palosfv3 Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 I have some ideas on a solution for this problem but was interested in what others have done . It may seem a little anal but when you put the money into getting the exterior of your car looking great , this is one of them issues that can piss you off once in a while. The 240/260/280 front fenders are very soft on the top sections adjacent to the hood. After all the time is spent getting them straight and painted it only takes a light amount of pressure to make a small dent anywhere along the upper section. On todays new cars there are similar areas where this type of condition also exists. OEM.s have heat bonded fiberglass reinforcement pads to give additional rigidity to the areas of concern. It would be a great to apply this material to the Datsun fender before installation but the material is not available through 3m, or any of their competitors. I thought of filling the void between the upper unibody and the fender with structural foam or the like but the fender will not be able to be removed without major damage plus the foam will be a mess to clean out. I also considered adhering some aluminum or stainless sheetmetal strips with double sided moulding tape to the underside of the fender area. What have other Z owners done or used to correct this condition ? Has anyone found something that worked ? I know it may be considered petty but it drives me crazy to look at a lumpy fender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wedge Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 I would try to weld some kind of rib cage under the fender before having it preped for paint could be made of something light or maybe even fiberglass i dunno i would have to think about it more ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karl Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 I tack welded a 1/8" thick x 11/2" wide flat piece of steel under the fender before i painted the car and it has worked out great. Before i did this you couldn't touch the darn thing without it poping in and out. Over the years it caused the tops of the fenders to become very wavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Thought: Get some 18-20 gauge steel, cut it to about 2" wide, appropriate length strips, bead roll each strip lengthwise, and drill holes on both sides so that you can spot weld them on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 I like your idea for structural foam. In my business I get parts (non-car parts) shipped to me all the time that have been packed with expanding foam. The guy boxing the parts simply lays a plastic bag (like a garbage bag) in the box and squirts the foam in the bag. Then he drops the part in and fills another bag and drops it on top of the part. Close the lid and you have a part incased in foam but none of it is stuck to the part. Why not do a similar thing with the fender? Then you would have the support of the foam without it actually sticking to the metal. If you go to the extra trouble of removing the fender you could lay a piece of plastic (like visqueen (sp?)) over the uni-body then bolt the fender back up with the plastic sandwiched between the fender and body and then fill the area between the fender and plastic with foam. The foam sticks to the fender but not the body. You could remove the fender anytime later without having to cut away the foam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscoPotatoe Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I like your idea for structural foam. In my business I get parts (non-car parts) shipped to me all the time that have been packed with expanding foam. The guy boxing the parts simply lays a plastic bag (like a garbage bag) in the box and squirts the foam in the bag. Then he drops the part in and fills another bag and drops it on top of the part. Close the lid and you have a part incased in foam but none of it is stuck to the part. Why not do a similar thing with the fender? Then you would have the support of the foam without it actually sticking to the metal. If you go to the extra trouble of removing the fender you could lay a piece of plastic (like visqueen (sp?)) over the uni-body then bolt the fender back up with the plastic sandwiched between the fender and body and then fill the area between the fender and plastic with foam. The foam sticks to the fender but not the body. You could remove the fender anytime later without having to cut away the foam. That would deffinatly aid if you got in an accident and thats for sure! but the weight of the foam might be a bit much... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 That "great stuff" foam is pretty light for the volume it fills. I use it in the tail section of my RC plane to stiffen the fuselage. It added almost no weight, and made a big difference in the rigidity of the plane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240z!!! Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 That "great stuff" foam is pretty light for the volume it fills. I use it in the tail section of my RC plane to stiffen the fuselage. It added almost no weight, and made a big difference in the rigidity of the plane. whoa whoa whoa....do not use "great stuff"....it is an open cell foam and holds moisture and will cause rust on anything it touches...i would suggest a closed cell foam that doesnt hold moisture...my buddy worked for a foam company that foamed the inside of houses...they used a closed foam it held heat better, it was a sound deadener(they actually used it to do music studio's) and it didnt hold moisture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrenadeZ Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 http://www.rwmallon.com/catalog.asp?prodid=553548&showprevnext=1 Maybe as an alternative? I like this idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240z!!! Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 http://www.rwmallon.com/catalog.asp?prodid=553548&showprevnext=1 Maybe as an alternative? I like this idea. that would probably work great...you could probably even spray it on the back of the fender then shave it down to fit then paint it and it wouldnt look so messy.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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