Your having a good day when......

[gav240z]

Your having a great day when something like this happens....

 

 

Yep this is what happens when people don't do things properly. My step dad is one of those people unfortunately and decided not to bolt down the overhead lights in the garage.

 

So I could go on forever about how angry I am. What I really need to do is fix it.

 

Who can give me some advice on the best way to fix it? It needs paint and the dent has to be beaten out. :roll:

[Toecutter]

Just touch it up until you get the car sprayed.

The way I see it your in need of respray on the bonnet and from our discussion on the phone tonite it sounds like you wanted to use your spare non-vented bonnet that also needs red paint. You also mentioned the doors need attention. It might be time to change directions and hook into some body work. Not sure it's the sort of thing you'd want to do in a shared garage at home if your gonna try it yourself though, alot of dust to deal with.

[dave_hl]

bummer mcbummer. yesterday or the day before i backed my dirt bike (which has a metal rear guard) into the exact same spot on my car, wasn't as scrapped as that but its so dam frustrating. just took off paint, pretty sure it hasn't dented the body.

thought id share my story. as for fixing; i have no idea as usual.

[zedevan]

dam that sucks, i had my car parked at my gf's while it was caneried and on that real windy day that happened (well one of them) some of her dads dodgy car port roofing came off at one end and put 4 nice deep scratches on my roof and some down one side, luckily they aren't dents for me, and i didn't just pay for a nice paint job! ohwell it was in need of a paint job anyway like yours kind of was?

 

my thought would be just to cover it to stop it rusting, even just with some quality rust paint from bunnings and leave it until you want to work on the body

[gav240z]

Well I went and saw Talladega Nights tonight, which helped me cool off a bit.

 

On the bright side of things it could have been worse. I mean it could have been the roof and thank god it wasn't.

 

Ok well looking at my car as a whole:-

Doors need to be repaired(Inner skins are rusted).

Fuel Tank Filler (Surface rust spot coming through).

Bonnet was poorly painted and looks dull (Don't like the vented hood much either) Have a spare non-fluted to go on.

The front panels could use a proper line up(a minor accident has caused the front of the car to not properly align good chance to fix this).

 

My g/f bought me a set of bullet mirrors and I haven't mounted them because the existing mirrors will leave a mark underneath where the paint looks funny (minor rust).

 

 

All these items in consideration and I think the best bet here is to give her another lick of paint all around. Repair the rust but not go to bare metal now. I would like to properly strip the car in the future, give her a sand blast and really tackle the whole car. I would like to paint her Silver as she was originally that colour but for now I'll stick with red since that's the engine bay colour. I don't wan't to go too crazy at this stage just a good enough job to last a couple of years while I build my crazy L28 and work on other mechanical items.

 

I'm so gonna regret pulling her apart :roll: :cry:

[gav240z]

Here is a list of images showing the areas my car needs attention in.

 

 

So there we have it all the problem spots and the reason I believe I should just give her a new lick of paint. The only area which I think will be expensive is really the doors.

 

I'm keen to give painting and prep work a shot.

[NR240]

Gav,

 

I empathise with you... my tip is too not let these things bother you too much. There will be many things in life that won't go to plan and sometimes it is hard to not get upset. I remember going nuts at my dad many years ago for parking too close to my Z etc etc , i regret saying those things now. Anyway on to the problem that you have..

 

You know what i am going to say... Spend the money, do it right 1st time! I know it costs money, and probably money that you dont have or were going to spend on your engine. There is simply no point in spraying the car and semi-fixing it, thats going to cost you a few thousand dollars by the time its all done, and then you will have to spend double that amount to do it properly later on. You may as well just do what zedevan said and paint over it and drive the car until you can afford the bodywork.

 

I know that you wouldnt compromise with your engine, why compromise on the most beautiful part of the Zed, the bodywork!!

 

Having said all that, you need to do what is right for you.

 

Best of luck

 

Nigel

[luke_mcmahon85]

That sucks...

 

sadly photo's like that of all the bubbling paint and rust on my car would take alot longer to load...

 

i've learned to live with it, in the hope of one day having the money to do it all properly.....sigh....someday...

[zedevan]

i wouldn't bother with a complete respray without doing what you really want to do (going to bare metal) just as its a waste of time and money (unless your going to do it urself and want to give it a shot and are to worried to take it to bare metal at this stage?) i'd love to see your car in a nice silver with a red interiour as you had mentioned somewhere that you thinking of doing!

 

so unless you're really embarressed to drive around in your car with the body not looking close to 100% i dont see the point, ppl hardly notice the dodgy paint on my car and trust me its more obvious than any of the dodgy stuff on ur car (besides the white dent/scratch) but i think the overall beauty of our cars distracts ppl from the bad stuff! also i think if u you put that nice mirror on your door, i dont think anyone would notice the dodgy paint around it as much.

 

knowing that i want to respray my car sometime in the future i was thinking of doing a rolled on BRE style paint job on my car (black over green) but the existing paint is really to nice to justify it. with your car i'd be tempted to put the other bonnet on wtih it painted flat black, or just paint the whole car flat black to give it a completely different look for a few years :twisted:

[Zeddophile]

there is quite a bit of rust in there Gav, those doors are quite bad and that bit near the fuel filler will be more extensive than you think, due to the fact that there is a second piece spotwelded to the back of it which is pretty complex (trust me!). Like others have said, don't bother spraying it until you have the time/funds to repair all the damage - its just not worth it, because you will find so much coming through in the not too distant future that you will severely regret it.

[matt drago]

Hey Gav,

 

Although every one else has already said it, don't do the respray until you can do it all the way that you really want to, bare metal.

 

Just having spent a lot of time getting the body right (and going back to bare metal in the process), I know that as we touched areas that I thought were okay, resulted in finding small problems. And the minor problem areas turned into medium ones.

 

I'd say make a choice, engine or body. Get that part of the rebuild done and then move onto the next.

 

Cheers, and have fun throwing the pros and cons around in your head

 

Matt D

[gav240z]

Well although everyone doesn't think I should paint it again. I think I should, I would really like to learn how to paint and do prep work.

 

A friend of mine managed to paint his commodore yellow and he's fairly lazy when it comes to the detail side of things. There were areas you could tell needed improvement but on the whole it didn't look too bad.

 

I just don't want to patch up the area the car will start to look like it should be called patches.

 

To do the body work properly will take way too long at this stage. I enjoy being able to drive the car and taking it off the road for longer than 6 months at this stage will be a killer for me.

 

Doing all that would involve taking out the interior, the engine and all that fun stuff.

 

I can at least treat all the major rust in it, granted some will be left over but more than likely not visible. The car has been fairly well looked after over the years I'm technically the 3rd owner and the previous one had it for 27 years.

 

If I do most of the prep and even spray work, I'll learn something and save alot of $$$ since paint work is really about labour and not materials.

 

I'm still not 100% sure, so I think I'll speak with a few body work experts and spray painters and see what would be the best option.

[warrenz]

Hey Gav,

 

Your pictures look a lot like my car looked when I decided it was time to do something about it. Matt is 100% correct, minor problems turned into medium problems and where I did not think I had a problem turned out that I did.

 

Have you looked closely under the battery tray ? I would be surprised if that does not need so work.

Once you start on the body it is big bucks to get it how you want it.

 

Anyway yours is Red so a fix and respray of the area should not be a big deal. When it is silver they want to respray half the car to blend it in.

 

Cheers

Warren

[Toecutter]

Ideally it would be a good to strip the whole thing down and do a thorough job with the paint however I understand Gavs rational on this one; especially when you have'nt the luxury of another car and have to rely on loaning family members cars and catching rides with friends.

 

I had some rust spots on my car when I first bought it. I got it resprayed about 5 years ago. The job cost me $2500 in two pack red. I made sure all the windows were pulled out and installed new seals which did'nt cost too much. I spent quite a bit of time at the paint shop helping out just to be sure and I was having fun watching the progress. It's not a show quality job but when all cleaned up she looks fine. I don't think it would have made much difference to the level I enjoy my car if I had spent any more time or money in regards to a better paint job. If anything it allowed me to move on with the next thing seeing I still had plenty of cash and I was all charged up looking at the shiny red paint.

 

Soon after paint it was a daily driver parked in the sun and rain pretty much every day for about 2.5 years. I have a couple of very small bubbles under the hatch which have now got fish oil on them.

In addition to this I know someone who spent $8000.00 on his Z paint and garaged the car always, after some years a rust bubble still appeared under the hatch, these cars are a pain for rust and I have come to the conclusion they need routine body maintanence with the key being never letting the cancer get to far.

 

I'll prolly spray the car again in another 3 to 5 years and do as Warren has done trying my hand at some body work.

 

Gav, if you think your able to get the prep work done I reckon give it a go and get a pro to paint it. Only thing is your perp work in regards to rust might not be as thorough as Matts or Warrens and you'll just have to live with that. I don't think it's too much of a compromise although for some of the fellas here it is as they are looking for a certain level of perfection and I can completely understand that, it just depends on what you want to get out it all. I'm pretty sure your floor pans are'nt about to fall apart so it's not that far gone and in need of urgent structural attention hey!? You'll prolly be able to get someone to spray it for about $1000 if you do all the preperation. In a couple of years you might see a bubble somewhere and maybe in 5 or 6 years you might even think about a respray!?

 

Sorry about the long response but my point is yes I agree you won't have to live with the car stripped down for the next 12 months or so.

 

Good Luck!

 

Sulio

[gav240z]

Hey Sulio, thanks for your reply and no it wasn't too long at all.

 

You see I understand what Matt and Warren are doing, I had a 73 240z before this and I loved it, so much so I began stripping it to give it the proper restoration that I would love to do with my current car.

 

However the problem was I was a Uni student and I could see too many compromises and expenses for my budget. Once you added it all up it started to look like $15,000 later and I'd have it back on the road. When your still a Uni student it's hard to put $3000 together let alone $15k

 

So what did I do? Well rather than look at a project in the garage that I knew I couldn't finish, I found my current Z and it's what really kept me into Zeds sure the body isn't perfect but it looked/looks pretty smick. I really enjoyed driving it but again being a Uni student I was limited with what I could do with it.

 

Now I work full time and money is still hard but more forgiving. It's time I need more of, but the past week I've been polishing an old valve cover, until the huge dent appeared. Doesn't it always seem like you try and take 2 steps forward only to take 5 back?

 

Anyway the fact is I've been thinking about doing body work to fix some issues since I bought her. I know that what I do now won't be a final solution but it sure is a hell of alot better than leaving the rust and dents and what not.

 

I want to enjoy the car in summer, but with a dent and scratch down the side as big as a mobile phone it will just piss me off. I want to enjoy it and for me the only way I can enjoy my car is if it looks respectable. I might be a novice at body work but the only way to learn is to jump in and give it a go.

 

I was afraid to give it a go on my old Z and I don't wish to make the same mistake twice. Hell I want to mount flares but cutting the guards up is something I couldn't bring myself to do yet. Look what happens, is that irony or what?

 

I have been reading Wick Humble's how to restore your Zcar book. I have been looking over the body work section and gaining more confidence that I can do it. The rust work I may consider getting professional help but the prep and possibly painting I might do myself. The prep work is the hard part any monkey can spray from what I've read.

 

I think if I work on it from now until summer after work, I can get it done before christmas. I'll be able to enjoy the new bullet mirrors and the super smooth non-fluted bonnet. Plus I'll have the enjoyment of a fresh paint job, sure it won't be perfect but what is?

[Toecutter]

Good. It'll be interesting to follow the progress! You would want it ready for the Nationals hey!!!

Judging from the last BBQ alot of the members cars are off the road. Obviously alot of these cars are going to look pretty good when finished so I'm hanging for the day we can go for a cruise with various coloured shmiko Z's, especially now that Nigels car is off to QLD, that car is really nice and looked great in photos; a loss for us Victorians!

[matt drago]

Hey Gav,

 

I think I understand what you are saying. Hell, I only got to drive my Z about 3 times before I started work on her, and that was nearly 2 years ago. It is killing me seeing her in the garage in pieces, but I want to do the job right and not have to worry about fixing things for a while after she is back on the road. I understand that cars always need to be tinkered with to maintain them.

 

I have only owned Datsun/Nissans since I have started driving (about 13 years) and my father (until recently) also only drove Datsun/Nissans. I understand the joys of rebuilding a car (especially a Datsun), only to have a rust bubble appear 6 months down the line (even when you use so much fish oil that you think you have shares in the company )

 

If you want to give body work a go, go for it. But make sure that you have the right tools for the job. To date, Dad has been the one to do most of the body work. My Z is the first car that he has actually let me sand the body filler down! One day I plan to learn more about panel beating and the like. I plan to do this by getting a guard off some car (from a wreck) and get it out of shape and then try to get it back into shape.

 

Maybe start your body work by getting rid of the "mobile phone holder" on the guard. Once you are happy with it, pick a guard and fix it up one at a time. This way the car won't be off the road too long, but you get to also fix up the things that you want to. The main reason that I say to do it right first time is that the second time will probably end up costing more if you have to fix something that has been fixed previously in a less than good way. Most of the major fixes on my car have been caused by dodgy workmanship.

 

I'm pretty lucky considering that my Dad has been fixing cars up since before I can remember, and his Dad also worked on cars (how did I get into computers??). If you check out my blog, the cost that I have put into the car to date has mostly been labour. The only cost that I haven't listed there is for things like sand paper, stripper and body filler, etc.

 

At the end of the day do what is right for you. Good luck with giving the body work a go, just don't stretch the skins

 

Cheers,

 

Matt

 

P.S. I forgot to mention in the previous post about when 2 problems merge into one (scary) and discovering all of the factory installed body filler.

[NR240]

Gav,

 

One good thing about doing a repair job as opposed to a full fledged resto is that you will still be able to drive it comfortably without feeling like you need a straight jacket everytime you park it and leave it somewhere!!!!

 

Let me tell you, once you commit yourself to a ground up rebuild, your brain undergoes some kind of change, you add up all the money, all the time and effort and you can hardly drive the car for fear of scratches, dents and wait for it.... yes rain!!! oh my god, at one point i would not drive the car if there was a remote chance of rain in the next 48 hours!. That is completely pathetic but yes it does happen to you, so Warren and Matt i look forward to seeing how your "mental health" is when you guys are finished!! i can laugh now because i dont have to worry about that kind of thing anymore.

 

Actually selling the car was also very difficult mentally, it took a few days to get over it, but now i am completely fine with it, and i love the cars just as much.

 

PS: remember the rule of 3's for fixing up old cars

 

3x the amount of problems you expected

3x the cost that you had budgeted

3x time you estimated the job to take

 

There will be much rust in the car, you just can't see it yet.

 

Nigel