Guest 400 ci 280z Posted December 4, 2001 Share Posted December 4, 2001 i have a 280z and it has rust in the frame rails. can some one tell me what the best way to fix this is. and will i need that stand that attaches to the front and back. if so can some one give me the plans on how to make it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimzdat Posted December 4, 2001 Share Posted December 4, 2001 There are a couple of places you can get replacement framerail/floorpan assemblies from, it all depends on how extensive the damage is. You may want to consider subframe connectors--check Pete Paraska's website for a good example of those. Some sort of stand would probably be best to keep everything aligned while you cut out sections of the car--it all depends on what you want to do--you could fab up some sort of jig to hold everything in place, or you caould go all out and build a rotisserie that would allow for easier access to the undercarriage. Search for "rotisserie" here in the forums, this has been brought up a couple times (a few by me) and there are a couple of posts with pics. Or you can check on my site, got a few more pics there Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted December 4, 2001 Share Posted December 4, 2001 Alright, I'm planning on doing some frame and subframe connectors too. I been checking post here many times and have always seen everyone doing new frame stuff using a rotisserie. Sorry, 400 ci since I don't know if this will help you but I would also like to add to this thread if someone could answer your question as well as to see if it is possible to do it without a rotisserie? All I have is a garage basic selection of tools, a skill saw, and a miller mig welder. The engine would be out for the V8 but I don't want to spend time building a rotisserie for this one time use and it would not be practicle for the size of my garage. So all of you who has done this both ways please help. Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scca Posted December 4, 2001 Share Posted December 4, 2001 wouldnt a rotisserie be a bad idea for a rotten car? couldnt it collapse a bit then? IMO it would make more sense to do the framerails one at a time with the car on jackstands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 400 ci 280z Posted December 4, 2001 Share Posted December 4, 2001 i also dont have alot of garage room and only have a limited selection of tools. and i dont mind you asking that because i was just wondering if it could be done with out a rotisserie. so if anyone else feels like adding on to this feel free to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 400 ci 280z Posted December 4, 2001 Share Posted December 4, 2001 also i ordered how to restore your datsun z car. has anyone else used this book and if you have was it worth buying? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted December 4, 2001 Share Posted December 4, 2001 i have that book, and its a good one, it shows you how to dismantle the exterior and interior, and what tools to substitute for ones that the average hobbyst probably wont have. good stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted December 4, 2001 Share Posted December 4, 2001 As Mike pointed out, you wouldn't use a rotisseire on a car that your putting rails on. The rails support the car to the rottis. so that wouldn't work. You need a level floor and many jackstands/screwjacks to try and get the chassis straight like you'd like it to be at the end. Regards and good luck, Lone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wagz Posted December 4, 2001 Share Posted December 4, 2001 I was under the impression that Tim240Z added his subframe connectors while the car was on a rotisserie. Maybe I misunderstood what I read. I was planning to fab a rotisserie and do it that way. Maybe I should rethink it and buy more jack stands... Makes sense that you would get chassis flex while on a rotisserie though. Maybe if you only replace one at a time?.... Anyone else have input on this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scca Posted December 4, 2001 Share Posted December 4, 2001 sure you can add connectors while on a rottiserie but this is assuming the car itself is solid. a rusty car will not stand up without a lot of support. i would say "most" of the cars we build are pretty rust free-- (not pete ) and those that are REALLY rusty you are better off to buy a better shell than build it . unless you want to learn welding and such. in hindsite i'm sure Pete would have tossed that chassis and bought another. but IMO he was in too deep to turn back at that point. ahh hindsite.. i had a car a while back and it was just starting to rust in the wheel wells. well after taking it apart it needed a LOT/.... if you want it perfect (and i did) it would have needed floors-framerails-rear 1/4's and a obscene amount of labor. i wrecked it and bought a shell for $800 with a dash fire and swapped over the entire interior-wiring and drivetrain. the burnt car was a x-calif car and had NO rust at all. do a lot of thinking before you just jump in to a restoration.. i've got a 66 stang sitting here in pieces but i cant go find a rust free shell for that for $1000 Z's are plentiful for under a grand relatively rust free - in ca and AZ and south oregon. and other places i'm sure as well. the best deals are usually had on 74-76 cars and they are the best for building- good wiring and slightly stronger car but still has full size spare area and you can make it look just like a early car with the bumpers and all....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted December 4, 2001 Share Posted December 4, 2001 Wagz, You are correct. However the caveat is: My car was COMPLETELY stripped (well...the rear view mirror was still in ), and I did one side at a time, and I supported the middle of the car (it was on it's side) with the jack until the first one was done. I believe that with the car completely stripped, it is light enough ( I could pick up (bench press style) the car by myself) to not have to worry about twisting. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted December 4, 2001 Share Posted December 4, 2001 Thanks guys, I could finally sleep now that I know that I could do this without having a rotis. My car 72 240z has very little amount of rust all of which is on the back end of my frames under the passenger seat. I was going to weld up some thicker metal on top of my floor board for the JTR trans mounts and cut out the old frames to weld in new bigger and longer ones all the way back butting up against the rear frames. Thanks for the much needed confidence boost. I was going to give up the V8 swap do to the little rust with a por15 fix and keep my L6 but now I'm definitely going V8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted December 5, 2001 Share Posted December 5, 2001 The 78 280Z that we started with had rails that had rusted completely through just behind the front wheels on both sides. First, I agree with everyone that says "find one without rust." However, it can be done rather easily (if you have the right tools) using jack stands. We cut the entire floor and rails out with the car up on stands. We then used 2" square tubing front to back, The motor mounts, struts, front and rear suspension was then welded to these rails as well as the new floor. We will post up pictures of the process on our website "300Z.com/Zstar" tonight and they should be up in the morning. These pictures clearly show the jack stands with the old frame and floor cut out and the new rails installed. There are other pictures there showing how the motor mounts and steering assembly were mated up to the new setup. This is a much stronger and stiffer frame than was provided on the stock 280. Best to all, Ted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 400 ci 280z Posted December 5, 2001 Share Posted December 5, 2001 so you should cut out the floor on the inside only or all the way through? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 400 ci 280z Posted December 5, 2001 Share Posted December 5, 2001 the frame rails are rusted right in front of the rear tires and i cant find any more rust other than surface rust do i need to replace the whole rail or jest the section? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted December 9, 2001 Share Posted December 9, 2001 quote: Originally posted by scca: in hindsite i'm sure Pete would have tossed that chassis and bought another. but IMO he was in too deep to turn back at that point. ahh hindsite.. You're darned right, Mike! What I did was disobey the cardinal rule - start with a GOOD CAR! I did my subframe connectors while the car was on 8 jackstands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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