J P D

thanks for the tip, i was lookin at that and i was suprised the bottom of my fender wasnt all rusted out. when i pulled the bottom of the fender off the rocker a bunch of debres fell on the floor. i will deffinatly rig something like that up to prevent future problems. later

hey guys, finally got around to tearing the car apart, everything came out smooth, like 40 min and the engine and trans were out, then i got the fenders and cowl and such off. as i suspected there is surface rust starting to form but nothing serious at all. http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=8408 after that roll of film was done i got the hatch and doors and some interior stuff, and the fuel tank off. So far rust is looking to be really minimal but is still worth attacking now instead of later, and lots of filth everywhere. by next weekend i should have it down to the shell so i can start the body work. later

Zman thats what im most scared of is riping off a fender to discover more rust. Im sure the more i take it apart the more ill find. i went over the entire car with a magnet before i bought it to make sure the best i could that there was no filler on it. i would say i made out pretty good though, the car is originally from las vegas, only been in chicago a year before i bought it, so it was never really exposed to the rust causing elements. all the key rust areas are clean. so mine shouldnt be too bad but you never know.

26th z, may i ask what happend, are you in the middle of a resto? or did you get "in over your head"? looks like you started with a beautiful Z. ed, i look forward to seein some pics of your resto. i know the feeling of finishing up a restore and you just want to seal it in a airproof box so nothing will happen to your hard work. im sure cruzin it will be a blast. kenz240z i wish i would have read your post before i bought the how to restore the z book, coulda saved some cash toward a digi camera. :classic: . later guys.

EScanlon, i totally agree with your post. i see it all too often, i see the ads like you said for great deals on project cars because someone got in over their head. This Z is mine forever so if for some reason i cant work on it for a while or need a break or funds run out, it will be waiting for me when im ready. If it takes me 7 years to finish then thats what it takes, but when i get done this thing will be showroom quality!!! I deffinatly need to get a digi camera. Ive probably spent more money on disposable ones and then getting them developed but i just cant bring myself to go buy one. Anyway when i get some time this weekend the engine and trans are coming out. im gonna do the rebuild myself, well as much as i can, my brother is a welder and has lots of friends in the machining business that have helped us out before with rebuilding engines. im gonna do the body work too and my neighbor has a booth and all the equipement in his garage hell let me use for painting. anyway ill keep you guys updated with my progress. later

ok, i knew it wouldnt be long before a post like this came up. I fully understand were your coming from. Let me first start by saying the car is in good shape, but maybe in the pictures it appears alot nicer than in person. there is "minor rust" now that could soon turn into a problem, the body is so wavy from dents it looks like a bad bondo job. suspension is shot. the engine is on its last leg, very bad compression, trans grinds terrible and when i drained there was metal flakes in the fluid. oh and nothing electrical works. this car IS in such nice condition otherwise that it would be a waste of a straight body to leave it how it is, also the fact that it isnt really drivable. now onto the other point that i dont know what im doin. I have restored/built up my share of cars including a 67 falcon, mr2t, 911tt, 74 tr6, i helped my unlce restore his 77 280. then there is my brothers charger. Not only have i been working on cars for as long as i can remember i also have fairly good organizational skills and lots of resources as far as body work/machine shop...i dont think there has been a time since i was born that there wasnt a car in pieces in my garage. thanks for the concern though. most ppl dont realize what they are getting into but i have been there plenty of times before and would not have started this project if i wasnt 110% sure i would be able to finish. later

yeah its a great starting point. if i do anything half assed to this car the Z gods will probably strike me dead.

Hey guys, right now im "career changing" so it gives me plenty of time to get started on my car. Here are some pics of how my car looked when i bought it. http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=8408 The car is pretty clean with only minor surface rust in spots. frame rails, battery tray, and floor pans are all solid as a rock but it has its share of dingers. I just drained all the fluids and probably gonna be takin out the motor and trans tomorrow. I dont exactly know what all im going to do to this car but i am gonna take it down to the shell and get the body perfect and go from there. Im really in no hurry to get it back together so im gonna take my time and do everything right. Ill keep you guys posted as i tear it apart.