Alexander240z Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 I am currently working on a 1971 Datsun 240z. The car was a Nevada car until one of the PO thought it'd be a good idea to take it out to Chicago. Unfortunately a lot of rust formed up in the fresh air vent rails but its mostly surface with a descent amount of shallow pitting (por-15 time). PO tried fixing the driver side corner where the firewall meets the A pillar but it all rusted so I had to take the rail off anyways. Any who, the situation I'm having right now is how to remanufacture a piece that is inside of the frame. I'm not sure what's the purpose of this piece other than maybe supporting the rail from torsional forces. Its a bit of a complex bend and not sure how to go about making this piece. Any advice or ideas would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 Doesn't look that bad. Why not clean it up and reuse it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander240z Posted January 11, 2022 Author Share Posted January 11, 2022 6 minutes ago, rturbo 930 said: Doesn't look that bad. Why not clean it up and reuse it? You are correct it isn’t too bad. Just a pain to weld it up again because I drilled 5/16 holes through the spots welds through the frame and this piece so I would need some brass or copper as a back plate. Unfortunately not cheap. Was hoping because I have a bunch of 18 gauge laying around. But I am curious as to what’s the point of this piece as should more be added to the frame to beef it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pamato Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 You need one of these... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZG59SHV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunkhouse Posted January 11, 2022 Share Posted January 11, 2022 I've used a smashed piece of copper pipe to back up small holes. I like the idea of a magnet to hold it in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander240z Posted January 11, 2022 Author Share Posted January 11, 2022 2 hours ago, pamato said: You need one of these... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZG59SHV I’ve seen people bend a copper or brass plate and use vise grips to hold it. I like the idea of using both my hands during welding so this tool looks helpful. Hopefully enough metal under all that rust 🤔 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander240z Posted January 11, 2022 Author Share Posted January 11, 2022 (edited) So being the impatient person I am and not wanting to wait I just decided to have a crack at making it. Decided it was best to make it out of three pieces because I don’t have a sheet metal breaker and it has a curve to it. Here is the final result. Is it the best looking? No. Does it fit? Thankfully. Will it do the job? I can hope. Edited January 11, 2022 by Alexander240z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AydinZ71 Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 Looks good I fabricate replacement steel freehand as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander240z Posted January 13, 2022 Author Share Posted January 13, 2022 7 hours ago, AydinZ71 said: Looks good I fabricate replacement steel freehand as well Fabrication is my last resort. Big fan of getting multiple panels of datsuns and sticking them together. I must have panels from 4 or 5 datsuns in my garage lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AydinZ71 Posted January 13, 2022 Share Posted January 13, 2022 1 hour ago, Alexander240z said: Fabrication is my last resort. Big fan of getting multiple panels of datsuns and sticking them together. I must have panels from 4 or 5 datsuns in my garage lol. I hear ya I have been doing so much rust repair over the past year and a half that I feel more comfortable fabricating from scratch now than re-fitting OEM steel. Sounds silly I suppose. I did enjoy it after getting good at it, so I can’t say it makes complete sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander240z Posted January 13, 2022 Author Share Posted January 13, 2022 15 hours ago, AydinZ71 said: I hear ya I have been doing so much rust repair over the past year and a half that I feel more comfortable fabricating from scratch now than re-fitting OEM steel. Sounds silly I suppose. I did enjoy it after getting good at it, so I can’t say it makes complete sense. I just find it easier because 9/10 it'll fit a lot better than anything I do. Just gotta make sure the metal you're putting back on it ain't rusty itself lol (forgot to do that for the rear hatch area 😅). Also I don't have a sheet metal brake so bending is a bit difficult with my vise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AydinZ71 Posted January 13, 2022 Share Posted January 13, 2022 Here is a tip on bending sheet metal: use a torch to warm it up (does not need to change color) and use a solid surface with a piece of structural steel on top to keep uniform pressure. Then just tap it with a hammer and she will bend i find the Datsun steel welds poorly. Combination of the cold gavlvonize coating they used, the impurities in the steel itself, and certainly the rust hidden between lap joints. IMG_7586.MOV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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