zeeboost Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 So about 3.5 years ago I bought an '83 280zx n/a with a blown engine. I liked it b/c the body / interior was clean and just needed paint, along with working cruise control, a/c, etc. I had an '82 zxt for parts, so I swapped the turbo drivetrain into it. I was going to try the rustoleum method with this one, so I setup a makeshift booth in my garage. Before I started sanding it: After: This is the last picture I took before I threw in the towel. Working 80+ hrs a week and having a gf took about all of my free time, so I bartered with a painter at the dealership to finish and spray the car. I did a bunch of front end and a/c repair on his tahoe, and afterwards he darted off out of state and told me to contact a friend of his that would hook me up a paint job. So I called the new guy, made arrangements and dropped the car off with him. Roughly a year later he said it was painted, but also said he was interested in buying it, so I gave him a few months to come up with the money. At this time I was also much more tied up with school and such, so I didn't really have time to mess with it or a place to store it. Well I took a semester off to get all my cars taken care of. I had tried contacting him since October but he'd been avoiding my calls. Then last month he calls me and tells me the car was stolen. The next day he has a lead on it and brings it back to his place the weekend after. I'm pretty sure the whole story of it being stolen is bs, but this way it takes the damages to the car off his responsibility. He says he "recovered" it from a field, and since we all know the best place to store a car, especially one with the t-tops off and the paint sanded down to bare metal, is outside in unsheltered weather, I really didn't want to see how the car looked. So I got there yesterday. The interior is trashed - it still had standing water on the floorbard, carpet is molded, seats are molded, hatch carpet may be ok, carpet on door panels are kinda faded, etc. The interior doesn't really bother me, the RUST is what I'm worried about. I gave it to him with most the paint gone and nothing but exposed metal showing. So I'm wondering if this chassis is worth keeping. I don't have access to lifts, engine hoists, etc. as I left my job at the dealership to finish school, so it'd be that much more of a pain for me to swap the drivetrain AGAIN. But if there's no hope for this chassis, then I don't have much of a choice. I THINK most of the rust on there can be sanded off easily, and shouldn't cause a problem. My biggest area of concern is above the windshield - rust is the heaviest there and that's one of the worst places for it. Sorry, for now they're only cell cam pics, but once I get the car back in my garage I'll snap some higher res pics. I'm also going to get the opinion of my bodyshop, but I'd like to see what you guys think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getoffmyinternet Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 He said he painted it and then it got stolen and somehow recovered it himself but it ended up unpainted and all banged up? You better be suing that guy. I don't know how it works out there, but in CA you can go to small claims for up to $4500. Resolve that issue before even touching the car. The rust doesn't look too bad to me, but for a car that inexpensive, if the interior is already shot, what's the upside? If you don't have time for a long term project anyway then junk it and buy one that's already in good shape. If you're already on the fence before getting started then you'll never be motivated to finish it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeeboost Posted February 27, 2011 Author Share Posted February 27, 2011 Honestly I'm not too worried about the interior. Z cars don't have much interior-wise - I think if I just replace the seats and carpet, the rest wouldn't be too bad. Faded door panels aren't that big of a deal. And no, I'm not going to worry about pressing charges. Not worth my time, and he doesn't have much money either so I'd probably never see anything. Just taking this as a lesson learned. I can tell he never even touched the car...and I'm pretty sure it was never stolen. I think the first thing they would've taken is the rims, since it's the only valuable thing on the car. If they knew anything about engines or old-school import stuff, they would've stolen the turbo engine / t5 transmission too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getoffmyinternet Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I would sue just on principle so he doesn't get away with it so easily. FWIW it doesn't matter if he claims to be broke (he'll get no sympathy from the court), once you win the case you can put a lien on his house until he pays you or sells it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z2go Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I agree. Sue the bastard. He has no record of it being stolen, if it were stolen there would have been a police report. The dude is a moron. He needs to pay. He put you through this, it's time to put him through something of equal pain. Otherwise he's just going to be this dishonest with the next guy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I agree the stolen story is BS, save your self a headache and strip it for parts...I wouldn't even want to do the paint and body work on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sticky280zx Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 sue or make a visit/have someone help his car make it to a field, with aircraft remover poured all over/in it and no rims....i hate people like that. i have a car i sold to a guy and took payments yea 1500 out of 3500 and 2 months later he blows the motor cause he ran it out of oil and yet thats my fault/problem somehow and isnt going to pay. he gave me the key to the car which just so happens to have his house key on it...oh how i have thought about the possibilities of how that could play out, or i got to small claims and sue for 2500 and the headache...isnt really worth it especially since they are broke, useless pieces of **** that have alot of debt and will probably just claim bankruptcy and say screw you. Hence the personal approch thought, then again its not like the good old days, cops wont do crap for the people that need it but protect the fuckups that keep screwing us over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeeboost Posted February 28, 2011 Author Share Posted February 28, 2011 I agree the stolen story is BS, save your self a headache and strip it for parts...I wouldn't even want to do the paint and body work on that. Eh, if the shell is still reasonably salvageable (meaning I don't have to chop and weld another roof on, etc) then I'll just go ahead and fix it. The undercarriage is still pretty rust free. sue or make a visit/have someone help his car make it to a field, with aircraft remover poured all over/in it and no rims....i hate people like that. i have a car i sold to a guy and took payments yea 1500 out of 3500 and 2 months later he blows the motor cause he ran it out of oil and yet thats my fault/problem somehow and isnt going to pay. he gave me the key to the car which just so happens to have his house key on it...oh how i have thought about the possibilities of how that could play out, or i got to small claims and sue for 2500 and the headache...isnt really worth it especially since they are broke, useless pieces of **** that have alot of debt and will probably just claim bankruptcy and say screw you. Hence the personal approch thought, then again its not like the good old days, cops wont do crap for the people that need it but protect the fuckups that keep screwing us over. So then you think the Z should be easily repairable. Cool, well noted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 The painter accepted the job, he was liable for custodial care of the vehicle. I would not let him off for the damages done to the vehicle, or at least the costs of repairs to the damages to restore it to what it was before you gave it to be painted. Most of the rust you see is chemically cleanable. You are correct on the rust in the window area. Pull the windshield and repair it, it does NOT mean you cut off a roof and replace the roof. That area is commonly corroded due to the drainage issues inherent in the windshield sealing design. You will either have to fab new pieces, weld in new sections from a donor, or if the corrosion is not all the way though remove all rust with blasting/chemical cleaning and put body solder over the rough sections. This is one of the rare portions on the car where body solder can be used, everywhere else is too thin! For celphone photos, those are damn nice! Chemical cleaning is your friend. Sanding ain't that great, it leaves oxidation behind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeeboost Posted February 28, 2011 Author Share Posted February 28, 2011 Yeah, my '82 was a pretty clean shell but still had to have some welding done on the metal above the windshield. But it was nowhere near as rusty as this one is. Though I've never worked with body solder before, so maybe that'll make things a little easier. And by chemical cleaning I assume you're talking about using phosphoric acid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I guess everyone here just has more vision than i do but I still wouldn't want to touch that:) All that rust while potentially removable via chemicals will still leave behind pitting. I've been told that high build primers will take care of most of that stuff but I just hate to think about block sanding and reshooting over and over again. Seeing as how i'm in the process of doing bodywork on my 2002 right now I'm probably not the best person to listen too...I really hate bodywork. Yeah, my '82 was a pretty clean shell but still had to have some welding done on the metal above the windshield. But it was nowhere near as rusty as this one is. Though I've never worked with body solder before, so maybe that'll make things a little easier. And by chemical cleaning I assume you're talking about using phosphoric acid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeeboost Posted March 1, 2011 Author Share Posted March 1, 2011 I guess everyone here just has more vision than i do but I still wouldn't want to touch that:) All that rust while potentially removable via chemicals will still leave behind pitting. I've been told that high build primers will take care of most of that stuff but I just hate to think about block sanding and reshooting over and over again. Seeing as how i'm in the process of doing bodywork on my 2002 right now I'm probably not the best person to listen too...I really hate bodywork. I hear ya man, I'm definitely not a body guy. I don't mind doing bodywork with someone that knows what they're doing, but I felt like I was getting nowhere with me going solo on this one - mostly with the bondo. I kept burning through it like crazy...even doing it by hand and touch. I would feel a tiny little high spot, sand some more, then it would've been too far. With a pretty fine grit too. I just don't have the touch for it, I guess. But anyways, the car should be at the bodyshop tomorrow or Wednesday, so I'll see what they say and go from there. Most of you guys think it shouldn't be that big a deal (didn't see all the suggested retaliation coming though...I honestly wasn't trying to get anyone stirred up), so hopefully the pictures were able to do justice. I scored some rx8 leather seats at a junkyard today for cheaper than what the reupholstery kits cost at MSA, so all I need to do is replace the front carpet and most of the interior should be manageable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 As the very least you should talk to the guy, Cite the fact that he's responsible for it regardless of if it was stolen or not. No police report was ever filed, (I'd bet you can find out the field where he found (stored) it on Google earth to show it'd just been sitting.) Ask him to pay for the repairs/painting since he owes you that much anyway. It's his fault it's so much worse than it was. If he agrees, write it out and have him sign it. that's your ammunition for court. Getting an estimate from a body shop is your next step. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240Z8_Dad Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Hmmm. Cousin Guido + Louisville Slugger = Justice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280z4me2 Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 That car is more then salvagable. I would still persue bringing him to court. However, with some 36grit paper and some phosphoric acid, you can have that car rust free in a couple hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dassan80z Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 Gut the interior, Have it soda blasted, and buy a stud gun to pull out the dents, fiberglass it all nice and smooth, sand and prime the whole car. Then while you're piecing the interior back together you can mod it before deciding on paint. It think BrandyWine would be a nice color for it. 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.