junior

Where do I start? And any recommendations on the best products.

J.W. Valerus

BoulderZ

I've done several (rusty) 78 280s. By far the best way to go is a complete strip and rebuild. The results will outdo those from any other piece-by-piece approach. The one downside, and it's huge, is the cost in time and money. However, depending how bad the rust is, maybe you don't need to go that far. To see how bad it could be, check out the Sport Z magazine issue where Jim Seethram walks you through his restoration of a quite rusty '78. It's a real eye opener if you haven't done a frame up on a Datsun before.

IMO, I've never seen a Datsun that wasn't at least well-enjoyed, if not abused, over it's life (barring ultra-expensive already restored trailer queens), and that means there's always about 3 times more rust than there seems to be. Add to that the fact that who isn't going to want to drive their Z to the limit of capabilities (car and driver), and I'm not comfortable with anything less than a complete strip and rebuild of a car that's over 20 years old. Think about diving into a turn just shy of a full four-wheel slide, do you want to suddenly wonder "How well attached are the 24 year old bolts holding my car together?"
With all that in mind, best products I've used have been:
POR-15 (rust/metal treating system)
Cut out the rust and replace with new steel. Motorsport Auto, Zedd Findings and others carry great replacement bits, even new floor pans and "frame rails". You could probably assemble a Z from scratch out of catalogs like that (it would be silly-expensive, but you could do it). Just don't use Bondo or fiberglass fills (a whole panel's nice, but that's different) or anything like that unless there just isn't any other option. They're just fillers (bandaids), and they certainly don't look or last like steel.

Once you've got it stripped, cut out the rust, welded in new steel, POR-15ed the whole underside and non-painting surfaces, be sure to pick high-quality paint like Ditzler or DuPont. What type is up to you (lacquer, authentic enamel, or modern 2-part catalyzed urethane). For undercoating my favorite product is 3M Undercoat. A big improvement over the original asphalt undercoating Datsun used for sound-deadening with the unfortunate side-effect of water retention. Thus all of our problems with rust on these great cars now.

I'd also recommend Wick Humble's _How To Restore Your Datsun Z Car_ as an indispensable product. In fact, buy it and read it cover to cover, twice, before you even start on the car, if you haven't already . Along with classics like How To Rebuild Your Datsun/Nissan Engine, and How To Modify Your Datsun/Nissan OHC Engine.
An abrasive blaster is also really nice to have, and a whole lot of good beer and patience
Happy sanding!
Dave

BoulderZ

Thanks! I finally got a digital camera last weekend, so updates should be a bit more regular now. Film's great for true art-quality photos, but it turns out I have no patience for scanning
My profile should have a couple of pics of my current proj, a black pearl, at time of purchase this June. A lot's changed since then! I'll try to snap a few shots tonight if I can get out of work before sundown. It's almost completely stripped now, "Paint booth before Thanksgiving" is the goal. So far that seems pretty reasonable without having to rush any of the work. More pics and updates soon!
Dave