Z-TARD Posted April 16, 2004 Share Posted April 16, 2004 Well, I finally got motivated and have started the bodywork phase of my 240 project while I'm waiting to accumulate the rest of my drivetrain. Something I noticed right away once I started sanding away paint (and bondo) is that my car has apparently been in either one really bad accident, or several minor accidents. The only stock sheetmetal appears to be the passenger side front fender, and the roof I already knew that it had been in a rear end collision, but I didn't realize the repair work they had done was so pathetic. I noticed a small rust spot on the rear deck edge under the hatchback, near the latching mechanism. with a little elbow grease and a wire brush I managed to enlarge it to a hole the size of a quarter. Big chunks of rust breaking lose with every stroke Evidently the guys that repaired it forgot to put new sealer under it. I drilled out all the spot welds and was able to remove the piece, which I will use as a template to fab up a new one. The sheetmetal under it was pretty bad off as well, but no holes in it. I put a thick coat of Stop Rust (The Navy equivalent of POR-15) on it after wire wheeling away all of the loose rust. I won't be able to perfectly duplicate the original sheetmetal, so I'm going to re do the entire tail light panel "While I'm at it " I've also noticed that the frame rails near the rear of the front wheel wells have some rust as well, I was picking at some loose underbody coating with a screwdriver, and about 3" of it suddenly dissapeared into the frame rail Looks like I'll have my work cut out for me anyway. I'll try to post some pictures when I make some more progress. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austenp405 Posted April 16, 2004 Share Posted April 16, 2004 I know how you feel. The driver's rear of my 280zx had no less than 1/2" of bondo (I'm not kidding ) and the entire roof had bondo caked on it. I've got a long road ahead of me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest comeandzpa Posted April 16, 2004 Share Posted April 16, 2004 Yeah, I'm in that boat too...spent my Saturday afternoon last week fixing up a few rust spots, pictures here: http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/tuckshop25 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted April 16, 2004 Share Posted April 16, 2004 Welcome the world of Z car body repairs......I always laugh to myself when someone says that they found a 'Rust Free' Z car! They are Dodo birds...they no longer exist. I found rust in ALL the common places when I began stripping "Da 'Goose". I had to repair the lower fenders, the rocker panel ends (forward of the rear wheels) etc etc. I think the ONLY place I lucked out was under the battery area. Good luck!! Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z-TARD Posted April 16, 2004 Author Share Posted April 16, 2004 Ok, after looking at your pictures I feel much better now Our floorboards look about the same though. I'm just a few quick stomps away from being able to use my Sketchers as an auxiliary power source. My Wal Mart wire feed welder has a rough time ahead of it. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 17, 2004 Share Posted April 17, 2004 Mike, that repair opannel for the hatch is available. Call Zedd findings and Charlie can get you one. Good luck. Mark http://www.datsunzparts.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest comeandzpa Posted April 17, 2004 Share Posted April 17, 2004 Yeah, my particular favorite hole was the one over the fuel lines, leaving them exposed and vulnerable to any misplaced foot from a passenger. I swear one day I was coming home from picking up some dinner and it almost fell through the floor...my dad caught it though. Once I get out of school for the year (Tuesday) I'll be spending loads of time on it getting it functional until I can find a suitable (read: Z/ZX) replacement for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z-TARD Posted April 28, 2004 Author Share Posted April 28, 2004 Looked around for repair panels, everything I found was over $100. Seems a bit much for a small chunk of metal like that. A few months ago I rescued some industrial shelving from the metal dumpster at work, and coincidentally it is pretty close to the original thickness of the Datsun sheetmetal, the gears in my head began turning over at once. There appears to be an automotive application for nearly everything if you look hard enough, even shelf material. I initially tried cutting out the shape of the panel using a large floor mounted sheetmetal shear, but eventually ended up using hand held tin snips for the entire panel because the chinese made shear is not nearly as usefull as it looks Anyway, since all the bends in the peice are over a gradual radius to match the contour of the rear hatch, I couldn't use the large metal break to make them either, and ended up using a combination of crescent wrenches and duckbill vice-grips (wide, flat jaws) for making the bends. It's not perfect, but it does look better than the rusted chunck of fecal material that was there before, and if installed right should be less likely to harbor hidden rust spots. The area under the panel after several coats of Stop Rust. Rust was "all up in this mutha". Old and new panels. Old panel is in much worse shape than it looks like, underside is covered with rust which has eaten through in a few spots New panel in place ready for welding. Total cost of project: $4.90 for can of paint stripper to clean gray paint off the new metal Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zguy95135 Posted April 28, 2004 Share Posted April 28, 2004 luckily I was saved from a lot of rust, im sure there's some there but luckily I cant see it ,unlike our 280zxt, which is crunchy where every you touch it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z-TARD Posted April 28, 2004 Author Share Posted April 28, 2004 Yeah, I think that crunching sound of rust is one of the most horrible sounds ever, especially if you find it by accident. I was just picking away at what I thought was some light surface rust, and it suddenly made that crunchy corn flake sound and erupted into a large rust hole. Same thing on my floor boards as I was scraping off the tar sheet undercoating thats under the carpet. "Scrape, scrape, scrape, crunch..........crap " Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluto Posted April 28, 2004 Share Posted April 28, 2004 Sooo Mike, I have to ask.. Why go through all the trouble to repair a signifigant amount of rust on a banged up shell? I'm sort of going through the same pains myself(watching my car rust away) but im in Illinois and your in Cali.. Tim mentioned that there is no such thing as a rust free 240 anymore and that may be the case.. But in just my casual browsing for a new shell(which is low on my list of things to do but it never hurts to keep an eye open) I have found a few nice examples that I have tried to aquire, one in texas and one down state aswell as numerous examples in Cali and other SW states, usually under a grand, that I havent even gone for since the cost of the shell and the fuel to get myself a heavy truck and trailer out that way is cost prohibitive at the moment. But this is positively something I will be doing in the future. Hopefully with the help of some of the huge HybridZ community that there is in Cali I will be able to find a shell (maybe something race preped with a cage.. heh) get out that way grab it, see the sights, have a few beers and a few laughs and get back on the road.. I cannonballed it out to New Mex. for my brothers dime with another friend.. 2 guys 1300 miles x 2 in 2 1/2 days.. lotsa fun If I can find a 71 2 door 510 with just a little quater panel rust than theres gotta be a nearly rust free Z out there for me.. heh Phew, didnt mean to get so long winded.. topic has been on my mind alot lately(my z looks sad ). But anyway.. Just to see if ya can, intense devotion to that particular car or something else that I'm missing? Good luck, Sam btw.. that patch panel looks awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z-TARD Posted April 28, 2004 Author Share Posted April 28, 2004 I actually bought my Z in Los Alamos, NM when I was working there a few years back. It ran for a while, then I put it into storage until I had the time to bring it out here to work on. I knew the floorboards were gonners shortly after I aquired the car, and I thought that was the extent of the damage. I continued doing suspension and drivetrain mods once I got it to San Diego, and only recently discovered all the hidden rust when I started on the body work for the project. The rear under hatch trim was pretty bad, in another year or so it would have been huge gaping holes. Also the lower frame rails near the rear of each front wheel well. For some reason, Nissan decided to place a reinforcement patch on the side of the frame there, without bothering to seal it up properly. Moisture gets behind it and erodes the side of the rail away. I can stick a screwdriver wayyyyyyyy into my car there . At this point I almost consider all the flaws in my car a positive thing. I'd hate to tear up a Z in good condition for a project like this. Sure, it would make things easier, but then there would be one less original Z on the road. I think I'll have more pride in this car due to the problems that I'll have to overcome to complete it, and I'll learn a lot more about building cars along the way. The buildup is really the fun part for me I think. When I finally do get the car finished, I'll probably wander around, lost and confused because I wont have anything to wrench on Seeing all the awsome hybridZ at the MSA show this year really lit a fire under my ass, so to speak. Hopefully I'll be able to make the show next year, even if the car is still wearing primer and bondo. Speaking of long winded..... My fingers hurt now. No more poking at keyboard Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austenp405 Posted April 28, 2004 Share Posted April 28, 2004 I think I'll have more pride in this car due to the problems that I'll have to overcome to complete it, and I'll learn a lot more about building cars along the way. The buildup is really the fun part for me I think. When I finally do get the car finished, I'll probably wander around, lost and confused because I wont have anything to wrench on That is exactly my reasoning for starting with what most of my friends consider a pile of sh.... useless metal. But, when I'm done with it, I've always got my trusty 300zx to keep me occupied until the next basket case comes along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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