78280z Posted September 18, 2007 Share Posted September 18, 2007 I have a 78 280z that needs restoration (body/frame needs rust repair sanding/paint, and electrical system needs to be checked over and repaired). Where should I start? Any suggestions? Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted September 18, 2007 Share Posted September 18, 2007 My suggestion is to first be very sure HOW MUCH rust/frame repair you are going to be into. Seriously.. if it looks not too bad, it's bad. If it looks bad, its most likely VERY bad! Once you get into it, it WILL 'snowball' on you, trust me. It's best to be somewhat prepared to find some areas a lot work than you anticipated. Not trying to be a jerk, just speaking from personal expiriance here. It took me 6 months just to fix the frame/floor/body on my 75, partialy because I was learning as I went, partially cause there was a LOT of work! I'd take on the metal/body work stuf first, and you'll probly cause/find a few more electrical issues along the way. Also, if you spend time and $$$ on the electrical stuff first, then discover the rust monster is going to take BIG time/$$$ to fix, you may be in trouble.. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted September 18, 2007 Share Posted September 18, 2007 Well youll first have to decide what kind of car youd like. When we first started my car it was just gonna be a car that I could get around in and work on. Now it is completely apart and at a body shop. Also youll have to think about your budget and how much you can do yourself. Alot the stuff on my car I had to learn through mistakes because I had a very low budget mowing lawns. Id start off by searching and looking for cars you like for ideas or look at others projects to see what they have done in there restoration. Didnt see DatsunLovers post, that is a very good point. be prepared to spend alot of time or money to get the car just rust free. In most cases it is easier to save up and buy a car someone else has already put there money into. Also, if you spend time and $$$ on the electrical stuff first, then discover the rust monster is going to take BIG time/$$$ to fix, you may be in trouble.. In general with mechanical or electrical problems you can just bolt on a new part if you want but with rust its not as easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DaveBonds Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 Buy a digital camera, a box of ziploc bags, get some boxes without holes in them, a roll of packing tape, a roll of masking tape, a few plastic containers, some tarps and a couple of markers... You want to be sure and take pictures of everything before and while you disassemble the car. Buy some blank CD's and rip the pictures onto CD for a hard copy in categories of the car (interior, body, engine, etc.) Especially anything that isn't painfully obvious as to it's placement on the car. Label bagged sets of hardware with the masking tape and your marker and keep them in a sealed respective box along with other like parts (interior, exterior, engine bay, etc.) If you are truly interested in restoring your car the right way, you should have the car disassembled and all of the body and paint work done first, followed by redoing the suspension, steering, brakes, rear axle, wheels and tires. The engine and transmission come second to last, only to the adjacent trim, glass, weatherstripping and interior, which is dead last. I would pay someone to sandblast the unibody, doors, fenders, hatch and hood before anything else. This will eliminate everything from bad previous repairs to exposing rust that hasn't surfaced yet. Sometimes it's a good idea to actually remove the inner wheelhouses at the spot welds from the rear quarter panels, due to contaminants becoming trapped between the quarter skin and wheelhouse. Usually, rear quarter panels that don't have some amount of disassembly on them tend to show rust down the road sooner, due to hidden rust that has built up, but hasn't surfaced yet. This is from the trapped dirt, and other contaminants not being addressed or disregarded as non-existant. I have yet to come across one car that I have restored that didn't have something trapped in the outer wheelhouse sections of the quarter panels. Separation and cleaning can be done with a drill, a hammer and a putty knife to break the spot welds attaching the panels. If you don't want to play with a welder, just send the car to a body shop. Welding is mandatory on almost all restorations. If you do have the car's bodywork subletted, make sure that the shop separates the wheelhouses from the quarter skins, cleans and re-welds them back together, following up with a corrosion inhibiting coating inside. 3M makes a good spray wand to apply the many different brands and types of anti-corrosive coatings in tight areas. Restoration is more removal & installation, cleaning of parts and body work than anything else. The rest is cake walk. Start by documenting things, inside and out, over and underneath. I would also advise getting a factory shop manual. If not in hard copy, then on CD. The wiring diagrams, torque references, assembly diagrams and tuning proceedures are indisposable. Factory manuals are composed of information given to the author, editor and publisher by the same engineers that designed your car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daeron Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 :iagree: boxes and bags and photographs are your best friend. I have a set of 8 color sharpie markers that make RE-assembly of ANYTHING much much easier than it could be, if I failed to use the sharpies during DISassembly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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