I got a lead on some cars...

[damon]

Ok, I have been looking around at some of the bone yards around here and found some good potential.

1. (2) 280 z cars different years 1 and 1/2 engines, no tranny, minimal rust, interior shot, no glass, no tires or rims, and various missing parts. $300 + $50 for delivery

- or -

2 (3) 280zx turbo cars three engines, three trannys, all body parts, two are t top, minimal rust, rims and tires fair, interior to be desired. no offer yet

all of these are 2 + 2 and are in workable (not running) condition.

My plan is to gut everything, strip and paint, restore body, and modify the engine for top drivability and speed (slightly over the legal limits).

If you had these plans what would you pick?

Ditch the set of two, and take the three if a reasonable price is set?

or forget the three, Start from scratch with no parts bin to pull from?

peace

[smg1404]

The big problem with starting with sooo little, is that most people underestimate the amount of work needed to completely rebuild a car.. I did. If I had to start over again, I would get as nice of a car as I could afford. Most of the time the cars that someone else cleaned up can be bought for much less than the guy put into the car.. If possible look for a car that never got rusted to bits in the first place... The extra money you spend will be returned in saved time and greater value for a clean car..

[damon]

My last project was an 85 gs Mazda Rx-7, I bought three right off the bat so I would have no problem finding parts. Out of the three car I still had to buy a new engine because they were so badly worn and neglected. In which case I would have come out better to have only bought one. All of the specimines I have found are in fair condition. Aside from one of the z cars is missing a fender and hood, and one of the zx cars has minimal impact damage and rusted t tops. as I said all the zx are complete and the z are just half empty shells.

Thanks for the input. Keep it coming.

peace

[Dave Sommers]

Damon,

Don't fool yourself into thinking the junk yard dogs are any kind of deal. Buy yourself the best running car you can locate. Be patient and you will be rewarded with many less headaches and expenses down the road - and you will actually be going down the road much sooner...

[carguyinok]

Good job . It sounds like you know how you want your Z and now know where the parts are . Now find the most rust free good running Z you can then buy it and one or two of the cars you have just talked about and start in. But please dont pull one out of the grave. I have seen people try and just end up out lots of money with a big headache when its all said and done .

[damon]

Good info guys, I am going to start looking for a running "z" and start there. Ok, I also sort of know what I want as far as performance but am not all too fimiliar with piston operated cars (performance wise) I mean I can rebuild any engine to STOCK but I want to find the lost HP in the engines and still keep it looking stock as possible (aside from things like a good fuel delivery system and filters) I have heard the terms cammed out and stroker but have no clue how to accomplish these. I want a basicly stock car that is quick off the line and has a good powerband thru all the gears (not just top end or low end )

Thanks for all the help.

peace