited, it's really going to help keep him excited. Check out "I blame Chip Foose for this" on you tube. It's an awesome father/son Z story. Might get you guys going! Keep an eye on costs vs finding a new shell. It'd be a shame to scrap your car, but if you're going to spend a LOT to get you to a safe position, you might be better off putting that money into a better starting point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grayson260z Posted March 18, 2014 Author Share Posted March 18, 2014 An update guys! It's alright the rust was merely a patch that someone had welded over the frame and the worst part was just inner fender! So we made a new patch and welded it in and started on the drivers floor pan today. But I assure you the Z is as good as it's ever been! At least while I've owned it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luseboy Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 That's great news! I've found with my project that everything that seems to kill the project or gets me really bummed about it ends up being figured out within a week or so. In fact I've found this pretty much to be true with life in general. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osirus9 Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 That's great news! I've found with my project that everything that seems to kill the project or gets me really bummed about it ends up being figured out within a week or so. In fact I've found this pretty much to be true with life in general. Truth. I find that any "deal breaker" just requires me to take a step back and get my emotions in check for a day or two. Time, logic, and a fresh perspective make just about any problem solvable. Glad your build is going well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Awesome, That's going to save you a lot of work. I'm glad you're able to Weld yourself. but you might still consider the Bad-dog rails if you're going to add much HP. They're not required, but they'll help a lot if you do get crazy... So lets hear your revised plans now that you're going to fix it up! Phar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xero_xero Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 i had this happen to me on my fair lady about a week ago. rust on top of rot ontop of bondo. then i realized, i could beat the crap out of this car for fun. not purposely smash it with a sledge, but over drive it, plastidip it. make it fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 i had this happen to me on my fair lady about a week ago. rust on top of rot ontop of bondo. then i realized, i could beat the crap out of this car for fun. not purposely smash it with a sledge, but over drive it, plastidip it. make it fun. That's where I'm at with mine. It simply has too much rust to fix, but it's still solid enough to drive. Figure I'll have fun driving it into the ground until I can find a clean chassis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luseboy Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I actually ended up being able to fix all of my rust. That said, I painted it like something out of mad max so I will be driving it to the ground anyways haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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