Guest Anonymous Posted March 19, 2002 Share Posted March 19, 2002 Here is some advice from someone who usually gets too many irons in the fire.Choose one job at a time and complete it before moving on. The last thing you want to do is finish an interior first or tear it apart first. I would concentrate on the suspension and engine first before tearing everything apart.Then go on to the body work.Leave the glass in there unless there is rust spots that needs fixing yesterday. In the novel, "Lonesome Dove" , Gus McRae explains the experience of the journey is more important than the final destination. Woodrow Call, McRae's counterpart only worried about getting there as fast as possible. Do you like the travel or just getting there on time? The best parts you may find are Datsun originals on old junkers. Start hunting!It is a learning experience and could be costly if you are speeding to get there.Woodrow Call lost everything getting to Montana and in the end admitted his was a vision of Hell "getting there" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 19, 2002 Share Posted March 19, 2002 The engines already out and @ the machine shop as for suspension...well, i wish i had pics of our rust bucket, so you would understand why were doing the body now Doesnt do much good to bolt up a kick ass suspension if you need to weld in new metal to bolt it to first, hehe when i say building it up fromt he ground up, i really meant it. we're going after the body first, to have a good base to drop everything else in. We are in no hurry whatsoever. Most of the body panels are already off the car, and whats left (the roof and rear fenders) is already stripped. We're now getting to the cutting and welding trouble spots in the unibody. Some parts, like the floor pan have completely rusted thru. doesnt make much sense to me to put a suspension and engine into a body thats about to fall apart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 19, 2002 Share Posted March 19, 2002 HELP this new member find some quality body parts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 19, 2002 Share Posted March 19, 2002 Hi everyone, newbie here, just found the board today, and its really nice to find a community like this. lil' intro: My name is Ryan, and im currently restoring a '78 Fairlady 2+2. The car is in poor condition, as it sat for 4 years back in St. Louis when my family relocated to Florida. Last year, i was able to convince the mom to let us bring it down and rework the car from the ground up. We had lots of plans, but then the economy fell and we are just now getting back to work on the car. It would honestly be easier to probably find another Z to work on, but like i said, this is a JDM car and has a lot of sentimental value. As of right now, we are striping everything from the car. everything from the interior is out, all the glass is out (minus the windshield - anyone have any hints for pulling the windshield w/o breaking it?), doors are off as are the front clip, fenders, hood, etc etc. Right now we are trying to locate somewhere that sells new body panels like fenders, hood, rocker panels, floor pans, etc. If anyone can help point me in the right direction, like a shop that sells quality panels for the Z for good price, i'ld appreciate it! (btw, since this is a hybrid site, thought ild share whats going on engine wise: originally there was talk of doing a RB swap, but we decided to leave it "Z" and stick with the L series. also goin back to triple webbers (dad converted it to FI back in 86 when he brought the car back over from Japan). But some of your guys conversions are a-w-e-s-o-m-e! awesome stuff on this board ) Thanks guys- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 20, 2002 Share Posted March 20, 2002 Get in touch with Carl Beck in Clearwater FL, he's one of the top guys at the IZCC and he knows everyone around your area to get basically any stock parts you might need. Also ask him about some of his cars, as he has some of the best restored Z's you will ever find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 20, 2002 Share Posted March 20, 2002 Originally posted by Les Heath:Get in touch with Carl Beck in Clearwater FL, he's one of the top guys at the IZCC and he knows everyone around your area to get basically any stock parts you might need. Also ask him about some of his cars, as he has some of the best restored Z's you will ever find. any hints for getting in touch w/ him? whos the guy near tampa w/ the purple and silver Z, ive talked to him once, but that was like a year ago, i remember him mentioning the IZCC (what was the website again?) thanks for the tip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 tuff z Posted March 20, 2002 Share Posted March 20, 2002 ryan, r u looking for steel or fiberglass replacements? also, where in fl are u? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 20, 2002 Share Posted March 20, 2002 Ryan go to www.zhome.com,Carl's e-mail is listed on the front page. You can call info and get his phone #, he lives in Clearwater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S30Z Bushido Posted March 28, 2002 Share Posted March 28, 2002 hey i live in coral springs. nt too many z guys down here, maybe we can meet up sometime... as far as body parts there is a Z shop down here, they mostly specialize in Z32's but they do get an odd S30 in the shop once in a while, they might be able to help you find body parts. i'll find out what the name is for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted March 28, 2002 Share Posted March 28, 2002 Ryan, For the floor pans and frame rails go to Zedd Findings and look under body parts. These are nice reproductions and fit fairly well. I have an extra pair of fenders in good condition and a drivers door in fair condition if your're interested. Not sure what part of South Florida you're from, but I'm heading down to West Palm on May 3rd if you want to try and meet up. As for other replacement panels and parts Motorsport Auto is always a good place to start. For used stuff go to Z Barn they are always a good source. Good to have another Florida member and good luck with your project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie-GNZ Posted March 28, 2002 Share Posted March 28, 2002 I have a very nice hood with louvers but I used hood pins. If hood pins are in your plans, you can catch a steal. BTW, that is the hood you see on my car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denny411 Posted April 2, 2002 Share Posted April 2, 2002 what condition are your doors and hatch in? I`ve got a hatch that has a minor dent in it and has very minor blistering under the lip at the bottom,it had a spoiler bolted to it at one time.I also have both door shells in the same condition.one minor dent in each but otherwise in very good condition.these are empty door shells. if yours are rusty these could be of use.if you`re not interested maybe someone else is.35.00 each pc+ shipping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 9, 2002 Share Posted April 9, 2002 Thanks for all the replies guys. ive been away from the pc for a while, so sorry for not replying sooner. denny411- As for the offers, our doors and the hatch are in nearly perfect condition. lol, prolly the only parts that wont need major work. besides we have a spoiler molded into the hatch that we plan on keeping. Scottie- wasnt planning on going with louvres or hood pins :/ . how much were you looking to get for it, maybe you can change my mind .i see ur in orlando, do you ever go out to the meets @ sonics on saturdays? i hear its mostly ricers, but never know. Jeff- thanks for links! ill check them out, especially for the floor boards, ours are nearly non-existent S30Z Bushido- i live in boca raton, but go to school @ UF in gainesville. i would appreciate if you found the name of that shop. well be getting to work on the Z when i go home for the summer in bout a month. thanks man! 1 tuff z- Like i told bushido, live in boca raton, go to school in gainesville. leaning towards steel, but is there any reason other than weight i should consider fiberglass? ive always had problems w/ fiberglass fitiment on other cars les heath - thanks for Carls email. ill give him a holler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.