question about Z-car purchase

[madpuppy]

I have found a 1976 280z for sale that needs to be restored, I went to look at it and there is almost no rust on the body, paint is toast though, it has an unverifiable 15000mi on the car. second owner.

the car has sat up for quite a while and a rat made a feast out of the wiring in the engine bay, the interior is rough, but it is all there, there is surface rust on the windshield defroster panel and key start. It is a manual trans with A/C

I can get the car for 300.00, I am not afraid of replacing the harness. and It seems that a z car with no rust is like a gift from the gods.

I want to buy this car for a long term project, I know Toyota's really well and I own a 1985 720 x-tra cab pickup that I simply would never get rid of.

would this be a good buy?

[MikeW]

Assuming you have room for it, yes, I'd say that's a good buy. The 15K is more likely 115K or 215K but for $300 you could always part it out. When you say "no rust on the body" I hope you're including areas of the body like the battery tray, frame rails, floorboards, etc. Otherwise if there's a lot of rust in those areas it might not be worth restoring.

[madpuppy]

there is no rust on the floorboards, the rockers are perfect, the battery tray is still painted the color of the car. the body is straight, and there are no ripples on the body, the hatch has some small rust at the bottom and under that above where the hatch closes at the same spot (right approx in line with the left taillight. there is a hole about the size of a silver dollar . the drivers mirror was ripped off and there is a little surface rust where the bolt up holes were. the doors other than that the doors, fenders, rear rockers, the pan under the bumper, wheel wells all areas that are bad for rust are simply not rusty. I have some pics that he sent prior to looking at it. I will attach.

[madpuppy]

Ironically, I think the color of the car was originally the same as your avatar.

[madpuppy]

oh, one more thing, I meant to say 150k this is a local Central Florida car, purchased in town new and the second owner is selling it.

[EScanlon]

$300 would be a good price.

Right Rear Fender Lip looks a bit iffy ... at least the paint is chipped on the lip itself.

Pictures aren't close enough, nor clear enough to discern rockers, fenders, and no view of the floor pans. Do a search and research "no-rust" and see how many items you find to check.

But, for $300, you may be able to ... at worst case scenario ... part it out and make your money back.

E

[Art@NissanSport]

I like the "Lambo" glass on the pass side.

Come on now, thats funny isn't it?

Working long hours on the mag makes me this way.

$300.00 is a no brainer. There is easily $1K+ worth of resaleable parts.

[EScanlon]

Actually Art, that's a very limited edition Florida Wing Window .... only available in Florida.

E

[madpuppy]

Frankly, I am just amazed that I was able to find one that wasn't "pimped". Usually, a car like this would have so many

garbage upgrades and bondo that it would look like a wedding cake. EScanlon, the wheel well is just chipped paint, that, I guess would be some primer color.

The car also seems to have the remnants of a dealer applied undercoat, this may be why there is not alot of rust on this car, Even though I live in Florida I am located just about dead center, so, this car did not live by the sea.

oh yeah! the window, I love that! even if you did not want to play with it, I really don't understand why he did not just straighten the window and roll it up, all it is is partially off its track. I think I am going to go back today after work and get a real good look at the frame rails and if they look good I will grab it, looks like it will be an interesting project.

[Jeff G 78]

It looks to be a no brainer, but just as a sanity check, take a very weak, flexible refrigerator magnet and go over the entire body inch by inch. You will quickly learn exactly how much filler is in the car. It doesn't look like it would have much, but you might be surprised at what you find. This shouldn't keep you from buying it, but it might change what you want to do with the car. If you find no filler with the magnet, it means the car is a good candidate for restoration. If a lot of filler is found, the car might make a better ugly daily driver with a cheap paint job. It is always good to know this up front rather than after you get into a project that isn't worth finishing.

You can't go wrong for $300. I have paid much more for much less.

[red_dog007]

I want to buy this car for a long term project, I know Toyota's really well and I own a 1985 720 x-tra cab pickup that I simply would never get rid of.

Am I the only one who caught this? Datsun is not Toyota. Datsun IS Nissan.

IMO, with the Z car, even if you barely know a thing about cars, these are the best things to learn on. Open up the engine bay, and everything is laid out for you, you can see EVERYTHING, very little going on, and not much complication. Plus once you start getting dirty, it is heaven compared to others that I have worked on in the past.

[Jeff G 78]

I caught that, but I took it as "it's an old Japanese car - it must be good". I too have an old 'Yota truck as well as my Z, so I just assumed that's what he meant. :cheeky: