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  • racerdave600

    Sept. 29, 2010 10:21 a.m. racerdave600 HalfDork

    So I've finally gotten to work on the 240z, but I've found some new rust that I didn't know it had. Most of it is centered under the battery box, and I have replacement panels to weld in, but last night I found some under the hatch panel above the tail lights. It is rusted through in about 3 quarter sized spots, the joy of it all!

    I was hoping not to have to cut all that out back there, but we'll see...rust...one day I want a project that doesn't have any....

    Of course Miata is always the answer....

    Just needed to vent, back to your regularly scheduled forums....

  • pete240z

    Sept. 29, 2010 10:23 a.m. pete240z SuperDork

  • Sept. 29, 2010 10:23 a.m. spitfirebill Dork

    There is ALWAYS more rust than you expect. I think its one of Newton's unwritten laws.

  • racerdave600

    Sept. 29, 2010 10:28 a.m. racerdave600 HalfDork

    Don't have any recent pics, these are about a year old before I started taking it apart.

  • ClemSparks

    Sept. 29, 2010 10:31 a.m. ClemSparks SuperDork

    wow...those cars look good.

  • nickel_dime

    Sept. 29, 2010 10:34 a.m. nickel_dime Dork

    Rust on a Z? I've never heard of such a thing!!!

    Okay back to reality. Those things rust everywhere. I know I've got a 280Z. Needless to say look at floor pans, rockers, fenders, quarters and dog legs. Some of the other hiding places are under the cowl (they rust from the inside out), inside the hatch, inside the doors, the corners of the hatch area, front of the hood and anywhere else you don't think water can get to but does.

    Good luck

    EDIT: OHHHHHH an early one. Check the insde of the hatch really good. Those vents let water in and finding another early hatch is almost imposible.

  • racerdave600

    Sept. 29, 2010 10:48 a.m. racerdave600 HalfDork

    Amazingly it is pretty rust free really, apart from those two areas, and one of the fenders is kinda rough. I looked for one with as little rust as I could find. The floor pans are good, and the hatch itself appears to be in really good shape. That's why i was surprised to find that much rust under the hatch panel.
    Under the battery box is terrible though.

    It came with paperwork dating back a number of years. According to that, it looks like it spent most of it's life in Southern California and Arizona, which probably slowed the rust down somewhat. Now if someone had just taken care of that battery acid!

  • pete240z

    Sept. 29, 2010 11:30 a.m. pete240z SuperDork

    Nice Z

  • Karl La Follette

    Sept. 29, 2010 5:57 p.m. Karl La Follette HalfDork

    shazzzam nice

  • Sept. 29, 2010 6:06 p.m. Bababooey New Reader

    I just replaced the area under my battery tray last weekend. It's pretty easy. The best way to fab up a piece is to put in a 90 degree bend and then cut triangles in it so you can bend it down to the frame rail. Then just screw it up and weld.

    My hatch panel was in good shape. They do make a replacement now. Not sure who it is though.

  • nutherjrfan

    Sept. 29, 2010 11:07 p.m. nutherjrfan HalfDork

    http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/cto/1979739308.html

    "rust in all the usual Z places". He's been trying to sell it a few times now over a few months or more - I'm guessing it might not be worth the $2k he wants, or there's no love in this region.

  • 4cylndrfury

    Sept. 30, 2010 6:44 a.m. 4cylndrfury SuperDork

    wow...$350 71 Z car...but I cant imagine the rust involved with a 70s import thats been outside for 2 decades

  • pete240z

    Sept. 30, 2010 11:35 a.m. pete240z SuperDork

    More! More! Give us more!

  • racerdave600

    Sept. 30, 2010 1:22 p.m. racerdave600 HalfDork

    Not much more yet, I haven't worked on it in a few nights. Hopefully will get a few more pics this weekend and make some more progress. This weekend's job list includes disassembling the interior. I'm going to take it all apart before I start welding.

    I've been debating on making a color change since I have to tear it completely down anyway. It was originally 901 Silver, but I've been thinking about orange, BRG, or some other wild early '70's color. It's not going to be all original anyway.

  • 4cylndrfury

    Sept. 30, 2010 1:27 p.m. 4cylndrfury SuperDork

    I vote orange or plain gloss white with orange BRG stripes on the fenders.

  • nickel_dime

    Sept. 30, 2010 2:20 p.m. nickel_dime Dork

    I had a 73 one time that the rust under the battery was so bad it weakened the frame rail until it broke. Of course dropping that wheel off the road didn't help it any.

  • Apexcarver

    Sept. 30, 2010 2:30 p.m. Apexcarver SuperDork

    4cylndrfury wrote:

    I vote orange or plain gloss white with orange BRG stripes on the fenders.

    Gotta disagree

    Of course, it would then need a L28det with LOTS of BOOST

  • friedgreencorrado

    Sept. 30, 2010 2:53 p.m. friedgreencorrado SuperDork

    Apexcarver wrote:

    4cylndrfury wrote:

    I vote orange or plain gloss white with orange BRG stripes on the fenders.

    Gotta disagree

    Of course, it would then need a L28det with LOTS of BOOST

    But check the Carfax to make sure none of the previous owners has the same name as you..

  • integraguy

    Sept. 30, 2010 3:13 p.m. integraguy Dork

    I once owned a 280Z. Aside from rust, another concern with these cars (or maybe I was the only one to have this problem?) is a corroding wiring harness. This mainly manifested itself by shutting off the engine at irregular intervals...or so it seemed. I finally traced my problem to one of the wires coming of the battery's positive side. I wound up splicing in a new section nearly a foot long. I sold the car because with it's 4 speed it was a gas pig, but just as much because the rusted subframe under the engine / transmission looked like swiss cheese.

  • racerdave600

    Sept. 30, 2010 3:14 p.m. racerdave600 HalfDork

    I did see one that looked a lot like the smurf blue Miatas, and it looked awesome. I also liked one in early '70's Porsche green. So many choices so little sheet metal.

    I do have a battery box section that has a good firewall attached to use for a repair piece. I should be able to cut out the bad, match it to the new section, and weld it in. It sounds so simple when you type it. The frame rail looks ok at this point. Not sure how it managed to avoid the acid drip from hell, but hopefully when I can get to it a bit better it will still look ok.

    I'm torn on whether to leave the 2.4, or go up to a 2.8. I keep thinking an MP62 would work great on these! Adding a turbo would be easier...but....

 
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