Restoration. Where to begin?

[axefreak]

I have a 1974 260z with a 77 280z motor. Where should I begin the restoration process? My goal is to have a nice interior, paint job, and motor. I am not looking to spend alot of money. The car is rust free right now and the motor is running pretty good. The interior is shot.

Should I start on the inside and work my way out? I don't plan on driving this until its done, or at least close.

To me it seems like if the inside was redone and smelled nice it would be so much easier to finish the rest.

What do you think is the best way to tackle it? I just dont want to do a piece from the inside and then something on the engine and then a little on the body. I would like to start a particular project and finish it before I move to the next. I just don't know where to start.

Thanks,

Rick

[sblake01]

If you do the inside first remember that body work generates a lot of dirt and dust. Start by looking for and assesing any rust. A solid body is the best starting point for any project.

[Ed]

How much of a restoration are you talking? Ground-up, full restoration? Or a "refresh"?

Ground up is a lot of money, the more you take apart the more you have to fix.

If your car is in good condition and all it needs is fresh paint and a new interior then start with that.

Buy the new interior items that you will need. Remove exterior items like, turn signals, lights, bumpers, glass, etc.... You can also start removing some of the interior items that need replacing. Get the car painted. Then install the new interior.

One thing to remember. Your car is over 30 years old. And it probably needs alot. Suspension; bushings, shocks, brakes, u-joints etc... Engine; rebuild?

And the list goes on. I just finished my ground up restoration on a car in very good condition. And it was not cheap.

Tell us a little more about what you want to do.

Good luck.

[240ZX]

I would start by doing research on the entire process of restoration. Wick Hubble (I think thats his name) has a book that will help you get a good idea of whats involved. Once you have a good idea of what is involved you can put together a plan of attack and for sure have a budget. Most guys who have gone through this exercise will tell you....if your estimate is let's say $10K, double it!!! This is not a cheep adventure when done well. As mentioned previously, start with the chassis......body work/paint, suspension, brakes, fuel system, electrical, drive train, etc, etc. The interior can be done last, as all other steps will cause alot of dust dirt and debris that will F up the new interior stuff. Regarding the plan of attack, you may also want to consider any upgrades you may want to do....basically, how do you plan to use your Z! One thing for sure is, stay focused on the end result and don't get frustrated. If you do, walk away. No sense in jury rigging or short cutting. Hope this helps you out a little and good hunting...I mean good luck! And of course, help is always a keyboard away.

[EScanlon]

...SNIP...

1Where should I begin the restoration process? ...SNIP...

2I am not looking to spend alot of money. ...SNIP

3Should I start on the inside and work my way out? I don't plan on driving this until its done, or at least close.

4To me it seems like if the inside was redone and smelled nice it would be so much easier to finish the rest.

5What do you think is the best way to tackle it?

6I just dont want to do a piece from the inside and then something on the engine and then a little on the body. I would like to start a particular project and finish it before I move to the next. I just don't know where to start.

Thanks,

Rick

Rick:

I'll try to answer your questions as I've enumerated them.

1 Decide just how much money and time you are willing to spend, either TOTALLY, or PERIODICALLY. Way too many projects are WAY too ambitions right off the bat, without consideration of just what it will take. Does the phrase "I don't want to spend a lot of money, I just want the rust cut out and new metal put in and finished so you can't see it's there and I don't want them to use any Bondo." sound somewhat familiar? If it is truly going to be a long term, parked until it's done project; are you going to keep at it at least weekly or periodically so it doesn't languish in the garage for the next five years at which point you sell it C H E A P just to get it out of the garage?

If you are still going to go at it, then begin by getting a clean bill of health on the mechanical aspects of the car. Engine, Brakes, Suspension, Transmission, Rear-End, Steering, are the major topics and I'll let the Mechanical guys address that. The Mechanical guys will be able to guide you there. But once you get a clean bill mechanically, or get to a point where the mechanical items can be incorporated into the rest (Body/Paint/Interior) of the car, then begin by WASHING the car.

On the inside: take out the carpet, the seats, dig down deep and make it as clean as you can. Pull out those drain plug rubbers and WASH. That means using plenty of water to dissolve 30 years worth of crap. Then dry the car. Use an air compressor, and BLOW the water out. Will you encounter problem areas? ..Probably, but that IS what you are looking to find BEFORE they become a major problem. Let the air blow off chunks of the tar paper...you're going to want to remove that anyhow. Doesn't matter how "good" it looks, for so many vehicles it wasn't applied properly so that trying to find the ones that DID get it properly is a losing proposition. If you're serious about the new car smell, then take out the plastic finishers along the back, wash them on both sides, and also VACUUM (not wash, at least not yet) inside the fenders. Get in there with a good stiff brush and remove the dust, grime and other surprises you'll find. Use wipe down liquids as you see fit / need. By the time you get this done, the car will already be feeling better and so will you. (Ever had a good shower after a day working hard?)

Exterior: Same thing here, W A S H it. Use a good grease cutting car soap. You could even use dish detergent, Palmolive, Dawn, Mr. Clean they'll really get rid of all the wax and greasy films on your car. Don't use any detergent that promises shine, odor or .... you want plain old detergent soap. That will get the outside of your car to the base paint.

Now inspect your paint, is it burnt? Is it faded, cracked, dull, looks like very fine sandpaper, has obvious circular or linear scratches, etc etc. You get the drift. This will help you determine if a re-paint is necessary or just a partial or if a polish will do what you need.

Then depending on what you need, polish, or sand, or .....

2 By the method above, you won't have spent much money getting there. What happens from that point forward is up to you. What you fix is dependent on whether you feel it should get fixed/restored/replaced and also whether it's a safety common sense type of item. If the windshield needs replacing (there is very little fixing there), then that is a safety item that must be done. The console needs re-painting? That's one you can wait on. The seats are foam with string slip covers? A cheap set of generic seat cover or the vinyl kit or have them upholstered, all those are yours to choose.

3 Decide if it's YOUR comfort that's more important, or looking good. As far as driving the car? Unless you make it undriveable....yeah right, you're not going to drive it.

4 HMMPPHPHK, HPOOMMMP;LL .

{Firm hand over mouth preventing loud voice from being understood}

:devious:

5 Jump on it, and bring it to the ground.

6 This one I gotta see........ :laugh: .

2¢

Enrique

[beandip]

I have a 1974 260z with a 77 280z motor. Where should I begin the restoration process? My goal is to have a nice interior, paint job, and motor. I am not looking to spend alot of money. The car is rust free right now and the motor is running pretty good. The interior is shot.

I just don't know where to start.

Thanks,

Rick

Like Ed said , first decide what you want , then see what the costs are BEFORE you start tearing in to the car. ''I am not looking to spend alot of money '' . ''the motor is running pretty good .'' two clues right there , either of which is not realistic . To do a restore , vary big bucks . 20k or there abouts. A redo or refresh half that ammont. If you do alot of the work yours self. To do a good job for preping for paint is to remove ALL the interior , dash headliner all of it. Then all the glass , pull the engine , bumpers and all badges and the door handels and all rubber seals around the doors and glass. Remove the wireing looms especially the one in the engine bay and forward. Then you can address any and all imperfections found in the body and paint. This way the car can be repainted , after proper cleaning sanding and priming and sanding , and priming and so on. Once the car is painted then the engine and glass can go back in followed by the interior and the rest of the chrome parts. Reinstalling the old egine that was just running pretty good is your option here , hopefully you have at least cleaned and detailed it first . At the vary least when the car is repainted , do the door jambs and shoot the car the same color as the enging bay . Just trying to point out the road you are beginning to drive down . '' rust free '' I doubt it ,but it is possable . Rust cannot be ignored if found , it must be taken care of . It's a canser and it will kill the car if not fixed period . And done correctly . I wish you all the best and I like Ed have just finished a , in my case a redo , on my '73 took 2 1/2 years but all was done in my garage except for some welding . And I had lots of help with the project from escanlon . Do all the '' GREASE WORK '' first before you start on the visable things , suspention and brakes and such. It all depends on what I stated in the beginning . Decide what your goal is when you are finished . Plus REALLY evaluate what you are starting with , and go form there. I started just wanting to replace the ring gear on the flywheel and decided to pull the engine so I could refresh the engine bay while I was at it. When I found some unanticapated rust , the Z ended up a rolling shell , with parts being stored all over the place . She is all better now and looking good , if I do say so . But things were UGLY for a long time . Gary :stupid:

[240ZX]

axefreak,

Are we scarring you yet? Lots of sound advice from our members....as always! Believe me, and I think others may agree, once it's all said and done and your driving around in your sweet looking Z, you will forget all about how much was spent to get it there. Bottom line is....you REALLY gotta want to do it and then make the sacrifice for the time and effort it will take.

[Ed]

I think we scared him .

You will also need a place to do all this work. I have a 2 car garage and a big basement. When I stripped my car every piece went to the basement for a rebuild including the engine. You will need lots of room to store all your parts.

Also look through the archives of this website. Restorations have been talked about several times and were always here to help and give advice.

[axefreak]

I appreciate the advice from all of you! I think the best thing to do is remove the engine and gut the interior. I will be doing all the work myself so that will save me some money. By all means, I am in no hurry to do this. Hell, it has been sitting for 12 years!

I will keep you posted of my progress and I am sure I will have lots of questions.

Thanks again!

Rick

[LanceM]

Speaking in very basic terms:

1 Mechanical work first, grease, dents, scratches, and oh craps will be taken care of next.

2. Exterior body work, bodywork creates lots of dust and when least expected overspray right where you don't want it.

3. Interior last, how did you know you had a big glob of grease on your butt when you went to move the car after replacing ? mechanical, or woops, crap just shot paint though the tail light opening cause the tape came loose, wow look at the carpet!

So think of it as dirty underside first, now dirty upper side next, clean the interior last

[webdawg1]

You could always use the "240Z Restoration Guide" (See link below) as a general purpose "Restoration" guide and break the items into sections/sub-sections that you can check off as you work your way thru the various systems. (I.E. - Fuel system, Brakes, Cooling, Engine...etc...etc) You got to have some sort of game plan...or you'll just have stuff scattered to the four winds...Plenty of ziplock bags will help too with keeping track of all the nuts/bolts/washers. The Zcar Micofiche CD or course....Wick Humble's "How to restore your datsun Z-car" is a excellent reference also...

http://www.jasonjarvis.com/main.html

webdawg1

[agemeansnothing]

Even if a car looks rust free theres nice little tiny spots that are a pain. Check quarterpanels near the lower end of them, check framerails,under the battery tray, floorboars etc. Then the interior is very expensive so be careful.