Restoration: How hard?

[HunterGreene]

So I drive by a used car lot here in Cleveland every day on my way into work. Imagine my surprise when I see an old Datsun/Nissan body sitting in the back. One of these days, I will have to get a photo. With my limited experience, it looks like an old 240/280Z, which would be an amazing find.

The thought has crossed my mind--could it be restored? So that's where the post title comes in: How hard would it be to restore a very beat-up looking old Nissan? I haven't looked at the car up close yet, and it could very well be completely rusted out, but if it wasn't....

How hard is it to find replacement parts for this car? Is it worth it if there isn't too much rust? Should I give up my dream and just watch this thing rust away?

Just curious as to your thoughts, especially the guys who have restored imports before. Thanks in advance!

[LSxJunkie]

S30 Zs were notoriously bad with rust. You live in the snowbelt. If this thing is anywhere near cancer free, you're in for a world of.....learning. Learning how to do body work. Learning how to fab. Learning how to weld.

If you are not willing to sink thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours into this thing, I'd say stay away, even if it is mostly clean.

[whaap]

How hard is like asking how high is high. Once you tackled the "rust belt" body you then would have to turn your attention to all the mechanics involved and those are many. Then we can't forget about upholstery, headliner, carpeting, door trim, instrument panel, etc., etc.

If you wanted to do it for the sake of adventure and learning and then keep the car and enjoy it, it might possibly be a go. That is if you have deep pockets. If you're thinking of restoring a car and then selling it for a profit the odds would overwhelmingly be against you.

[dem00n]

Dare i say, part of this isn't skill, buts it mostly just money and the willing fact to learn. Also the fact you'll need lots of space and time, it will take a lot of time.

I would look at your financial status first. If you have a wife, you'd want to go over with them too, even if its a girlfriend you'll want to wed one day.


Even if you do have some past knowledge in automotive work, assuming you know the run of the mill stuff, you will most likely not be ready for this.

I'm assuming this car will need a full resto, engine taken apart and looked over, body needs some work along with paint job and full over do of interior.

Parts for a Z? Not that difficult, but it won't be easy.

The real question is. Do you want to do a resto mod or just keep the car as original as possible?

I once was going to pull the trigger on a 2nd Gen Corvair, but i realized i don't have the funds to pull this off. Its not just the fact you might have to buy new/used parts but new tools, might even have to get some outside services to help you as well.

There's going to be a lot of times where you'll want to just throw it all in the trash and there will be a lot of times where you'll want to spend all night working on it.

[stilletto]

Cash Flow's gonna' be your biggest issue.

[bcj]

Originally Posted by dem00n

2nd Gen Corvair

Oh! 69 Monza is a bucket list car, but I'll likely never have one.
This is close enough.

[kbye]

@dem00n is right...

I've been in that boat... I had an old 1985 corolla GTS that I swore I would restore... but as time went by, that poor car just sat in my backyard. I didn't have the time/money to do it anymore... life was catching up, bought a house, bought a ring, etc... and the car was rusted to the point where I'd have to cut and reweld panels, and sandblast the entire body. Just wasn't worth hanging on to anymore, so I sold it to a guy who stripped it for parts.

Moral of the story is: Are you willing to put in the time, money, and dedication into restoring a vehicle that is possibly older than you are? Or do you just want to drive a cool vintage car? If you only answered yes to the second question, don't buy that car.

[HunterGreene]

Thanks for the honest responses, guys. It did occur to me that if it was in decent condition, it would have been picked up by now. Part of the question is how many NEO winters did it actually see before coming to rest in the space its in now, but I'm not optomistic.

Good point on the money issue. I have a 1-month old daughter, and I realize that she comes first, but thankfully money isn't too tight and I can dream about stuff like this.

Guess I will wait a couple decades before I decide to try restoring an old car. At that point, maybe I'll just find one of the old twins and bring that back to life

[dem00n]

I do have a favor to ask of you.

Take some pictures of that said car, find out if its for sale and go post it on bringatrailer.com or on some Z forums.

If you can't pick it up then maybe someone else can, and maybe you can find comfort in the fact that the car will be driven one day.


Just sayin...

[HunterGreene]

I will have to check into that, thanks.

[bakerr6]

If you can please, send some pics to me. I've been looking for an old one and may pick this up to restore.

I'm looking for something that may take 8-10 years to finish haha

My current project is a 71 c10 that will be receiving an lsx in the future and the wife and I plan on using it to tow the boat now.

[HunterGreene]

Originally Posted by bakerr6

If you can please, send some pics to me. I've been looking for an old one and may pick this up to restore.

I'm looking for something that may take 8-10 years to finish haha

My current project is a 71 c10 that will be receiving an lsx in the future and the wife and I plan on using it to tow the boat now.

I'll try to get some pictures in the next week.