The Junkyard Z

[Michael]

Well i first brought the 77' 260z 2+2 from a Uni student in South Yarra, I had looked at a few 280zx's and some other four seater's But never really thought much of them, Especially considering the price tags on them O.O

I had always wanted an automatic just for the sake of being lazy, and that all i had ever driven was automatics, (just turned 18) Until a guy i was working with Drove us home one day in his V8 Landrover That was a manual =P

I couldn't believe the difference, Not so much in power but the feel of it, And after he saw my reaction, He let me have a go in it,

After the 1st couple of stalls, I got the hang of Starting On hills The way the clutch works, And i was hooked,

So I started to look at manual options for the Z's,

I soon found out that finding a Manual Z for a good price is alot more difficult Then an automatic, until i noticed one on the trading post i diddn't think much of until now,

 

The car was advertised at 2,700 bucks Which worked out good because i had Just capped off at 3k (first 4 Months of work)

so i thought id give him a call,

 

2 weeks later I had it At my place, Heres how it looked,

[Michael]

The Car was very neat and Tidy all around, Considering the price, The original interior was all pretty good - Uncracked dash, Seats Front and back ok, Door trim all good,

I knew for the price all along that something was going to be wrong with it for the price i got it for (2,500 Delivered to my door =D) But i thought it was going to just be the engine, ( Running but knew water was running through it,

I planned on getting a reco L28 from the start anyway, (he said it was the original L26)

It had blown a head gasket And oil was everywhere, but i suppose it was silly not to worry about that, but i had some bigger issues to see about,

There was a Fair amount of rust n the car Eg, All the normal spots and some awkward ones, But overall Didn't seem to bad,

 

So i started to think Hmm, Something else must be wrong so i went ver to my Mate's place across the road (Panel beater and does alot of work on all kinds of motors + datto nut) to get him to come have a look over it for me, we started to walk down the driveway when we realise it was Slanting in the front passenger side pretty bad, But since all the gaps were off in the bonnet and such we thought It might just be that + a collapsed strut or something,

 

We started to mark off what was stuffed and what was good, And by all comparisons It was in rough shape, But it was still a Z and it was still mine so i proceeded in Mucking around fixing it,

Its only when we moved the car over to my mates place and the took the Bonnet off to take the engine apart we realised

2 things It was an L28 >=D , The head was well and truly stuffed beyond believe but the bottom end Looked like it was reco'd recently or something.

What was wrong,

It had had some Sort of accident on the front corner and was all bent Awkwardly

We also found some rust in the chassis  while we were at it And thought oh no a complete lemon,

So i worked out what to do And was told by alot of people to part it out, (since there is alot of good parts on it)

 

but i thought i really dont wanna be another guy failing to do a car he wants, So i thought i would atleast keep the motor/trans that i could later put into a 240/260z project, so i made a trip To ash's place and got a new head for the Engine (thank's mate) And then started to post up parts for sale,

 

I got rid of only a couple of things before i started to really feel stupid about the whole ordeal, Until i saw the fella from Irelands 260z 2+2 on here, And i was sort of inspired to finish the car,

So i went on the hunt to find cheap ways / Avoiding Allzparts prices xP As i had just quit my Carpet/vinyl laying job, Due to the boss (eg stepdad) acting like a 12 year old kid, ( eg he buys a Commodore, had a rubbish pinatara in the front, My mum owns the house and said he cant buy a torana project car Till hes rid of one of his 2, I buy the Zed, (which wasnt ever ment to be a full project car) So he decided he wasnt going to give me work for 1 and a 1/2 months

 

So after this crap, Ive decided to keep the car, And do it the way i was planning to, Despite other peoples Tantrums,

My uncles worked me out a full time job at a sign company With set wages (thank god) so ill be able to get the Z done as planned.

[Michael]

Today - Was actually the first day i actually did a big day out starting to fix the car up,

I managed to sand down Half the underside of the bonnet Almost all needed to go to bare metal ><

Befroe the rain started to spit so i rushed the bonnet inside to prevent any rust,

 

Once that was inside i kept going Along the front drivers side till it got abit late and noisy for the neighbors ( very early work)

So to keep everyone happy i stopped at around 5pm, And moved onto making my own carpet kit (benefits of doing carpet and vinyl laying for the 6 months,

 

i got about half the car measured up and cut before the Fluro tube in the garage blew so i had to finish for the day,

 

And by finish i mean hand sanding/repainting and polishing the old bits from my old center console to put into the new one i brought from America.

 

Will post more as progress continues Cheers guys Michael

[zr240]

Hi Michael

 

good to hear your going to fix the car instead of parting it out

 

Ash

[Michael]

Yeah, I'm Pretty ecstatic about it, Even thought its a 2+2 i hope none of the 2 seater fellas Will get jealous i have 30cm more of Zed then them

 

 

 

=P

 

The mattress in the pic i used to put the bonnet on while sanding to Prevent and dinting from puting to much pressure on the sander, - Tip from Dean my panel beating mate

 

[XRQTR]

Champ just a bit of advice for the next time you need to take panels back to metal, use paint stripper, it's a lot less labor intensive and you can do other things while you wait for the solvent to react with the paint.

 

But ye good on you for having a go

[Michael]

Yeah I was told by my mate the same thing, but the underside of the bonnet is the only real spot That needs to go back to bare metal - Surface rust

other then that im trying to avoid going back to bare metal as much as possible - Reasons unknown Just what my mate said to do, He knows his stuff so im just going by him, Hes really noligable about doing this kind of stuff since hes done something Respayed/repaired rust on something like 8 of his own Cars then theres the ones his done for other people,

But ill Ask him again about the stripper and see if its worth Using,

Thanks for the advice mate Michael

[reverendzed]

Hey Michael,

As a fellow 2+2 owner I.m glad that another one gets a new lease on life.  What are you planning to do about the chassis thats bent? are you planning to put it on a rack to try and get all the corners even? If you're going to all this trouble just make sure you get some of those essential chassis/rust areas properly fixed.

Rev

[RBZ 260]

As REV said good to see another 2+2 getting fixed.

 

once i sort my current workload and get my new workshop sorted out i think ill be getting another one to play around with.

 

Go the stretched Z.

 

 

[Michael]

Well, The plan at the moment For the chassis At the moment Is to hook the corner to a hoist And See if it will unbend itself,

Because From the looks of it, The chassis rails themselves seem sort of straight But it looks way of lining up,

Its really hard to know what to do till we take the Front fenders off and see how each line up Compared to each other,

Problem is i dont know how good the Springs/shocks are in the corner/ I have Started sanding in that corner yet so i dont know how much bog is there or anything, Theres a lot of ifs and buts at the moment

but yeah, Ill be doing everything necessary to get it right,

 

Thanks guys Michael

[Michael]

- another day of just sanding the car back, Did all i could do till i ran out of usable Sanding disks xP

 

Managed to do the other front fender, The hatch, And partial bits of both rear 1/4s

 

I measured out all the Chassis rails, And from the look of it They seem to be in good shape, Which really confuses me, But were starting to think its just the sheet metal/ inside part of the wheel well, If that makes sence,

 

Anyway Front fenders will be coming off next week along with the motor/gearbox so we'll know more then,

As for the rest of the week Im just planning on sanding Sanding and more sanding =D

 

- Michael

[Michael]

Well Todays Tuesday, So i find out if i get my new job at a sign company today,

and if i do get it time to work on the car will soon decrease, And to add to that i found out yesterday the Occasion i really wanted the car ready by has been moved 2 months Closer then i was hoping it would be XP

 

But anyway Progress went exceptional today again!

 

Managed to Sand The entire outside of the body except, In a rough sand Then a smoother sand paper,

Still got another Higher grit (smoother) Before ill be happy to prime it, And fix the rust that needs doing but anyway

 

Plans are now to Do the interior carpet and finish sanding by Friday, Then engine comes out to be painted / gaskets put in

Whiles thats being done i'll fix the Rust bit in the Firewall And Prime/paint that, Along with exhaust

 

Next weekend it should back back in Then car be painted, Which is i know a nearly impossible Deal, but it seems to be getting easier and easier as it goes on ( a first for zed's?)

 

Anyway, Will keep the Project journal Well up to date as i have some family and some mates keeping track aswell

 

Cheers guys Michael

[modular9]

<snip>... Which is i know a nearly impossible Deal, but it seems to be getting easier and easier as it goes on ( a first for zed's?)

 

....

 

WOAH.. I seriously hope you got a very large plank of wood to touch when you said that.  ;D

 

good luck with the rest of the build. I think the rest of the fellas on here have said everything i wanted to say but I'll add a three-thumbsup.

 

[pauly_adams]

hey michael i was wondering what your chasis number was cause mines a late 77 2+2 and it also has flaired guards i thort it was done after market then again maybe not.

 

cheers pauly

[Michael]

Hey mate, If you talking about Just normal flared guards, Then i don't think mine has any to speak of, In the topic im talking about getting the zg flare kit, At I have some 2 small rust holes in the bottom edge of the Wheel well, Which would be cut of when installing the zg flares anyway, But yeah, If this hasnt Covered it let me know,

Thanks mate Michael

 

- Update Exaust's Out ready to be prepped and repainted,

- some more sanding done on the inner part of the hatch, and door sills,

 

- Don't get much done waking up late xP

[pauly_adams]

cheers i just ment the slight flair in the back my 77 2+2 has them aswell and didnt no if it was standed or not. also looking good ill be joining the paint crew in a couple of weeks so keep posting.

 

cheers pauly

[Michael]

Ah yeah, i see what you mean, the rears do seem to have a nice little Lip on them, but as far as i know its original.

I have to admit it does look pretty good, Althought i'd rather Get the zg flares then fix the coule Bits missing at the bottom of my fender, Since i wanted flares in the first place anyway =P

 

As for paint, its a little soon to judge when itll be done, But im Planning to go a Dark (midnight/electric) blue, Which along with the blacked out trim and Black zg flares i think will look alright =P

 

But yeah will keep topic updated often

 

Thanks mate Michael

[Michael]

Well, as i said in another post, I would post up some Updated pics, But it started to rain just as i finished so i wasn't able to grab any xP

I managed to Finish the carpet, Knock down the edges And Cover up the Old K-mart mirror holes in the doors, Removed the rear tails lights to prep and paint them, along with doing some sanding behind there,

 

But still no pics....

 

then i thought Hey why not put up some pics of my Side project when the Z gives me the shits? ^^

Its a HB Cyclone Chassis, And a New motor/esc set that can go something like 60mph in a couple of seconds im told,

(It made the PEtrol rc tires (normally go 65-70kmh) Bubble and then one flew off the rim oO

Although it doesnt last to long as my cheapie Battery hasnt got enough power running to it all,

 

Anyway heres some pics ^^

[reverendzed]

Hey michael, good to hear of your progress, keep up the enthusiasm.  How did you cover up the holes from the previous mirrors?  it's really important when you are doing your resto to not bog to many holes as normally this is where it will give way under movement.  Better to weld what you can.

Rev.

[Michael]

Yeah, I took it over the road an did like a tac wed each side of the hole, Then knocked it down, and bogged over the indentations, Looks pretty good so far, Havent sanded it back yet because it started to rain But it seemed to come up a treat ^^

 

Thanks mate Michael

 

[Michael]

Well, Today it rained on and off all day, I would get all set up then it would rain so i would pack up then it would stop And so on so on...

I got Hardly anything done compared to other days Even when it was raining =L But what can you do,

In my garage there is only room to be on one side of the car at a time, needing to move it over to get to the other side So i just got a little shitty and only did the drivers side half in bog To get in those little bits that i diddn't get before.

Engine was ment to come out today but since it was raining i diddnt want to risk Wheeling it over the road where it wouldnt b under a garage till he finished his commodore xP

 

But anyway, I start my new job Tomorrow at Bentleigh Signs ^^ so ill be able to keep the ball rolling And get the parts i desperately need to get the car's rwc, - New side Blinkers

Reproduction Fender mirrors that will be sanded and painted black along with the rest of the chrome trim,

A new front bumper,

Front spoiler Of Ash, ^^!

Head gaskets/valve cover Rubber seal,- New tail light gaskets

Oh yeah some paint =P (Thanks Mum )

And some other little necessity's like Cup holders and such,

 

Anyway heres some Blurry phone pics of the carpet i did, and whatnot, ^^

 

- Michael 

[modular9]

Are you going a bumperless rear end like rev's or the gunmetal one that sulio posted a while back ? Makes the 2+2 look a little different to the norm.

 

Good progress.

 

[Michael]

Um to be honest im not quite sure, I know i do want to keep a rear bumper of some kind, It will be black along with rest of the trim, Althought Over riders? No overriders? Or no bumper at all?

 

I definently will not be fiberglassing over any holes just incase i change my mind, But on a daily basis yeah, Black bumper, Without overriders i think is the winner

 

[pauly_adams]

stick with chrome and no overrider's thats what i i have, as for your car, your beating me I'm also going to be repainting mine this weekend with any luck i have already done the body work on mine only 2 holes in the whole body one in the drivers side sill about 10mm and one near the filler cap about 5mm. I'm not doing a bare metal respray though as my paint was in good condition but i am doing a bare metal respray on my bonnet and front quarter panels. good luck with the spray I'm spraying mine deep cherry red similar to the auszcar red but deeper and darker ill post some pics when I'm done good luck with yours glad to see another 2+2 is getting new lease on life.

 

cheers Pauly

[Michael]

Hey guys, Been awile i know but new job with 54 hours a week its hard to find time to wok on the car properly Especially when it rains the days i get off xP

 

Anyway even tho it rained we managed to roll the car over the road and started straightening the car up,

Its looking really good so far ^^

 

I also managed to Paint up the Exaust and paint up the valve cover aswell as pickup a vrs Gasket set, And some other little bits, I only got one pick today But will get some more of the painted bits one of these days

 

- we pulled off the front guards and nosecones today and found absolutly no bad rust underneath ^^ ?Just a tiny patch of surface rust On the underside - Big woop

 

We also found were it was rubbing but we reallise it was

From center

1.5 turns to lock Left,

Whereas 2 and a half turns to lock turning right

So im guessing it needs to be adjusted to be 2-2?

Anyone can inform me of this in stock 260z steering?

Anyway still looking real good ^^

- Michael