Got busy and forgot to hit the "submit" button - should have returned to the thread and checked....

FWIW,

Carl B.

Relative humidity is also a compounding factor to the salt air. Plenty of ocean near So Cal, but cars pretty much last forever down there...

I have found that the cars that spend significant time right near the ocean have some level of rust issue. Inland, what doesn't rust will have rubber rot. Rubber rot can be as expensive to fix as rust. Ever try finding a 30+ year old seal? Of course you have... I forgot who the audience here was...

Still, you are correct. I am amazed as I drive down the street and see 70's and even 60's cars being daily-driven.

The affect of being near the ocean isn't even close to the damage that's done by salty roads. But, I could imagine there would be some damage done to an unprotected car on a cargo ship.

Still, you are correct. I am amazed as I drive down the street and see 70's and even 60's cars being daily-driven.

Cosmic coincidence - As I was reading this, I looked out the window and saw a '48 Studebaker cruise by. Palm Springs is home for old people and old cars.

Dennis

Carl,

I was hoping that since you did see this post that you would at least have help confirm/deny the original intent of my question!!:laugh:

As long as my thread is being hijacked by the rust experts....I live in Bellingham, WA. We have a saltwater bay/harbor here in town...lots of boating here and in the San Juans!!

Unless your car is being SPRAYED with salty seawater, or live in an area where they SALT the winter roads (and you drive in it!!!), I doubt there will be much (if any) acceleration of rust as any other area of the country.

I do know that we get MANY MANY days of rain here in the Pacific NW, so much so that (along with the evergreen needles and leaves, etc. that get stuck in all the "usual" places) our cars can stay wet and probably don't dry out but for a couple of months a year (this is assuming a daily-driven car, even if it is garaged).

Hoping for some more info on the whole "damaged Z" rumor.

Anyone??

Regards,

Astrohog

I live 3 blocks from the beach and my Z has spent it's whole life here. I have no rust issue at all. In fact I cleaned out the interior for it's first time ever, no rust on the floor pans and I have just light surface rust on the suspension. You really need the metal to stay wet for long periods of time for a rusting issue.

I lived 45 years in California and not far from the ocean. People that live along the coast have severe rust trouble, especially if they are not garaged and only under car ports or in the open. I now live in Portland Oregon 25 yrs, There is a mountain range that runs right along the coast . Most of the population live on the sheltered side of these mountains . Those that chose to live along the beach suffer the salt rust issues. One thing, like was stated we receive our 36'' of rain inland and 50+ on the coast, that helps as long as the car is garaged and has a chance to dry out. We have little if any rust issues due to salt that I know of. My Ford truck has never been under cover it's whole life and no rust problems it is a '90

Edited August 18, 200816 yr by beandip
clarification

26th has a history of living on the beach however she was garaged. That's why I dipped her, though. She was rusting from the inside out. I cleaned sand out of the frame when I took the hatch hinge seals out.

But getting back to the original question, and thanks for the compliment, it is my understanding that Nissan N.A. (or Datsun at the time) maintained a facility to make repairs as necessary. Remember that Mr. K was quite service oriented in his approach to marketing the Datsun brand in America. The fellow who represents him at American functions (ZCCA conventions), Mr. Osami, was originally in charge of service. Also, by the time the 240Z arrived in America, Datsun had been importing cars and small trucks for quite a few years. I can easily see small repairs being made prior to distribution. And I would expect them to be within the paint and body realm. Anything major would have been sent back or scrapped.

I have to agree with Beandip. There a big difference living near the beach vs on the beach. It also depends on the prevelance of the wind. If you live where the wind is mostly onshore then rust will be a problem, just as bad as salted roads since when it rains it's a mixture of both. I grew up on the beach on the EastCoast of Florida and all my cars had rust problems, of coarse it didn't help by driving on the beaches in Daytona. I'm older and wiser now. I hide my Z whenever there's a Noreaster.