Guest Toxin Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Hello all! I'm new to this board, and to ZCars in general. I've been looking to take on a project Z for awhile, and have happened across a car that is fairly local to me. It's a 78 280z, manual. The Good: Body is straight, though rusty in areas Engine ran when removed The Bad: Needs new front frame rails and driver's floorpan I have no welding experience, so the car would have to visit a frame/weld shop. I can get it for $300, is it worth it or should I wait around for something with better front frame rails for a few hundred more? I haven't seen alot of Zs for sale in the NorthEast, as most seem to be in the NorthWest and South. Any help is appreciated. Edit: It also has a refurbished gas tank and the fuel system was serviced before the motor was pulled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Toxin Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Pics below: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AE2ZX Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 rusty {shakes head} ...car looks cleAN i say do it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 Welcome to Hybrid Z. Take a look at the rules here: http://forums.hybridz.org/announcement.php?f=59&a=2 I realize this is your first post, so I'm going to run down the problems for you. This post has nothing to do with 6 cylinder tech info. If anything it's a Body question, could also be a chassis question. I'm going to move it to the Brakes, Wheels, Suspension and Chassis section. The other thing that's wrong is your title. When someone else goes searching to find posts on roll cages or brake upgrades or whatever they're looking for in the BWSC section, they won't have any clue what "Is it worth it?" is about. So I'm going to change your title to "Is this Z too rusty to fix?" because that way they'll be able to see whether your post has anything to do with the subject they're interested in. To answer your question, I personally don't think it's worth it. There are people who have salvaged worse, but you're talking about a huge amount of time and labor and materials cost. Search for mull's thread. Mull is a guy from Northern Europe (Sweden?) and he made step by step videos that go through the process of fixing a car in worse shape than yours. The videos are great, funny to watch, and should give you a time lapsed idea of what you'd be dealing with. You probably could have found that thread yourself if you searched before you posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boodlefoof Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 In my opinion, no car is beyond saving. It just requires more time! That said, the pics you posted look pretty good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buZy Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 Clean paint but rusty underside. More pics would help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom'sZ Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 Yikes!!! that one looks pretty bad. The strut picture and your location make me think it may have been driven on salted road during the winter. I was a paint and body guy for twenty five years. Like boodlfoof said 'no car is beyond saving' but, that one is pretty bad. There may not be a huge supply of zcars in sweden, that may have to do with why Mull did what he did. I had people bring me car to have rust repaired and ask how much and I would tell them 'enough that you could fly out west, buy a cleaner one and drive it home cheaper'. Personally I'd buy it for the parts, a rebuildable engine and tranny is worth 300$ to me. If you don't weld, or do bodywork I might hold out for a cleaner car. The paint job is pretty typical of these rusted cars I remember. I lot of time people have put a lot of money into the car before they realize how bad it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexideways Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 I say buy it for parts AND it would be a good practice car, you know, to learn how to weld and everything + you could take all the parts you need and I could buy the shell from you, not right now but, in a few months, when I'm done with the RB25 and send the car to paint, I'll have room to start the resto.. Where in New Hamshire are you located, I live in Montreal, Canada so, it would'nt be to big of a trip for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BWRex Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 I'll reply the same as I did to a previous thread,and I'll say it again....... I'd rather see someone bringing a Z back from the dead,then having a junkyard car crusher squeeze the life out of it............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Toxin Posted October 27, 2006 Share Posted October 27, 2006 Thank you for the suggestions, and the thread move. The engine/tranny isn't that big of a deal to me, as whatever Z I get is getting an engine swap. I'll try to get some more pics from the current owner, as the car is over 3 hours from me. As it stands right now, I am leaning towards waiting for something in a bit better condition. After factoring in the cost of a weld shop fixing the frame I could probably have one shipped from the south. A nice rolling chassis is all I really need... I'll post more pics if I can get them though. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mark300zxTurbo Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 dude, $300!? thats totaly worth it. I say do it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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