Please Give Me Some Idea On How To Repair Dent In Chassis Rail

[9krpm]

My car has been over Transport inspection pit and I was provided 2 weeks to repair these "jack/jack stand battle scars" to maintain the manufacturer rigidity

I saw somewhere on this forum that someone make brackets/panel for these things so that I can just weld them on top of this bent chassis. The search is down at the moment and not very useful.

Does anyone know where I can get them from or what else can I do to fix this issue?

I now know why there is so much love for the Transport inspector. I've been asked to fix up a few other minor issues too like replace a missing plastic part behind the door open lever, enclose and vent a dry cell battery in the boot etc etc. However PLEASE please keep this thread healthy and constructive

Edited August 21, 2008 by 9krpm

[blind_elk]

First off, those aren't jacking points. The jacking points are under the side sills. Or use the gearbox mounts. The chassis rails are very soft in compression, as you can now tell.

Take the car to a crash repairer. They can probably fix it in a day. Couple of years ago, cost me around $250 to have one side fixed.

[9krpm]

Thanks blind elk. I know they are not jack point but the jack points are usually collapsed in most skylines because of age or overservicing The transmission mount is too far back to use for the hoist as most of weight of the r32 is at the front. The engine subframe is too far forward for an asymmetric arm hoist. So that point is often used by workshop to lift/jack the car

I have access to hoist and welding machine. Is there any DIY fix?

Also how did the crash repairer fix your?

Edited August 21, 2008 by 9krpm

[9krpm]

I used a big allan key and was able to massage some of the dents out

The metal is a lot softer than I expected. There are few more dents all the way at the front that is quite difficult to reach...I may need to call a dent master to come out.

I am really keen to know how your repairer remove those dents blind_elk

[Turbo Tits]

Hi 9krpm - We had this repair done not too long ago at a crash repairer. What they did was weld a long lever to the area needing to be pulled out. Lifting the lever with a lot of force pulls the metal out. The longer the lever, the easier it will be for you. When the rails were straight, the lever and welds were removed and the rails painted with black rubber paint. The rails are dead straight now and look like new - I was pretty imprressed. Hope that helps.

[heller44]

Mine failed pits the first time around for the same reason, plus a host of others.

Remedy for the amount of damage that was done was to cut away and re-box the chassis rail.

[R.3.2.G.T.R]

Mine failed pits the first time around for the same reason, plus a host of others.

Remedy for the amount of damage that was done was to cut away and re-box the chassis rail.

time to revive this topic

I'm currently looking at getting this fixed on my car which looks in

pretty bad shape, is "cutting and re-boxing" a safe option, any legal

issues?

Would rather get it pulled straight using the fore-mentioned technique with lever

anyone care to add any suggestions or reccommend a trust worthy panel beater

in brissy??

[shaund]

My rails were re-inforced with ~4mm steel plate across the bottom and the outer, plus a bunch of other steel work. This was part of a fairly major rust repair - the car was farked when i brought it into the country.

I can now jack my car from virtually anywhere along these rails. I usually use a trolley jack with a thick lump of rubber on it to help it grip and not damage the por-15 rust proofing paint i used on the entire underside

[Beer Baron]

cutting out the bent rails and replacing is actually the best option and believe it or not you can actually buy those parts new from nissan! you can buy the new chassis rail pieces and take them and your car to a smash repair place and have the old bent rails cut out and the nice new rails welded in place.

best bet is to go into a smash repair you trust and ask them what method they'd prefer. the new rail pieces were not that expensive. under $200 from memory.

[R.3.2.G.T.R]

My rails were re-inforced with ~4mm steel plate across the bottom and the outer, plus a bunch of other steel work. This was part of a fairly major rust repair - the car was farked when i brought it into the country.

I can now jack my car from virtually anywhere along these rails. I usually use a trolley jack with a thick lump of rubber on it to help it grip and not damage the por-15 rust proofing paint i used on the entire underside

How much did the rail enforcement set u back??

cutting out the bent rails and replacing is actually the best option and believe it or not you can actually buy those parts new from nissan! you can buy the new chassis rail pieces and take them and your car to a smash repair place and have the old bent rails cut out and the nice new rails welded in place.

best bet is to go into a smash repair you trust and ask them what method they'd prefer. the new rail pieces were not that expensive. under $200 from memory.

brilliant tnx Richard, didn't realize that was an option, now to find part no and quote

[GTR-N1]

I was lucky to have a local repairer who's a TAFE teacher and delighted in doing something different for a change. $250.

I believe he used a die to thread the hole and pulled it down.

Tyrepower at such 'n such a place dropped the car off a jack onto the rail - stupid idiot.

[V28VX37]

Sorry to go digging for an old thread.

I have been looking at a few R32s recently and most seem to have some dents in the chassis rails under the car.

But how much is too much? Couple of examples below.

Are these safe and would they pass roadworthy? If not can they be repaired? What's would be the approximate cost (in Melb)?

Thanks guys.

[V28VX37]

But how much is too much? Couple of examples below.

Are these safe and would they pass roadworthy? If not can they be repaired? What's would be the approximate cost (in Melb)?

Don't worry about it, I went around a few workshops in the area with photos of rails under various cars and got some very useful feedback. Highly recommended if you're considering buying.

Make sure you look out for 'ripples' between floorpan and the chassis rail, it's a good sign of a compromised rails. Being crushed by jacking is not necessarily as bad, although that may be expensive to repair too.

Cheers

[BeEnAr]

Solution for the long term is to ditch your $50 supercheap trolley jack and get one with a decent sized plate and rubber on it. That way you are apreading the weight over a larger surface area of the rail and less likely to bend/crush it. I jack mine up on the cross member usually but if I need one whole side up I go off the rail, I;ve never had this issue.

[Dan_J]

i wouldn't mind the 4 mm sheet metal bent into rail shape. i have been told that panel beater's remove the spot welds to get it out, hammer and dolly it straight then reweld.

Edited May 21, 2010 by Dan_J

[NISSAN GTR]

Most damage is caused from forklift drivers in japan when they pick the car up for shipping

The forklifts driver should be kicked in the balls by everyone on SAU

Edited May 21, 2010 by NISSAN GTR

[blueboost20]

i know this is an old thread but i have been stressing since i bought my 32 after seeing the rails and have wanted to get it fix,now i know its possible . So anyone know a workshop in brissie that could do the job,or even better someone that has had it done resently with good results. Thanks