71 restoration

[beandip]

The only value in the seats is to someone that is restoring a period car. Most replace them with the later ones that tilt back and hinge forward so you can access to the rear. I vary much doubt the switch that you are mentioning is other that after market mod. The rocker that shows the damage is a big concern. Probe the rust witha screwdriver and see if it is soft in the area. Contact Charley Osborne about the replacement parts for this. His co. is

Zedd Findings zeddfind@kos.net as far as I am concernd he makes the best replacement sheet metal parts available. If one of the rubber lines was weak they all are , do the rest. As to the paint , it all depends on what you intend for the car. Most body shops will produce a 6 to 10' job. That is standing 6' to 10' away it looks good. Show quality jobs come at a vary much higher price, but look super. Most body shops slap on bondo for filler because it is fast and cheep. Quality comes at a price. You need to set a goal and expectations and go from there. If you only want a great looking driver that is one thing if what you desire is a Restoration that is another and a wholy different thing . A show car another . It sounds like to me what you are looking for is a good looking solid driver, that you can enjoy . Not a garage queen. Look for a painter and body man that does customs , cars for show, hot rods and the like. These are the craftsmen that create the good work. Sadly today , most ''body'' shops are pannel replacers they dont take the time to work the metal insted they slap on the filler, ie bondo . If you are looking for quality , find one of those shops . Dont sand blast or media blast untill you concult the painter ! My 2c Gary

[71datsunZ]

Its the switch above the hazard lights next to the steering wheel. How much would you say a professional painter and body guy would cost? Like I said... I never plan on selling the car so I want everything to last. I dont know much about bondo but I am thinking it will wear as time goes by. As far as the rockers go, how hard will it be for a body shop to replace those and what are some problems that might be underneath?

[Bambikiller240]

Its the switch above the hazard lights next to the steering wheel. How much would you say a professional painter and body guy would cost? Like I said... I never plan on selling the car so I want everything to last. I dont know much about bondo but I am thinking it will wear as time goes by. As far as the rockers go, how hard will it be for a body shop to replace those and what are some problems that might be underneath?

Unless your car is such an early Z that the cigar lighter is mounted on the console, that is where the cigar lighter would be. Without seeing the switch you have I'd say it's likely to be something added by a previous owner. = zero value. What does the switch operate?

Body and Paint work varies with the location and quality you expect. You could pay as little as $2000, or as much as $7000 or more. Bondo wear? Err, no; but it can trap moisture and promote rust if not properly applied, and if used too extensively can cause other problems.

Rockers aren't too difficult to replace ( rocker panels aren't real expensive, but the labor to install can be) by a competant body mad, but the rust that ruins them can also ruin the metal around them as well, which means more $$ to repair. Problems that might be underneath? More rust.

[beandip]

Painter costs will vary from area to area. I had a bid on my '73 which was all in primer from the P O . With out body work , and me just driving in the car and saying go for it , $1400.00 . Now this is not including the door jambs or hatch or hood . This was for just sanding and preping and painting . This was at a good shop that built hot rods , worked on XKEs , Bemers and so on. In short craftsmen. If I would have had them do the car the way I wanted ,it would have easiley been over 3K . Bondo is a catch name for a body filler. It is used to hide the dents and imperfections in the metal. When applied properly , it is ok. When exposed to the air it will absorb moisture , some ''body men'' will drill holes in the pannel and shove the stuff through the holes in a attempt to make it stick better to the patch. Moisture will wick in from the back side and will rust the pannel and in time the patch will crack and fall off . It is used because it is fast , cheep and is easy to apply. Body filler in general has gotten a bad rap because of shoddy preperation and it's use . We found bondo 2'' thick on one fender on my car , and accross the rear pannel there were over 30 holes drilled and from the underside it looked like pasta hanging down next to the gas tank. It was all removed and the holes brazed and the metal worked and drawn back properly. It took hours of work to do , and thanks to Scanlon it now looks great. This is the difference between good and poor workmanship. Both looked good , untill the bondo cracked open and exposed some rusted metal. Now it is done right. As for repairing the rocker , it all depends on the damage and the skill level of the bodyman . As I mentioned before so many shops are just pannel replacers . The area that shows rust is the rocker and just back of it where the beginning of the back fender is . It's called the dog leg. These two areas can be costly to replace and or repair . They are critical in the strength of the body/frame. Being a unibody construction there is no true frame , the sheet metal of the whole car is what makes up the structure , like a egg shell . The rocker is a sheet metal box , forming a channel/rail that runs from the firewall to the dogleg under the door and forms the door jamb. Some will just cut away the rusted metal that shows and weld in a patch and apply some bondo and paint. If the rest of the rocker is rusted thin and the rust hasent been removed or treated it will continue to decay the metal and will show up in the near future. I am getting too long here . Some one else chime in . I hope this is helpful Gary

[dogma420]

71datsunz, its hard to help you with local places because we don't know where you live...fill out your profile information (where you would add an avatar picture) and people will try and help.

How old are you? I don't mean to be rude, but when I started on my Z, I was under 30 and reality of how much time time time and $$ $$ $$ a Zed would cost never occurred to me....some of the nice Zs you'll find here on this site have so much $$$ and so much time put into them......it can be discouraging.....just don't set yourself up with these high expectations....just start with minimizing future rust, and remember, as time goes by, the cars become more rare...my goals of getting my car done seem to never materialize, but it also isn't going to fall apart and die anytime soon...I think most of us are in this boat..and i buy a new part here, a new part there and eventually have something that gets better and better....doing it all at once, it will cost you easily over 10,000. Unless there are compromises.

But good luck there is a lot of info on this website....look through all the technical articles....first thing I'd try to examine is upgrading the point ignition...best upgrade for price I think you can have on the z....

I think your 240 is a great starter car, esp. since it was your dad's (from new?) I'd love to be in your situation actually....except you can't bitch too much about PO.

[71datsunZ]

Ok... I live in central NJ and I am 17. I realize I am young but I realize that this will cost me a lot. My dad bought the z in 75 I believe. It was orginally blue but he didnt like the color so he had it painted black and did some other things. I dont have anything going on right now so ill go get some pictures to show you.

[71datsunZ]

[Ricklandia]

Damn, I only wish my floorpans looked that good! :squareeye

[Ed]

Dude, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but, once you start taking things

apart on your car you WILL find more rust. Those rusted frame rails....... :dead: Then there is that one picture that I can't tell what it is but rust, bad rust. OMG.... I'm not trying to discourage you and I'm sure

others will agree. Strip the body and have it soda blasted, then you will get a real idea of how much sheet metal replacement is involved. Now you have to decide take it to someone who will do it for you OR learn how to weld and do

it yourself. Your car has been in the northeast and seen too many salted roads.

Honestly, I know you want the car to last another 30 years. The car has sentimental value. So you HAVE to do it right. Buy yourself a sandblasting cabinet, learn about POR-15. AND become a backyard mechanic. Save money where you can and do a lot of

the work yourself. We will help you. Honestly.

Strip the body and tell us what you have.

Edit: load smaller pictures.

[hls30.com]

The black switch is an aftermarket present from the P.O.(as is the washer that fills the hole it is in) The other switch is missing the plastice part of its paddle.

Take a look at my gallery, My '72 fooled me into thinking there was very little rust, once the undercoating comes off, things can get a lot more serious in a hurry.

Ed is right, few people can afford to pay someone else to do the kind of job we want done on our cars. Not many of the tasks require special skills, or expensive equipment(other than welding or frame work) that can't be borrowed or improvised. Most of what you will need is patience, an orderly place to work, and the ability to listen to someone who has been there before.

Looking through the archives you will find the answers to most questions, and talking to the members, you may get more than an answer, you might have to buy someone something cold for lendingf a hand!

Will

[71datsunZ]

The really bad rust is right by the rocker panel. What piece is that and how difficult would it be to find a replacement piece to fix it.

[hls30.com]

That is a part of the rocker panel as well, http://www.tabcobodyparts.com/html/table_of_contents.htm

has them. also as suggested check with Charley Osborne at Zeddfindings-his stuf is the best.

Will