rturbo 930

How about an LS1? Keeps the weight further back in the chassis, and being all aluminum, it'll keep the overall weight down. IIRC, the 2JZ is very heavy motor.

I have rust in that area too. As far as I can tell it was caused by the weather stripping in that area. I have no idea how to fix it, but I'd like to know the proper way to do it. Before you weld in your patch, FYI, there's lead at the bottom of the pillar.

Damn. Really wish I could make that. Someone better take lots of pics!

Thanks. For comparison, I just weighed my series one door shell (just the shell - nothing else) and it came in at 25lbs on a bathroom scale. So, I figure about 35lbs weight savings from FG doors vs stock.

I think they're custom.

Boy from Oz, what does the FG door weigh compared to the factory sheet metal door?

I cannot believe you fixed all that. I made a thread earlier this week complaining about how my car was too rusty to fix... and then you go and post this. I almost feel bad about wanting to scrap my car. Most people would have done 2-3 patches on that car before giving up - way to see it through. You're in the "built not bought" club now.

Good to see you're still at it! I've been following your build since probably 2006/2007. Yours, and 240hoke's build, were the ones that really inspired me the most around the time I first got my Z.

That cowl is most likely made by this guy: http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/99960-retro-spec-unique-carbon-fiber-products-z/ I've never bought from him, so I can only tell you what I've read, but the quality of his product, and customer service seems hit or miss. Sometimes it's excellent, sometimes, not so much. And if you read the last page, there's also a rumor that he was murdered in Mexico... I'm curious what you mean when you say you want the "cowl and panels" to match the hood. Which panels besides the hood are you referring to? Are you going to leave the CF pieces unpainted? An unpainted CF hood can look good, but when you start getting headlight buckets, cowl, etc., and leaving them unpainted it has the effect of making your car look like it's not quite finished IMO. It's your car, so do what you want, but I don't think that's a good look. And just a heads up, you won't save much weight with a CF cowl panel, or CF fenders. Fenders each weigh in around 12lbs +/- a pound, if I'm remembering right, and the cowl is a pretty lightweight piece too. The hood is worth doing, the hatch is a maybe (about 15lbs savings, IIRC, with factory glass), the rest IMO are a waste of money. If you want the CF look, a vinyl wrap would probably be more cost effective. Edit: I should've looked before posting, but the ones on eBay are made by Carbon Creations, not Retro-Spec. I've never heard of them and know nothing about them.

I believe they only make hoods and hatches. There isn't much weight to be saved with CF headlight buckets. The steel ones are actually lighter than the fiberglass ones that came on the early cars. Maybe the CF buckets are lighter, but it wouldn't be much, and certainly not worth the price.

http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/117055-betamotorsports-composite-parts/

I can't weld (but could learn), and I haven't done body work. I have a 280z that is in better shape, but still needs significant work (rockers), and I may attempt to repair that one. But at the end of the day, I really want a 240z. I'm hoping the one Phantom has works out, and it sounds good from what I know about it. It would be easy for me to go see it in person since I have a place to stay in Seattle. As for my current car? It was inexpensive ($500 + shipping), and it came with some good parts that I can use on the next build... but it came from Mystic, CT, which is right by the ocean, and what I didn't know is that it was actually kept outside. I didn't really know any better at the time, and bought it sight unseen thinking it needed only minor repairs. What showed up had a few more problems than I was told about, and as I dug into it, it became clear that there was rust deep into the chassis. I was looking it over the other day, and noticed that there is rust inbetween the seams of the roof structure where the weatherstrip goes on. Salt air destroyed the car, it's done. I'll post pics of it anyway so you can see some of what I'm dealing with, but that car is done. It's just sort of strange that the rockers have only minor pitting where the sill plates were, and the floors are much more solid than most you would see on a car with this kind of rust. The other major reason I won't fix my car is because there is rust in the C pillar where the roof joint is, and also at the bottom of the windscreen. I don't know enough to be able to repair those areas properly since they're structural. I don't mind a little rust, because I figure any car I get will likely have a little rust to be tended to, even if it isn't visible, but to fix my car would take some really exceptional talent, and a few years of work. I'll contact you about those patch panels when I know what I need. I have a few panels from Tabco (rocker, doglegs, lower rear quarters), and some of them are okay (doglegs), but the lower rear quarters are IMO unusable. They are so far off from the originals it's a wonder that they made it to production. I'd definitely prefer Datsun sheet metal to Tabco.

Not the same car. Mark Rolston's Z is a '71, the one there is a 260Z.

Wow!! That is impressive fab work.

LOL. It's a modest hoarde compared to what you've got. It consists of parts from... A 72 240z '80 ZX 10thAE '81 Turbo (but I'm keeping the engine!) And maybe a '78 280Z... haven't decided yet since that one has sentimental value, but it's rusty. Like I said, pretty modest.

That definitely sounds like a car I would be interested in. Although, if I'm honest, I'm really not ready to buy just yet - since I wasn't really planning to. I'm out of room, and I need to sell off some of my hoard of parts to free up some funds... been meaning to start doing that for a while, but haven't since I've been busy with other things. But I do have relatives that I should visit in Seattle, which isn't too far from you... maybe we can work something out. I'll PM you.

I saw that one, and I'm not sure I would call it "surprisingly rust free" - looks like it needs floors, subframe rails, TC reinforcements, battery tray, wheel arches, probably doglegs even though they look good, and at least one rocker. That's a lot. And it's NEVER as good as it looks when you dig into it.

I've got rust in the TC Reinforcements (fixable), floors (front corner, and under the seat, they're not that bad), the seam where the cowl meets the firewall, doglegs, rocker tops (mild pitting under the sill plates, but needs to be replaced), A pillars (pass side is fixable, drivers side, I don't know since that gets into structural integrity), C pillars, behind the rear bumper, and the hatch sill may as well not exist. Driver's rear fender well has a hole in it too, it looks like water came in through a crack in the C pillar and found its way to the wheel well. It's a LOT of rust when you add it all up. And like I said, I've been looking on CL for over a year now on and off, and I'm not seeing anything. Lots of nicer 10k+ cars, and a few ratty swapped/modded cars that I wouldn't touch. I'm looking for a mostly original car that someone basically left in the desert for the last 20 years, ie, needs a complete restoration, but no rust. I've been looking in CA, AZ, NM, CO, NV, OR, WA, etc. and no much meets that description, so either I'm missing them when I'm not looking, or they're not changing hands on CL. I don't have the budget for a 7k+ car. 3-5K would be about right, and I don't think that's out of line for what I want.

Okay guys, I've had this chassis for 5 years now, and it's time I either get rid of it, or get to fixing it. It's a series one chassis (which is what I wanted), and it's got some rust issues. Surprise, surprise! I made the mistake of buying the car sight unseen, and the car I got was in much worse shape than the one I thought I had bought. So of course, this is where everyone tells me "scrap that car, and get a clean chassis from California." And that's what I've been planning to do since last year, and I've been watching CL, ebay, Datsun Classifieds, and... there's really not a lot for sale that falls in line with what I'm looking for. There's people selling basket cases like mine, some cobbled together modified cars, and nice drivers selling for 10k+, which is way out of budget. So I guess my question is,... 1) Should I fix my chassis? I'll get some current pics tomorrow, but I'm not expecting any encouragement. I wouldn't say it's beyond saving, but would it be worth it? Not likely. or 2) Where do I find a better chassis? I need only the chassis even if it's completely bare, good paint, new rubber, rebuilt engine, stereo, etc. I'm not interested in. Am I looking in the wrong places? Are they trading hands by word of mouth? Are they all in Tony D's backyard? My location is obviously an issue. I'm looking for: - Solid. Minimal rust. - No accident damage. - Clean title. - Fairly straight, within reason. - Unmolested by poor choices in "upgrades." - 70 or early 71. May consider late 71/72 if I can't find an early chassis. Faded/peeling paint, sun destroyed interiors, etc. are more than welcome, since they'll keep the purchase price down. I don't think such examples have gone up enough in price to cost me more than 4-5k? I would think less than that, but I don't know, prices seem to be going up, but I can only see the asking prices, not sale prices. Hagerty's price guide suggests that prices aren't changing much. Comments/advice? I really just want a Z worth building, instead of the rust buckets I have now.

This has nothing to do with whether or not the seller was willing to ship, and everything to do with the fact you bought from a deadbeat/scammer. And of course, NEVER send payment as a gift... even when dealing with well known sellers. There was a member on another forum that had been a member for years, and often had things for sale, mostly wheels, and other euro-specific goods that most of us couldn't get our hands on, since he lived in Poland. No one had had an issue with him. But for whatever reason he scammed one guy out of 2k+ for a set of wheels, and as word got around, he disappeared from every site he posted on. You never know. Sorry you got scammed. Sucks.

I'd strip it in those areas to see how far the rust spreads, and fix the rust. Leave the rest alone. If you decide to do a bare metal restoration later on, you can do that too. But many people (me included) strip these cars down to nothing, and completely underestimate how much work that sort of project is... and they never get finished, and either sit, get parted out, sold, or scrapped. Believe me, you want to keep the car in one piece, unless you've got the means to do a bare metal resto the right way.

Are you talking about this one? Search "sparrowtail spoiler" and you should find something. I don't see a ducktail for the Z listed on that site.

Edit: I can't read. And no delete button? Come on.

Congrats on finally getting one! Looks like she needs a lot of work, but I know she's in good hands after seeing what you did with the green Z. I'm sure you can find something closer, but if not, I have a roof off a '72 that I need to get rid of at some point.

I couldn't agree more! I used to be all over the RB and LS swaps, but these days, there's nothing I'd rather have besides an L series. As long as you don't add too much weight (if you don't pay attention, it can really add up), a 250hp L28 will be plenty of power. And me personally, I'd go with GC over Megan. Some of the cheaper coilovers are shit, although I don't recall if Megan falls into that category.