Please asses this rust damage for me

[revlis240]

Hey guys,

Finally got a chance to strip some of the paint the previous owner had rolled onto the car. Here are some pics and questions:

Thats how she sits now

How bad is this, would you fiberglass over it or cut the panel?:

Does it look like the rear quarters have been cut out and replaced in the past?

What are these bondo looking globs INSIDE the rust hole?

Thats all for now, I know the passanger floor is rusted as well,

but I ran out of energy for today. Please advise!

Thanks

Abe

[motorman7]

Looks like a lot of work needed to me. Those are hard areas to fix.

Edited July 4, 2010 by motorman7

[Terrapin Z]

If you know a good body man I have a donor car with decent quarters. The center of the roof is a bit wavy. I's make you a heck of deal on the parts, getting them to you is another story though. But I thought I'd offer.

http://www.datsunclassifieds.com/showcat.php/cat/500/ppuser/19508

[revlis240]

There is a guy selling a rustless roof locally. Is that the solution then, to replace the roof?

Also on the drivers C panel, the hole thats there, looks like water got inside and I see rust underneath there. What to do?

Edited July 4, 2010 by revlis240

[EScanlon]

First... what kind of budget are you working on?

If shoe-string.... dab on more bondo, and drive it till she dies.

If Jay Leno $'s, have the body dipped and custom make all the metal you are definitely going to need.

If in the middle.... try to find a better candidate.

That roof damage implies MUCH more hidden damage, as does the wheel well rust-through. You haven't addressed the Rocker Panels, but since you ALREADY have floor panel damage, I'm guessing they're not in the best shape either.

All in all, you're going to need LOTS of patience, money and time IF you're doing this yourself. If you're having it done... LOTS AND LOTS of money.

Not trying to burst your bubble, just being honest and factual from what I can see in the pictures you've posted. It may be that what you're showing is ALL the rust there is, but my experience says you've just scratched the surface.

2¢

E

[revlis240]

Thanks E,

My budget is not in the 5 figures. Its in the 4's, where ever that may be ultimately I dont know.

I bought it to be a project. I want to learn how to weld, that is my main inspiration. I dont think there is a WHOLE lot of more underlaying damage, but the only way to find out is to strip and assess. If indeed this is the extent of it, am I wrong to assume that its on the level that many have undertaken? I see lots of posts about redoing floor panels, roof skin grafts, and cutting out the quarter panels.

Im not trying to make a quick and easy solution. If the car takes me 3 years to finish, so be it.

Also, based on what Ive been looking at, it would appear that finding a rust FREE Z is almost impossible. They all have SOME rust.

So thats the point im at, I think its best to strip completely and see how bad it really is. Right?

[cbudvet]

Ultimately, it is up to you. I started out cheap and have spent thousands on my car. If you have the money and aren't in a hurry, go for it. I would agree with you. I would get it dipped or soda blasted to truly assess what the condition of the car truly is. That way you don't fix one piece only to find out the next place is worse. It can also help you determine what parts you are going to need. My thoughts would be to replace the roof as a whole not try to patch it. Good luck with everything.

carl

[mlc240z]

Enrique's giving sound advice (I hate when he does that).

But you appear to be in the same boat as I am.

PO did a lot of the (subpar) bodywork on mine so it bought me some time. It' looks 'pretty' enough to take it out and drive the wizz out of it.

But, it's bugging me that bondo doesn't equal a long lasting solution.

I am going to take a course at local county college to learn to weld and then put it to use over the long haul.

On the north side of 50 with 2 grown kids and an understanding, fantastic wife so I've acquired the patience and time to "Do it right"

Ditto, Go for it!

[Sailor Bob]

Far less expensive to start with a better starting point. The body is in very poor condition and the only tells one side of the story, alot of POs have do horendously stupid things to their cars without providing details to the buyer.

There are a pile of Zs in California, save your money and buy another car - use this one for parts.

[stevef1972z]

I will put in my $.02. Stop where you are at. Move to the important parts. Check the extent of rust in the rocker panels and the floors. Check all the front suspension pickup points, upper control arm point and the Torision Control bar mounts. If these are not solid, you are looking at a lot of difficult work. It can be done, but is very difficult, you need a lot of space and high level of skill in fabrication and welding.

Body panels and quarters can be replaced with out great difficulty and with moderate skills if you take your time. Major suspension work is much harder to do if you have not been down the road before. A first project should be enough of hassle to drive you crazy, but not make you get discouraged and giveup.

Check the biggies first, the suspension, worry about the seeable parts second. You dont want to do all of this to hit a pothole and collapse the front suspension because the T/C Rod and upper control arm fell through the rust.

[revlis240]

I will put in my $.02. Stop where you are at. Move to the important parts. Check the extent of rust in the rocker panels and the floors. Check all the front suspension pickup points, upper control arm point and the Torision Control bar mounts. If these are not solid, you are looking at a lot of difficult work. It can be done, but is very difficult, you need a lot of space and high level of skill in fabrication and welding.

Body panels and quarters can be replaced with out great difficulty and with moderate skills if you take your time. Major suspension work is much harder to do if you have not been down the road before. A first project should be enough of hassle to drive you crazy, but not make you get discouraged and giveup.

Check the biggies first, the suspension, worry about the seeable parts second. You dont want to do all of this to hit a pothole and collapse the front suspension because the T/C Rod and upper control arm fell through the rust.

Thanks Ill get it on my rack and take pics of those parts and post them up here for you all to decide. I did find another Z about 250 miles away for cheap, he claims its rust free except the battery tray. I think you guys are a little misled that cali has dozens of these lying around, rust free and cheap

[geezer]

I just realized it was 4 years ago today that I bought my "rust free" Z from an ad on Ebay. Guess what? I'm still chasing down the rust issues one at a time. I have to admit that while I enjoy the work, (it is only after all just a hobby for me) I would have been literally years ahead starting off with a project car more carefully selected. Let me just give you a list of the sheet metal components alone that I have replaced on my "rust free" Z:

-a pair of floor pans

-a pair of outer rocker panels

-a pair of outer wheel housings

-a pair of floor supports

-a pair of TC boxes

-a pair of front frame rails

-a front rad support

-a rear hatch sill panel

-a rear valance panel

-a pair of rear quarter sections

In addition to these parts there was rust damage in several other areas, such as the cowl panel where the "chimney" was rusted through, the inner rocker panels needed reconstructing, the area beneath the battery tray was deteriorated badly, the battery tray itself needs replacing and the new floor pans didn't reach high enough to repair the rusted areas. I'm leaving out lots of other minor rust issues that all needed to be dealt with. Now just imagine what all these parts cost and the amount of time required to replace them (time that could have been spent driving a better condition Z).

Nobody really likes to rain on your parade but it is our duty to warn you what you could be getting into. These guys are telling you like it is, and have seen the same many times. The most important thing is to have fun with it, whatever you decide and share your experiences with everyone here. Nothing I like better than looking over pics of utterly disgusting rust damage and figuring how to deal with it.