Help....Just help....

[ZohanIsBack]

So, I got my 260z, and I love it. Runs great, but I want to swap out motors for a LS1, etc. Here's my problem. I'm going to med school soon and don't have time to delve into a huge project. I have two options:

1. Start the project anyway

2. Store the car

Now here's the catch, if I store the car, I want it to remain dry and in good running condition for 4 years. Is that going to happen?

If I start the project, I need to paint the entire car inside and out and get the rust spots taken care of first. I plan on painting by myself. How long is it to prep the car for taking the body off and then taking the body off? I have a dilemma, a serious dilemma. Help!

[BTF/PTM]

Store the car at a professional vehicle storage place. My 240z has lived at Fort Pitt Classic Cars in Pittsburgh since I came out to the east coast and became a nomad. They keep the car in temperature-controlled storage, covered and guarded, and once a month they start her and drive her around their lot to keep tires from flat-spotting, keep the battery alive and keep all the moving parts moving. She gets to sleep next to vintage 'Vettes and other cool old muscle cars and even some really old stuff like Packards, too. That's gotta be a bonus if you're a car.

Check around your general area, I bet there's a place that does what I'm referring to. Many of them can also help you with your project or even do it professionally for you.

Edited October 21, 2010 by BTF/PTM

[sblake01]

What would such a service cost for 4 years? I would suggest a third option. Since you plan to do a hybrid, sell this car and find another one when you ready in four years. You say it has rust. Storing it for four years won't help that and if you start the project now, you won't likely be able to devote the proper amount of time to it.

Edited October 21, 2010 by sblake01

[Powerglide]

That's good advice. Unless you absoulutely have to have THAT car...sell it and get one when you are ready and able to do the work. S30s are fairly common. By the time you pay storage, insurance, parts (batteries, and other minimal maintenance items) you'll have potentially spent many hundreds (thousands?) of $$$ before turning one wrench. The car WILL deteriorate somewhat while in storage...I gaurantee it.

[ajmcforester]

Ever thought of not putting an LS motor and modify the inline 6, if you know what your doing you can get some good power, also you would not need to let the car sit. I saw a Carteck turbo modified 280 motor for sale on another site with the parts to run it. It was a carb setup.

[Bruce Palmer]

Taking the body off? That's funny.

[IdahoKidd]

If you start the project and go to med school, you'll never finish it. If you go to med school, you'll never start the project. Finish one, then the other. If you plan to have an altered Z, after med school pays off, go buy one.

[tlorber]

Can I suggest a 4th option? Keep driving the car. I have a friend that has stored his ghia in my warehouse because he wants to restore the car to original perfection. He hasn't driven the car in 7 years (its only been at my place for 2). Both he and the car keep aging and he gets no fun or utility out of it.

If you are attenting med school in a decent climate area, the Z could actually be a practical car-small, cheap to run and maintain. Under no circumstances should you start tearing the car apart if you are not prepared to devote the time and attention to keep the project moving along.

[Z Speed]

FYI: Z's are unibodies. There isn't a frame and body. They're all one unit....