SmoothZ

How often do you work on it, or do you work on major aspects of the car to 'see the light?' I guess I'm afraid to take that leap and go too far with it before I think it's really scrap metal.

And that's just for starters. I'm sure it will cost more with my bad luck. And that won't even get the car running. I'm sure it will cost at least $10k for what I want to do with the Z.

I thought about the idea of tearing it down and selling the parts. I'm sure there are plenty of parts that would sell to those who need spare parts. Then with the money, I could buy a ticket and fly to Belgium!

Wow, that looks like a lot of body work to be done. I'm afraid that it will be hard to find someone good enough to do the work and get it right. Yes, I think this car has been in an accident. I'm also concerned that it will cost me as much money to fix it and make it problem free (as much as possible) as it would to buy a car that already runs and is in good condition. How much does everyone think my current Z is worth selling for as a parts car? Or maybe even a project car?

I've been looking on eBay, CL, and various Z sites to gauge the market. There's a lot of junk out there. Makes my plans for a nice Z car even more depressingly out of reach. I didn't realize the floors and rails would be that much. Wow, for that kind of money, I might as well go buy something that actually runs.

Back to the project....I feel like I'm not making much progress, and the frustration is mounting. Basically, I think rear half of the car is in decent shape and can be easily cleaned up. However, the front half is a mess. I know I will need to get new floor pans and was planning on it anyway, but the front frame and everything else up there is looking like I might make it worse if I get it media blasted. So what I need to know is if I should continue with this project or count my losses and stop wasting my time and money (not that I've spent much). I don't want to get into this so deep that I will be angry for spending the money and NOT finishing it. I was hoping to customize it by doing upgrades with the interior, the engine, the tranny, and get a custom dash. However, if I think this is going to cost me thousands of dollars and months if not years of investing and finding specialists, then I might go find something else that's actually drivable. I have a 260Z (latter half production). I'll let the pics speak for themselves.

Awesome write up, OP! I've been searching for anything to teach me more about the aftermarket wheel industry for the S30. I want to do this right the first time, so I'm reading and viewing everything I can on wheels so I'll be happy with the set when I complete the car and make it road worthy.

Quoting and subbing to this thread just so I can use it for reference. I like what you've done to the car so far. I hope to see more photos.

+1 on the perfect weather day for a meet. That green Datsun looks awesome.

After months of just looking at it and wondering what I should do next to the mess I call my project, I decided to do some easy things to keep me motivated. I took off the exhaust system and broke a few bolts in the process. They were rusted so badly. I just shook my head at how the new/custom exhaust was installed by whoever owned it before me or before that owner. Can I get a *facepalm?* I want to put it on a rotisserie so badly and power wash it to death. Obviously, that's not going to happen. I might ruin the car. Then I took off the big, orange filter box (?) that attaches to the carbs. I have no idea what to call it. It's been a long time since I've worked on a car that didn't have EFI. After unplugging a few hoses here and there, I started on the door panels. Wow, they suck. Such crappy quality. I guess that's because it's 37 years old. This is an exhaust hanger? WTF Is that a manifold? I'm ready to tear this door off and throw it away. Yes, I'm that frustrated. Lovely rust and crud under the car that annoys me to no end.

Figured this would be the appropriate pics for the site:

http://www.mnsportcompacts.net/forum/showthread.php?98851-2nd-Annual-Nissan-Infiniti-Meet-NEW-LOCATION. Starts at noon at the Crystal Lake park/beach. See you there! I'll be taking pics and posting them here later.