wingsuit

I recently got the bug to do a restore of a 240z. I'm slightly mechanically inclined but this would be my first attempt at anything like this. I'm a quick learner and have a brother in law who is a mechanic. My 2 car garage has a decent amount of tools, but no welders or airtools currently. I drive cars more than I work on them, but its been a childhood dream to build my own car.

Recently came across a body just off the rotiserie from a sandblasting and thought this could be my chance but had a few questions. part of me likes the idea of starting frm scratch (as scary as it also sounds)

1. am I insane? to go from never doing this before to receiving a car in parts seems like a big step. Has anyone here done something like this for their first project?
2. Is there a short list of things I should be looking for when going in person? (ie condition of body panels. how well boxed and labeled the parts are, condition of the interior etc?)

wants around 3g but is motivated to sell (claims the sandblasting alone was a 2000 expense.)

So far they have mentioned it was restored previously in the 80s and had
new rear quarters
new rockers
new front fenders
patch on passenger side frame rail (nothing major but might need a grind to make the welds look nicer)
claims the car is nice and straight

main spots that need repair are:
floors (says the floors could be patched rather than replaced, will have to see in person)
inner wheels wells

currently missing but says he can source parts
diff
seats
front and rear windows

my goal for the car

nicely restored but not needing showroom condition, I want to be able to drive this thing so I'm looking at suspension upgrades
I like the look of the slightly lowered, wider stance, fender flared z's I've seen, but nothing crazy

some custom interior detailing meaning I dont need it to be origional (ie I want to have it sparse, and use some aircraft gauges on a flat panel dash, some nicer racing type seats, etc. In other words, I'm not looking for factory original, I'm looking for slightly modded fun car to drive and enjoy for years to come

Is there anything I should consider adding to the build with a stripped car that would be unavailable to me with a put together car?


cost:
I'm flexible. I know its going to take some money and some time but can afford to put in some money over the year or two it would take me to put back together

NismoPick

Welcome to ZDriver!

So this is it's current state?
Got pics?

If it's fresh off the rotisserie, I assume you still need to do ALL the body work?
Insane? Not for the experienced body man. It is insane for a "slightly mechanically inclined" person with no body work experience. And if it really is fresh off the rotisserie, plan on something more like $5k-$10k to complete the project.

I did a ground up resto on my 280zx during and after my auto collision repair days. I'm into the body about $10k, and still haven't painted it.

theramz

#1 yes
#2 yes
3g? no way
straight? no sandblasted car is straight after blasting.
A 2 car garage is not big enough.
You have $2k in missing parts.
You will spend $2k on materials.
You will get discouraged and want to give up.
It will take 2-3 years to complete mainly because of your experience level.
I did a resto on a '78 that was at least complete and rolling, it took me over 2 years because I had to learn body work, welding, metal bumping, and paint.
Would I do it again ? Hell yes and I am!
Everything you need to do has been done by some of us.
Good luck!

wingsuit

will post pics when I see it. looking at is this weekend.

by straight he meant he had taken cross measurements and nothing looked torqued or showing signs of previous accidents (as in the frame is straight). hood still has paint but everything else is down to the metal.

phone call also revealed that the body was sandblasted a year or so ago and then stored indoors on blocks. He gave up on it and found a 70 model that he's working on now Also revealed that he planned a v8 swap so he left the motor outside for a few years, basically admitted that it would need a full restore if its even salvagable.


Certain things I'm happy to ship off to a shop if I'm going to do nothing but **** it up. But I'd like to get as much learning doing the work as possible.

the initial 3g asking sounds worse and worse and missing an engine and a diff doesnt help. I wonder how much its really worth? 500? 1000?

I'm going to go have a look at it but am getting the feeling that I'm not ready for something so bare. I guess I just liked that it was all pulled apart so no suprises on the body/frame and that I could rust proof and start from scratch. haha by slightly mechanically inclined I meant that I dont have a lot of experience on cars, but its a fair reply that this is likely over my current head.



thanks for the reply guys

NismoPick

Oh I didn't get the "3g" thing in your first post...

I wouldn't have even wasted a ph call or text for a $3k asking price. You can find a road worthy 240Z for $3k... I bought my '70 240Z for $500, drove it for a summer, and sold it for $3k.

evandubya

$3K? Run away, far far away!!!!!!!

Hardway

Yeah, like Evan said above, RUN. He wants $3K for it and you can't even drive it home. I bought mine for $3K and it had its diff, glass, and seats in it and ran. I am doing a full rehab of all the major mechanical components. Check out my thread below. is it hard work YES, is it enjoyable, yes at times, if I had to do it over again and bought a better car for twice as much, YES in a heartbeat.

The Lime Green Machine Restoration Thread - 1972 240Z

To properly restore any car or do any major work you are going to need air tools. Any metal work that is needed plan on buying a good welder, not a cheap one from HF as you get your money's worth really quick when it comes to welders. I can fully understand your dream of building a car but think long about it because burn out can happen very quickly and there is zero return on investment from a financial stand point. You can buy good 240z's that are ready to enjoy for $6K+. I HIGHLY recommend you go that route as you will get much more enjoyment and happiness out of it in the long run. If you find something that only needs the seats recovered or possibly some very simple mechanical work then you can put your touch on it and have pride in doing it yourself.

240zking

I agree with "Hardaway". Your commitment must be solid because too many projects start but never finish due to a lack of interest or funds. You could be enjoying a nice z now for about half the cost of a decent restoration project.

PredatorZ

Ditto on the sentiment, a non running car for more than $500, OMG are you kidding. for 3k you should be able to find a really nice driver, for 2.5k you can shop all over the states, find the one you want, fly there and drive it back. It's certainly a scam to sell your non running "project" to any sucker who will pay the price, I'm sure that's what the seller is thinking. Rarely will anyone recoup the money they have sunk into a project. I see adds all the time showing thousands of dollars in receipts. Well that's retail new and paying hi price on labor to a local mechanic for service, and these guys want to get every penny they sunk into they're money pit, forget it. True its nice to find a driver that someone has already done some or all of the cool mods to, but you will pay more, and should, but not retail prices for used goods. Buyer beware !

wingsuit

yeah I found it when I was first looking into z's and obvously wasnt aware how bad of a deal it was.

in his ad he even tries to justify it by saying first you'd need to buy a $6000 working car , then strip it, and the sandblasting cost him $2000 alone so look how much money you are saving.

then as I asked more questions, while the rust was gone, the floors needed some patching, the engine had been left outside cause he thought he was going to engine swap it, and the diff had been sold, the glass was missing. after a little looking around I found out how insane his asking price was.


As its my first z I decided to go the opposite route. I found a beautiful restored 240z and am having it shipped up from the states. I'll post pics as soon as it gets here. This way I can do work and upgrades to it and start with a put together car so I'll know how to put it back together if I take anything apart.

thanks to all for the advice.