Heavy Duty frame rails and connectors

[Richard Oben]

When you are done, there will be so much time on your hands, you won't know what to do.  Good grief what a lot of work.  If this had to be done by a pro, it will be a mid 6 figure bill.  Great job.  I seem to have said this before on the thread.  Keep posting pictures, I hope I speak for others, we love to see the progress.  Richard. 

[toolman]

Thanks, Richard,  I hope my posts will continue to be informative and useful.

  I found corrosion on the rear hatch  only  after disassembly.    Though mostly small areas and were easily repaired.   I decided not to replace

the aluminum louvers on the hatch so those mounting holes had to be patched.

The holes were 3/8" so 9/16" patches were created.

The lower pair of holes in the hatch were accessible from the backside.   The patch were held in place with a 1/8" x 3/4" steel bar.

Then were tack welded with the mig.

 

Pic of the patch grinded down.

 

The upper holes could not access from the back so the patch had to welded on the exterior,

 So the holes were tapped down with a ball peen so the hole area was recessed.

 

These patches were made by drilling 18 gauge sheet metal with a Blair 9/16" hole saw.   The 1/2" plug was used as the patch for these holes.

 

Edited October 17, 2018 by toolman
corrections

[DonH]

doing some serious work man! awesome! 

[toolman]

DonH, Thanks for compliment.   I finished the rear hatch and seam sealed all of the seams.

.pic of the finished hatch.

 

.

Front area of the floor pan resealed with sprayable seam seal.

 

View of the main frame rail seam sealed.

 

closeup of seam sealing frame connector and rear crossmember.

  

Rear frame and rear body panel seam sealed.

 

I wanted to put more seam sealer on the bottom to provide more rust protection and sound abatement but ran out of sealer.   

I am going to the Sema Show in Vegas next week and will try to post some pics( especially 240zs) from there.

Edited October 28, 2018 by toolman

[toolman]

There were hundreds of exhibitors and  attendance was probably more than 170,000.  I will attempt to give you guys a small sampling of the show at this show.

The winner of the Young Gun Builders of SEMA Show was  Kyle Kunhausen.  He spent 5 years building this early 240z in his home two car garage in Oregon.     Go to  https/www.youtube/watch?v=pCfLQHZgnCM&t=49s 

 

Bob Sharp  240Z race car

 

General Motors had an ALL Electric motor powered Camaro on display.  It provides 800volt batteries.  The motor has

700HP and 600 FTLB of Torque;

This Camaro can do the 1/4 Mile in 9 Seconds!!!

 

Shell Oil booth had a supercharged Tractor Puller.

 

There were many Rat Rods there to demonstrate their creativity.  Here is a vintage service truck.

 

Rear view of the cab and rear bed.

 

This is spin off the original LITTLE RED WAGON wheelstanding truck that could carry the front wheels the full length of the strip.

-

 

It was powered by a supercharged Dodge Hemi engine.

 

From the You Tube videos, this 240Z had a BMW M5 V10 motor installed on custom made steel tubing frame.

The front end utilized a Rocket Bunny front panel and fender flares.

A universal rear fender flare kit covered the rear tires.

The Street Banditos made a custom LED tail lights for this Z,

Its construction can be seen on You Tube Videos- "B is for the Build".  The site has almost 500,000 subscribers.  It was entirely built in home garage in Portland, Oregon.

 

A really chopped and lowered Jeep with giant wheels and tires.

 

A view of the large crowds of people outside of the main halls.

A wild looking 65 Mustang with a supercharged motor in Pro Street form.

 

Air brush artists showing their skills.

El Dorado low rider with air bag suspension.

 

I think this was a modified Miata with tube frame with supercharged motor.

 

A Monster Truck with Giant Tires climbing rock display.

 

This 58 Chevy has a very unique type of body work-metal paint engraving.  This process is spraying metal paint to 1.5M thick engraving the whole vehicle.  It is widely popular in Japan and Asia.  Thos car took over 6 months to complete.

But really expensive as it is extremely time consuming.  Enlarge the photos to see the workmanship.  Unreal!!!

 

Another example of type metal engraving.    Don't forget to enlarge this pic to really see the workmanship.

 

This 370Z was painted and body worked to replicate a beat up racer.   All those dents and scrapes were created.  They

created a Rat Rod Nissan Z to me.

Only a keen eye would notice that gaps, edges, body panels were not distorted.   The paint job was manipulated to create

the worn and damaged effects.  Similar to what Rat Rods do.

 

Nissan Skyline Z was in Optima

Ultimate Street Car Event that raced around the county.

 

Another Optima Race Z

Not sure but think this Z had a LS motor with T56 trans.  The car was so low you couldn't see underneath.

 

There were about 10 Food Trucks all around the SEMA SHOW to provide a wide variety of food selections(Chinese,

Mexican, Middle Eastern, etc)

 

Another LS Z Racer;

Tires and wheel look small for the flares but looks like there was a lot of carbon fiber parts on it.

 

Ever wonder how the movie studios film those wild car chases and crashes.   A modified Toyota with computer controlled

360 degree crane on its roof, that is how!!

 

HKS 370Z RACE CAR

 

Auto Body & Paint section of the show( even had spray paint booths).

  

WELD UP another one of their RAT ROD creations.  Note how the front end's black roses-represents death.  As you move

move to the engine's red roses

represents love/hope.  Then to the rear of the car. the yellow bright paint job.white interior and white wall slicks represents clean/ purity.  This car was made for a cancer recovery individual.   Very Artistic!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 11, 2018 by toolman
text correction, more pics

[SleeperZ]

Thanks for posting this.  I wish I could have been there, I loved Kyle Kunhausen's build!

[toolman]

                  SleeperZ,  Thanks,   Keep checking this post as I am still adding  more pics and text of the Show.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9fN7ntWKAY&t=126s      Check this 2017 Nissan GTR out!!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4TqX-eWkWM&t=85s    2018 Sema Show Young Guns Winner

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU656s-qti0     overall view of Sema Show

 

huge fender flares

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0q-fwwS9Vs    video of 58 Chevy with metal engraving in spray booth

Farm Truck from STREET OUTLAWS was there.

 

Edited November 10, 2018 by toolman
add pic

[240zJJR]

I was at Sema as well. Such an amazing event. This was my very first time as well. I missed Kyles car as they moved it for the final judging. Tyler Powel Z06 was awesome to see, really great guy. I also spoke with Chris from B is for build.... awesome dude as well.

 

I have been following your thread and you have made some amazing progress.

 

Question for you, I am following the same process you are and making a whole new frame for my 240Z hellcat swap. The way you installed the frame rails under the car (NOT THE ENGINE) i noticed you cut the floors out and braced the car. I will be doing the same (already braced). Did you have any flex at all and is your car squared up properly? Any words of wisdom or advice before i start cutting this weekend.

 

I started my own thread showing the progress.

 

Thanks so much Jeff

[toolman]

On ‎11‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 5:30 PM, toolman said:

23 hours ago, 240zJJR said:

I was at Sema as well. Such an amazing event. This was my very first time as well. I missed Kyles car as they moved it for the final judging. Tyler Powel Z06 was awesome to see, really great guy. I also spoke with Chris from B is for build.... awesome dude as well.

 

I have been following your thread and you have made some amazing progress.

 

Question for you, I am following the same process you are and making a whole new frame for my 240Z hellcat swap. The way you installed the frame rails under the car (NOT THE ENGINE) i noticed you cut the floors out and braced the car. I will be doing the same (already braced). Did you have any flex at all and is your car squared up properly? Any words of wisdom or advice before i start cutting this weekend.

 

I started my own thread showing the progress.

 

Thanks so much Jeff

SleeperZ,  Thanks,   Keep checking this post as I am still adding  more pics and text of the Show.

240zJJR, First, Just check the squareness of interior?engine compartment before welding bracing in.   Usually you really don't know if the vehicle was in a previous accident or not.  In my case, I measured from the seat belt mounting hole crosswise to the lower door

hinge mounting hole.   Perform the same on the other side.  Your two measurements shouldn't vary more than 1/8" to 3/16".    After that.I made

3/16" plate to mount 1" X 1" steel tubing in a crossing diagonal pattern.   You can also weld  four 1" tubing from side to side and front to back if

you wish too.     I use this method for the engine compartment as I was removing the frame rails also.   You should measure frame length( front

to back)  especially when building a new front frame.    And, of coarse,  use a bubble level for front to back and side to side checks.   One thing

a lot of people forget the vehicle must be level to begin with(before any work is done).    I used 1/8" steel shims( or bigger if needed) tack welded

to the top of the jack stands to raise or lower the car.  Place bubble level on the rocker panels to check.   I hope this helps.   There are a lot of

people on this forum that will also help you.

                                                                                          Toolman

I twisted my back so haven't be able to work on my car for now.

[240zJJR]

20 hours ago, toolman said:

240zJJR, First, Just check the squareness of interior?engine compartment before welding bracing in.   Usually you really don't know if the vehicle was in a previous accident or not.  In my case, I measured from the seat belt mounting hole crosswise to the lower door

hinge mounting hole.   Perform the same on the other side.  Your two measurements shouldn't vary more than 1/8" to 3/16".    After that.I made

3/16" plate to mount 1" X 1" steel tubing in a crossing diagonal pattern.   You can also weld  four 1" tubing from side to side and front to back if

you wish too.     I use this method for the engine compartment as I was removing the frame rails also.   You should measure frame length( front

to back)  especially when building a new front frame.    And, of coarse,  use a bubble level for front to back and side to side checks.   One thing

a lot of people forget the vehicle must be level to begin with(before any work is done).    I used 1/8" steel shims( or bigger if needed) tack welded

to the top of the jack stands to raise or lower the car.  Place bubble level on the rocker panels to check.   I hope this helps.   There are a lot of

people on this forum that will also help you.

                                                                                          Toolman

I twisted my back so haven't be able to work on my car for now.

Thanks you for your advice, We leveled the car before i braced it. I now have to go back and do all the measurements (my stupidity). I may be removing everything i have already done.....i pray i am within spec.

 

I followed your bracing pattern as well.... and did similar to your design (Plates on outside using door hinge and inside). My biggest concern is when you did the floors and one frame rail at a time, you cut the front rail away from the firewall.... does this cause any twisting? I don't think it matters if your doing one rail at a time, then leveling the car to do the front rails, should bring everything back to where it needs to be?

 

I also cross braced the rear strut tower to strut tower. Not show here. And went from outside door bar to center console for extra rigidity.

 

 

Edited November 16, 2018 by 240zJJR

[240zJJR]

Found the picture..... of the inside. 

 

 

[toolman]

240zJJR,  You did a nice job on bracing.   If you are worried about the present frame condition, you can take frame measurements with your car

on the rotisserie.   If you have access to the auto body shop, borrow a Tram gauge( for frame measurements) and frame gauges( these 3 gauges 

will show if your frame in alignment (centerline and height).   If the major part of your frame is crooked. it will next to impossible to repair after a full

roll cage is installed.   The frame machine will tear the vehicle apart.    A good frame man should be able check the vehicle in less than an hour.

The other option( if the frame is real bad) is build a entire tube chassis and mount the 240Z body shell on it.   By the way, are you building a street car

or a full race car?

                                                                                        Toolman

Edited November 17, 2018 by toolman
correct text

[toolman]

     As I have not recovered fully from the lower back injury,  I doing light work on my car till I recover.   To prevent or at least delay any

future corrosion, I am making rust proofing access holes.  But, first the front end of the car, water drainage holes were added.   

      On the left front fender reinforcement section, four 1/4" holes were drilled in the lower edge to provide additional drainage.

The interior of this reinforcement and air inlet tube  will also be rust proofed after painting.

The right side had similar work done.

 

 

 

This picture gives a overall view of the left side rocker panel drilled for rust proofing access holes.

 

The left front rocker panel had three 1/2"  rust proofing holes drilled.

The large hole was the area where corrosion was cut out.   As this area is a major rust area, the interior will probably be brushed painted with a rust encapsulating paint then welded shut and rust proofed.

 

The lower rear rocker panel had two 1/2" rust proofing holes drilled.   The inside of this area will also be brushed painted with a rust encapsulating paint then rust proofed.

Without these access holes, you would not be able to get rust proofing into those rust prone areas of the car.

 

 

Right frame hole shows what the  1/2"rust proofing plug looks like installed.  Both connecting frame rails have four rust proofing holes each.   All of the 1/2" rustproofing holes will be plugged after rust proofed.

Edited November 19, 2018 by toolman

[toolman]

Finally got four more tubes of  SEM PRODUCTS sprayable seam sealer.  So now I could add two more coats of sealer on the bottom side of the passenger compartment.   This would provide additional protection against heat and noise in this area.  

 Note- the four casters for moving the car around the garage were removed.   Once I finished painting the bottom of the car. the car will be removed from the rotisserie and place on jack stands.

Save the casters to make HD dolly or another project

Closeup up view of the seam sealer texture

Seam sealer was sprayed on additional areas in the interior of  the car.

 

The rear underbelly also receive additional coats of seam sealer.

Rear crossmember

Rear bottom( spare tire well)

 

Rear frame area

another closeup view of seam sealer 

Trans tunnel and frame rails recoated

 

Next step will spray painting the whole bottom and engine compartment with Sherwin Williams single stage polyurethane paint.

Edited November 27, 2018 by toolman
add text

[fluidmotion]

Amazing build thread.  I'm at the same stage myself and it's great to have an example.  Did you also do seam sealer caulking or just the spray on sealer?

[toolman]

fluidmotion, I used SEM PRODUCTS 1K sprayable seam sealer.  It is a modified high performamce polmar silane seam sealer.  

It is OEM approved and used for Chrysler as a undercoating.  .It is flexible and non sagging.  Also, this sealer can be painted immediately

after application.  It comes in white, beige, gray and black colors.   Amazon sells it for about $15 to $20.  There is newer sprayable seam sealer

2K seam sealer( two part).   Both sealers require a special spray gun to apply though.    

[toolman]

fluidmotion, ,   I am sorry,  I forgot to answer your other question.   I removed all of the factory seam sealer from my car.   The old factory seal sealer was cracking and peeling off.   The new poly seam sealer are much better than the old one(more flexible and resilient).  For an even more through job, I sprayed seam sealer over areas prone to corrosion.  Like 

the battery area where battery acid and flumes cause rapid corrosion on the metal.   Then top coating the whole car(interior and exterior) with polyurethane paint(aircraft paint)which should last for 10+ years.

Edited November 29, 2018 by toolman
text

[toolman]

Sorry for not posting in for a while.  I was busy decorating my house for Christmas.

Painted the bottom side and inside of the interior of the car.

 

View of bottom of the front frame

 

The bottom view of the floor pan and frame connectors.

 

The rear of frame and bottom side of hatch area

 

The interior floor and firewall was painted then the bottom side of the roof was painted too.

 

The engine compartment and core support was covered with two coats of single stage polyurethane paint.

View  inside of the cowl area

 

The spare tire well 

Only the interior of both doors, the hatch and front valance pan still have to be painted with single stage Polyurethane paint.  The

rest of the exterior parts of the car will be painted with polyurethane base color then clear coated.

 

 

 

House Christmas decorations

Snoopy and Star Wars theme

Edited December 11, 2018 by toolman

[toolman]

Happy Holidays!!   I just returned from my trip to Japan.   On the second to the Last Day there. I managed to go to the Nissan Global Head Quarters

in Yokohama.  It takes about a 40 minute train ride to get to Yokohama( located on the edge of  Tokyo Bay).  The car  showroom is on the street level.

 

Although there was a lot of new model Nissans, I went straight to Skyline GT area.  There was a White 2018 Skyline GT-R 

Skyline GT-R on display.

20"Forgered alloy wheels and huge brakes

They also had a complete cut way GT-R undercarriage on display.

Twin cam 24 valve 3.8 Liter twin turbo engine rated at 600HP and 481 ft lbs torque.

 

5 speed automatic transmission with all wheel drive

 

 This is a cute Nissan mini van-not for Export though.

 

They had a NISMO-High Performance section there too.   Mostly t-shirts and promotional stuff but I found out there was a

NISMO SERVICE CENTER near by.   They have race cars on display there and do special work on customer cars too.  It was only 15

minutes by taxi but I already had plans so could not make this time but will next time I am in Tokyo.

[jhm]

Looks like a good trip to the land of the rising sun.  Seems like most of the coolest models (from all overseas manufacturers) are never exported to the U.S.