1976 280Z Restoration Project

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The welds are supposed to be seam welds but are the closest I could get inside the piece with my mig gun. They are there to "gusset" the corners or "folds" to reinforce them. Remember, I had to score the folds with a cutoff disc in order to bend them first. This way, they will be stronger and will withstand more pressure or small impacts and hold their shapes better and longer.

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I also have an anvil for pounding the sheet metal into shape. It isn't perfect, but it will be functional and with a little bodywork and paint, they should look good!

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So I have left this opening between the rails to hopefully drain any moisture that gets into the frame rails. This will be the lowest point on the frame and the connecting panel has 1/16" of space facing the rear of the vehicle between the floor rail and connecting rail. This should allow an egress point without giving it an ingress point...

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Fitted... with space for drain over 3/16" jack plate welded in place.

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Half welded! Spot welds went thru perfect. Now I have to go buy more wire

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Enough for today. I will flip the car and finish the welding tomorrow. Looks way better than I thought it would!....

[George_Zed]

you are doing a great job there

well done!!!

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you are doing a great job there [emoji6]
well done!!!

Thank you! I am really enjoying this part, which surprises me. Learning a lot and feeling more confident as I go.
Yesterday I was reminiscing about when I first found the car and thought to myself, "I can probably get this car fixed up nice for about 10 grand....!" thinking it only needed some minor work and cleanup. Boy was I mistaken... In the end, deciding to rotisserie the whole car was the best decision. I don't flip cars (pun intended), so I will be keeping this vehicle in my collection. No point in not doing it right.

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Finished the welding of the support piece with the help of my son in law.

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Also repaired the lower rad support. Decided to cut the bottom open, bash the metal flat again, frame coat it, and re-weld it together again.


Mostly straight again and now it will hold the original nacelle pieces properly.

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Opened up this can of worms...

Good thing I am replacing all of that!

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Next up..., the passenger frame rail!