Challenger Posted December 25, 2006 Share Posted December 25, 2006 Hey Im just about finished repairing rust damage on the lower rear quarters behind the wheel. Ill be recieving the fiberglass bumpers from MSA in jan. (back ordered available jan 15) and from what I know they fit very tight on Z's without indents and may not fit on a 2+2. My question is has anybody welded in the indents onto a 280z coupe or 2+2? This would solve the problem by leaving a little room. It seems that it would be relatively simple but havent been able to check it out and find a car to cut them off of. Thanks Derek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted December 25, 2006 Share Posted December 25, 2006 I personally haven't heard of this being done.. I think welding the 'indents' into the rear quarters would be a nightmare... you'd probly be better off getting a whole quarter panel (with the indents stamped in them) and replacing the whole quarter, or at least a good sized chunk of it. In my expiriance if you try to weld complex curves/formed or intricate little pieces, it take FOREVER to blend them smooth afterwards, not to mention the warping/pulling of the metal that takes place while welding. If you're good with a TIG then I suppose it's not too bad, but it'll still be a pain IMO. Just my .02$, maybe someone else has some thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted December 25, 2006 Share Posted December 25, 2006 I do not know how far these bumpers extend past the normal surface of the quarter panel, but why couldn't you carefully grind off enough material on the inside edges of the new fiberglass bumper so that it has the correct gap around the "indent-less" panel? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted December 25, 2006 Author Share Posted December 25, 2006 grind off enough material on the inside edges of the new fiberglass bumper I was told by msa that you might have to sand down the fiberglass. IM not sure I want to do that because the bumpers have a gel coat that gives them a nice finish that Im not sure I want to take off. In my expiriance if you try to weld complex curves/formed or intricate little pieces, it take FOREVER to blend them smooth afterwards, not to mention the warping/pulling of the metal that takes place while welding. I wouldnt be making my own panels Id try to find a car I can cut around the indents and then weld it in. I bet if you went slow enough the metal wouldnt warp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted December 25, 2006 Share Posted December 25, 2006 I wouldnt be making my own panels Id try to find a car I can cut around the indents and then weld it in. I bet if you went slow enough the metal wouldnt warp? Beeing patient helps, but no mater how 'slow' you go, welding is welding. It's an intense amount of heat in a small area no mater how short you keep the bursts from the welder.. The heat has to go somewhere, and it will always pull/twist metal one way or another.. sometimes a lot, sometimes only a small amount. I tried to weld a piece of my rear fender lip back on (from a spare used fender I had) to the rear quarter, and in the end I had to do lots of grinding and body filler anyway to get it to look decent. Not trying to be cruel, just telling you what I know of it... I'd make sure the panel you cut (with the indent in it) is a good size so that the weld seam is a away from the indented/bumper area at least a few inches, and spot it on all sides. Work it around with small tacks/beads at a time. IE; if the panel is roughly a square shape, dont work around it starting from one point and just going around. Rather do a tack on the top, one on the bottom, the left side, the right side and so on back and forth till it's done.. Also, I find it helps to indent the edge of the 'patch' panel towards the car, and to indent the edges of the car panel inwards slightly. That way, it gives you a sort of "V" to lay weld in, and you don't have to grind a lot off in the end, just fill over it with glass/filler. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted December 26, 2006 Author Share Posted December 26, 2006 Thanks for all the info. I was planning on taking about 3 inched around the actual indent. Ill be sure to weld it top bottum left right etc. Also does any one have a lower quarter panel area that I could purchase from them? Thanks-You guys all got some rep. added Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted December 26, 2006 Share Posted December 26, 2006 ...because the bumpers have a gel coat that gives them a nice finish that Im not sure I want to take off. Don't over-emphasize the gelcoat. First of all, you'd be sanding on the inside edge, which is not visible (the top and bottom would still have the gelcoat on it. Secondly, the primer and paint will seal the bare glass. Lastly, 90% of my Z has NO gelcoat on it at all and it turned out fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metallicar Posted December 26, 2006 Share Posted December 26, 2006 Whoa! Don't start cutting anything until you have the new bumper in hand. This is my story....I have a 77 2+2. I decided to install the smaller bumpers on the car. I really lucked out and purchased a brand new Nissan, center bumper section for an early 74 2+2 on ebay for $25.00 shipped to my door. I already had a 240 bumper complete, but was concerned about that extra 3/4" the 2+2 has in width. I pulled off the ends of the 240 bumpers and attached them to the new center section piece. After going back and forth with dry fitting the whole thing on the car, I ended up cutting that 3/4" of an inch off of the 240 bumper ends (3/8" on each side)! I like the way it looks on the car. I have approx 1/8" space between the inside of the bumper to the cars skin, all around. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted December 26, 2006 Author Share Posted December 26, 2006 METTALICAR- Yeah I wasnt about to start any cutting on it before I had the bumper. Also were yours chrome bumpers, because Im getting the fiberglass ones from msa that are meant for a 240z. BLUEOVAL- I was told by the guy at msa that you could leave the bumper how it was because it already had a nice finish. My car will hopefully be a silver and have flat black accents like window frames door handles etc and I thought the bumpers would work just how they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metallicar Posted December 26, 2006 Share Posted December 26, 2006 My bumpers are steel. My point is, is that by the time I was done with the 2+2 bumper, it ended up being the same size as the 240 coupe bumper. I think you are going to be happy with the size of the MSA piece as it is with no modifications. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted December 26, 2006 Author Share Posted December 26, 2006 I guess the only thing I can do know is wait till they come. Paitently wait........ Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedNeckZ Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 I have put a 240Z bumper onto a 280Z body (78). The bumper come off of a early model 240Z (71). After attaching the mounts from the 240Z (rear bumper middle brackets)(welded them on), we, then aligned the bumper to the body and only had to cut the hole for the bolts to go thru. The 280Z rear body panels are done a little different then the 240Z. It is narrower then the 240Z. So before you do anything with the bumper or body, test fit it to the body. You may not have to do any thing with the body. The way it sat on the body, it wasn't that bad looking and fit pretty good. After the test fit, you can decide what you want to do and go for it. Your wallet and mind is your only limit. Good Luck, Rich. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted December 29, 2006 Author Share Posted December 29, 2006 My wallet is quite small, its more of a change poush then a wallet. Turned out they shipped my stuff on the 26th and so Ill get the bumpers and air dam in a couple days, and Ill be able to test fit them to see how they fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHADY280 Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 if your missing or filling the little indents, cutting the indented parts off of a fiberglass part would be very easy, plus it may look better, you will never know till ya try. the gel coat isnt all that important, its more for boats and things close to corrosion. gelcoat actually makes parts heavier, and leaving it off doesnt comprimise anything. make sure you post pix! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted January 3, 2007 Author Share Posted January 3, 2007 Well I got all the parts on friday. BlueOvalZ I guess you were right on the gelcoat. They said It was a great finish no painting needed. The rear bumper has cast marks i have to sand down and theyres a bunch of little scratches. Ill end up probably just painting them black again. I held up the air dam and front bumper and they look fine and then held up the back up and theyre arent any clearance issues at all. I wont have any pictures for a couple months because Id like to have the cars body work all strait and all the panels bolted up how they should be before I fit them. Thanks for all the help, Ill get some pictures when the bodies all done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metallicar Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 I told you so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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