heres the deal. I started this project in december of 04 not really knowing much about zs. im in this car about 5-6 thousand already in parts and other stuff. (bought an original dashboard in the factory box for $1500:shock:) im not gona write alot because the pictures will tell u more. my question is this thou. should a continue doing an all original restoration or go modified a little (bodykit, wing fender mirrors that stuff). basically me and my dad want to finish this project the cheapest way. Both 1/4 panels are gone. i got one side replacment and after sand blasting i see that i need the other side two. floor pans are gone (no suprise) and so is the rear hatch thing (also no suprise). we were thinking if we flare out the fenders it would be cheaper than buying replacments. (taking under consideration the labor involved). SO heres the pics. any comments, opinons, advice and judgments welcome.

btw the white 280z is my daily driver. thats just a white primer on it. not bad for my first time i guess.

If this were a 70, I'd say go for it and keep working since you've already done sooooom much, but in light of all that rust damage, I'd say trash the shell, keeping the good panels or parting them out, and find a decent body with or without running gear for a better starting point. IMHO

I have to agree with Enigma. Looks like several (and I mean SEVERAL) thousand bux to have the rusty panels repaired/replaced. If you are handy with a welder, or have a good friend who is, then you might consider forging ahead. Do a search for Mull, I think that is the guy who has been doing a lot of rust repair on his Z. The progress I've seen on his Z is inspiration for anyone planning to take on the rust demon!

I have to agree with Enigma. Looks like several (and I mean SEVERAL) thousand bux to have the rusty panels repaired/replaced. If you are handy with a welder, or have a good friend who is, then you might consider forging ahead. Do a search for Mull, I think that is the guy who has been doing a lot of rust repair on his Z. The progress I've seen on his Z is inspiration for anyone planning to take on the rust demon!

seen em. hes the guy with the videos right?

You've got a lot of work left to do, and a lot of money still to be spent. I agree with Enigma and Kenny. Cut your losses any way you can and next time find a chassis in better shape to start with.

JMO

It looks like your at the "point of no return", in that if you keep going you will have to spend whatever it takes to finish the car. To me, the answer of whether to keep going or dump it depends on what you are looking to do with the car long term. Are you looking to make $$$ on it (it's very rare to make any $$$ on a proper restoration), or do you want a factory original car to keep for a really long time? Or is there some other objective such as building a car that suits your individual tastes? If you want to stay orginal, you could, as suggested above, find another chassis in better shape for less than the cost of all the metal/welding work (unless your doing it yourself) that might allow you to finish the project off for less $$$.

My vote would be to keep it orignal if your going to continue the project, as the car will retain more value that way in the long run. I think it is much easier to find a buyer for an orignal car than for a modified (changes to the body, etc) one, and the orignal one will also sell for more $$$.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do!

Not sure how this car could EVER be called "factory original" (with a straight face) after all of the replacement/repair work it requires, but "whatever".