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So I decided to fab up some new front rails for the Z.. What is the worst that can happen, right? (Answer: waste some time, buy a proper set from a vendor). So why not? Step 1 ? Step 2 - Pretty much committed now .... Step 3 - make a pattern and a cheap test piece from some leftover 20 ga Step 4 - game time ...18 ga Step 5 - bend them up.... This was way harder than it looks. My cheapo metal brake was at capacity, and several teeth had to be removed, inserted and realigned in order to make all the bends. But it seemed to work. z Step 6 - test fit Still a lot to do, (weld in the bend, all the internal bracing, new crossmember brackets, all the nuts, TC rod supports) but so far so good! And the jig is working perfectly. I should have done this years ago....

While I was at Zcon in Atlanta I got to spend some time with Gnosez at the car show. It was a lot of fun and very informative. While we were talking, we ended up on the topic of the Bad Dog frame rails that Gnosez makes and markets. John was telling me that when the frame rails get added to the floor boards they should not be fully seam welded. They need to be spotted in with gaps between weld sections. John was telling me when people have disregarded his advise and fully welded the floor seam, cracks have appeared at the roof joint at the top of the hatch. We were wondering about that joint and since Matsuo San was just a few feet away, we went to ask him about it. When we asked him about that joint, Matsuo San said the car needed to "breathe" and they put that joint there at the hatch. The idea was that the movement, from the car flexing, there at the hatch was better than stressing the A pillar and cracking it instead. He also said that since the chrome window frame is not structurally supportive, it needed to be like that. If the door had a real frame around the glass it might have been different. So for those of us, me included, who have considered making that joint more substantial to prevent cracking, that is not such a good idea if you like your windshield to stay in the car. John may have more to add as he was interpreting for me...

Bad Dog Parts began selling frame rails to Z owners who wanted something stronger to handle the added stress of more HP, autocrossing or track events. The 2016 father-son 240Z team that won their class in the grueling Beijing to Paris race did so with a set of front and optional rears installed by the late John Coffey, Stacey Davis on GearZ TV installed our 280 rails because he wanted the extra strength to handle the supercharged Ford V-8 he was installing and hundreds of Z owners from Alaska to Florida, Sweden to New Zealand, Canada to Norway and Australia to England now run on Bad Dog Parts. So on a long drive last week I began to wonder just how many sets of rails we’ve sold since 2003 and was surprised to learn that Bad Dog Parts is now just thirty (30) sets of 240/260/280 frame rails shy of 2000 sold. To help us get to the 2000 set milestone we decided to offer everyone a discount and two lucky Z owners an opportunity to get Bad Dog Parts for free. Starting February 16th, both our 240/260 frame rails and 280 rails will be discounted 10% off the current selling price of $230 and $244, respectively. The cost for a single 240/260 or 280 rail is half the prices shown above minus the 10% discount. In addition, the set of optional 240 rears made for those of you who have added more HP, drive your Z real hard or just want a stronger chassis will also be discounted 10% . All of our produced parts costs include shipping within the lower 48 States. For those of you outside of the lower 48, we will get a shipping quote and add just the difference between a delivery in the lower 48 to one say in Canada, Germany or Australia, etc. and email you the added amount for your approval before shipping. Bad Dog will keep these prices in place until the 30th set (or 60th individual frame rail piece) is sold. So what about getting my parts for free ? There’s two ways that will happen. As each order comes in they will get a random number assigned from 1 to 60 with folks who order a set getting two numbers. Once all 30 sets are sold a number will be selected at an upcoming Z Car Club of New England gathering and the person with the winning number will have the cost of their frame rails refunded. The second way is when the 60th individual frame rail piece has been sold and the person who placed that order will get a refund back from Bad Dog just like the random number winner but with an added incentive. If say the person who ordered that 60th piece also ordered a set of seat brackets, optional rears, sway bar and jack plates, then the entire cost of that order will be refunded. The total for that order with both the discount and shipping comes to $673 (240 fronts & rear rails - $333, seat brackets -$250, sway bar plates-$35 and single point jack plates- $55). Two people will get free Bad Dog parts and the odds aren’t anything like the lottery where it’s several million to one. You needed the frame rails anyway so why not take a chance on getting them for free. I guess the worst case is that your Z would now be sporting new frame rails. And to all the folks who were order #54 or #1489 and made this possible, we at Bad Dog Parts truly appreciate your patronage and support. Thank-you.

We are back online and have frame rails, seat brackets, sway bar and jack plates available for delivery. While I can't prove that the Koreans were behind the attack on the server that my website was on it along with others lost service for several months. If you have any issues with the new site just email me and I'll get your parts on the way. John@baddogparts.com

Howdy, About to pull the trigger on frame rails, and floor pans for my Z, wanted to shoot it by you guys before pulling the trigger on the order. (its $$$$! ) Note* everything below is based on assumptions that I have made from reading peoples posts online. Correct me if I'm wrong. So there appears to be 2 main contenders for frame rails, being Bad Dog, and Zedds Findings (whom supplies other shops as well), as far a floor pans are concerned Zedds Findings is the way to go, unless there is another supplier that I'm not thinking of. For the Frame Rails, Bad Dog Auto has a thicker gauge of metal that they use and may have to be cut in certain sections depending on how much you require, the frame rail is also slightly larger being able to fit a Zedds Finding Rail inside it. (not sure about that last statement, again from what I've read ) Zedds Findings on the other hand, has frame rails that are made slightly smaller, are only for the front, but have all the drain plugs already figured out. In an email that I had with charlie, he states that the tension rod pocket must also be intact, because this replacement does not include that section. What did you go with and why? Is there anything that I'm overlooking about this? Right now I'm thinking of bad dog rails(front and rear) while having Zedds Finding pans, however if the frame rails from ZF is just as good as the bad dog rails, then ill just order it all in one go. Thanks for the help y'all. A. :sleep: EDIT** wanted to include picture of the current status of the pans/rails if it helps. imgur: the simple image sharer