Wow! My once-in-a-lifetime find!!!!!

[derk]

Thanks for the tips all.

That's the ground under there.

The only rust I can find (aside from surface rust) is this on the driver's side door jamb

Any thoughts?

[St.stephen]

Dude if that's the only rust you can find you certainly found your "cream puff". The rot in the hatch area pictured is textbook for the Z. It's fixable by cutting that out and welding in a patch. Not hard by any means with a mig welder, some patch metal and a little time.

The sills under the door are another favorite spot. Fixable for sure. However the sooner you take care of it the better. Some rust reversal solution will solve the problem, and while there are many brands available to you some are better than others. Let me see what I have in the garage and what I can recommend to you. PREVENT FLOOR ROT AS SOON AS YOU CAN!!!

[zorro]

What a great pick up. What do you intend to work on first. Drive train can always be done at anytime, and you find so many parts interchangeable. Scan for rust in the usual places, behind the front guards below the emblems, in the doors, cracks along the top of the door next to the window frame etc.. Floor plans can be a problem too if they haven't had the floor grommet's sealed. When driving in wet weather the water comes in. Hope this helps, good luck and keep us posted!

[Mr Camouflage]

My new z came with this black metal louver thing on the rear window. Is it original and worth saving? Lock on one side is gone.

Not sure if original equipment or not.

Opinions?

Also that trim piece around the license... rusty. All surface. Repair or replace? And what did the original look like?

Thanks!

That louver looks like something out of a Mad Max movie!

Take it off, chuck it in you garage, but hang onto just in case.

The surface rust on the rear light/Licence surrounds would be easy to fix. Just requires a little elbo grease. A sanding disc would would make short work of it, theen just repaint it.

[Mr Camouflage]

P.S.

Remove them from the car before atacking them with a sanding disc. They are easy to remove.

Invest in a workshop manual.

[EScanlon]

That "rust" looking tinge on the rear tail light surrounds may be PRIMER!

I've seen many of these surrounds with the primer showing through because of the nature of the original paint.

Remember the ORIGINAL paint on the tail light surround was a very different finish from what we are used to in the US.

Wick Humble describes it as "Silver-Gray 'match scratcher' finish which retains contaminants, especially paste wax.", i.e. like the side of a matchbox where you strike the match. The finish is impossible to clean properly, and typically if people got wax on it it would show.

Trying to clean it, no doubt people have used strong pads that in turn "sandpapered" the finish off, thus thinning the paint. Eventually you would "sand" down to the primer which for these pieces was Reddish Brown. That is what I think you are seeing "bleed" through the black finish.

Wick also gives his formula for the "best" match to the original finish:

1 pint DDL Ditzler Duracryl 2862 Argent

200 units DX265

300 units DX264

Then thin 100-150% and spray on "dry", using air pressure on the "high" side and keeping the paint swirled to avoid uneven spray.

Whether you restore the finish to the original or do like most people and get either Semi-Gloss or Satin Black is up to you. But before you go stripping, check and I'll bet that it is primer that's bleeding through.

2¢

[Mr Camouflage]

Hmmm, I credit Derk with a bit more intelligence, than to confuse red primer with rust.

[beandip]

Congrats. you are right about once in a life time. Others have advised draining the fluids and I do also as well as the Marvel oil in the cylinders, one thing I think is vary important is to get that oil changed BEFORE you start turning the engine over, no sence in pumping all that old stuff through the block. After you do get the car running and driving be vary aware of the temp gage . often cars that have been sitting fro long periods will have the water pump fail and or leak . If the car is bone stock as you say you might want to keep it that way. If you do though you must keep all stock down to the nuts and bolts, and exhost , if you dont you compromise the value . One more thing drain the gas out of the tank before turning things over , get that varnish out of the tank. Keep us informed on what is going on and again all the best of luck seems like you have it. Buy a Lotto ticket!!