moodah Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 Hmm - With my 280zx rear skirt, i actually chopped half the brackets off and welded a steel angle from one to the other to create a bar, then i used fibreglass to tack the bar to the kit. When that was done i pulled it out, put it upside down and dropped steel angles through it across the inside front, then from that bar welded using more angles to the bar i originally welded that crossed from the original brackets. I then filled with fibreglass and CSM and reinforced the ♥♥♥♥ out of it. It is so freaking solid now itd take a decent hit - and its pretty much the same weight as the original bumper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TABrinn Posted October 31, 2007 Author Share Posted October 31, 2007 Now that's what I'm talking about! Strong and good looking. I would love to see some pics. One question though, what is CSM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moodah Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 Chopped strand matt. Ill get some pics up for you later when i get home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moodah Posted November 1, 2007 Share Posted November 1, 2007 the pics Sorry i wish i had better pics for some shots inside the actual skirt :< All phone camera shots.. Hope it helps. Dont make me go look for a digital camera lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TABrinn Posted November 1, 2007 Author Share Posted November 1, 2007 :2thumbs:Looks good to me and plenty strong too. Nice work. By the way, what body kit is that? I also have a '79 280zx 2+2 but can't find a kit to suit my taste. Maybe we have a winner? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh817 Posted November 2, 2007 Share Posted November 2, 2007 I have the same issue! The MSA III kit I have is somewhat flimsy in the front. I went under and it has 4 bolts on each side and I think 2 in the front that bolts through the top lip of the kit fiberglass and into the underside of cars body. I'd think this is enough but if enough pressure is applied by hand it can wiggle a bit. What worries me the most is the side skirts, those scrape sometimes the wiggle alot. Not enough to rattle but enough to if you bump into it with your leg you'll hear it. I have a question though... My rear spoiler, its hollow too. How did you guys go about putting that on. I have no idea where to bolt it or anything. I'd hate to think that you just bondo'd it in or something but there is that back panel on the hatch and when you pop it off there are like 2 layers to get through, would take a huge screw. Anyways, someone help me too. I don't want to get my 240 painted and then have pieces falling off. A picture or diagram of where to place bolts/rivets for the side skirts, air dam, and a how to for the rear spoiler would be nice... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moodah Posted November 2, 2007 Share Posted November 2, 2007 Josh, if you spend a little time you can reinforce it yourself fairly easily, even if you've never used fibreglass, its a good place to start. Heres the front of my kit which is fully reinforced as well, this thing is so fricken strong itd take a hit up to probably 30 km/h without breaking. (based on experience haha) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moodah Posted November 2, 2007 Share Posted November 2, 2007 :2thumbs:Looks good to me and plenty strong too. Nice work. By the way, what body kit is that? I also have a '79 280zx 2+2 but can't find a kit to suit my taste. Maybe we have a winner? Well its a kit that Warren over at allzparts created. Located in Hornsby - NSW (australia). It came rough as hell though - which is about right since theres maybe been 5/6 kits ever made from the mould. Id hook you up with the details but I dunno if you'd wanna pay shipping to the US :< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted November 2, 2007 Share Posted November 2, 2007 My experience on all of this leads me away from any reinforcement. Anything you do to stiffen the part will transfer impact forces (even small ones) into the metal fenders, and they are harder to fix than the fiberglass part, and then you've got two (or more) pieces to fix instead of just the fiberglass only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TABrinn Posted November 3, 2007 Author Share Posted November 3, 2007 BlueovalZ, that's pretty much what I had in mind I just want the pad to extend all the way across the "bumper" area and tie a few braces from there to where the factory bumper mounts. Add a piece of sheet metal to enclose the bottom should be strong enough to hande small roadkill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted November 3, 2007 Share Posted November 3, 2007 That was my intention as well. Mine actually prevented the front lip from folding or breaking when I hit a big-rig tire carcass in the middle of the lane on the interstate on night. Yes, the lip suffered enough damage to create spider cracks, but it all stayed in one piece, and the damage was limited to a small area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmaster Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 i would like to see some pics of the honeycomb in the msa 3 air dams to know how to line the stuff in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh817 Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Well I just ran over a parking bump today. Heard it slide over it so I was like "lets gingerly back up"... Thats a shame, cause there was a piece of rebar stick 1/2" upwards, caught the bottom lip of my airdam, ripped it, and some fiberglass piece out from under my left headlight. I don't know if thats stock fiberglass or if the PO had put it there. Now its ducked taped on, seems to b holding better than the 3 bolts on each side. I didn't like how it was mounted anyways. If I go with that reinforcement bar where should I connect it to on the car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HB280ZT Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 I am thinking about installing a tube bumper behind the Type III air dam in the area that looks like a bumper. I will attach it to the standard 77 bumper mounting locations. I am planning on using 3/16 plate as the mount plate with .060 DOM tubing as the out supports and the bumper. Hopefully I will attach it to the standard bumper mounting points on the sides and straight out from the support plates in the front. Will take pictures of it as I do it, hopefully in Jan 08. I first have to get with a friend who has a bender and the tubing and find a few hours of down time to do it. I am also looking at putting in a splitter on the bottom out of aluminum to help support the bottom of the air dam and to hopefully give the front end something to slide over items with. I hope to attach it all the way back to the engine cross member. HB280ZT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh817 Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 Airdam: 1: Buy 1 1/2" X 1/8" flat iron 2: Measure the dimensions of the chassis so you have a piece that matches the hole you're bolting in, the distance between the chassis and the airdam, and how car of a piece you want to go over the airdam lip. This will give you a place to bend and drill your first hole to put a bolt through and into the chassis. 3: Bend the flat iron, this will be custom fit, there are no real angles you just make it work by bending and fitting to check. Its best to use a vice and place your marked spot on the edge of the vice, hammer/push close to the vice to, this will help you make a bend in the spot you want instead of higher up on the bar. 4: Fit your mount onto the chassis, don't drill the other hole just yet. 5: After the mount is in place, drill from the bottom of the fiberglass. As the drill bit comes through it will make a mark on your mount and you can drill the hole where the mark is. This will ensure that your holes line up. 6: Remount your bracket and you should be good to go. :] I haven't made a spoiler one yet because the foam we sprayed is still drying. We did in fact get the foam you use on outside outlets, its called Great Stuff, $6 at Home Depot. We cut some would to squish into the foam. What we plan on doing is getting threaded inserts, drill and thread a hole in the wood, put the inserts in, and then put bolts through the hatch and into the inserts rather than using wood screws. Now there won't be any pressure on the fiberglass, just the wood held in by the foam. I plan to glass on the spoiler to so it looks clean but you have to be careful because the resin will melt foam and you don't want all your foam inside to melt. :] So whatever those holes were for, they were empty and they're on the chassis. The airdam use to wiggle and shake around a little, now it doesn't move at all. I'm very satisfied. The spoiler... I have to see if this will even work this weekend. I hope so, that was $6 for a can of foam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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