avoiding rust traps

[Sean Dezart]

Help, please

After nearly 5 years without a zed, I'm finally going to get another one on the road which will be painted before Christmas.

What I'd like to know from all of you been there, done thats is what body 'modifications' can be done to avoid the usual rust traps?

ie cutting out the lip on the inside of the fuel filler flap and there must be others.

I know some purists will squeak in horrer:finger: however everyone to their taste and I'd really appreciate some ideas before the paint is done.

Thanks in advance

[Caen Fred]

Hey, I second that. First because Sean is our club president (so he his always right, right?) and then because he his our club presi... (!!!!!).

No, seriously, rust is the Z killer, is there an after market splash guard for the inner wheel arch in front and rear or a Z body????

If not, isn't-it time to design one, unbreakable plastic is cheap today, maybe if ye get 500 + orders form we could have a company design one. No more mud on top of those air channel...

Keep your orders coming.... still 498 to go (hey, what about a nice poll... ?)

Fred = 1

Sean = 2

[Alfadog]

When I bought my Z at the beginning of this year, it was rusty in a few areas and after several weeks I noticed that the rust was growing - FAST!

I installed a little device which is attached onto the firewall that sends some sort of electricity though the entire body of the car. Somehow it stops the rusting process. Since then (about 6 months) I have noticed no evidence of the rust growing at all, except in one area where I *think* there might be more bubbles...

Now yes I know a lot of people snicker at the thought, but I would recommend it to anyone. It does however cost a pretty penny - about $200-$300 USD. It connects directly to the battery too, so I don't know if it would be such a great idea if you were storing your car...

But ya, I'll be putting one on my next car!

[owenk]

No, seriously, rust is the Z killer, is there an after market splash guard for the inner wheel arch in front and rear or a Z body????

If not, isn't-it time to design one, unbreakable plastic is cheap today, maybe if ye get 500 + orders form we could have a company design one.

I have found 260Z or 280Zs in wrecking yards a liner just as you decribe and it looks stock maybe some dealers added them after they we off the boat. Next time I am there I will take one off and see if it fits on a 240.

[EScanlon]

The drains for the windshield wiper cowl bucket empty out behind the splash guard in the front fender area. Unfortunately, there is little room for the water to escape without leaving debris behind which in turn causes the fenders to begin rusting.

Take a look, and you'll note the rubber hose about even with the top hinge of the door. I added a section of 1" ID tubing and have it directed out below the splash panel. In this manner any debris coming down from the cowl bucket will go to the ground and not get caught behind the splash guard.

This is a simple 10 minute mod which will help down the line.

[Sean Dezart]

Thanks ESCANLON, that's the sort of idea I need.

I just managed to get into my boots this morning Fred - thanks but Cathy wouldn't agree with you!

I'm still listening guys - right up until the car is painted in Dec!

Sean - the slalom master

ps I was at a Classic car race this weekend at Dijon and saw an ex ralleye car - probably the mule of the cars that ran in the early Tulip and/or RAC ralleyes - I await the info from the Belgian owner.

He was in a race of 34 cars and ahead of all the Porches, a Chevron and a lighweight e-type!

Side exhaust, rear discs and no spare wheel space.

[EScanlon]

I hope that tip helps you. When I discovered this I realized that many Z's out there are suffering from front fender rust out just because of the water and dirt getting trapped back there. My "fix" is something that anyone who uses their car on a regular basis, i.e. in the rain, should look into.

Here are a few other tips that I have done to my vehicle in order to alleviate or avoid future problems with rusting.

When you remove the front fenders you will note that there is a rubber gasket that is attached to the top of the "arm" which is actually the fresh air duct as well as the main top support for the "frame". This gasket is supposed to prevent the splash / spray from the front wheels from seeping up and into the drain channel which is underneath the fender but in towards the engine from the wheel. If you examine this channel you will note that any water and debris from in front of the cowl, the inspection doors and splash from the road will eventually be washed down to the small exit hole. If your car was treated at the factory like mine was, chances are that the drain hole was plugged with body sealant. This plug will cause the water to stagnate in there and in very short order become filled with debris which retains water etc.

Take a minute and clear the drain hole. The exit for this should be just behind and above the fresh air vent tube plastic pieces.

Another place that is notorious for catching dirt and other debris is your rocker panel. Believe it or not, the vents on the sides of the roof channel actually draw in dust and other dirt. Typically this ends up being sucked into the "bowels" of the car. The "bowels" actually end up being your rocker panels and the space in front of the rear wheel.

With the plastic panels removed, get a 4-6 foot length of 5/8" or larger hose which you will duct tape to the inlet of your shop vac. If you don't care what's in there, then just thread the hose into the space behind and in front of the wheel from the hatch and vacuum up all sorts of dirt. If you'd like to know what you're picking up put a nylon knee-high on the end of your shop vac hose and then feed the 5/8" or so hose into the knee high. This becomes a "net" that will catch whatever you vacuum up. This method is excellent in retrieving those little pins for the plastic rivets which are notorious for disappearing into the nether regions of the car.

If you have the complete interior out, put the hose into the rocker panel area from the panel in front of the rear wheel, as well as the access / vent holes in the interior side panel. You'll be surprised as to how much dirt is in there. That dirt is like a sponge and will hold water for days even weeks. When I did mine I vacuumed up about 100 cigarette filters, talk about a nasty sponge! Clean this area out as much as possible to avoid the collection of rust causing dust / dirt.

Another spot to check is the vent holes in your doors. You can check these without disassembling the door panels if you get down on the ground and look at the bottom seam. You should spot a couple of oval holes that are there for water to seep out of the car. Make sure these are clear of debris. If there's a bunch in there, you'll want to remove the interior panel so you can vacuum the stuff out.

That's all for now. Hope these tips help someone.

[ozlime240z]

Originally posted by Alfadog

I installed a little device which is attached onto the firewall that sends some sort of electricity though the entire body of the car.

But ya, I'll be putting one on my next car!

Alfa, which one (brand) did you install. I'm at a toss-up between ERPS (www.erps.com.au), CounterAct (www.counteract.com.au) or Corrosion Guard (www.corrosionguard.com).

Corrosion Guard is by far the cheapest and is made on the Gold-Coast.

OzLime240Z

[Graeme Suckling]

Sean and all,

an additional problem was evident on the 1973 240 I am re-building.

Debris had collected in the cowl area below the windshield, and blocked off the entire plenum.

Leaves and whatever were jammed between the inner surface of the firewall and the "chimney " for the blower motor intake.

I had to replace a section of the firewall approx 300mm long and 70mm high.

The floor of the plenum was also replaced as was the air intake. This time I used a short length of plastic stormwater pipe with a flange which screwed back onto the plenum floor. :devious:

If you haven't taken the cowl cover off yet, do so and ensure that this area is clean and rust free.

I haven't found a passenger yet who enjoys water dripping onto their feet.

[Walter Moore]

One additional tip for avoiding rust in your Z car. Never, under any circumstances drive it here in the American rust belt (Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, etc.) during the winter months, when the roads are white with salt.

1970's vintage Japanese cars don't rust here... they dissolve...

At least part of the reason that I bought mine was so that I could prove that there really was a 31 year old Japanese car in Indianapolis that hadn't returned to iron ore...

[2ManyZs]

One other idea to go along with all the rest.

Get a tube of seam sealer and seal all the seams along the top of the frame rail flange where it is spot welded to the inner fender. A lot of water and dirt gets dwon into the small gaps along the top of the frame rail and causes the frame rails to rust form the inside out.

Another place to seal is the top of the rocker panel where in behind the front fender, right below the drain tube form the windshield wiper "valley". Also you will probably find large gaps where the T/C rod pocket is mounted to the frame rail on both sides. Any water that enters there will travel the length of the floor pan support channel.

Would be a good idea to seal up any holes or wherever the panels could be exposed to water contamination due to wavy spot weld flanges. A lot of the problems would never have reared their ugly heads if Nissan had seam welded the unibodies of the Z's instead of spot welding. Shame so many had to rust away because of it.....

[Alfadog]

Originally posted by ozlime240z

Alfa, which one (brand) did you install. I'm at a toss-up between ERPS (www.erps.com.au), CounterAct (www.counteract.com.au) or Corrosion Guard (www.corrosionguard.com).

Corrosion Guard is by far the cheapest and is made on the Gold-Coast.

OzLime240Z

Mine is an ERPS system, but I never knew there were any others. Maybe the cheaper system works just the same! Maybe you should ask the blokes at the most expensive place WHY exactly theirs is more expensive.