Stainless steel under-chassis welding

[oldskoolkid56]

Hey, few questions for you guys. I have a 89 240 and im looking to seel it this coming summer, its got less than 32K on the sr20de under the hood.. so im looking to make this car mint to get a good price for it.

Anyone who ha sa 240sx in the northeast knows that the chassis rusts out from under them. Its actually a flaw under the hood in the 89-90 models (dont know about the 91+) but theres a small slit between the firewall and the chassis on each side, when it rains water gets down in the chassis and sits,,, til it rusts. This car is from NY, soo, the drivers side is rusted pretty bad. Probablt wont even pass inspection in Md where i live now.

So im looking to weld it over (which is a common practice to fix this) Now i am very profficent at welding, but am no professional. Im assuming i cut out all the rusted area, grind the rest down to bare metal, and weld a boxed stainless steel support there. I would just like some details from anyone who has done this or had it done. Like:

what guage stainless steel?
is ia 200 amp arc welder suitable for the job?
what should i spray it with when finished to prevent anymore rust?
any thing else i should seld over while im a it?
should i weld over the slits in the engine bay? or will it not rust again (or at least for another 15 years)

any tips or advise would be great,, thanks alot
-andrew

[s14tilo]

You should probably try the fabrication forum.
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...lay.php?f=1266

[logik23]

Rain makes a car rust?

[AWDSR20]

Originally Posted by logik23

Rain makes a car rust?

uhhhhhhh..............please say ur kidding? water make thing rust. LOL

[D-Bo]

water makes it rust if its not protected by paint or rustproofing but its a very long term process in a car

[mynismo]

in the northeast we have something called SALT, something you west siders know nothing about

[D-Bo]

yeah, thats IF you drive it in the winter.. which i personally think you shouldn't..

[logik23]

Anyone who drives anything that's remotely a sports car in the winter doesn't like his car, doesn't like cars and doesn't deserve a car, I see people driving G35 coupes in a foot of snow in Montreal!!! It's horrible, those people should be shot! And knowing the 240 is made with cheap metal (especially the S13) and that it's prone to rusting, why do people still drive them in the winter? Same people who buy automatic sports cars.

[s14tilo]

Um...I think he's talking about the salt from the ocean. Not melting salt.

[Hit_N_Run-player]

i live where it rains like 5months out of the year, but that doesnt keep me from driving a car, i dont have a choice. And for only around 2500$ i wouldnt consider the s13 a super nice sports car that you only take to a show or when your driving to church. i say drive it and handle problems as you come across them, dont just stop driving it all togethor.....

[logik23]

Rain is no problem, and the salt they use on roads is the main culprit for rust on cars that are driven in the winter, bu sea salt also rust cars, aren't there rusty cars in Florida?