My not so epic z build, with epic time limit!!!!

[fcdrifter13]

OK so if you read my last thread I mentioned I bought a z without a job and now work at wal-mart making what normal people make. With that said I took on a challenge, the Zs 40th anniversary which is in a couple of months and this thread is to help me get through it, and actually drive this $800 gem to Nashville for the big ole party.

A little background story on how I got this jewel baby. When I was 16 I owned a white 71 240z, and as many of us were I was a dumbass and crushed the car. Yes CRUSHED a Z because I could not get it running and money was really tight and I thought that if I could get out of it at the crusher what I had in it I would be good. Then I started on the whole RX-7 kick and build a couple of cars and the like, and wrecked some good ones to, but in the back of my head I still wanted that old z back, and by the time I was 18 the search was really on for the right car at the right price, I passed on a couple of questionable cars, then money got tight again so I still looked but tried to trade my soul off for one. Fast forward to last Dec. Business was looking on the up and up and all so I started looking hardcore, then it happened my dealership had closed down and I was out of work but I still had plenty of play money saved back so I continued looking. Then the day came and I finally found one that I wanted, it needed pans and rockers and the motor was making some noise, but at the price of $2000 on the east coast for a z I was ready to jump in.

Me and my friend are making arrangements to go pick up said car that was about 400 miles away one way and I get a phone call from a friend of mine attending Marshall University in Huntington WV and he tells me he passed a solid looking z but couldn't see if it was 240, 260, 280, or a ZX sitting behind a garage beside the river, I became ecstatic and we drove there just as fast as we could to look at something that may be a total waste of time. We get to Huntington and start looking for the place my friend described, and behind about 40 garages with nothing to be found. Then as we were about to call him back a primer grey thing with some round lights was sitting up in the air on a mound of dirt. Have you ever seen a 3/4ton ford drift a u-turn at a stop light and lay the black smoke, and tire smoke so bad you couldn't see a Ponderosa, well if you had been at that light when I saw that car you would have. We pull into the parking lot of what seems to be a antique car dealership and as fast as I could get the door opened on that POS I call a truck I was in the door playing 20 questions with whoever happened to be front of me or in shouting distance. They say it was F/S but it was not theirs, a friend of a friend had left it there and the car had been sitting for 9 months in that spot. I said that I didn't care and that I am very interested in the car, and I havn't even looked it yet. My buddy morgan finally makes it in the door and calms me down and says I should actually look at it before jumping in, what the hell does he know anyway right.

We walk out side and there is about 8in of snow on the ground. And there it sits, the ground around the tires had eroded away and the car sat on a mound of dirt maybe 10ft from the rivers edge. We start to look over the car top to bottom, no exhaust, brakes are iffy, rockers are bad, tires dry rotted, and rear quarters are filled to the brim of bondo, and the doors are in need of replacing. We walk back inside and ask the price and the gentleman say $1000, and out of sheer hope I cut the price in half, and list off my reasons. We bartered for about 5mins when we both agreed upon $800 and I pick it up. Gladly accept and tell them I will be back in the morning to pick it up as soon as they open.

The next day we gather up some tools a tow dolly, hoping the car will make it in one piece back to the house, and an extra set of hands. WE arrive at the dealership and hand over $800 on a car I am not even sure that runs, or will move under it own power and get to work. After alot of tinkering we notice that we cannot get any fuel from the tank so I crawl up under the car to investigate. To my disbelief a spark plug was inserted into the return line, and that the main supply which had been replaced with rubber was pinched on the ground, so we decide to start the car off of some extra air line I happen to have in my truck and a 5 gallon gas can, around mins go by and it is looking grim as the car is not hitting. I drive the diesel around to where the z is and pray that I do not get stuck as the snow is melting and the ground is getting soft. We hook the jumpers to the tired battery and let it sit for a min and try again and she hit, and stayed running. We checked the oil pressure and prayed that the gauges in the car were right, put some air in the tires and tried to move, and then no clutch, pop up the inspection cover and notice that there is no fluid in the reservoir put some in but cant bleed it, but luckly enough I had some pedal just off that. Pulled the car from it's resting place and pulled into the parking lot, and a very surprised looking PO stepped out and could not believe that we got it running. Hell it ran so well that if It had brakes I would have drove it home. Loaded the car up and brought her home.

And this is what she looks like. And yes that drivers window is made of plexi.

So now the fun begins, I have already fixed a major grounding issue, you know not having a ground at all. I am also getting ready to pull the tired old L24 and 4spd and put it away in storage because I sourced an entire 280zx that runs for $300 that has a good l28 swap that I am going rebuild to stock specs for now, and disc brake swap, and a couple other things, I am also looking for an l28et block so I can build my 3.1l tt motor throughout the next few years.

Right now I am only worried about one thing, July 28th. That is the day the car needs to be on it's way to TN for the anniversary, that means new quarters, rockers exhaust, brakes, inspection, tags, tires, motor rebuild and alot of praying I can get it done. The real question is can I do it while still paying what bills I do have, and sustaining myself on a normal budget, this should be fun.

Edited March 24, 2010 by Arne
Images TOO BIG!!

[Arne]

I edited your code to load thumbnails. If you are going to load images like that, resize them to screen appropriate size first.

[d240zx2]

More folks have made the "crush" decision and now regret it than anyone will ever know. You now have your hands full with the July deadline. Based on your success in getting the car running in just a couple of hours, you'll likely do well in meeting your goal. I hope to see you in Nashville!

Frank

[fcdrifter13]

I edited your code to load thumbnails. If you are going to load images like that, resize them to screen appropriate size first.

K will do, I have a very large monitor and I forget about the resize sometimes.

More folks have made the "crush" decision and now regret it than anyone will ever know. You now have your hands full with the July deadline. Based on your success in getting the car running in just a couple of hours, you'll likely do well in meeting your goal. I hope to see you in Nashville!

Frank

I should be good as long as I can keep the hours I have been getting, and nothing to bad happens to my miata daily driver.

[fcdrifter13]

I know, I know more quarter pics but I am actually excited about it, it is not nearly as bad as what I thought we would uncover. The drivers side I should be able to patch the correct way instead aof HVAC sheet metal, and the passenger I am going to order from Black Dragon. The only reason I am not going to rebuild the passenger is because the PO let the bondo crack where it had been fixd and water got inside and ate at the metal and made it terribly thin, an issue I do not want to deal with don the road. I didnt get a shot of my hood but it is not salvageable to me, the from is bondo about 2in think and looks as though the car may have been in a front end collision because the fenders look to be new, along with the headlight buckets, and a painted grill.

Also if you guys can tell me by those pics does the passengers side tire look as though it is closer to the front of the car than the drivers, my friend suspects a rear collision but I cannot find any seems in the mess of bondo that would suggest so.