that is what i was thinking, that if I was able to get a south/west car that all the interior could be replaced with what I have now because there isn't any sun damage to my interior.

There are quite a few that you could pick up for under 5k, with bodies completely intact. I believe you will spend alot more than that to do the repairs and a good paintjob will not be cheap either.

A nice trip to California and come home with a sweet new ride - there's alot to be said for that. As you said, you could use your current driver for parts.

Look @ my Z is you think this is bad hehe....

Anyhow it can be done sure, just new metal needs to be welded in, and takes effort and time and PATIENT the most important.

The rust points on the front of your Z are structural points. Do you have paint cracking on the windshield rails or roof where no rust is present? Does your windshield fit properly?

That rust is amost terminal and it will take a LOT of time and money to restore your car.

My advice? Take what is worth saving out of it and start with another 240Z. If you decide to save it, go to Home Depot and get the following tools...

An angle grinder, a reciprocating saw, and a dremel with a lot of metal cutting blades.... and start cutting.

Rust is a cancer that must be cut out.

I'm sorry if my assesment is a bit harsh... but I think it might save you a lot of grief in the long run.

As you can well see ,every old car has some kind of issue . Take a deep breath and dive in as nissanman suggests ,it is only metal . assess all the resources that might be available to you for help , starting here of course for inspiration and motivation . Next see if you have a trade\skill that can bartered to someone that might be able to help you out .Next , start chipping away and you will be blown away by your progress . I am a artist and when I start on a new stone sculpture it always takes me back a few steps because of the enormity of the project , however I seem to finish them all through mind over matter type of thinking . you will beat this demon and we all will be here for you when times seem tough .

Sblakeo1 , here is another one for you ,'' Boat means , Bring out another thousand '' . Anyways , time to jump off my soapbox .

see ya

Chris

Dave, like everyone says sure it can be fixed. But seriously, are you really up for all that work? It would be great to learn on and could probably be saved, but finding a better car to start with will probably be less expensive if you dont already have the tools and skills. A better car might just be the way to go in this situation. Just my opinion, but it sounds like you'd spend a lot more money and time trying to fix this than some of the other guys here who already are comfortable and more skilled working on metal.