Is It Worth It

[Gav240z]

Hi guys I'm writing becuase I have a 240z in the garage which has been stripped to a bare shell and I planned on sand blasting the rust out and rebuilding the car ground up brand new paint etc.

Now the other day I found a car advertised a 240z 72 mdl a year earlier than mine which has been well restored with the same color I was gonna do ferrari red and rebuilt L28. The car is almost perfect new bolts etc and windows + rims and full exhaust system.

It's been maticulously cared for and the only fault in the car is a little rust has come back up from the 8 year old job in the doors and a small amount in the rear hatch. The car is straight as an arrow chassis wise and looks amazing.

So my only concern is the rust because it's come back. Is this a bad thing does it mean the car wasn't properly sprayed and I'm better off restoring mine and doing it all myself or is it acceptable and good enough to just repair the troubled zone.

Oh and by the way the boot area was left original color and wasn't repainted I looked in the spare tyre well to find minor surface rust which would be a good indicator as to how bad the rest of the car could be underneath it's near perfect exterior.

My 73 has holes in lots of places like that and especially under the battery area.

Any tips suggestions.

I'm currently a student and have a low budget for restoring cars. This car is priced cheap at around 8k and would mean I have to sell the Shell in the garage and run about car (Corolla).

Is it worth while

Please help urgent.

Gav,

[St.stephen]

Honestly that really is up to you, your budget, time, and storage needs. Honestly, I am a fanatic with these cars and would buy and save every last one if I had my way.

Trouble with the paint begining to blister after 8 years really could be a number of things, or just a few combinations. you would have to ask more about the paint that was applied, surface prep done, perhaps types of primer. Some types of paint are more resistant and flexible than other.

The hatch is a typical place for these cars to rot, Dude...basically the entire car is likely to rot. There isn't one place on any Z car I have seen that has raised an eyebrow about "how did that rust get there" The battery tray..Well I expect to see rust there.

You need to thouroughly check the car out top to bottom to see evidence of rot, bad floor and frame rail repairs. Check the inner fender wells especially above where the rubber brake line sits and where the frame rail meets the firewall on the inside of the engine compartment. Those crannies tend to trap leaves. Also check UNDERNEATH the battery tray as well as the outside where the frame rail meets where the floor toe board and compression rod meet. The rad support and even in the cowl collect leaves and moisture and can make short work of the metal. Physically get under the car too. Pull up the carpets inside if the owner will let you. LETS SEE THOSE FLOORS!

There is no sense in buying a beautiful car to later learn that it's swiss cheese underneath and you h ave to be where you already are with your 240 in the garage. Atleast if you do it yourself, you know what was put into it and what was done.

Bondo, clean paint and undercoating can hide a nightmare.

[skip260z]

Not to be a downer, just realistic... to support my argument, go to a Barnes & Noble or Borders (if you don't already own a copy!) and read the 1st couple chapters of Wick Humble's "How to Restore your Datsun Z Car".

Wick lays it all out for you, and then some.

Of course, he then proceeds into a full-on resto, thus the title of the book...

But as StStephen posted - if it is made of metal on a Z it can/will/did corrode.

You have to understand that back then (and likely into the late 80's !!!) the Japanese kept their auto industry alive and healthy by frequent turn-over of cars. They literally built their cars for a 5-year lifespan. After 5 years, the Kyoto konsumer would go trade in his 5-yr old Fairlady in for a new one. Gov't taxation on older cars even supported this.

Just look around - how many 70's Celica's, 810's, B210's, Corona's, Honda's do you see these days? Not that any were bad cars, they were just designed to be gone; recycled.

Thus, the cars were never built for longevity. No decent rustproofing or exotic metals, just clever engineering and quality - built to last 5 years.

You are tempting fate by throwing time and lotsa money into restoring a car that was designed to rot away beyond it's 5th year. (That's why the best Z's are the ones exposed to the least amount of rain and snow - water in general.)

So unless you are planning a complete dip and strip followed by a dip again in a vat of Corroless or POR-15, then expect to see the rot come back.

Good luck!

[EScanlon]

It is hard to evaluate something based on someone else's pocketbook and budget especially when the common denominators may be so far out of alignment with each other.

For $8k I would expect the car to literally be COMPLETELY restored and in #1 condition. Then again, I am referring to US dollars and not Australian dollars.

The rules of thumb on restoring or buying apply regardless of currency. Buy the BEST condition car you can afford, this will minimize the amount of money you spend on fixing it up to "perfect" condition.

If you've already gotten into the other one, you're not going to get half of what you would like out of it, but it might be a good way to cut your loses. However, if you've already stripped it, and have examined it everywhere and have the time and money with which to do the metal replacement well, then go for it. You will at least have the assurance that the car has been correctly rebuilt. As to whether or not it is cheaper.......???

2¢

[Gav240z]

Well guys I forgot to mention I enrolled into a welding course at the Uni I'm attending it runs on a monday night but after school and part time employment plus a welding course I feel my grades may suffer even if the course is only over 7 weeks. It's an introductory course so I plan on going further to get better skills. I would honestly love to restore the car myself and know that everything was done properly nothing would bring me more satisfaction but due to time restrictions I don't know if I can make it happen the way I would like.

I've been into Z's for around 4 years now since I was 16 I'm now 20 and have owned a 260z previously but never been able to drive my 240z around. My mum would like me to wait till I have finished studying to restore this car. Problem is I feel bad about leaving a shell in the garage taking up space and the fact that I really wanna do this project means I have to wait so long.

I guess I don't wanna look back and say I wish I had done that and never got around to it and just bought a newer car instead.

Anyway I'm still looking at gettting that 240z and still trying to sell my everyday car.

Thanks for the advice guys.

[Mr Camouflage]

Dont feel bad about it taking up space, in your parent garage. My my mum and dads cars had time share the spare bay in their double garage, while my 240z occupied the other bay for about a year and a half, then my celica did for a while also while I repained it. Then my mazda 808 coupe.

Other options could be putting a car sized shed in you back yard to house the z while you fix her up, if you have a big enough yard.

All cars rust, there is practically nothing you can do to prevent it (unless you want to keep it in an environmet that has no oxygen), it's the natural state of steel. They dig the rusty ore out of the ground melt it down into shiny chunks and make cars out of it.

I've stripped pannels with no signs of rust with paint stripper to find the spidery beginnings of rust under the paint.

a little rust after 8 years aint bad.

If you're gonna sell your dissassembled 240, what part of Oz are you in? there's a few guys here in perth looking for one, perhaps not in the condition yours is in, but I'm up for a good jigsaw puzzle.

If I had the choice I'd stick with the zed you've got.

Hows that saying go? "Better the zed you know"

[Gav240z]

Well I have no doubt I'll be able to flog off my Z as it's pretty rust free in many ways and I don't think there's an bog waiting for me when I strip back the paint maybe a little on the rear left quarter. The rest of the car is pretty good.

This other car I'm looking at will need a bit of tidying up body wise with a couple of small rust spots. I'm the kind of person however who would probably drive this car for a few years buy something as an everyday car and pull it down and respray it like I am with the one I got already. It's just a case of money at the moment and not having fun driving a toyota corolla which is getting high in mileage and I feel will start costing me money. The gearbox is feeling a little rough and the engine will want a rebuild in a few years as 4 bangers need a rebuild around 200 k's and it's done about 100k's.

I wanna drive a car that's fun but i don't wanna rush my project that's all.

If you like you can view pictures of her at www.project240z.0catch.com under body work there's pictures of the car.

Thanks Fellas I appreciate the wisdom.

:classic:

[St.stephen]

actually your car isn't as bad as you made it out to be. Batttery tray rot is standard, although I haven't seen it rot through the firewall all that often. Easy fix though to weld a patch over that.

The wiper motor hole is a new one to me though