My Z's Restoration Report

[jfa.series1]

From time to time I see someone post about their intent to purchase (or have recently purchased) an S30 with the intention of restoring it. Once in a while we also get to see feedback about the unforeseen costs of a project and a decision to halt or abandon an effort. I thought it might be of interest to some to get a pretty good feel for the costs that might be incurred in a resto project so here is a tracking report on my project. Here's a bit of background on my starting point and the project:

- a one owner car, always garaged, never wrecked or broken.

- always a Dallas-area car, no rust.

- 92K miles when it was put away in 1982 due to badly leaking valve seals.

- body work and paint, the engine rebuild and install, glass installation, and the carbs rebuild were the only contracted items.

- a head overhaul might have been adequate for the engine but I opted for a full rebuild.

- seat covers, carpet, handbrake and shifter boots are new, all other interior pieces are original.

- I did all the rest of the work at a $0 billed cost.

The spreadsheet started with a needs list that grew as I identified new items. As I acquired each item, I transferred it to a purchased list and that is what you see in this report. Realistically, I think I have 99% of my items tracked. This was anything but a cost-is-no-object effort as I scoured the internet to find the best possible price on everything.

I hope some current or future restorers can get some benefit from this.

Z Restoration Report.pdf

[psdenno]

Nice insight for those who approach a similar project. The little bits and pieces add up and usually aren't factored in prior to taking on a project. Thanks for posting!

Dennis

[zed2]

Jim,

This is a great resource, thank you for sharing.

Keith

[nix240z]

Add about $800-$1000 if you want to replace most of the small rubber grommets on the entire car.

Great spreadsheet.

[rossiz]

i've been trying sooo hard to NOT keep track of what i'm spending on my resto - otherwise i would have stopped long ago!

seriously though, good info and pretty dead-on. a key component to note is that you started with a nice example. it's so easy to fall for the lure of a cheap "project car" and halfway into it realize that it would have made so much more sense to start out paying a few thousand more for a solid, rust-free car...