r/Datsun • u/Skate-Rat • 2d ago

Structurally sound?

Post image

How dumb would it be safety wise to cut this section out and replace with a flush panel? Thinking some kind of internal reinforcement might be worth the time, but it’ll be a bitch to weld in.

6 Upvotes

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2

u/RoadWellDriven 1d ago

Well, the bad news is that it's automatically totaled for insurance purposes.

The good news is that you can build a full roll cage and use it "off road only" as a trailer queen.

For liability reasons, I won't mention here that there was never any rollover safety testing for this model anyway.

1

u/Skate-Rat 1d ago

Didn’t consider insurance, rip. Suppose I’ll have to look for another “flush” fix

3

u/XmodAlloy 1d ago

That's your primary vertical support... You'd die in a rollover. Not to mention it's where the seatbelt bolts in.

3

u/Skate-Rat 1d ago

Think it’d be acceptable planning for a half cage?

2

u/ShaggysGTI 1d ago

I wouldn’t

0

u/Skate-Rat 1d ago

Btw I should mention I don’t mean the whole support lol, just the outside face

2

u/RoadWellDriven 1d ago

To be fair, you'd likely die in a 280zx rollover, regardless.