* UPDATE *
So I went to go check out the 1977 280Z this afternoon and all seemed well. a few rust spots, and a potential short in the harness causing the battery to die after about 5-6 hours. didn't seem too crazy. Unfortunately once I began to look under the car I noticed that the frame rail on the passenger side was rusted out and had a chunk about the size of a golf ball missing. when addressed he claimed it was once repaired when he "restored" the car previously. I wasn't too concerned about the smaller rust spots or floor board rust but I was forewarned about frame rails being a bit more serious. He wasn't going to budge from 7k, and I called 2 shops to get quotes on frame rail replacement welding. first quote was 8k second was 5k I'm no expert but id rather spend the money on a car in better condition and place the money elsewhere in the build. So unfortunately I had to walk away.
Thankfully the hunt is not over and there is a 1975 280z that I intend to check out next Tuesday. (3/3/20). It will be a bit more expensive but should be in much better condition. Will post updates as soon as the time comes. Thank you to all that posted keep up the work on your builds and am looking forward to hearing more in the future.
@wingwalker Thank you so much for this reply. I was hoping someone would take the time and sort of break down a decent way to go about such a project. I will definitely take everything you said into consideration! In regard to the mechanic, yes money will be exchanged but its more of a family friend who owns a shop so i'm trying to use the angle of his tool and the lift while we do these installs together.
When you mention that 2004R trans is it rebuilt or are those generally built stronger stock? since the deal fell through today ill look into this transmission as well. That makes me glad to hear that your going with a vintage air unit. I've heard good things about the gen 2 mini mostly from people with larger engines, keep me up to date with that one!
The paint and body work I intend to take a bath, I've tried to figure ways to cut cost but the most ill be able to do is dampen the blow. most people say do as much prep work as possible and so that's what i'll do but unfortunately I have no experience and want the body done correct. I've seen some people on the forms talk about having it media blasted before they begin work but i'm not entirely sure which way would be my best approach as I intend to drive it and build it piece by piece. This will not be something stored in a garage for me to work on freely Every major part of the build will need to be coordinated with the shop to get things done in a timely manner.
Do I have a body shop repair the rust and spray a primer and then continue on the build? or should I wait until I have the engine/trans ready to drop in? As you mention the body kit will require a good portion of body work too so do I wait on that? In other words What would be the ideal approach. I feel this is something that should be done first (body work) but i'm conflicted because I will need to do more work in the future or could potentially mess up the works that's already done. Sorry if this area was a bit difficult to understand I've been having trouble trying to figure how i'm going to go about this.
Good call on the Wiring.. this is something I definitely overlooked. How did you go about it? custom wire harness? or were you able to find some type of plug and play?
Thank you for being realistic and staying positive even when my build may seem a bit over budget. I intend to do just that. piece by piece, first big purchase will be buying the vehicle then saving for engine/trans, getting this dropped in, then the suspension, rear end, frame reinforcement, body work/paint, re connect everything, rims tires, then begin on interior.
"That would get your car on the road. You'll then drive it and discover what you really want" great way to look at it. Ill definitely keep this in mind as I go along with the build as i'm sure there will be things I realize I want but don't need.
Thanks for the advice and good luck with your build!