rturbo 930 Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
az240z Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 I think it all depends on how bad your chassis is. If your looking at rusted out inner fenders and firewall, along with the normal floor pans, frame rails and rockers, and rear hatch area then I would start looking and they are easy to find in cali, NM, and az. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted June 29, 2014 Author Share Posted June 29, 2014 (edited) 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. Edited June 29, 2014 by rturbo 930 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 How did you miss this one - http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/118434-1970-rolling-chassis-suprisingly-light-rust/?do=findComment&comment=1110416 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted June 29, 2014 Author Share Posted June 29, 2014 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 I thought JMortensen would be pretty good at evaluating quality. He's been deep in to the details on his other car. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Hmm = I have a 2/70 production date series 1 that is in the shop getting the gas tank cleaned and a new fuel pump. Hopefully at that point I can get a clean title for it and it will go up for sale. It has rust in both rear quarter panels and that is pretty much it other than minor surface rust in several area. Hood, front fenders, doors, hatch, rockers, battery tray & floor pans are good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 (edited) 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. Edited July 1, 2014 by rturbo 930 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 There is a Hoarde of Parts up for sale? Huh? Where... I just heard "Hoarde" ... What? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texis30O Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 WTF TonyD....have you set an alert up on your email that pings you when Parts or Horde is entered into the forum!!! lol.... Keep up the good fight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 "HORDAR" -- like RADAR but for Hoardes... I was often accused of having a similar gift when deployed to The Philippines, Thailand, or Korea... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 (edited) HODOR!!I think you Meant Hodor. He's a big Z fan you know... Right okay, maybe not, but That's pretty funny you mention "hoard" and TonyD's ears perk up. He's kind of like the Datsun Dragon sitting on his hoard of parts! Okay, back to the topic. Really we'd have to really look at what you've got to decide on whether to fix it or not. The biggest question here, is Can you weld, and have you done body work before. If you say yes to both, or have a good hankering to learn, I'd say fix your existing car. All the panels and rails can be purchased, and once you have new stuff you'll be really happy since you'll know your chassis is in good shape. You can fix it all yourself, for 3-5K depending on your skills. it's a good amount of work. As for buying another car. the 240's, especially the series 1's are definitely more rare than the 280's but it's what you can find. Finding something rust free and unmolested is not a simple task. Almost anything you find is going to have some issue. My Series 1 sat in a NM field for 10 years after they sanded it down for paint. All that exposed metal has heavy surface rust. I'm going to replace the hood and left fender, get the rest sandblasted, checked, blocked and then painted. I have new rear arches and inners for mine, though I may let a body shop install them since my panel welding experience is low, and I want it to look nice. My point is that anything you find will likely need some work, so since you'll be dishing out for some work anyway, why not learn and work on what you've got? You really only need to worry about the rust that's spauling, or pitting. The surface rust is not so big a deal, you just sand, treat, prime and paint it. Tabco makes a lot of parts, anything else could be cut from a donor. I know a good Z lot here in NM that could get you about any clip. I got great deals on panels through RockAuto.com Edited July 1, 2014 by Pharaohabq Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 (edited) 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. Edited July 1, 2014 by rturbo 930 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Dang, reviewing my photos I realized in a flash that I had a pristine early 260Z roller I picked up...guy stripped to nothing and started on the dynamat. very clean chassis with title...Bad thing is that, indeed, it's in my Hoarde. And I have several 'donor' 260's with which to repopulate it's interior with! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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