normanb

they got it started with a new starter motor, and the wires to the ignition are now bad. Honestly I am pleased to have the garage look at it and give me a start. I know what I am doing with cars, but this was always going to be quite the project and it is reassuring to have a second opinion. This garage has been very honest and gave it a good look over and thinks I will be break even even with their charges. It was never about making money, the Z car to me is very similar to a Ford Capri (a european model car) which I grew up with in England. It is a classic that I just want to drive for fun, however I don't want a money pit either!

that is the exact auction, I did think that comment on the listing was quite funny I am going to try and buy both those seats too that are in the auction! I just thought I might be able to get the windshield for around $20 which would be a snip.

Hi, is there a way to find out the model number for a windshield for a datsun 280z? I have an opportunity to get the following at a very good price LSI Glass W786/s tinted windshield and I was wondering if it would fit. thanks, Norman

an update, my Z was flooded, under 3 foot of water in the Longmont floods. I had the car at a garage to have the front end fixed as I wanted to make sure that it was straight. The good news is that the car still runs once they had changed the oil and fuel. Everything else I am comfortable doing myself. It was unfortunate, but might be a blessing, the garage are stripping it out for me which gives me a good place to start from.

I wasn't expecting this piece of luck I finally got into the Z last weekend and took the seats out and the carpet and padding and the floor pans are solid, I poked with a screw driver but it looks good to me. There is one piece of rust on the passenger's side floor pan by the drain hole, probably 2 inches wide that has made the hole bigger, I will try and get a picture. It seems overkill to replace the whole pan, what would you do? What is the recommended bitumen based paint for the pans and should I do under the car as well and up into the arches? Looks like this job has a got a little easier and it needed to! thanks, Norm

Hardway, thank you for that great link, that gives me a lot of encouragement as I was concerned about patching that hole. I have ordered a couple of books from amazon and it will be on jack stands next week whilst I give it a really good jet wash underneath (just a basic jet wash, not really high pressure) and then I will take the seats and carpet out and make an assessment. I think I might have taken a lot on, but at $1000 if I really screw it up (which I won't ) then I can part it and make some back. I smile every time I go in the garage, which my jeep never makes me do, so I think money well spent! Norm

ha ha, that is funny, I certainly like the Z. To ask Hardway though, how did you fix the rust above the rail, just weld a plate over it? I have quite a lot of tools already since I do all the work on my jeep so that is not so much an issue, but bodywork has never been something I have tackled. The roughness of the underbody and fenders, is a real concern. If the engine didn't seem so nice I would have my doubts about the rebuild. My expectation is to get a nice running sports car which will be resprayed blue, not for showing but for my enjoyment. In the meantime I hope to learn as much as I can about fabrication, welding and fixing up body work and interiors as I feel confident on the engine side. My rough figures were to fix floor pan and rails for around $600 (doing the work myself), look for a new fender (x1) and cowl and then I was planning to remove the bumper and put an aftermarket mod on it to solve both the broken bumper and bent metal. I will take your advice on the rear quarter crack, but my original plan was to fiberglass matt this from the inside and fill from the outside. I will then clean any major body rust, fill and prime. Then I was going to add the exhaust, fix brakes and struts, replace the interior and check gauges and call it done for a few months and just enjoy the engine until I feel like working on the body. I was looking to sink between 2500 - 4000 into this over 12 months for a total of 5K in, am I being overly ambitious? A big aim of mine is to pretty much understand the whole car, so that if I do one again I know exactly what I am doing and if I keep this one when it is fixed then I can do all the repairs!! I looked around, there were a couple of 280z near me (and a 240z which the owner didn't come back to me on) and I thought by the time I had put a bit of money into the car then the price would be comparable, the difference being in that I would have done the work and learnt something.

Here are the photos, I was able to drive it into the garage so that was a plus, I think the engine has been well maintained (or looks it) but the rest is a little rough, I am most concerned about the rust hole in front of the rail near the wheel arch and also how to fix the crack on the rear near the light cluster? It looks like I need to get new rails, but I am hopeful not a new floor pan. I am going to rip out the carpet this weekend and poke around with a screwdriver to gauge the rust, what is the best way to clean this off, a wire brush or something harder? I see a lot of work, but it is running and I only paid a 1000 so I think I can make it as I want. I really wanted a 5 speed stick shift in blue which it is under that horrible home paint job white. I will have a lot of questions, but I was looking to address the rails and pan first before anything else. Any opinions good or bad appreciated. I am good with engines but a noob with rebuilding, so I am looking forward to it and I have wanted a Z for a long time. Norm

I have just bought a datsun 280z 77 for $1000 just down the road from me, it has some damage to the headlight and front bumper, but nothing major and of course it doesn't look great. But it starts and runs and I am so excited to be fixing it up. I think I got a good price at 1K, it looks rough, but underneath someone else's white paint job it is my favourite z blue colour and it is a genuine 2 seater. The sound it made and the acceleration were impressive!! Any tips on what to do first would be greatly appreciated, the bumper and light cone first I guess, but a basic list of things to swap out would be very helpful. I will be fixing it myself, I don't think it is a lemon and the garage I bought it from were as genuine as they come. I can't contain my excitement, I was only 1 year old in 77, but I have wanted one of these for a long time! Norm

Hi, I have come across what looks like a good 71 240Z for $2300 which I am thinking of buying. The owner knows little about it, it has been garaged for the last 10 years and never been started. It has a little rust but looks good. I don't want to start it because it has been sitting for so long. My questions are what should I be looking for in terms of trouble spots, what should I do to the car before starting it as it has been sitting so long and is 2300 a good price? I love the Z car, I was thinking I would end up with 280Z or a ZX but a 240Z looks very nice. Any help appreciated, thanks.