Dingo

Let the 75th rusting games begin... So this weekend I finally broke out the saws and went to town on some of the rust. I also was working on removing the stock transmission mount since I won't be using it, but in my attempts to just remove the mount I bent, poked, thrashed, abused (you name it), the metal underneath the mount. So I ended up cutting it out too and rebuilding it back... After that we started working on the rusty battery tray, firewall, and front frame rail on the same side.

Sunny Z, do you have any pics of your custom frame rails going back up towards the rear end? Basically the extension you added to the very back. What did you do about the rear sway bar being in the way of the extension pieces? Just not use it? Awesome build by the way! This thread is a great inspiration for some of the modifications I'll be making to my car as I restore it.

Not much of an update, but almost all of the undercoating is gone. I wanted to clean off the old tar that was left behind, so I tried WD40, mineral spirits, Goof Off, and Bug & Tar Remover. The Bug & Tar Remover ended up being the best, and since it was slightly tacky it held up on the vertical surfaces while it soaked in. I think I'm at the point of having to buy metal to start repairing rust, floor pans, frame rails, etc. I'm going to do the structural parts first before doing the pretty stuff on the visible panels. I didn't remove the undercoating on the transmission mount since i'm going to remove it for the swap, and I'm going to end up cutting out the spare tire well eventually for a new fuel tank.

Started on the under coating removal. Talk about a pain in the butt! But I guess a labor of love is what we put into these cars, right? I bought a pneumatic scraper and scale needler for help on this part.

With the use of an air chisel, the interior insulation is gone in no time. This was so easy to remove everything like this.

Another too-long-between-posts update. The car is completely stripped, and up on a rotisserie. I went the route of modified Harbor Freight engine stands. It works much better than I thought and isn't very hard to turn with one person. I can finally start on the rebuild phase!

Nice to see you keep at the restoration. Do you have more pics of the rust repairs, welding work, etc? I'm about to embark on that part with my car and just like to see the progress along the way. Good job!

My favorite part of a project is when you can click the the ratchet back to righty tighty I've been following your thread since before I got my Z. Amazing project and detail!

I'm just starting out with my project as well, and right now i'm in the tear down stage. I have a good bit of rust to fix and some cosmetic/optional welding that will be done as well. At this early in your project, how do you know which unused holes you'll be filling in? I'm toying with that idea as well, but I haven't quite figured out will and won't be used yet (I want to do an LS1/T56 swap). Your project looks good though! I'll be keeping an eye on this thread.

fyanrudger, could you repost those pics please? I am tearing down a 77 and will have to do some similar A pillar work. Thank you!

So it's been a while since I've updated. Both front fenders removed, most of the interior removed (except dash), most of the front grill removed, windshield out, both doors removed. I've come across some more rust spots here and there, so the list keeps growing!

Because of the forum issues, I re-uploaded my photos on the first post. There are a couple of replies missing from here as well: From FLC: From Pharaohabq From Phantom:

Just as a follow up on the rust around the rear hatch, this attached picture is what I'm having issues finding a replacement panel part or any other fabrication pictures of. The corner on the left side is completely gone, the right side is getting there. Should this be rebuilt with fiberglass? Any advice on this part would be much appreciated.

Greetings everyone! This is my first post. I've been lurking on these forums for some time now while looking for a Z to call my own. I recently came across a 1977 280z (with a second '77 280z parts car to be picked up this weekend). The primary car seems to be on-par with most unrestored, rusted Z's. The floorpans appear to be in good shape, as do the frame rails. The spare tire area is also in great shape with no rust at all. There are a few other areas i'm going to have to patch and fabricate to get the shell back to 100%. The worst rust area seems to be around the rear hatch, mainly on the flat area and the two corners that meet the hatch (pics below), and the battery tray area. I purchased the car this past Sunday, the 17th, and today was my first day out with a wrench. I cleaned the car out and removed the rear bumper. Tentative plans/goals for this project: Complete, 100% tear down Restore body to new condition I'm thinking an LSx swap. Those seem to be fun and I've always liked the LSx engines (admittedly I have no experience with them). Keep an updated log, pictures, and budget as I go along I've bookmarked a few threads around this site for inspiration and knowledge, and I've already learned so much before I even started. This place looks like a great community and I hope I can help contribute! Dingo / Ryan