floor rails

[Alphabettispaghetti]

well after a none starter with some others I've got some floor rails, went for 1.5mm over the standard 1.2, over length too.

Best bit was paying £25 for the pair, If I had a few sets made it drops to £18. The top hat bend is a 100% perfect match for the originals.

Only issue is matching the factory formed end, now I did create a couple of bends to match but they didn't look like the original ones

Option 1:

While recovering from smacking my thumb I thought about cutting the end off the original rails and butt welding them onto the new ones, does this sound like a decent idea? I can't see what issues it'll cause(except the slight stepdown in thickness). and have them extend back to behind where the seat cross member goes.

Option 2:

go all the way back to the rear of the floor and join onto the flat bit of the boot floor curve(rear of the floor where the panels join, there's a run of spot welds).

I'm leaning to option 1 as they'd look just like standard ones but a little longer, I can't see the strength benefit in going all the way back, however that doesn't mean there's not one

Has anyone any pics of how far back they went?

 

[Alphabettispaghetti]

Like this, ignore the weld, i'm trying to teach myself TIG welding, however dirty old metal isn't great to use!

Now i've looked at the rear it seems that the shape in the floor goes all the way back, maybe it would make sense to go back to there, best of both worlds?

 

[Alphabettispaghetti]

And...

 

[tel240z]

Option 1s all good then Franky

 

[Alphabettispaghetti]

I could do an option c and go all the way back to the join in Pic 1, using the original end. Would there be an advantage in doing so? currently they'll go about a foot too far so plenty of metal can be removed still.

 

[Rob Gaskin]

When I did mine I went all the way back but I wasn't bothered about it looking original. So best to stop short in your case as Option 1.

My opinion would be to form the ends out of your new top-hat section metal. Can you make a flat plate (full width of the top-hat section) for the last couple of inches, cut the top-hat horizontal edges off and weld it to it. Then form your new metal down to it?

 

[moggy240]

some people have been known to take the chassis rails right to the back of the floor and then up to rear chassis member to add extra strength

 

[Alphabettispaghetti]

Hi Rob/moggy

What do you think i'd gain by forming new ends over the welding on the original ends? I can't see or work out how much if any strength would be gained by going all the way back, where would it come from?

 

[mark240z]

I've lengthened my rail have a look at my build massive gain in strength by doing this

 

[moggy240]

it all depends on how neat you want it to look and if you are keeping that OEM look

 

[Rob Gaskin]

As I said before I think your car will be so 'original' body-wise that it would look better to stop where Datsun stopped it. The 'shape' on the floor takes over then so the floor has some rigidity.

I suggested forming the end out of your new metal because the original bit looked a bit messy and I think it would look neater

How are you going to join it to the front section - butt or overlap?

 

[Albrecht]

I've lengthened my rail have a look at my build massive gain in strength by doing this

Massive gain in strength of what though?

These are floor supports we are talking about here.....

 

[mark240z]

Massive gain in strength of what though?

These are floor supports we are talking about here.....

Think about it

 

[Albrecht]

Think about it

I can pick up fat birds without having to worry about my floor buckling...?

 

[morbias]

lol didn't see that coming

Thinking about it though, would it be better to weld in a section joining the frame rails to the rockers at the front edge of the floor?

 

[Alphabettispaghetti]

Think about it

I've thought about it and can't see how the floor is structual and with the shape how it gives strength(well much extra anyway), how do you think it adds strength?

When I was thinking about it, it should be a triangular section off the floor and hit a plate that a multi point cage can pick up too?

 

[Alphabettispaghetti]

As I said before I think your car will be so 'original' body-wise that it would look better to stop where Datsun stopped it. The 'shape' on the floor takes over then so the floor has some rigidity.

I suggested forming the end out of your new metal because the original bit looked a bit messy and I think it would look neater

How are you going to join it to the front section - butt or overlap?

Dodgy phone pic Rob, in real life its MM perfect

I've dressed it down now so it really does look good, just a slight reduction in diameter by 1mm.

I'm not going to overlap the front section, I'm going to but weld it. It'll stop a rust trap forming over the next 42 years! also it perfectly match's the profile, I might weld a 1.5mm plate on the lower part of the first 12 of rail just to give a stronger jacking point.

 

[tel240z]

I think the reason for extending the rails right along the floor and attaching to the chassis rail that goes from side to side is to reinforce the area that the diff nose lives

 

[morbias]

franky, did you do your rails yet?

If not, you might want to give this a go. Drawing a face on the quadropus is optional. I'm planning to weld the slots up and then grind them down, should look standard when finished. I went for 1.5mm steel too, a bit more tricky to bend but should take a few years longer to rust through again

 

[morbias]

Welded and ground down, the edge still needs a bit of tidying up