rome03 Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 (edited) Hey Everyone, I purchased my 78 280z about a month ago. This weekend I'm replacing the tie rods, ball joints, and all of the bushings. The next steps are paint, upholstery, weatherstrip kit, wheels, and flares. I need some advice on what I should tackle first. I spoke to a couple of painters and they said that I should paint it before I do the upholstery, this way the painters don't have to take things apart when doing the door jams and what not. I already have the weatherstrip kit and figured i would replace all of these right after the paint is done and then restore the interior. So the plan was: Paint, Weatherstrips, Upholstery, Wheels/Flares. In that order. Then I started thinking about the flares and having to cut and weld the fenders with brand new paint. What should I do? Is it better to find my wheels get them fitted and install the flares, then paint the car? Im trying to get the car painted within two weeks and need to figure out what should be done first. If I buy the wheels and flares and get them on, I would probably not have enough for the upholstery but I can live with that since my priority is the paint. Thanks Edited September 27, 2013 by rome03 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miles Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Only you can plan your project. Educate yourself. Buy the book "How to Restore your Datsun Z car" by Wick Humble. It is a 40 year old car start at the bottom and work up if you want a safe and reliable car. Paint and interior would be last on my list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rome03 Posted September 28, 2013 Author Share Posted September 28, 2013 Miles, You're right, only I can plan but I'm looking for input to figure out one particular step. Many people here have painted their cars and done flares and weatherstrips. All I want to know is, what problems did they encounter and do they recommend doing certain things first. Engine, fuel, and cooling system has been checked and I fixed what needed fixing. It is running great with no problems. All suspension that needs work is getting replaced tomorrow. Full polyurethane bushing kit and moog tie rods and ball joints. Im asking about paint and interior because I'm already at the stage for paint and interior. I know other things will come up and I can always make something better, but as of right now the car is solid and its time for cosmetics. This is why I would like to know if anyone that has painted their car first and then decided to do flares has run into problems with paint chipping or being damaged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Absolutely they did. Add the flares when you paint for minimum hassles later. Thinking you can avoid them is foolish. Just do it now and you don't have to take steps to 'avoid' an issue later. It's like RustyJones or Ziebart Rustproofing. You would see them drill holes and THAT is where the rust started! I knew one guy who went to Ziebart, had all the holes drilled in his stripped car...then had it painted and THEN took it for spraying the Smhutz inside the panels. Never a rust problem. Drilling holes through fresh paint? No, I'd pass on that! Drill before paint, always. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rome03 Posted September 28, 2013 Author Share Posted September 28, 2013 Thanks Tony D. So change of plans, I'll get wheels and the right flares so that they sit flush. Get coil overs to sit it low. Then, I should have the fenders cut and welded right? Then after I drill the flares in and paint the car, I spray the back of the panel so that it's air right and I don't get any moister? What do I spray the back of the panel with? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 /Connor McLeod/ "Lots of different things" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Read through the Paint and body section of this site, it's going to tell you a lot about paint and sealing the car. The fender cuts for the flares should be welded so certainly you want to do that BEFORE you paint the car. As for what to coat the insides of things with, I've always used Por15 or Rust bullet, both work really well and bond to and stop any rust that's already there. But that's just a suggestion. It is YOUR car and in the end all decisions are yours, it's up to you to educate yourself enough to make informed logical decisions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rome03 Posted October 1, 2013 Author Share Posted October 1, 2013 Thanks for the advice Pharaohabq. All this happened fast and I had to change my plans. I'm glad I realized it before I took it to the paint shop, which was scheduled for next week. Ill definitely be looking at the paint and body section. On another note, I had all except for the tranny bushings replaced this weekend with the polyurethane bushing kit. It feels much better. Also had the tie rods and ball joints replaced. I also Installed the air dam and got my wood grain steering wheel! I'm now looking for some 15x9 wheels. I would like to find some work equip o3 replicas. I've seen the drag wheels that are the same but I'm looking for all black without the polished lip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenState Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 What's your goal with this car? Why are you in such a hurry to get it painted? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rome03 Posted October 1, 2013 Author Share Posted October 1, 2013 I just want to have a nice daily driver. It needs paint and upholstery. I have the money so I just wanted to get it done so it's clean. Right now it's faded and the interior is a mess. It's my daily driver and I want it looking good. But now I'm going to get wheels first and install the flares. I'm looking into the diamond racing 15x10 like one of the z's on here. I believe his name is comic something. After that I'll be back in track to get the car complete. In the future I'll swap in the turbo block. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenState Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Gotcha. Stance makes these, but the bolt pattern isn't 4x114.3 so you'll have to run adapters or have your hubs drilled. 15x8: I've got a complete new MSA flare/nutsert/rubber welting setup in my garage I didn't use--everything you need to install them properly. Let me know if you're interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rome03 Posted October 2, 2013 Author Share Posted October 2, 2013 Greenstate. How much would you be asking. Also I'm in 85281 any idea on shipping? Also I was reading a post where you said u have the Megan McKinney coilovers. This is a spring strut full assembly right. Ready to put on your car? I'm looking for a coil over set up right now. I've seen the ksport coilovers but they're 1200. I've seen that some people buy kyb struts and ground control springs and grind off the perch and weld another base for the coilovers. I don't weld or fabricate so I think paying for someone to do that could be expensive. So I thought about buying a kit that's ready. How much for yours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rome03 Posted October 2, 2013 Author Share Posted October 2, 2013 I've also been reading a lot of threads about coil overs and I have a couple questions. I was trying to find a nice set of coil overs that I could just bolt on without having to section the strut and cut and weld and all that. I don't have the tools or skills for that so I really want to find something ready that can be bolted on. I just read that currently no one makes a straight bolt on kit. Is this correct. I was planning on purchasing this Ksport kit but I don't even know how this would bolt on to the Z. It looks nothing like the actual connection to the brakes/spindle area. I want to order the suspension soon so I can get my wheel fitment and stance I'm looking for in order to install the flares. Do my question is, how would I make this coil over set up work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rome03 Posted October 30, 2013 Author Share Posted October 30, 2013 Stance coilovers came in! Got the wheels and tires. Cant wait to get the flares on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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