Xcessive Manufacturing frame rail replacement review

[Gatecrasher3]

Anyone who has ever dealt with a 240 knows that if you have under body rust the frame rails are probably going to be one of the worst hit areas.
My 91 was a perfect example of this.
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/GatecrasherCanada/IMG_3696.jpg
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/GatecrasherCanada/IMG_3695.jpg
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/GatecrasherCanada/IMG_3692.jpg

As you can see each of the 240s frame rails were in bad shape and because of this decay I would not pass safety in a million years, the only solution would be replacing the rails. Nissan stopped manufacturing the replacement rails a few years ago and their supplies of any have since run dry. I had to go elsewhere to find a replacement, so I talked to several different metal fabricators with them explaining they would do their best to create a OEM replacement for that segment of the rail that had the rust, exactly what I was looking for. I was going bring my 91 to a local fabricators but then I stumbled over this Online Store - Xcessive Manufacturing (http://www.xcessivemanufacturing.com/ONLINESTORE.html?cid=41&step=4&pid=172), a pre-fabed rail replacement. I thought that getting these specifically made rails would save me time, money and most importantly keep it's alignment true. I called xcessive manufacturing and got in touch with Rich who made the order process very easy, and in total they cost me $232 CDN . About a week later a box arrived at my house containing two of these.
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/GatecrasherCanada/IMAG0391.jpg

I forget the gage of the metal but these things were solid with really clean beading along the outside edge of the rails, I wish I had taken more pictures of just the rails but I' am sure xcessive would send you any pic/info if requested.

Mocking the rail up you can see that they coved my problem areas well with room to spare on each end, and they fit very snug over the stock rail before prep.
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/GatecrasherCanada/IMAG0417.jpg

I began pulling my interior because of the heat that welding these would create on the floor of my car, possibly burning my carpet if it was left in.
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/GatecrasherCanada/IMAG0413.jpg

Mouse's nest behind my kick panel...
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/GatecrasherCanada/IMAG0407.jpg

Getting back under the car I began grinding the undercoating off from around the rusted areas and got down to the metal where the new rails would be welded in. A die grinder would be best for this job because of the tight areas, but I only had a large angle grinder so I left the small areas for the guy doing my welding because he had the proper tools. As you can see the metal surrounding the rust looked healthy but it still had to be cut making certain no rust was still present.
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/GatecrasherCanada/IMG_3703.jpg
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/GatecrasherCanada/IMG_3701.jpg
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/GatecrasherCanada/IMG_3702.jpg

At this point I handed my 240 over to my welder who after inspecting the cars underbody felt that cutting out as much rail as possible while still leaving himself enough metal to weld the new rails on would keep the strength of the car and minimize the chance of rust moving to the new rails.

After two weeks I got a call from my welder saying my car was ready and that the operation was a complete success. He explained that the replacement rails went on like a dream, welding on tight and strong. He also said that he drilled four holes at the top of the rails and four at the other end and he used plug welds creating a extremely strong connection. Adding a coat of rubberized spray finalized the project making the twenty year old rails look just like they came off the line.
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/GatecrasherCanada/photo5.jpg
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/GatecrasherCanada/photo7.jpg
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p157/GatecrasherCanada/photo8.jpg

My welder cost $450 CDN with tip, bringing the cost of this project to a total of $682 CDN give or take, yes it was a bit of coin, but for a car that I'm never going to sell it was worth every penny.

[Tearlessj]

Damn, I bought my rust free shell for $400. It's nice living in a rust free area.

[Shadowhunter]

Looks great man. I love Xcessive's stuff but the pricing is usually xcessive too, though it has come down recently.

[shiftdrift]

holy shit. way too expensive. decent looking product though, i'm sure it cost them 40 bucks to make them.

[JSimpson]

its only $198 in the states. not too bad for a nice fitting piece

[memphis180sx]

Looks great man. I love Xcessive's stuff but the pricing is usually xcessive too, though it has come down recently.

hell no there pricing is great pbm skiid pan is thinner and more expensive than there there sr to vg trans mount kits is cheaper and just as good as mazworx is its a small buisnes the guys there a great stop being cheap but to the op good review

[shiftdrift]

meh. for 200 bucks that's decent. i mean, i could make it for 40 bucks, but i guess i'd have around 2-3 hours in it, so sounds right.

[RandallSharp]

Not everyone can just fab up their own rails, so I would say $200 USD is a good deal. They look to be of high quality too! Your rails were shot though, lol.

[93nismo]

rich will sell you one side if you only need one side. mines been on for about 6 months i belive. still strong as ever. i use seam sealer around the welds just to make sure there wouldent be any problems and then used rubberized undercoating on it. but i get all that stuff at work and its not necessary if your not going to keep the car or your just going to run it into a wall after you fix it anyway. they fit like a glove and the hold themselves on so you dont have to brace or clamp antyhing when your welding lol definitly worth the money. especially if you can put it on yourself.

[Skilz10179]

I never knew these existed... Even though my underbody is 100% rust free i might buy these just for the fact the factory rails are too weak to even jack the car up off them without bending them. Xcessive's stuff is legit, even with a price thats excessive its worth supporting a company that makes great parts like this. With all the bullshit hype about "legit wheels" which we pay outrageous prices for people should really be focusing companies like this that make legit obsure parts that are much more important and needed than baller wheels to score internet fanboy points.

[Matej]

Those look neat. I always thought it would be cool if someone made covers for the frame rails to protect them from scraping. Perhaps with little wheels or rollers on them. :)

[pandaroo]

sheesh 200 bucks? they look very easy for a diy'er to make, but if you dont have the skills or time i guess theyre worth it.

[zomgsohc]

I'm going to need to invest in some of these! My rails look even worse than yours did. Do they happen to offer a slightly longer version?

I guess I could just make my own, but I'm lazy haha

[PoorMans180SX]

Thanks for the review, I think your the first person to post any pictures of these rails on a car in general!

[huffandpuff00]

super cool guys at Xcessive, they do a lot of cressida stuff too...

[dragooner00]

i used these two and i have to say it was an amazing purchase saved my car and they had them shipped to me very quickly, great product! dont junk your car just because of frame rot!

[Tempo]

beautiful fix , i might just pick up 2, and just have them laying just in case . . :hide:

[GL Chrillz]

definitely buying these in a month. my front rails on my 90 are just as bad, and a jack stand just poked a nice hole thru the driver side. good review, looks well worth the money since I can't make these myself.

[180wanabe1]

Not being mean but that seems like a lot of money just for the welding, the pieces look good though.

[imotion s14]

Only on a 240SX forum is $200 a lot of money.

[Audios]

only on a 240sx forum is $200 a lot of money.

hahhahahahaha

[Magical Trevor]

Only on a 240SX forum is $200 a lot of money.

Truth be told...

[bc.]

the $200 piece isn't bad, but $450 for welding those in is damn crazy. I wouldn't give a welder more than what those pieces cost, to weld them. I would find a new welder buddy :P

[GSXRJJordan]

Only on a 240SX forum is $200 a lot of money.

This is exactly what I thought as I was reading that. I'd happily pay $200 for replacements that fit that well if I had a rusted chassis, and rosette welds are exactly what I'd do for those onto factory steel.

[DWvinny]

Apparently Im doing it wrong... Its flattering to see someone copying what Ive been doing at Destruction Warehouse for years... But 200 just for the rails ? I generally charge 250-300 installed..

[JFoxx]

Only on a 240SX forum is $200 a lot of money.

200 is alot of money because alot of us on here make our own stuff..... i could make those for $20 worth of metal from my local metal yard.... that is not a hard peice to fabricate at all.... and im no expert fabricator....

and 450 to weld those on? rediculous....

[ManoNegra]

Apparently Im doing it wrong... Its flattering to see someone copying what Ive been doing at Destruction Warehouse for years... But 200 just for the rails ? I generally charge 250-300 installed..

So you're the first guy to replace rusted out frame rails on cars!!? I'm impressed. :bowdown:

[DWvinny]

Manonegra I didnt say that...
I said I make and install custom fit pieces, (in most cases) for almost the same price they are charging just for the rails.

I will say. I have been rebuilding frame rails on 240s in the Midwest since 05. When I started I didnt know of anyone doing anything even remotely similar in the drift community. If these guys have been doing it longer, let me know and Ill gladly eat my words.. .

Now I understand theres not a whole lot of variation that can be made in manufacturing a frame rail.. But the stuff they are making looks pretty much identical to my basic template.
One problem I have with these. Are that they are pre-welded. I fear that in the end it will end up as more of a "fancy cover" than an actual fix. Especially if the installer is an inadequate welder.
Not to mention it might not seem like it but there are many factors that come into play here. And I could see fitment quickly becoming a factor with these..
I guess basically all im saying is 200 bux is pretty damn expensive for a couple of pre-cut pieces of sheet that could potentially fit like crap if the rails are bent or not fit at all if the rust is bigger than the prefabbed piece.

[Corbic]

Apparently Im doing it wrong... Its flattering to see someone copying what Ive been doing at Destruction Warehouse for years... But 200 just for the rails ? I generally charge 250-300 installed..

This... $200 is stupid. Its just metal plates welded into a simple box shape. Anyone that can DIY install it could have made their own patch for $20.


Also, OP if you didn't cut out that last chuck of rust and at least hit the inside with weld-thru primer... that shit is going to be rusted out in a year or so.