Z Front Frame Rail Replacement - T/C Rod Bracket

[Namerow]

When replacing a Z's front frame rail, the T/C rod bracket needs to be separated from the rail so that it can later be welded to the replacement rail.  The T/C rod bracket is secured to the OE rail by a combination of spot welds and a long seam weld.  I'm looking for some guidance on the steps and tools that work best for separating the bracket from rail and whether this should be done before vs after the rail is separated from the  rest of the vehicle structure.  The brackets, BTW, used to be available as service parts (74830/78301-E4100) but are now shown as NLA on the Courtesy Nissan website.

Edited November 29, 2020 by Namerow
added note re Nissan PN

[Patcon]

If I were doing this, I would remove from the rail after the fact. Provided the rail is being trashed. I would grind the rail off the bracket so as not to lose any material off the bracket. Make good dimensions first, of course

[grannyknot]

I'm assuming that you want to leave the T/C bracket attached to the lower floor pan rail?  If so then cut the engine bay rail about a 1/2" above that seam weld holding the bracket and rail together, pull the bent rail out and then you have lots of access to the top of the T/C bracket to cut and grind off what is left on the bracket.

It's nice to see you tackle this job John, you'll be driving her by next spring.

[newtonhubcap]

I to am getting ready to tackling replacing both front engine bay rails on 1 of my 71's. The 3rd comment seems like a reasonable approach. Am just surprise at the low responses is all. I may look around at some of the other sites.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[wheee!]

I did the front rails and TC buckets on mine. All the details in my thread.

[newtonhubcap]

I did the front rails and TC buckets on mine. All the details in my thread.

Thank you Whee! Will pull it up and take a read.

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[240ZBUILTBYME]

On 1/26/2021 at 7:34 AM, wheee! said:

I did the front rails and TC buckets on mine. All the details in my thread.

Just went through your TC reinstallation mark! Great job and I liked the addition of the jacking plate. Took me an hour of trawling to find it! (It was around page 40 if anyone else wants to check it out)

But I think your installation was not to original? Or is the joiner from chassis rail to frame rail separate on the 280z? We didn't get the 280 in oz. 

I will be doing this job within in the next 6 months. I agree with the guys @Patcon and @grannyknot  if you are trashing the frame rails and keeping the front section of the chassis rails keep the two together and cut the frame rail away slowly. Will be taking detailed measurements and notes before cutting anything on mine!

Ryan

[Namerow]

7 hours ago, 240ZBUILTBYME said:

Just went through your TC reinstallation mark! Great job and I liked the addition of the jacking plate. Took me an hour of trawling to find it! (It was around page 40 if anyone else wants to check it out)

But I think your installation was not to original? Or is the joiner from chassis rail to frame rail separate on the 280z? We didn't get the 280 in oz. 

I will be doing this job within in the next 6 months. I agree with the guys @Patcon and @grannyknot  if you are trashing the frame rails and keeping the front section of the chassis rails keep the two together and cut the frame rail away slowly. Will be taking detailed measurements and notes before cutting anything on mine!

Ryan

I went through the same trawling exercise and agree that the photos, while excellent throughout, don't actually cover the process of separating the T/C rear bracket (bucket?) from the rail.  However, GK's comments in Post #3 make sense and confirmed what I had expected.  Just don't get carried away with the grinder.

You may want to check out the lower rail repro that's now available c/o KlassicFab Vintage JDM...

https://kfvintagejdm.com/product-category/datsun/?swoof=1&paged=1&really_curr_tax=37-product_cat 

If you haven't seen the KF Vintage catalog, It's well worth a look.  Prices are reasonable, payment is straightforward, and shipping was prompt (at least in my experience, anyway).  The pieces I received look really good.  I haven't done a trial-install yet, so I can't offer any first-person comments about the quality of fit.  All I can say is that I have yet to see any complaints surface from other customers. 

Another excellent reference thread for Z structural repairs (although the work performed is at a pretty high level) is that by member Disepyon over on the HybridZ.com site...

https://forums.hybridz.org/topic/103797-2-4-0-z-l-s-1/#comments 

I'm enjoying your thread.  Nice production quality in your videos.  I'm impressed.  This will probably become a go-to reference for others contemplating a full re-build of a Z. 

[wheee!]

My connector pieces were built to match what was already there. Not perfect I’m sure, it is very close. The jack plates are my own design as far as I know. I don’t remember seeing them done before. But I’m sure someone else had the same idea. The TC bucket was removed by drilling out the spot welds and careful grinding. I just welded back through the spot welds to put it back on.
And yes, my thread would benefit from “chapter markers” ....

[240ZBUILTBYME]

15 hours ago, Namerow said:

If you haven't seen the KF Vintage catalog

I have mate they've just added some amazing new pieces that no other suppliers are making. If I could have I would get everything from them as their quality is amazing and price is great. Plus they are so much better to deal with than everyone else. I have their floors, outer rockers, seat mounts, rear slam panel. And I may be ordering a few of their new pieces depending ow bad mine are. 

I picked up some high quality frame rails from an aussie z specialist. Better than zed findings and comparable to kfs new frame rail pieces. 

15 hours ago, Namerow said:

Another excellent reference thread for Z structural repairs (

Thanks mate I will check it out!

15 hours ago, Namerow said:

I'm enjoying your thread.  Nice production quality in your videos.  I'm impressed.  This will probably become a go-to reference for others contemplating a full re-build of a Z. 

Really appreciate the feedback! Thanks 

Ryan 

[240ZBUILTBYME]

14 hours ago, wheee! said:

My connector pieces were built to match what was already there. Not perfect I’m sure, it is very close. The jack plates are my own design as far as I know. I don’t remember seeing them done before. But I’m sure someone else had the same idea. The TC bucket was removed by drilling out the spot welds and careful grinding. I just welded back through the spot welds to put it back on.
And yes, my thread would benefit from “chapter markers” ....

I thought so, must have been a 280z thing. 

Hahaha most detailed thread ever! Great thread though, I thoroughly enjoyed rereading the first 40 pages again! Your thread makes me realise how bad my mechanical knowledge is... 

Ryan

[wheee!]

I thought so, must have been a 280z thing. 
Hahaha most detailed thread ever! Great thread though, I thoroughly enjoyed rereading the first 40 pages again! Your thread makes me realise how bad my mechanical knowledge is... 
Ryan

Thanks. The thread has been my therapy and my school. Everything I have done has been a “first” for me. Thankfully this forum had been guide.