rotten pillar... possible to repair?

[Evil Turkey]

Hi, I just bought a 1976 280Z 2 seater and my biggest concern is THIS:

It's the front left hand side pillar... it's the worst thing about the whole car and the only thing I cannot seem to find a solution to. It seemed fine when I bought the car but it was LITERALLY holding up by the PAINT! After I scratched up the paint bubbles, it fell appart so my question is simple:

is it FUBAR (f***ed up beyond any repair) or is there anything I can get done to save another Z?

Thanks!

[Nissanman]

IMO that "A" pillar is a writeoff.

Best bet is to find decent donor pillar then cut and paste;)

[Nigel1943]

Agreed that pillar is a wite-off and I would be looking at the condition of the air-tubes under the fenders and all the other well known rot areas. Cant believe there isn't any more serious problems judging by the condition of that pillar.

[psdenno]

Looks like you're in for a bumpy road with this one. How are the other "typical" rust prone areas on the car - rockers, wheel arches, floor pans, rear hatch latch area?

Dennis

[Evil Turkey]

Best bet is to find decent donor pillar then cut and paste;)

That's also what I thought... now I"m going to try to find either a Z that is in WORSE condition than mine and take only the pillar (considering it's not rotten)

OR

Find a good frame in which I will transfer all the good stuff from mine (I.E. transmission, motor, suspension, etc...)

For those who wondered, this is gonna sound crazy but all of the other typical rust spots are clean or at least manageable! This car has already been worked on for sure: the floor pans and subrails are still rock solid and only show surface rust (they are not OEM, they lack the ribbing and water drains and were soldered on) while the rockers, wheel arches and hatch latch are pretty much rust free... I can't see why the previous owner took great care of all those but didn't touch up that pillar...

The only other real problems I found was a gaping hole in the driveshaft tunnel behind the driver's seat, a hole under the clutch pedal (what remains of the stock floor pan...) and a hole at the passenger side firewall...

I'll try to find a pillar, now, aswell as a way to cleanly cut and solder it back in place.

[geezer]

That's also what I thought... now I"m going to try to find either a Z that is in WORSE condition than mine and take only the pillar (considering it's not rotten)

OR

Find a good frame in which I will transfer all the good stuff from mine (I.E. transmission, motor, suspension, etc..

Hi there Evil Turkey...good user ID since it is Thanksgiving Day here today!

Wow, I agree, that is a massive repair job you are thinking of taking on. I would love to see more pictures of the rest of the car, in order for us to give better advise. From the limited views we can see, it would appear that the second option of transferring the good parts to a better chassis is your best bet. Put up more pics of the typical trouble areas.

[olzed]

Wow, bumpy ride is right. Before you get too far into this one keep an open mind about a more sound example. I think you will find heaps of rust you havn't yet discovered. People are trying to stear you gently away from going down a route that we have most done before. I once built one old car from two old cars and for me it was a total waste of effort and money. Almost anything can be rebuilt, but you need a heap of dosh to do it properly.

Yes I agree with Geezer. more pictures would be helpful.

Edited October 11, 2010 by olzed

[Evil Turkey]

Here are some more pictures. Since they were taken, I took of all of the interior trims aswell as the crust of what seems like dried tar (I don't know the word in english) all over the floor and the driveshaft tunnel's walls. to check how the metal under was holding, it's fine overall (except the pictured holes)

I'll take more pictures of some more specific things tomorrow, but at the moment that's what I have!

Hole in the firewall, passenger side

hole in the driveshaft tunnel, behind driver's seat

Hole in the floor, under pedals, driver's side.

[Gary in NJ]

Is the red car the parts car?

[Jeff G 78]

Remove radiator cap and replace the car beneath it. That car is Looooooong gone. Everybody needs a parts car or three. Remove EVERYTHING and keep for use on a much less rusty Z.

[d240zx2]

Ditto what Jeff G 78 said. It's too far gone.

[blue 72]

Yeah, what they said. Unless you're looking to spend thousands of dollars and years of work to repair all of that rust as well as the stuff that's surely hidden, my vote is get another car.