I recently acquired a 1970 240Z #00664. The car is all original condition with a documented 74k on odometer. The car has sat for 20 years and unfortunately the frame rail is rusted through(Assuming from the battery tray) I am looking for some advice on how to handle the frame rail. Should I find a donor car and cut the rail out and weld the new one in or should I look at some aftermarket frame rail replacements? I would like to keep this car as a survivor car(Still has the green distributor cap) but looking for advice on the right route to take.

where are you located, you may have a member near by that can look over the car and help you decide on best course of action. there are replacement rails available, finding a donor would not be a good idea, as you would prob just find another rusted rail.

Phoenix AZ

 

A rusty Z in Arizona?

***Mind blown***

Seriously, please post some pictures to help assess the situation.

@cgsheen might have some thoughts.  #664 might be worth some money if it's not too baked by the Arizona sun.

The only rust on the car is the frame rail. 

There's that red paint fade we just talked about.

That rust looks like it came from battery acid/salts drippage.  Very localized.  I've seen people just patch holes like that.  A good fabricator could do a nice job on it.

Survivor sounds like a cool idea.  Have you spun the engine yet?  20 years is a long time.  If you do some prep work before starting it you might save yourself some problems and end up with a better-running engine.  Take your time.

Is there a story about how you found the car? Was it the original owner? Let’s see more pics please. Interior, carpets, mats, glass, etc.  Would love to see pics of mfg plate and vin/engine ID plate. Thanks. 

Well, you have a couple of good things going for you; a pair of sixes and a four!  Welcome to the Low VIN club!  Fix the frame rail, of course.  Buy a replacement rail and weld it in.  26th has new floors and a frame rail from http://www.datsunzparts.com/about.html  which I bought and fitted many years ago.  Recently, I have been interested with  https://kfvintagejdm.com/  as they have pressings I need for 27th.  Make sure that you align the new rail into the chassis.  Keep the transmission mount in place and align the front sway-bar mounts before you weld.  Try to make your welding resemble the way that the factory did it.  (which isn't difficult i.e. crude)  There are other sources for metal parts; just do a search.  You will probably find a battery tray and other bits you may need.

Congrats, nice car.  You will find that your car has many unique parts so don't throw anything away.  Have fun!  Is it a 12/69 or a 1/70?

18 hours ago, hiyabrad said:

Is there a story about how you found the car? Was it the original owner? Let’s see more pics please. Interior, carpets, mats, glass, etc.  Would love to see pics of mfg plate and vin/engine ID plate. Thanks. 

This 240 has a fantastic story. The original owner was one of the first Datsun dealers on the West Coast. This car was ordered as his personal car and was his pride and joy. I acquired the car through his daughter. From what she shared with me, she had nowhere to store the vehicle, so it sat out in her driveway uncovered for the last five years and spent the last fifteen in her garage. The car is in fantastic condition when you speak about being original. Now here’s what the story gets good. I got an excellent photo album with a car that has pictures of the original owner touring the factory in Japan and pictures of his Datsun dealership. The best part about the car is that it has never been registered it was always operated on a dealer plate and it’s on a MSO. This is verified by NNA(Nissan North America). i’ve owned the car for about Seven months now, and I have been slowly researching what the best way to bring this gem back to life is.

 

19 hours ago, Zed Head said:

There's that red paint fade we just talked about.

That rust looks like it came from battery acid/salts drippage.  Very localized.  I've seen people just patch holes like that.  A good fabricator could do a nice job on it.

Survivor sounds like a cool idea.  Have you spun the engine yet?  20 years is a long time.  If you do some prep work before starting it you might save yourself some problems and end up with a better-running engine.  Take your time.

Great advice. I did do all the prep work... drained the gas tank, Carb etc. Car runs like a champ. I would of already taken it for a Sunday drive if it was not for that frame rail and the usually to get it road ready,