dangerboy Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 my 260 has some pretty bad damage to the radiator support and the piece infront of it that the fender bolts in to. when the fender was on it seemed to fit ok so im not worried about the cosmetics of it. im attempting a v8 swap but was concerned about increasing the potential for weakness/failure that this damage could cause. has anyone repaired this kind of damage, can a custom made piece be used or a donor? thanks in advance for any advice or cautions. shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 That's in bad shape. I would cut it off just behind the core support and graft on a nose piece from a straight donor. That's what I did with mine (mine was not nearly as bad as that). It's not that hard. Carefull cutting and fitting and lots of measurements before you start welding. I did mine with a spot weld cutter, a cut-off wheel in my angle grinder, and a cheap mig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted September 18, 2010 Share Posted September 18, 2010 I'm sorry, I'm conservative and all, but I cant see how torque is going to play much into the eqaution that far forward? You intead to do the strut brace and firewall braces yes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerboy Posted September 18, 2010 Author Share Posted September 18, 2010 i was kind of thinking the same thing but i dont have the knowledge at the moment to know if what i think will be good really will. so to answer your question, yes i will be bracing the struts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted September 19, 2010 Share Posted September 19, 2010 With a strut bar, you don't need anything in front of the swaybar mounts to drive the car other than some 2X2 and zip ties to attach the radiator to... Don't even ask! If you're intent on doing something, remove the upper radiator support, replace it with a removable bar with proper crossbracing, and lay your radiator down to be more of a bottom breather, closing up that huge open maw, and then vent the airflow out of the rad up over the hood... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zsteelman Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 I have the exact same problem in my Z. The PO rearended someone and it bend just the front pieces around where the bumper shocks mounted and twisted them some. The core support is still straight but everything in front of that is angled...I'm tempted to just cut it off and not worry about it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emeraldlion Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 There are a few people on here who have done similar and posted great photos. If you ssearch radiator support removal and various phrases built around that you'll find info. Blueovalz has very neat setup that I've considered, but mine is straight so why bother. If the frame rails aren't tweaked I'd say cut it off and get original. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerboy Posted October 15, 2010 Author Share Posted October 15, 2010 i pulled the engine and trans about 2 weeks ago and after cleaning the front rails found them to have a ripple from the accident. the wire wheel also showed me that the passenger side frame rail is severly pitted and has 2 holes in it where it meets the firewall. i know they sell new rails but its not a repair id feel comfortable with myself. and to get the rails fixed and still have a jacked up front end makes me wonder if i should just find another to start with and sell all the parts i have laying around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 ... makes me wonder if i should just find another to start with and sell all the parts i have laying around. Sounds wise. Start with a solid foundation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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