240 teardown scare

[mcorso]

Hey guys, I scored a 73 240z that i started to tear down, the rear fenders are rotted, passenger wheel well is partially rotted, around the gastank vent thing is rotted, but today I started tearing apart the front end and thats when i got a little scared, i posted the pics of the areas im scared about, should I be? or can I get prefab metal for these areas (ive only seen fenders,hoods,etc)

[SteveJ]

Not too surprising for a northern car. There was a guy who posted at Zcar.com that went by Matteo. He bought a Z from Chicago, and it had plenty of tin worm and fiberglass. He restored the metal on his. Search for his posts over there.

[cygnusx1]

Looks like some fairly critical rust in that photo. I would be taking welding classes right about now. I think you will need to do custom cut and fab work there. I know floor frame rails are available but I dont think anyone makes the forward sections pre-fab. That's right where the suspension and engine loads tie in. Not an area that you want failing.

[5thhorsemann]

Looks better than some I have seen, the rust under the battery box area is not only common, but from what I've seen, it's to be expected. The surface rust in the second pic is a job for OneStep, not a problem. BTW, you only need to start one thread per problem, I'm just saying.

[mcorso]

hey 5th, thanks for the reply. the issue isnt the battery box, its actually all there. the issue is behind the front tire coil spring, where the mount and inner fender wall meet. it looks like its where the engine bolts to the frame. its kinda scary, the rest of the unibody is pretty solid. has some pieces cut and welded from a previous owner. this is my first build and its got me a little scared. can you explain onestep? im gonna google now. thanks again

[5thhorsemann]

OneStep is rust converter. You should cut out the rust behind the wheel and see the extent of the cancer, looks worse than it is.

[ZCurves]

Doesn't look too bad (so far).

I ran into the same problem under my fenders. You can fix the external rust easy enough, but it is difficult to get protection inside the upper frame and other 'blind' areas. One thing that I did was inject Eastwood Heavy Duty Anti Rust into the upper Frame Cavity. You can spray forward thru the opening near the Red Circle on the pic and then spray back toward the firewall by drilling an access hole here (Green Circle).

You can use the Eastwood Heavy Duty Anti Rust in any internal body cavity especially the rockers, inside frame rails and above wheel wells. I would use POR-15 for all other areas that you can see and touch.

Here is a link: http://www.eastwood.com/ew-heavy-duty-anti-rust-32oz.html

Edited September 9, 2011 by ZCurves

[mcorso]

zcurves, thanks will look for that stuff, any suggestion on the other picture,? can i get any of this metal anywhere?

[5thhorsemann]

The anti rust is for after the onestep treatment, the one step link

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?pq=one+step+rust+killer&hl=en&sugexp=bvec&cp=9&gs_id=s&xhr=t&q=mar+hyde+one+step+rust+killer&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1680&bih=869&wrapid=tljp1315600953093014&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=1533637957588519492&sa=X&ei=bnpqTtmyCubV0QG93cSMBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CGIQ8wIwAw#

[mcorso]

awesome! thanks. got a engine stand loaned to me indefinitely . so im off to dissemble the motor, find a hoist and get in there and see how bad shes rotted.

[ZCurves]

zcurves, thanks will look for that stuff, any suggestion on the other picture,? can i get any of this metal anywhere?

Retake the picture, BUT this time use a Sharpie and draw a box with measurements. I have a 78 parts car that might be a donor. I will ship you the piece if you pay shipping + beer money.

[Mikes Z car]

ZCurves,

What did you spray the Eastwood anti rust material with? Great idea, spraying the upper frame rail, I have been eyeballing that for treatment in my car.

Mike