What is this area called?

[yoogener]

Is this still part of the quarter panel? Is it a common rust spot, or did I just get really unlucky? If it is common or if anyone has repaired this, you guys use bondo or weld?

[WalterMondale]

While it is a part of the rear wheel arch, that small area can be found at Victoria British.

Part # 99-203 $39.95

[71datsunZ]

its a dogleg

[EScanlon]

And if you have rust on it, check and see if it is rust-THROUGH. If it is, you have bigger problems than it appears.

That area of the car is where several pieces of sheet metal come together.

The rocker panel exterior skin, the inner rocker panel, the door pillar support, the inner fender, external fender and part of the floor pan, are all coming together at that point.

It's not unusual to find rust there, as that is where the rear panel "drains" to.

When you open it up to replace the skin metal, take a good close look at the interior metal.

E

[beandip]

NO NO NO not bondo not here. If there is rust through have it taken care of properly and have it welded. As escanlon says when it is opened up have a good hard look . remove the inside trim pannel , there are round holes and with a flash light you can see inside to some degree. This channel that terminats here , that runs under the door is the rocker. It starts just infront of the door at the bottom of the front fender. Some times the cowl drain dumps debris on the end of the rocker . This causes a rust through, it and the lower part of the front fender. If there is a rust hole in the end of the rocker, it drains all the way back to the dogleg. So check out this whole area for rust damage. The front area is also impacted by the battery acid problem that attacks the inner fender and frame under the battery and firewall. this whole area is the main problem area on these cars. Gary

[yoogener]

I'm stumped...

Scared to find out the rust that I'm going to see. It's already got holes on the outside in that area I outlined. I know I'm gonna find it throughout the whole bottom of that area to the front???? Some place better sell these parts. I'm waiting for the VB catalog. Is it in there?

[=Enigma=]

Yeah, it's all in there. Pages 26-28 in the current catalog.

99-201 Rocker Panel - RH $59.95

99-103 Door Skin Lower - RH $69.95

99-203 Lower Rear Quarter - Front - RH 39.95 or

99-301 Rear Wheel Arch - RH $79.95

And if you need it:

99-403 Outer Rear Wheel Housing - RH $149.95 (Wheel well)

[26th-Z]

Her Majesty the 26th has had her doglegs lifted twice, but please don't leak this to the tabloids. She now relys on the royal house of TABCO for her replacement panels. http://www.rustrepair.com/repair_panels/onlinecat.htm?r=ru&p=sm-datsun

The reason that area takes it so hard is because the seams of the various panel shapes EScanlon is talking about are not sealed properly. As he points out, several panel shapes come togeather in this area. They are spot welded and the seams are filled with sealer. The old sealer dries and cracks. And to make this a real slap-in-the-face, the juncture gets wet just at the thought of enjoying the ride!

Good luck! Find yourself a good metal surgeon and weld yourself back to clean rockers. And now that you are going to paint your car, take the time to clean out the seams and seal them back up. I have been using 3M 08300 Ultra Pro Sealant.

CW-

[26th-Z]

Here are a few more shots that may be of help.

The fender metal covers the joint between the floor and the rocker just below the door post.

Inside of the rocker at the end where the seat belt mount is.

"...thus, the body sealing is secured."

[beandip]

I'm stumped...

Scared to find out the rust that I'm going to see. It's already got holes on the outside in that area I outlined. I know I'm gonna find it throughout the whole bottom of that area to the front???? Some place better sell these parts. I'm waiting for the VB catalog. Is it in there?

Before you jump in and do some buying , contact Zedd Findings datsunparts.com he sells to motorsports I have been told . Charley Osborne has the best replacement parts for his stuff. His floors are shown in Sports Z magazine and Motorsport catalog. He often has hard to find parts . Have you pulled the carpet on the passanger side and looked at the floor pan, both on top and under the car ? He has floor pans also. Gary

[yoogener]

Thanks for the heads up, beandip, but I had purchased floors earlier this year. I'm still working on some electrical issues before I get the floors put in.

All this is great advice. Thanks for making this thread important, allowing me to get much information. Feel free to throw in some hidden tips. Greatly appreciated!

[Fun_in_my_z]

I had to refab theat whole section on mine before i put the sheet sheet metal back in.

It was a PITA!

After i welded in the knew peices i got after it with a portapower and tried to bend it. Wouldnt move. I might buy a roll bar from MSA Just to be safe. My car was toast.