I'm in Lexington, NC and I know a good bodyshop. The guy told me he has done some restoration work before on other cars. I'm not sure if you really want to go out of charlotte, but it would be about a 45-60 +/- minute drive up I-85. Body Tech- 336-225-2047. The guy you need to talk to is Kelly. If this is good for you, tell him Steven sent you.
The plan is to stop driving the eclipse. I use it for car shows and it's just not a good idea to drive a show car daily. I never want a trailer queen, but there's nothing wrong with a weekend warrior. I believe that if you fix a car up, you should enjoy it and not just look at it. I bought the z for fun and b/c it was cheap, but I love messing with cars, so I'm sure it'll be looking better in time. thanks for the welcome tho.
I just picked up an 81 280zx 5 speed with the L28 for $700. It needs a lot of work to look nice again, but she runs smoothly. I wanted a nice looking car that could get me around so I didn't have to drive my 99 eclipse so much. This car wasn't it until I drove it. I felt bad and felt like the car needed somebody to "restore" it. I guess I am addicted to spending money on cars. Anyway, I'm sure I'll be here with a lot of questions and hopefully learn a lot.