Forums/Z31P/z31-performance-upgrade-forums suspension-chassis-and-brakes/'86 Slicktop with a bent frame. I need opinions.
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Tomakze: (2013-05-27 16:39:35)
I posted in a thread about this already, but had no responses. I need to get some opinions about this soon, because my little brother is considering buying this car, and we need to get back to the owner. The car in question is a fairly clean '86 slicktop. The guy wants $600 for it, which is a good deal! Only trouble is, the driver side frame is a little squished… It runs and drives according to the owner, but pulls pretty hard, which is no surprise. Here is the ad:
http://boulder.craigslist.org/cto/3803505319.html
Here is the damage:
[archived image: CAM00008_zpsdbc13154.jpg]
[archived image: CAM00013_zps869bdaf2.jpg]
Sorry for the crappy pics, it was my phone. The car comes with brand new Tokico springs and shocks. It also needs brake work, as the pedal doesn't hold pressure, the dash is destroyed, and the power steering is a little chunky. Other than that, the interior isn't bad, and the motor runs like it is brand new. Smooth as silk.
We were thinking we would need to find a donor car and cut out the damaged section of the frame and then weld it in to replace it. Do you think it would be worth it? What else could have been damaged? I'm guessing the frame, subframe, tension rods, and control arms could be tweaked. I dunno if it would be worth it, but my little brother really wants it. I'm not sure he understands how much work this would be.
michaelp: (2013-05-27 17:37:33)
Buy it. Boost it. Weld diff. Beat the fuck out of it sliding, then forget about it when you crash it. :P
Augustus Maximus: (2013-05-27 17:50:53)
Bent frame…this is the donor car. Buy this then find a clean shell, transfer shit over.
After you get sucked in by the $600 price tag, fixing that frame is going to run you up and might never be quite right.
i r teh noobz: (2013-05-27 21:48:17)
Hard to tell from the pics, but I'm assuming the tension rod is bent/pushed back and causing your pull. You may be able to get it driveable with an adjustable/shorter rod.
At worst, part it out and make the money back.
z-flash: (2013-05-27 21:54:15)
^What he said^ I would also offer little less money when you get ready to buy it....
New2Zs: (2013-05-27 22:29:07)
Good options posted. From experience having a car I really wanted to keep with a bent frame. All the work i did/had done and it was still NEVER right. You could get it driveable maybe to play with and then use it as a donor
G-E: (2013-05-27 22:45:39)
A lot of high end shops invested in frame jigs to straighten cars, and they never use them, not because it's expensive to use, it's really not more complicated than a hoist with a bunch of floorjacks and chains attached to it.... the real issue is very few people ever really used them to become skilled at frame repairs, and no one wants the liability of not having adequately fixed the chassis for the owner
Which is sad because I saw one of these frame straigheners being used to hoist up long term bodywork/welding jobs only
G-E: (2013-05-27 22:51:28)
Ask FlyingT how much his chop-cut cost him
Tomakze: (2013-05-27 23:39:24)
I'll talk to my brother. After playing with my Z he really wants one. I suppose we could buy it, fix it up enough to drive (Just hack in a new section and get it kinda close) and then when he has the dough, find a straight body to swap everything over. Too bad to see this happen to the slicktop. That was why we wanted it. It's an '86 slicktop with black interior! That's a triple win! Ultimate Z31 in some ways. Would make a very cool project. I just wish the frame wasn't bent. [archived image: frown.png]
sprtcrazy17: (2013-05-28 04:10:18)
thats what i did, it can work
Tomakze: (2013-05-28 06:24:47)
Looks like we're buying it. My brother came back and told the guy it would probably be too much trouble to fix. The guy has had offers of more than $600, but since it was his baby, he doesn't want to see it scrapped. (Neither do I) He has determined we were the best bet to get it going. (I showed up in my Z and a z31 t-shirt, so I think he knows we love these cars, lol) Anyway, he offered to sell it to my brother for $400-$450 so it has a chance of being resurrected. I told my brother he'd be totally crazy to refuse, so it looks like he's gonna bite! With any luck, in a few days, you will all be welcoming a new member to the z31 community! Hopefully he won't drown you all in too many questions, (like me) lol! [archived image: wink.png]
Whoot! This will be funny… two brothers, both with Zs purchased for under $500. I'm not sure who got the better deal… (or worse?) lol.
z-flash: (2013-05-28 11:54:23)
Well done!!^
260zturbo: (2013-05-28 15:03:16)
Take it to a auto shop and get a quote on some frame time. Use to do it when i worked at a body shop. Really not hard just alot of measuring. Pretty cool watching the puller just bring things back to square. Little rose bud and hammering also helps those hard spots.
jaqattack02: (2013-05-28 19:45:00)
Being someone that's dealing with a Z that had been hit prior, I would avoid it all costs, and mine doesn't even have a bent frame, just body mounting stuff ahead of the drivers strut tower. It's been a giant pain to get any of the body parts to fit right. At this point I'm trying to find a shell with a straight body to transfer all the mechanical parts to.
Augustus Maximus: (2013-05-29 00:57:00)
Not trying to discourage but I had a car that when I looked at it from a certain angle I used to get pissed off. And for some reason the pass side wheel looked slighty off in the wheel well. I was so excited when I first saw it my emotion made me fuck up and get it for the astounding some of $300.
1sikz: (2013-05-29 01:07:23)
Any competent shop can fix any of the above issues. There is nothing special about the Z31 that makes it any more difficult to fix the body/frame
jaqattack02: (2013-05-29 13:55:38)
It's a cost thing though. After a few hours of body shop work you've more or less paid for a shell that already has a straight body.
Tomakze: (2013-05-29 16:45:17)
True, but how easy is it to find a slicktop with a perfect body? Other than the frame, this car doesn't have a single dent. Scratches, and chips, yes. But no dents whatsoever. Plus it runs like a top. Plus it was only $450! We took it home yesterday. If we can't fix the frame, we will buy a shell. I think we might try to fix the frame ourselves.
jaqattack02: (2013-05-29 17:27:35)
Slicktop does make a difference, since those are so hard to find.
1sikz: (2013-05-30 12:14:43)
All I have to say after that comment is may that slicktop rest in peace…
Tomakze: (2013-05-30 18:13:59)
Oh ye of little faith. I think we may take it to a shop and get a quote of the repair, but if it costs a fortune, we will do it ourselves. As long as we are very careful, and measure about 10,000 times, it should be okay.I was planning on finding a straight Z in a junkyard, taking all the suspension components and anything else that was tweaked on the old frame, then making a template and cutting out the section of frame we need. Then we cut out precisely the same section from the slicktop, measure very carefully, and weld it in. I may make a jig from the straight car, that way we know we get it right. It's all about taking our time and not rushing through it.
Augustus Maximus: (2013-05-30 19:11:14)
Don't to do it yourself. That shit is like geometry as you straighten here, you lose shit over there. Stuff must be held in place while you pull. Since you bought it, man up and spend on it.
Tomakze: (2013-05-30 21:14:44)
Actually, I've got a decent game plan. The advantage we have is that we have a straight car and a bent car. We can use my turbo to take measurements to determine what bent. Then, once we know what needs to change, we build a jig using my car to line up all the bolt holes and whatnot. That will act as an exact basis for what needs to be where. Then we just have to line it all up to the jig. We wouldn't even necessarily need a donor car. The bend doesn't look that bad anyway. Measuring will tell us exactly how bad it is though.
Frames aren't rocket science, there is no magic involved. As long as it ends up straight and strong, we're in business. I was thinking we could even do some frame re-enforcement at the same time and create some bracing.
1sikz: (2013-05-30 22:04:30)
There is a reason that shops use laser precise measurements when making frame repairs…
i r teh noobz: (2013-05-30 22:51:44)
First thing I'd do is put it on an alignment machine and see how bad it actually is. If its something that can be fixed with adjustable tension rods or camber plates then fix the alignment and leave the body alone.
reddzx: (2013-05-30 23:20:56)
I fixed a couple wrecked cars that were worse than that, all it takes is money.
G-E: (2013-06-01 08:33:09)
You guys don't need to fuss over the difficulty of fixing a frame, the body was put together in sections at the factory, the ONLY thing they had was a unibody jig that supported the car evenly while they bolted/welded in subsequent pieces
Therefore, all you really need to do is support the car the same way, remove all unnecessary weight like the drivetrain, and use the FSM (it has a nifty measurements page you can check your major points for deviation)
My racecar hit a snowbank in it's previous life, made the bumper support tilt up one side, bent the headlight bucket a touch, but the chassis itself measured true, even with dented frame rails
Tempestas: (2013-06-03 20:51:51)
Some body shops have complex frame machines with laser measurement, ect. Many body shops have anchored rails, hydraulic rams, and tape measures.
Dr. Pepper PhD.: (2013-06-03 21:03:42)
+1
Technically every section can be drilled from a donor car by drilling out the spot welds, and welded onto the new body. You can also still order most of those sections new from Nissan, depending on how much cash you are willing to shell out.
Tomakze: (2013-06-03 23:48:31)
I had not thought of that! That is brilliant, and might be a much easier thing to do in a junkyard than cutting out a section. Sounds like there are plenty of options here. Now I just need to make sure my little brother remains patient, so we can do it right. He wants to start driving it, and I said absolutely not. It's just not ready for that, as it has several issues at the moment, the frame being a major one.
Dr. Pepper PhD.: (2013-06-04 01:50:47)
Without seeing the car on stands with the fenders, hood and bumper off from multiple angle I cannot be certain. However from what I can see in the pic, you may be able to get away with just a frame rail and hood ledge on the driver side. Here are some links for part numbers in the fiche.
The big question will be if the floor is rippled. I had one that was hit similarly on the opposite side, and had set out to repair it when I found the floor rippled which ended up causing the scrapping of the car.
Zecrcha: (2013-06-15 17:13:30)
There is no need to make sure my little brother remains patient cause he will be. He wants everything to be done right, and doesn't want anything to happen to the car for trying to rush things.
Butter: (2013-06-17 03:00:39)
This is exactly how my car looked before I reversed it straight with a chain and a light pole. It even meets the frame pos specs, which you can find in the FSM.
Tomakze: (2013-06-21 16:53:40)
Huh? John, is that you? Did you finally get around to making an account? lol! Remember to post in the new members section so everyone can properly welcome you aboard! Also, start a build thread in the "Members rides" section, so people can follow the progress of you resurrecting this bad boy from the dead! Glad to see you here!!! [archived image: biggrin.png]
Zecrcha: (2013-06-22 16:52:04)
we deffeantly will have to get on this and find some time to get this bad boy running
lol we will
jeff88na/to T: (2013-06-23 06:27:34)
My slicktop had a bent frame when i bought it. one wheel that was flush with the fender and the other was in over an inch. The frame looked like yours. I paid $275 to a body shop to have them straighten the frame. I got 40,000 mile out of my last set of tires. And all of my wheels camber are in spec. Hope you find a good shop.
Tomakze: (2013-06-23 16:15:55)
Dang, for that price, I'd say a shop is the way to go! I was thinking it would be well over a grand…