Introduction and question about unibody damage

[lws30]

First time posting here, so I'll start with a little background.

 

For years now I have wanted an S30 to wrench on. However, I didn't have the garage space when I lived in Chicago and it wasn't until this last summer that I settled into a new house in Kansas City and actually had the space and time to start work on a new project.

 

I ended up finding a (barely) running 1977 280z about 5 miles from my house. The car had been repainted from the original Green Metallic to bright red. On the outside, the body looked pretty straight. On the underside, I knew that this thing had seen some rust and I would likely need to replace the floor pans and a few other common problem areas. In my mind, my S30 plans always involved gutting it, followed by new and shiny everything, so I wasn't overly concerned with the condition, as long as the frame rails weren't crumbling off the car and there wasn't any sign of extensive repairs to structural areas of the car. From what I could see, the car fit the bill, so I bought it. 

 

I had it towed home and I figured I would troubleshoot the rough running and dying battery first, just for grins. The dying battery ended up being the brake pedal grommet breaking apart leaving the brake lights on at all times. I also replaced the ignition coil which got the car started reliably but it was puffing smoke and had no power. I took off the valve cover and found that a rocker arm had popped off. I took that as my cue to start the real work.

 

Slowly but surely, I've been gutting it. I started with removing the motor, then the interior, the bumpers, the gas tank, etc. After removing the interior, I noticed that there had been a patch welded in on the driver's side rear quarter, just above the corner lamp. The patch job seemed to be done pretty well, with only a slight change in the sharpness of the lower rear fender line, and there didn't seem to be any warping or damage done to the trunk or inner fender. This was a little frustrating but the fact that I never noticed it in the first place told me I could probably live with it. 

 

Just last week I started removing the front fenders. The previous body professional essentially 'welded' the fender and rocker panels together with body filler which resulted in me having to ruin the fenders to get them off the car (hopefully the replacement fenders from Black Dragon Auto fit better than they are said to....). I knew I was going to be replacing the rocker panels and likely the lower rear fender area so I wasn't too peeved about the fender issue because, really, what's another $400 for a set of fenders?

 

However, and this brings me to the point of my post, I found the worst thing yet after removing the driver's side front fender. Maybe this is from the same accident that resulted in the rear end patch as well, maybe a separate accident, not sure. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Obviously there is the tear/hole in the unibody. There is also a drilled hole that was likely used to pull the damage out. You may or may not be able to tell this but see the seam along the top, along with the outer surfaces are misshapen from being bent in and then pulled back out. It probably goes without saying that there are signs of damage elsewhere, namely where the lower radiator support meets the fender area, the intake piping cutout looks a little oblong, etc:

 

 

 

 

I know that, generally speaking, the decision whether something is 'worth fixing' is up to the individual but I would like some objective opinions about this damage to see where this kind of damage sits with other people. In other words, if this was your current or past restomod project S30, would you just gut everything off the car and scrap the chassis, or would you proceed as planned, make sure everything is within spec, weld in a patch, then throw a new fender over the damage, never to see it again?

 

Thanks in advance, hopefully I'll be around here a long time, even if it doesn't pan out with this guy...

[NewZed]

 In my mind, my S30 plans always involved gutting it, followed by new and shiny everything, 

 

 throw a new fender over the damage, never to see it again?

 

 Pretty sure I've seen that people have replaced the complete front end of the S30 at times.  The noses get damaged.  There are many body specs and drawings in the FSM Body chapter if you want to see what else is bent.  

 

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/280z/

 

Some people are fine with knowing that underneath the shiny new stuff is a bunch of bent rusty stuff.  Others can't stand the thought that there's even surface rust on the inside of a body panel.  Which type are you?

 

Aside from that, if you ever decide to resell the car, you'll either be the guy who hid past damage, or you'll take a loss unless you find a person it doesn't bother.

[seattlejester]

Back to your point, it depends on the individual. New zed makes a really good point about resale, but for now it  depends on how you are going to enjoy it. If you are looking for a pristine survivor body, those are going to be relatively difficult to find. If it bothers you, you could look out for a parts car to chop the nose off of and do a complete replacement. Or you can patch it up, bend things back with a hammer, drill holes and re-spot weld.

 

Personally, when I was told of my damage, it was freeing in a way. Basically meant my car was not a survivor, and would not be worth tons of money in the future, kind of reaffirmed that I was on the right path to do with it as I pleased. 

 

If you are asking if it is worth fixing, kind of up to you and your abilities, if you have to farm it out it is going to cost you more then finding a better condition shell will be. If you do it yourself, you are going to sink a lot of man hours into it not to mention money. Depends on your timeline, resources, etc.