Where they rust & Why you shouldn't rush Buying a 240sx

[@CollectorCarFeed]

I'm working on a 240 buyers guide right now, this is some fantastic footage of rust. Every youtube video I've seen so far just kind of waves at where rust might be without any good examples. Nice dude

[@Nscardigno33]

Yea I deal with tons of rust in these cars I have so many cuz I cut out good Oem metal for repairs

[@RipRoaringGarage]

YOU! Its your fault now Im liking S13s...lol. As if I dont like enough rust pits! But its a very good video indeed.

[@yuhongma4500]

need a link!!

[@kovan7836]

This dude is the S chassis mogul. I personally haven’t seen anyone restore S chassis the way he does. Prove me wrong, I’ll wait.

[@Nscardigno33]

😮‍💨😍thanks 😍 I only get better everytime

[@ken_lee_]

This is a really good video, too many people think the frame rails and strut tower tops are all that matter, but those honestly pale in comparison to some of the other issues that really aren't talked about much.

[@Nscardigno33]

Seriously and some of the Not talked about spots are the absolute hardest to get to and fix properly . I can cut out a strut tower and replace it in an afternoon .. a c pillar tho 😬

[@blakeslide6919]

Ha not to mention the damn firewall, I've seen like 3 240's with firewall rust here in FL, guess its from all the rain. God I wish I saw this video before I bought my first s13 lmao, on my 2nd but that first one was a real expensive mistake.

[@braddeicide]

So everywhere, they rust everywhere. Thanks.

[@twoeightythreez]

They are descendants of Datsuns. Rust is part of family tree

[@dalemaloney5803]

Provides interesting window into the longevity of even our newest cars. Especially considering newer car structures are both more complex, having more layers and more points of water intrusion

[@jonathanrice-exec11]

With prices how they are, waiting for a pre-owned 2022/2023 Z is sounding better and better lol - Great video!

[@Nscardigno33]

Without a doubt I need to get one too 😅

[@twoeightythreez]

The thing is, I don't know if Nissan's got any better in fact, It might have gotten worse because last i looked Nissan has taken the American approach to quality which is make it last warranty after that they don't care. I am a lifelong Dotson Nissan fan and I have zero interest in any Nissan Built in the last 10 years

[@jonathanrice-exec11]

@@twoeightythreez I'm right there with you

[@synchole]

Damn, I've literally made my mind longing for a 240 for like 7 years, this video really making me having second thoughts for even owning one, didn't realize they built it's drainages going through the inside of the chassis, much thanks for going through the details of it really. Gonna really take my time inspecting my purchase by the time I'm going to own one now.

[@Nscardigno33]

Please do! too many people just get excited about the car itself and look over all the bad aspects or just don’t look in general as well as not knowing where to look. Hope this helps key is being patient once you actually start looking to buy, there’s plenty left out there just a bit more expensive these days . But winds up being worth it vs dealing with a hacked up rusty car

[@CodySnell_87]

Its worth going out west or somewhere with no salt if you want a truly solid car I have a coupe and a hatch the coupe is 99.9 percent rust free it’s a non sunroof car luckily the hatch is about 85 percent rust free has sone above the muffler on the rail and a few other little areas

[@ChicaneMedia]

Any updates, hows your journey finding one? I've considered buying one but I've been saving money atm especially enough to cover customs, delivery and everything in between as well as extra money for maintenance.

[@verynicholas]

this video was incredibly informative! I was glad to find quite a few spots that I did not know commonly rust on the Nissan 240sx! thanks for the video Nick!

[@Nscardigno33]

No problem thanks for watching !

[@natas74d7]

I'm 16 and really trying to get in-depth detail on some of the major issues these cars have. This video saved a lot of my time, and I'll probably reconsider buying one.

[@miatalife94]

none of the 240sx's left worth buying are gonna be within your price range, there's plenty of other fun cars for the cheap just gotta look and get a gauge on the market

[@yungmxlli745]

Yeah I’m looking at importing one right now and you’re looking at 7k for a descent stock s13/s14. 10-13k if you want to ensure it’s quality. For a stock s chassis it’s insane.

[@liamtitan5598]

I appreciate the video. I unfortunately found some rust on the quarter panal on mine. Lack of experience when I bought it and I missed it. 100% my fault. Going to check some of the places you mentioned I did not think of.

[@Nscardigno33]

Yea unfortunately it’s hard to always spot everything even I miss stuff sometimes as some spots are hard to even see without disassembling a few things

[@kennedywong9854]

Don't forget exhaust hangers do rust too, rocker panel, front under wheel panel, and rear fender panel, front flip light panel, and inside right fire wall where heater blower. Don't buy 240sx or any car that driven or live salt belt state or province.

[@kingzilla640]

Honestly this is a really good video I am still going to buy another 240 I have a 240 now and it is Rusty as hell but I am still buying me another 240sx. I'm in love with them there my dreamy cars.

[@Nscardigno33]

Can’t ever stay away from them and I’m deff in wayy too deep now to ever stop 😂

[@blakeslide6919]

How do you re-do seam sealer? I had no clue that was even a thing tbh. I have an s13 and its in pretty good shape, no rust besides where the gas tank strap bolts up, just under the spare wheel well. Even the battery tray is clean and no rust on it. I finally found a body shop willing to work on it and cut up the spare wheel well, Im also going to get the hatch hinges resprayed and hit with some rust proofing just to be 100% safe. Finding shops here in south florida that are willing to work on rusty cars is next to impossible.

[@Nscardigno33]

As far as re seam sealing just wire wheel the desired area, get it nice and clean at the seams, lay down some epoxy primer And start sealing . I like to tape both sides of the seam to get a nice clean seam line across the panels

[@blakeslide6919]

@@Nscardigno33 Sweet, thanks for all the info, I'll pass it on to my bodyshop guy but he's an older guy pretty hard headed lol. I just saw that your located in North FL, and I'm in South FL, do you do repairs for other people's cars? I'm asking because I'm sort of scared I'll run into some nasty rust, everything has been smooth sailing so far but if I ever run into something bad I'd just ship it to you if possible, you seem to know wayyyyyyy more than anybody else I've ran into.

[@richardlange5048]

Really educational Video for me man, I've been trying to find a good 200sx (Europe) and I know next to nothing about what to look out for, every car I find at a decent price is either riced to shit or way overpriced for its condition, sometimes both. This vid will probably save my ass from buying a ticking time bomb

[@Nscardigno33]

glad it could be of some assistance hopefully you find the car your after!

[@1benyko]

Awesome video, alot of places I didn't even consider...now I'm worried about mine lol

[@Nscardigno33]

That’s the unfortunate part of this video it gets you thinking 😂

[@garrethferguson2781]

Very informative!! I’ve been wanting to see a good video like this going over all the common rust areas. This will give me more to look for on my hatch!

[@Nscardigno33]

Good to hear ! A lot of people don’t know how bad the rear hatch seals can make things

[@twoeightythreez]

One positive about it is that they rust basically everywhere and they rust at basically the same time so chances are if you find one that doesn't have rust in a common area. The car is probably OK. Granted it wasn't fixed in the past.

[@boomstickbelgian2775]

I'm gladn't that i watched this video, now i've found even more rust on my 13

[@suddens]

Great video and just the man to make it!

[@Nscardigno33]

😏😏

[@acjones39]

Great video!

[@Nscardigno33]

Thank you love to hear that 🤓

[@jojojeep1]

That’s why a good example of these cars are going for over $20,000 on Long Island

[@Nscardigno33]

its crazy how much the prices have gone up on these cars. I use to buy running driving ones for 500-1000 when I first got into them

[@sobelgroup]

Great video, appreciate the info!

[@Nscardigno33]

Glad you liked it 🙏

[@avnishm9026]

Amazing video, such useful content! Absolutely loving all of the videos

[@Nscardigno33]

I appreciate that good to hear feedback ☺️

[@avnishm9026]

@@Nscardigno33 I'm currently in talks with someone with a 180sx that's been unfinished for about 10 years now. Has had an SR20DET swap a couple years back and was running but he said the tank has rusted up. He's got a replacement tank and pump to go with it. Is there anything i should be looking out for specifically? In terms of the motor swap or the car? Thanks :)

[@Nscardigno33]

@@avnishm9026 condition of engine is gonna be hard to sort without doing a leak down or compression test . In my sitting for 6 years video I go over a fresh sr20 that’s been sitting up Unstarted. If the chassis doesn’t have any rust you’re already winning. Most all of these cars are a tad rough and have their issues tho so just gotta be willing to save up and put the work in.

[@avnishm9026]

@@Nscardigno33 sweet, will check it out. Thanks so much man! Keen to see you keep pumping the content!

[@jayflip3756]

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 Well done my bro! ✊🏽

[@toxicity6629]

This is exactly why I don’t even bother looking at them tbh always parted out 3 different ones to choose from as if that matters then be wanting 3k for the rusted shell. The 240 market has become worse in terms of cringy than the Honda community in 2024. At least those run lol

[@Zeratsu]

very strange choise of music, but very useful video, liked.

[@SR20Messiah]

Keep on with the s-chassis content ! You should do S14s next !

[@Nscardigno33]

Unfortunately I don’t have any rusty s14s at the moment to give a nice overview

[@Nscardigno33]

Do have some but all clean chassis

[@HelpingHandAutoRepair]

Man. I keep seeing these cars in other areas (not sure where you’re located) I feel bad for y’all. That makes car searching so hard. Were your personal 240s this bad? I would cry with that rust. I live on the west coast so this issue isn’t as prominent.

[@gerrardanderson-q7s]

oh thanks for showing coupes is seems for every 2 coupes, i see there are a thousand hatches ..thanks

[@Nscardigno33]

You bet

[@SALON_V_STILE_TRIBAL]

damn any cheap s13 chassis would be huge luck for me

[@tenorsax6896]

this kinda hurts my heart to see

[@Nscardigno33]

Yea it be like that sometimes

[@tenorsax6896]

@@Nscardigno33 this vid made me go check mine agian, and found some on the left frame rail and under the brake booster, rust busting time here we go

[@jarrodnichols8111]

Well now I'm just depressed, like there's no chance of my car lasting despite it being a pretty clean example and garage kept

[@twoeightythreez]

It's painful to think that these cars are actually far less susceptible to rust than Nissan/Datsuns made in the 70s! It's even more painful to realize that these cars were literally designed this way just Japanese culture the cars are very well-made, but they just aren't designed to last more than 15 to 20 years while still being flawless mechanically. Meanwhile contrast that to a typical American car of the era that was designed to last 20 years sitting in somebody's yard. Because you were lucky to get five years of run time out of one before it broke.

[@pazyy90]

I'd like to know, do you travel for all those chassis you own? I've been in the market for a 240 for about a year and a half now and at this point I'm interested in just starting a project one from scratch. I'm only asking because I haven't seen any in by you which is by me.

[@Nscardigno33]

Many of them I do travel for I’ve made a 13hr trip one way for a car before. I’d say the average is about 4hrs away although I do sometimes find em local but not as often

[@pazyy90]

@@Nscardigno33 I mean that makes sense especially for some parts cars. Do you plan to restore a bunch of them or use them as parts cars? Like I said I'm looking to get a project and as much as I want a hatch, they're is a guy selling a s14 coupe for some cash.

[@Nscardigno33]

@@pazyy90 I refresh or restore a lot of them so some are parts cars . S14 Just look for rust on the front seat mount(rear bolt) s14 are common for leaky door seals and sunroof trim part of window assembly which is discontinued. Then the front strut towers

[@zakash613]

My 180sx (with no sun roof) has a rusty driver side (right hand) floor pan (the part that the seat bolts to) would you know what is the cause? I'm assuming it's gonna be the window seal, where can I get another window seal?

[@modspeed]

Hey man I think you really should consider buying a 240sx, I’m not sure you have enough

[@Nscardigno33]

I’m in the market absolutely

[@driftingbrandonc.6480]

Polecat324?

[@mikhilmuhuthan6903]

It's fucking painful seeing these guys rust out and basically turn into oversized paperwieghts in the middle of nowhere. Imagine all the other 240s and other collector Japanese made cars just rusting away in someone's remote scrap yard.

[@TimMug]

What are some groups around S-chassis cars? I've heard of Zilvia but are there any other buy/sell/info communities out there?

[@Nscardigno33]

Nico club / zilvia is where I get all my info . . I would stay away from Facebook groups for info . Whole page is full of people that dk what they are talking about and just wanna argue if you try to inform them correctly

[@jojojeep1]

Why do they write so much didn’t Nissan use a zinc primer, I know I have a Honda. You could look at a Honda CRV I don’t care what year they never rust even up here in rust belt.

[@Nscardigno33]

nissan was really quick about primer application would have saved a lot of these cars if they were completely dipped . but the cars are primer after assembly and you can't access the nooks and crannies

[@A_S377]

Nissan used zinc nickel coated steel on these cars along with zinc primer. What happens is when you squeeze the sheet metal panels together during the spot welding process, it burns off the zinc nickel layer and also prevents the epoxy ecoat from accessing the required surfaces. The rust you see on Durasteel Nissans is due to the inadequate application of ecoat and incorrect steel use for spot welding applications. The steel itself is actually corrosion resistant, but as soon as the zinc nickel layer is gone, it's all over.

[@A_S377]

If you buy a European car, they typically fill the cavities with wax from the factories to provide further corrosion protection, hence their 12 years anti perforation warranties. Nissan, and most other japscraps still produce their bodies this way. If you want a long term car, you're gonna need to go Euro. I did, and best decision ever.

[@WaterSoThirsty]

Why dose he have so much shells

[@Nscardigno33]

😈😈

[@32ent70]

DEPENDS I GUESS..I LIVE IN HOT AZZ australia and my 1998 s14 has no rust

[@Nscardigno33]

I never said it’s impossible to find one without rust these are just spots to look I also have a few with zero rust

[@Nscardigno33]

Heat has nothing to do with rust it’s the salt in the air or on the grounds

[@jacksonclark9826]

issue is kids don't realize that Japanese cars aren't like American cars when they rust. yankee cars especially stuff from the 60s use much thicker materials then their weeb counterparts. however kids dont realize this and think that they can bring back rusty JDM legends with some elbow grease and body work only to realize that the amount of work and money it takes to do that they were better off just buying a cleaner example from the start and now there stuck with a rusty broken car. I know I use to be one of those kids and only recently started to learn about JDM after importing my self a kei car with no prior knowledge about cars. Its crazy to me how quickly japanese cars rust and its kinda sad that many iconic JDM cars are probably gonna be lost to rust in the next couple decades. I guess the saying "they dont make em like they use to" actually has some meaning behind it.... A great example of how bad JDM cars rust is Okinawa junk yards. You will sometimes find old American cars there that solders imported that are still salvageable if you wanted to fix them and next to it is a 180sx with the roof missing. I don't want to scare people from buying Japanese cars with rust rather I wanna inform people who want or own one that its important to correct rust quickly before it spreads since its probably the biggest issue with owning one.

[@CrimsonRequiem1]

there's a shop in Japan that rebuilds GTR's and when he strips them, he dips the entire chassis into a liquid to prevent rust that he got from Nissan themselves I believe. he only does a few a year and is retiring soon GTRs. Nissan def did poor quality on the rust proof department but i don't think they expected so many people to drive them for so long.

[@jacksonclark9826]

@@CrimsonRequiem1 That's cool you have the name? only thing similar to me is MR Kabuta! He's pretty big in the Japanese s600 community and probably is one of the last people in the world who knows how to take care and support them properly. Sadly he's in his 90s now and I don't know how much longer he can keep doing it.... He's dedicated his life to the s600 starting as a Honda race mechanic for them in the 60s and has restored some of the best examples. My friend is honored to have inherited one and have its engine restored by him back when he lived in Japan I just hope to meet him before he passes.

[@CrimsonRequiem1]

@@jacksonclark9826 It’s called Garage Yoshida in Oyodo, Japan. They specialize in repairing Skylines from the DEAD especially the GTR’s mostly. Hagerty did a video there with Larry Chen I believe but the owner said he plans on retiring soon and can only do a few more cars before he gets old and can’t work on them anymore. Hopefully he passes down the technology for somebody to continue his work but I’m sure it can’t be replicated since it was a family owned thing even his wife had her hands on them. Larry got a slot to become one of the final few. Check out the video!

[@jacksonclark9826]

@@CrimsonRequiem1 I see. Nissan isn't my cup of tea but I'm not gonna stand all high and mighty like Honda is gods gift to earth lol. sounds neat shame his stopping but I'm sure he had a good run I know MR Kubuta would retire if he felt anyone still had his knowledge and passion. Japanese have a thing for hyper focusing on things and mastering them.

[@twoeightythreez]

That analogy illustrates the difference in culture between the classical American mindset versus the classical Japanese mindset American cars traditionally were designed to last a long time with constant repair. This is because American cars were seen as more than just an appliance. Meanwhile, Japanese cars were designed to last with almost no problems Until they simply need to be replaced (appliance mindset). The Sands of Time are showing that the American method was likely the better one when it comes to bringing new customers in because what kind of cars do you think poor teenagers buy? It's usually some old plucker sitting in somebody's yard that you spend a few days getting running again because the engine or transmission gave up the ghost long before the body did. That's an American car of the past. Unfortunately, American cars of today are designed to to be completely disposable, Americans have adopted the Japanese appliance mindset, but neglected to include the reliability. Oops. It's ironic is actually reverse modern American cars rust away the way Japanese cars used to.