Why do doglegs rust? How to stop?

[PeterAllen]

Looking at my car's dogleg sections and I noticed that they have been replaced at least twice, meaning at least three sections have become rusted. It strikes me that some design flaw must be causing this.

 

Has this phenomena been clearly explained and is there something that can be done to prevent it reoccurring? Thanks

[260Coupe]

Cavity wax and plenty of it !

[Scoota G]

Here's a picture of a dogleg before i repaired it. See the rust line down the bottom? It's where the moisture and dust sit and do their work.

[FLEXZED]

Cavity wax and plenty of it !

I have heard that before, but where can i get same from

 

Loui

 

[Zedsabbath]

I'd say when you get it repaired provide some extra drain holes Pete....two things are vital to preventing rust, three things really, they are (1) drain holes big enough so they don't easily get blocked (2) air circulation and (3) an oil based protective

 

If water gets through the bolts holes where your door catches are bolted onto the door jamb, it will drip down and cause rust if the sills internally are bare metal ...so sealing those door catches would probably be a good idea...also check the door bumper rubber, if it's missing, water can get through that hole...another place is under the kick plates, seal the screws that hold them down but seal them UNDER the plate, sealing them on top won't do anything

 

But mainly it's all about drainage and air circulation, solve those and you're just about there

 

Just as a side note, when I had my Skyline station wagon, I noticed that the very front of the engine (body) subframe was wide open, unlike my Zed which is blocked off...the Skyline obviously allows air to pass right through the subframe....to prevent rusting maybe ?

 

The reason I checked this out on the wagon was because the Zed has no similar opening, and I was comparing a later Nissan to an earlier Nissan, in this case a Datsun...so I'm thinking about drilling some neat 1"holes there to provide extra air circulation

[GV260]

After rust removed and repaired but before reattaching the dogleg outer panel, paint with POR15 or equivalent (which is much better than cavity wax) to prevent rust from returning, ever! There will then be no need to drill additional holes for drainage.

[Groundhog]

Can anyone tell me if the dogleg panel is the same size on 260Z vs 260Z 2+2?
I'm guessing the sills and door are longer on the 2+2?

[Brabham]

2+2 and 2 seater are different shapes