i climbed under my car last night and found my sub rails smashed(ill get pis asap) and was wondering if the can be repaired or am i getting too invilved, i want this car to be solid and not look good on top and on the outside, and be crap under it, let me know they are crushed front to rear almost on the driver side and about half way on the passenger side, im starting to get dissapointed.

 

Eh, it happens to the best of us. Mine are the sameway and it hasn't seemed to affect rigidity at all. Hell my last Z's framerails were completely rusted out and the car still handled well. I honestly wouldn't worry about repairing it, Just undercoat the **** out of your Z and be happy. Starting building the motor up.

 

the framerails on both my Z's are/were smashed in. Usually it's from the car being jacked up by the frame rails. As long as they're not rusted then it shouldn't be a problem.

 

Mine are the same way. No need to go through the hassle as long as your not going for a trailer queen.

 

http://www.datsunzparts.com

Under the 'Body' section, look for 'Floor Support Rails Only'.

$60/pair + shipping.

Although, they are really cheap, getting them properly installed is no trivial task.

Probably the easiest thing to do is squish yours slightly smaller than original, strip, clean and treat with rust preventative and then weld new rails on over them completely enclosing the original rails underneath the new rails. I wouldn't even buy new ones, but just make my own. Make sure you pull the carpet out of the car before you go welding on it though... Otherwise, that'll be a CarBBQ for sure...

 

Yeah my frame rails are messed up also. You have no worries there, on that one. Verry common with Z's, especially daily drivers. And like Skittle said, unless you want a trailer car. (showcar) Don't worry about it too much.

 

wow i finally got quoted!!!! spend your money on something else instead, a blaster coil, fuel rail, ect....

 

Rust is also common with Z's. . . buwhaha oh I crack me up. Yup mine are smashed up and it's nothing that Im worried about. Im going to build the suspension up and then spray black paint all on the underside to seal things up a bit. Speaking of fuel rails, is Ebay the only place to find 280zx fuel rails?

 

There or pallnet, should be a link in the sticky area of these forums. Unless you are looking for a stock one? I believe you can still get those in a lot of places.

 

Mine were rusted out towards the front. They have been repaired now, its a rotten time consuming job for an amateur. Would be a bit easier if replacement parts were available and you could get it up on a hoist. An air chisel or something to help remove the damaged bits would be good.

Mine is going to be used for a bit of motorsport so it has to be as strong and rigid as possible.

 

i re-did mine, cause they didnt even exist, dont ever cover them up, cause you cant see if the old ones start to rott under your nice new ones, it can cause problems, its not much effort to cut the old ones off if you are going to go that far