Chassis Damage?????

[Dragon18]

Hay guys i have been talking to afew poeple =) about cars more towards imports.

afew guys i was talking to say that you can bend the chassis just by hitting a gutter etc. =)

and they were saying that when u buy a car from japan even if they say it hasnt had any accidents there no way of the inspectors or whoever is there to tell if its been cut and shut chassis damage etc =)

now i wanted to ask you guys how bad is this stuff.

if your chassis has been damaged. not talking about hitting a poll or whatever if its in an accident etc

if they were to straghten it back up will your car be the same?

handle to same drive the same etc =)

tell me your thoughts hehe

[BoOsTeD_RB26]

if u get a wheel alignment done front and back before you buy the car they can tell there and then if the car is bent!

this is what i was told anyways....and ours checked out alright

btw...you dont want a car with a bent chassis, it will handle like shit and when you brake, the car will pull to one side....you can also tell if the car turns better in one direction than another.

also...check the subframes which hold the suspension, this can also cause the problems listed above...

hope this helps in some way

[Blitz]

Or just buy your skyline from a reputable importer not a dogy backyard guy.

The auctions in japan use xray analysis on the chassis which indicates when a car has been repaired. The results are evident in the auction grade of the car in question

[alistern]

I found a little while ago that one of the chassis (?) rails was a bit crushed and one of my sills has a dent in it, I think this may have happened a one of the services I've had....

The car still drives good and nothing was mentioned when I upgraded the shocks and wheel alignments have been done with no problems. I think someone would have said it needed fixing if it was a problem..

Don't know if this is the sort of info you were after??

[EnricoPalazzo]

Actually our cars dont really have a "chassis".

Its called a Space Frame. Im not sure on the details but it is not a chassis like they made them in the old days.

[hippy]

boosted?? so i think i might have that problem ... what can i do to rectify it?? that is the problem with the shitty handling and steering problem as well as the car pulling to one side when braking.

[REDGTT]

Originally posted by hippy

boosted?? so i think i might have that problem ... what can i do to rectify it?? that is the problem with the shitty handling and steering problem as well as the car pulling to one side when braking.

My 180sx had wheel adjustment problems. I couldnt get the camber on the left straight at all. Finally a friend discovered the car had a bent chassis and they never straighten it up properly.

I took it to a friend who fixed it beautifully.

Bent chassis arent that bad. Anything these days is fixable. Its up to you if you are the worrying type. Better off as Nick says going to a reputable importer. But if you dont mind things like that then it isnt that bad.

Needless to say but the 180sx was perfect after that.

[hippy]

so how do i go about fixing it?? who can i get to do it for me and what does this kind of work involve?? cause i 've had an accident with the car already ... so that could of made it worse ...

[REDGTT]

Originally posted by hippy

so how do i go about fixing it?? who can i get to do it for me and what does this kind of work involve?? cause i 've had an accident with the car already ... so that could of made it worse ...

A reputable smash repairer.

Trust me they know and can fix it, its their job.

All the best my friend

Minh

[BoOsTeD_RB26]

hippy: yeh that would be my advice aswell.....although if that fails try taking it to a suspension specialist and see what they have to say about it.....but yeh, a smash repairer would be the first place i would visit.

hope you get i sorted man.....keep us informed

[Guest LoudBlueBMW]

If there is damage to the chassis and it is corrected properly then by all means it should steer, handle, etc as well as before, but keep in mind the properties of metal and how if you bend it one way then another it will weaken it somewhat. Correcting minor damage shouldn't really pose a problem, but if the car has had major accident repair, think about the next time the car cops a hit, will the driver be so lucky? That's why a lot of people that have accidents in cars and get them repaired will sell the cars afterwards.

[hippy]

well i did go to a reputable repairer which they said they give me a lifetime guarantee on the repair cause they are one of the biggest in the state .. i will speak with them tomorrow to see what they say ... thanks for all ur help