ok heres what ive got

1983 280zxt

junk turbo but the engine is in great shape

been siting for many years i would say since the late 90's

ok went through the entire fual system to get the car running

thats how i found that the turbo was seized

ok the floors are all but gone the suports are all but gone as well but the acualy body is in fair shape

tell me what you guys think

and or where i can get a set of floors reasonably cheap or free i dont make alot of money so is this car worth fixing or am i spoinning my wheels with this one

You'd be better off finding another body with good floor pans. That would probably cost less than fixing that one. I don't know about your state but there are lots of S130s in the junkyards here.

i would gladly do that if there where any good s130 bodies in va

so is this car worth fixing or am i spoinning my wheels with this one

No - it isn't worth fixing. It's a parts car at best. There are lots of 280ZX's with solid bodies, and they are still very reasonably priced. You may have to take a short trip outside VA, but it would be well worth your time and money.

FWIW,

Carl B.

well finding a new shell/compleate car is a little bit out of reach right now and repairing is more what i can afford at this time well ive seen 280zx's go for as cheap as 1500 in pretty good shape

and i plan to get this thing on the road for about that much once i am done

i am getting a new/used turbo for free this weekend so ill have it running by monday

Just the floors, supports, and rails from datsunzxparts.com will cost you about $800.00 with shipping extra. I paid about $2000.00 to have my floors/rails/supports/rockers replaced plust about $1200.00 for parts. Thats over double your budget!!! And I bet when you get under there and take a look, you'll need rockers, doglegs, etc, etc. Walk away from this one. Take some time and look around.

you could consider so lucky , here in my country there are no junkyards and even no ZXs, and mine has some rust on the rails and the body, i wish i could buy a nice shell, as you could do it in your country. Find a good one and swap the engine and turbo!!!

So, basically, proper repair is farther out of your budget than finding a better shell which you say is also out of your budget. I'd say, based on your situation as you describe it, you need to completely drop the idea until you can afford it. I don't think you realize the costs involved here. To do that car right, you'd end up spending more money it would cost to buy a complete, running car and certainly, more money than it's worth.

Getting it running is fine, but with the rust and damage you show, putting it on the street might be the last thing you do. Don't let your pride put you in harms way.

Will

well finding a new shell/compleate car is a little bit out of reach right now and repairing is more what i can afford at this time well ive seen 280zx's go for as cheap as 1500 in pretty good shape

and i plan to get this thing on the road for about that much once i am done

i am getting a new/used turbo for free this weekend so ill have it running by monday

Mikel

Just how much Duct Tape / Bailing Wire and Bondo / Chicken Wire were you planning on using?

Sorry, but you'd be better off selling the parts from that car and then looking for a better shell.

You'd likely get your money back and a bit more, which would then allow you to do the job properly.

While you may feel that I'm ridiculing you or that everyone is trying to discourage you, what we're all trying to say is that unless you have or are planning on spending $2k or more just on the sheet metal and welding you will need (those floors are just waiting for you to hit a pot hole to fall out), you would just be throwing away your time and effort and money.

Sell the parts, use the money to find a better suited candidate for refreshing / repairs and go at it, but this one, sadly, appears beyond hope... regardless on how strong the engine may sound. Or save the parts and your money and buy a better candidate when you can afford it.

Remember, those of us on this board have seen many cars with this amount of rust on the surface.... that turn out to be rust bombs just waiting to implode. The amount of rust that you do NOT see is what will kill this project. Rocker Panels are structural especially with the T-top, and with both frame rails and floor pans rusted out, they're bound to be equally bad. Which means that the only thing holding the front end to the rear end may be the T portion of the roof and the transmission tunnel.

2¢

E

There's a lot of the same responses here aren't there. Take it from people who have done what you are thinking and don't do it.