Hey,
My 1600 is getting all the rust repaired and I'm getting all the seams
welded, all the door seams and windshield (front and back) seams welded.
Plus and 6+ point cage (is 8 point worth the extra expense?).

It is eventually going to be rallied and thus I want it to be a stiff/strong as I can. I know I need to strenghen castor/radius rod bracket, control
arms and trailing arms/rear crossmember.

I'm going to get a CAMS Manual this week to see whats in the regs, but where in particular does the 1600 lack in the strength side of things. I only want to do this once.

I have heard that you cannot add any bracing that does not follow the contours of the existing shell. Whats the norm for a strong 1600?

Adam

i reckon u got it covered.

cyzza, just out of interest, i'm looking at doing the same, haven't been able to find a general dollar figure on what it'll set me back, can you give me ball park?

Legality aside, there is a mod you can do to the "A" pillar/top of wheel arch area
If you weld in a triangulated gusset in this area, body rigidity is improved immensely.
If you look at the same area on a 240Z you will see what I mean.
Even the 240Z can be improved but the trick is to triangulate any area and thus add strength

All that work and I forgot to log in

_________________
Regards, Graeme
Just trying to help...
http://nissanman.shutterfly.com/
graemes@internode.on.net

Well, I have only just started, I had to get the two door sills replaced,
so far has set my back $500 including new sills from nisco.

I have a bit of rush repair. but a good cams approved cage alone will
probably set me back $800-$1000, also to get good welds it looks like
I need to get it all sandblasted to get good welds around the seams
(and to check for any more rust areas. There would be 1 or 2 days work in just seams welding. I doubt I will get any change from $2000.

But what I will get is a stiff/strong car to take the punishment of getting
airborne from time to time. I have driven a 1600 that has had all this done and it is worth every penny.

Graeme.
I will have to track one down. what are you implying about legality on strengthing up the the a piller? It sounds like something I would want to do. You wouldnt have any photos of what you are describing?

I am going get nisco to prepare me up a set of brakes which they use on the SR20 conversions (as I may do one in the future if the car survives) so I'm going to have to go through an engineers cert. So better I know now.

Adam

Graeme
I went looking for what you described

http://people.ucsc.edu/~crearly/Ztear2.htm

Is it within the engine bay or inside the car?

As I said in my previous post, I believe all that is legal is
for plate steel to follow the contours of the existing shell
so i couldnt run tube steel from one strut top to the other like
a strut brace. It needs to removable.

Adam

If you have a look at page 1 of the link you supplied, photo 2 shows how the rail at the top of the RHS wheel arch becomes larger and larger as it gets closer to the "A" pillar. That same area on a 510 is quite skinny.
You could make up a triangulated gussett and bolt it in when you need it
It would be behind the rear part of the front mudguard, difficult to see.

_________________
Regards, Graeme
Just trying to help...
http://nissanman.shutterfly.com/
graemes@internode.on.net

I heard of people using 2or3mm steel to replace the sills, thats supposed to add a bit or rigidity, can anyone confirm this?
this follows the contours of the body

_________________
One Man's Clunker is Another Man's Blank Canvas

That is true, increasing the sheet thickness will increase the body rigidity.
When you analyse the mods done to topless conversions and stretched limos, the sills have a square or rectangular steel section inserted to reduce/eliminate chassis flex.
If that is your goal, then get the replacement panels done in a thicker sheet and you can eliminate two flying devices with one hard projectile

_________________
Regards, Graeme
Just trying to help...
http://nissanman.shutterfly.com/
graemes@internode.on.net

Gotcha, will investigate

Adam

Back in the Dark ages a proven method when sill panels were new was to fish oil the panels & let dry for a week then fill them with expanding foam. Same thing for other places & the rear trailing arms. Incredible strength for vlittle weight & effort. The gusset under the front guards,graeme mentioned, is also a go. Have done this for years and still do.

_________________
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
www.datsport.com

"R.I.P. Baz. 29 April 2022. Thank you for all your contributions to the Datsun community over the years. You will be missed." - OZDAT

Adam,

How serious are you about chassis stiffness and strength? If you really want a stiff and strong chassis, then welding in a fully integrated roll cage 'tagged' to the body in as many places as possible and going from front most suspension point to rear most is the only way to go. This is effectively building your own tubular frame within the confines of a shell, which the suspension mounts to, thus making the shell mostly for cosmetic purposes.

The part of those shells that flexes the most (when under rally style loadings) is around the windscreen. The two best ways to limit this are to use a ‘glue in’ windscreen and to use as large as allowed triangular pieces to the cage in the top left and right windscreen part of the roll cage.

For about $1200 to $2000 (depending on how much you can do yourself and cost of materials), a good integrated steel roll cage will be the best thing you can do from a chassis stiffness point of view and from a safety point of view. There are requirements that cages satisfy in the CAMS manual.

Fairly serious as I think it is important not only for performance
but for safety, an 6 or 8 point cage is on my list, CAMS require it to
be welded for it to pass scrutineering.

I'm also looking for easy things to do as its a rolling cage now. and its an appropriate time to do it.

Adam

Adam,

By weld in cage I meant 20 point or more... My old 1600 rallycar had a 22 point steel roll cage.

I thought you could still run a bolt in steel cage you just can't have an alloy cage unless the car was 'log booked' pree 2000, but I could be wrong. I haven't read the CAMS manual for a while.