Switchtr3

Does anyone have experience with frames? I have this 81 280zx that is decently rust free for a 29 year old z. Little patchable hole in the driver's side floor behind the dead pedal, and the same on the passenger side. WRONG! well the driver side is that way but the pass. side is rotted all the way across the front of the pan where it bends to go up towards the firewall and just last night i found out the frame rail is about as sturdy as a piece of cheese. last night there was a pretty big storm and i was racing to get home when i plowed into a solid 10 inches of water across the road, lucky i didn't hydro lock the thing at those speeds, it felt like hitting a brick wall. The small crack in my windsheild migrated all the way down because of the shock and it actually pushed up the weak floor on the passenger side. I'm decent at welding, not a pro or anything but i can weld in new floorpans. I have no clue what to do about the frame rail though. Does anyone have a solution to this problem? that rail is gonna break all the way through and then this car is gonna be flex monster pretty soon. i don't have access to a lift i was gonna do all the work from up top, but i just cant imagine what to do about that frame

NismoPick

Common problem on the 280zx's. Really, the frame rails don't support the bulk of the weight. If they did, almost all 280zx's would have their bellies hitting the ground. If you feel the need, rip out the carpet, and weld in some iron plate supports. And to do it correctly, you should probably have the frame checked / aligned first so you don't lock in a crooked frame.

I say leave it unless you plan on restoring it back to showroom quality.

bojo68

I say use it for a mold, and make a new body out of carbon fiber.....

Switchtr3

Where would you suggest welding the supports to? I wasn't exaggerating about the cheese thing lol i mean the floor its self isn't too horrible, i can definitely work with it but there isn't a single solid spot on that passenger side frame . Should I just kind of wedge them into the old frame rail and weld them to the floor maybe?