powershotnt Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 I just sat down for the last 2 hrs going thru catalogs and web sites getting prices for Interior/suspension/brakes/differential and all bearings and seals/rust repair and body work. Also includes fornt and rear body bumper kit and spoiler and misc like new dash wire harness door seals etc. this estimate does not include engine or tranny as I am not sure what to do yet. $10,246.01:evil: yes lots of mixed emotions This dollar amount will go up as I'm sure I missed lots of stuff!!!! this is just FYI jimminy christmas..come on lotto #'s ohh forgot..1981 2+2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LowCarbZ Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Well that's so subjective. You could spend a lot of money on mechanical stuff and have a car that runs great but leave all the cosmetics alone. Or spend little money replacing mechanical, only what's needed and have a nice looking car. Or go all out. I mean for a budget build car I don't think you'll find a much better candidate for your money than a Datsun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackice280zxt Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 remember what ever you estimate times it by 2. You will always find hidden problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
310z Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 I just sat down for the last 2 hrs going thru catalogs and web sites getting prices for Interior/suspension/brakes/differential and all bearings and seals/rust repair and body work. Also includes fornt and rear body bumper kit and spoiler and misc like new dash wire harness door seals etc.this estimate does not include engine or tranny as I am not sure what to do yet. $10,246.01:evil: yes lots of mixed emotions This dollar amount will go up as I'm sure I missed lots of stuff!!!! this is just FYI jimminy christmas..come on lotto #'s ohh forgot..1981 2+2 I did that too. I figured that I would spend between $20,000 and $24,000 for the total build and if I really splurged it might get to $30,000. How ever if you take your figure and multiply it by 6 then you would end up where I did, conservativtly. The amount you spend depends on your expectations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtburf Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Restoration is directly proportional to the thickness of your wallet. does not matter if its Houses, Cars, Boats, Planes, or Women... John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dat240zg Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 ...take your figure and multiply it by 6 then you would end up where I did, conservatively. True that. Plan on going over whatever estimate you come up with period. There are so many things that you miss, even when you sit down and plan it out. For my restoration, I filled out an excel spreadsheet with a different page for each stage of the build (body, mechanical, interior, etc) and still went over by a good bit. Just one of those things. Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackice280zxt Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Restoration is directly proportional to the thickness of your wallet. does not matter if its Houses, Cars, Boats, Planes, or Women... John well said Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Just buy one that is already restored and make it yours. Even if it's not up to your standards yet, it will be much cheaper to make a few small changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powershotnt Posted November 22, 2009 Author Share Posted November 22, 2009 you guys are all correct..i bet i did miss several things..here are some specifics..rear end suspension and brakes also getting new seals and gaskets for r200 diff. $1734.35 interior...$1952.88.. My wife always says..i just can't settle for second best.. I am a perfectionist..if I do something it has got to be done right. I can't build this without redoing all the suspension..bearings..brakes.. I am a bit overwhelmed right now..but this project is going to be 1 step at a time..between tax returns and yearly bonus checks..should take about 5 yrs..then I will find a motor and tranny.. I bet the $30k # is alot closer than what I have figured...watching mecum auctions tonite..all i dream about is my car looking better than those...well o.k. as good.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powershotnt Posted November 22, 2009 Author Share Posted November 22, 2009 True that. Plan on going over whatever estimate you come up with period. There are so many things that you miss, even when you sit down and plan it out. For my restoration, I filled out an excel spreadsheet with a different page for each stage of the build (body, mechanical, interior, etc) and still went over by a good bit. Just one of those things. Bryan I would love to see some pics of your car.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FricFrac Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 You`re basically buying a car by its individual parts which is absolutely insane. What about rebuilding your own harness from scratch. Does your diff need new seals or can you get one in excellent shape for $75. Tear it down and powder coat it and it will be better than new. There are a ton of options if you want to build a cherry car without spending $30K. You should see what the guy who restored my car did with $10K worth of parts - amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langfordchuck Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 You`re basically buying a car by its individual parts which is absolutely insane. What about rebuilding your own harness from scratch. Does your diff need new seals or can you get one in excellent shape for $75. Tear it down and powder coat it and it will be better than new. There are a ton of options if you want to build a cherry car without spending $30K. You should see what the guy who restored my car did with $10K worth of parts - amazing! yes, I have seen FricFrac's car and it is nice. A big factor is how much time you have to spend on it: lots of cash outlay can be shaved off with hard work and long hours. But in my case, this would be penny wise and dollar foolish: it is more profitable for me to go to work and pay someone else to do some things. I do the work because I like to do the work, but the business case would tell me to sell my tools and just buy a nicer car someone else has fixed up. having said that, if you can't build a decent (ie, reasonable, not perfect and not super fast or absolutely reliable but still good) zed for $10K then something is wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FricFrac Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 That is one of the nice things about the Z car is that they don`t go for the insane money that the American Muscle cars do. We for now at least.... 20 or 30 years ago American Muscle was what most people went for - now adays kids aren`t nearly as interested in American Muscle as they are Imports. The tides have changed and it will be interesting to see what is collectable in the future.... but for now restored Z cars are a bargin. Most people who restore their car do it because they enjoy it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powershotnt Posted November 22, 2009 Author Share Posted November 22, 2009 In the case of the suspension..i am replacing all the bushings...and assuming most of the bolts will have to be replaced..helped a friend do a restoration on an old harley..we tore it down to the frame..90% of the bolts we cleaned up with wire grinder wheel..Things like the control arms and sway bars will be taken off and cleaned up(by me) and either powdercoated or sprayed..of course I am going to replace the wheel bearings and seals..calipers,rotors,brake lines..as for the differential yes it just includes taking it off replacing seals gaskets cleaning it up and painting it. buying a car a peice at a time is insane..if only ALL the peices were available for this car..that # would be higher:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtburf Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Here is some free advise sine we are basically doing the same type of projects. Buy tools as needed, you do not have to buy Snapon if you know it a limited use tool, buy lessor brands and save there. Find an old single oven if you have space and turn it into a powdercoat unit. small stuff from Lower control arms, to diff mounts ect can be coated and cured for a lot less. Send out the larger items you cannot do. Picture and document everything, if your doing ground up search this forum for ideas from others. Harbor Frieght and other type stores are your friend... Good Luck and keep us posted.... John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powershotnt Posted November 22, 2009 Author Share Posted November 22, 2009 You`re basically buying a car by its individual parts which is absolutely insane. What about rebuilding your own harness from scratch. Does your diff need new seals or can you get one in excellent shape for $75. Tear it down and powder coat it and it will be better than new. There are a ton of options if you want to build a cherry car without spending $30K. You should see what the guy who restored my car did with $10K worth of parts - amazing! even if I found a clean R200 for $75 i would still open it up and then replace gaskets and seals..thats the way I am..if it is out of the car..make it as close to perfect before it goes back in. My father taught me that growing up..why do things twice..make it right the first time. My harness is a complete mess under the dash..i bet i have 25-30 cut wires with twist connectors on them.. and thats not including the radio section. I am excited to go check out a chasis in oak harbor this january. Hopefully for a $100 chasis I can eliminate most of these costs..If the chasis is in better shape than mine then mine will be stripped and scrapped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackice280zxt Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Here is some free advise sine we are basically doing the same type of projects. Buy tools as needed, you do not have to buy Snapon I had this expensive stuff and sold it foe cheaper stuff if you know it a limited use tool, buy lessor brands and save there. Find an old single oven if you have space and turn it into a powdercoat unit. small stuff from Lower control arms, to diff mounts ect can be coated and cured for a lot less. Send out the larger items you cannot do. I can do larger items I made an extension with the oven door down out of spare sheet metal. (crude but works well) Picture and document everything, if your doing ground up search this forum for ideas from others. Harbor Frieght and other type stores are your friend... Good Luck and keep us posted.... John Is it going to be a show car or a driver? Thats what you have to ask your self. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerryb Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Lowcarbz is sooooo right. If you are fruggle and want the challenge of finding good used parts...Im confident you can get away with less than you think. It will take time and effort and the car wont be perfect....but damn good! On the otherhand...if your wallet is deep and a "perfect" restoration trailer Z is desired....perhaps $40K+ is possible, depending what platform you start with. Well that's so subjective. You could spend a lot of money on mechanical stuff and have a car that runs great but leave all the cosmetics alone. Or spend little money replacing mechanical, only what's needed and have a nice looking car. Or go all out. I mean for a budget build car I don't think you'll find a much better candidate for your money than a Datsun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woldson Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 This can be tricky, but, "right" is relative. You find a r-200 with less then 100k on it you are more likely right in buying it and just cleaning it up. Reason? Incredibly well built! Now if you rebuild it, you may not get everything as well done as the factory did. You end up spending much more and may not have as much success. The r200 is a fantastic rear end, this is well known! If it were not, then rebuild, and your odds would be better for longevity. This could be considered "wisdom" witch trumps "right". This is not meant as a flame, rather a pause for consideration. Also getting a part from someone you trust, doing a light over view without much disruption to it, using it, then replacing the failed part (when and if) allows you to spend your money on what was necessary. While in the part, do research on what else is known to fail. You see, to be a really perfectionist, you understand about metal fatigue, so really you would have to build the car out of the finest materials known to man (every bolt and screw, everything, for it all has ware), have everything quadruple checked, including third party quality control, maybe NASA, to insure your car will be "perfect". Just remeber, it is up to you to decide to draw the line, since true perfection is inpossible for us to achive. Note: Ever wonder why their is no "best" allow at this site? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LowCarbZ Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Lowcarbz is sooooo right. If you are fruggle and want the challenge of finding good used parts...Im confident you can get away with less than you think. It will take time and effort and the car wont be perfect....but damn good! On the otherhand...if your wallet is deep and a "perfect" restoration trailer Z is desired....perhaps $40K+ is possible, depending what platform you start with. I've been doing a rolling resto on my Z for the last 2 seasons. I bought the car with 54,000 miles on it and now it's sitting at 62,000 miles. Only an "occasional" fairweather driver, but mostly long road trips all across the province. I don't hesitate to drive my car distances because i've had it all apart myself and I am particular about noises/vibrations and such. Anyway, i've rebuilt all my suspension/brakes/u-joints/seals/all bushings and quite a few little odds and ends/cosmetic upgrades. I've managed to do all of this on less than $12,000 so far includng buying one of the cleanest Z's with the upgrades I wanted (Webers/R200 diff/ZX 5spd/Wheels etc.) so initial buy in was a little more. We tend to pay more for Z's up here in Canada because they're harder to find that haven't already rusted into a pile. We also generally pay more for parts because everything has to come from the states. So doing all the work myself I figure i'll have between $20 to $25K into it by the time i'm totally happy with it. The paint isn't perfect but I like to drive it (thought it cleans up nice). I have taken it to track days and killed a set of tires, if I want to look at a perfectly pretty black S30 i've got a really nice scale model in my living room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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