Oz

Don't want to think about the budget too much - we'd never bother starting if we did. I think it will be a case of buying a car with the best shell we can find / afford, or maybe even take over an abandoned project that's already had the body work done. Still researching at the moment...

Poor guy, hopefully it was insured. Idiot thieves probably don't even know how special the car is

Sit tight and wait for a right Z to come up. I'd add the 928 Porsche to your list - they're a cool car

All of my early Holdens have had to come from interstate in the past, so I've done the trip east with a car trailer a few times!! Thanks for the advice on prices. We'll get the budget ready and then sit tight until the right car comes along

That's the one - he was one committed dude Hopefully it won't cost that much

We'll know more once we've done some research and decided what we want. There are several things that I know for sure from experience: It will be heaps cheaper just to go and buy a good car in the first place. It's no use setting a budget because we'll blow it. We'll never get the financial investment back. We'd be lucky to sell it for half what it cost to build. The value of father / son projects like this can't be measured in terms of dollars. Let's just see how we go

Hopefully attached to a car

I heard of a guy that built a Supermarine Spitfire from a single rivet given to him by a friend...so let's see if me and Ozjnr can build a Zcar from the badge I bought today to kick off our project

Yes it does help, thankyou. It is a good reminder to do some online research, and we are at the very beginning of that process now. I really hear what you're saying, and I think some advanced driver skills training and track days will be the order of the day for young Ozjnr. Also, he'll have been driving for a couple of years by the time we finish the project. Ozjnr will be taking a gap year to work on the car before starting uni so that it doesn't interrupt his study. We'll be using the next few years to save the money, do the groundwork and start gradually buying the parts that we need so that we have both the plan and the resources to finish the project in 2017. Given that it's 2014 (soon), we should have more than enough time. The funding won't be an issue and I have my eyes well and truly open when it comes to the cost. I think 30K is a bit light, as you say, probably the minimum. And yes, we will get some experience with a car in stock trim to see if we still want to upgrade the whole power-train. That's actually a very good idea, and has made me decide that I'll buy one as my daily drive when I'm back in Perth permanently later in 2014 (if I can find one between now and then). It will really help us decide what to do to Ozjnr's car; and it could well become Ozjnr's when he's ready. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. It's the sort of honest input that we need right now. It's sometimes difficult to remember that classic sports cars handled a lot differently to modern cars and need a much higher degree of skill and experience to drive. I'll keep that very much in mind and do what I can to ensure Ozjnr is as prepared as possible to get behind the wheel when the time comes.

Aha, there you are I should explain to forum members that I work overseas, so I'm several thousand miles away from Ozjnr. Anyway young man, I've managed to find a purple diesel gemini sedan for you to drive around in whilst we build the Z. You'll love it - it has a sunvisor!

My son has just finished year 9, so has some time up his sleeve until he's ready to start driving. We haven't got a car yet, and might need a little help identifying a 'good' one to buy. For this project I'd be looking for something in original paint with minimal rust. I'm not too fussy about the mechanicals or interior because a lot of it won't be needed. Basically, a good shell is the main consideration. At the moment we're putting together a list of the mechanical modifications we want to make. We'll talk to an auto engineer early on so that we don't build something that can't be registered...the world doesn't need another 'Drag / Burnout' car

Hi Zed-car fanatics, My oldest son has decided that he has to have a 240 / 260 with an RB26DET for when he's ready to drive. Can't say I have too many problems with the idea Anyway, we've got a couple of years to pull it all together and would really appreciate if the forum members will help us with all our dumb questions as we progress. If we can end up with a car something like Warren Gilbert's then we'll both be very happy (very, very happy). I'll be chipping-in with a lot of the fundage, so a proper job should be achievable. Looking forward to talking with you all