1978 Datsun 260Z - Restoration
Discussion
Hey Guys!
I've had this car about a year now, and although I've not done much too it I thought I'd let some of you guys know what was going on with it if any of you are interested in the old Zcars!
Following a vast amount of cocking around before getting this car, (See here: http://zclub.net/forum/new-website/21877-hey-guys-...) I finally managed to get it home and have started to do some work to it.
Its a 1978 260Z 2 seater. Its pretty solid body wise. The rear arches are starting to go and there is a hole in the drivers floor pan that has been badly patched. The inner wings are pretty sound though, as is most of the engine bay bar the rad support panel and bonnet support panel.
Anyways, here are some photos!
Just after picking it up!
Safely back at my garage
Starting the stripdown!
After removing the panels I started to strip the interior:
And start taking the loom out of both the engine bay and the interior. This was scary stuff for me! Everything is labelled using white elec tape and a perm marker ready to be installed again once the shell has been worked....
Engine bay with the loom stripped. The car was originally white, but someone has very badly painted it red in the past! I think it will go back to white when I come around to getting it painted....
I've had this car about a year now, and although I've not done much too it I thought I'd let some of you guys know what was going on with it if any of you are interested in the old Zcars!
Following a vast amount of cocking around before getting this car, (See here: http://zclub.net/forum/new-website/21877-hey-guys-...) I finally managed to get it home and have started to do some work to it.
Its a 1978 260Z 2 seater. Its pretty solid body wise. The rear arches are starting to go and there is a hole in the drivers floor pan that has been badly patched. The inner wings are pretty sound though, as is most of the engine bay bar the rad support panel and bonnet support panel.
Anyways, here are some photos!
Just after picking it up!
Safely back at my garage
Starting the stripdown!
After removing the panels I started to strip the interior:
And start taking the loom out of both the engine bay and the interior. This was scary stuff for me! Everything is labelled using white elec tape and a perm marker ready to be installed again once the shell has been worked....
Engine bay with the loom stripped. The car was originally white, but someone has very badly painted it red in the past! I think it will go back to white when I come around to getting it painted....
I've taken off the front subframe and suspension, hubs and arms plus the rear arms and diff mounts along with the R200 diff. Its basically ready for shot blasting now, bar a few little things like the brake pipes and a few brackets. I need to take the doorcards off and access weather or not the doors can be saved from the rot at the bottom or weather I will need to source replacements.
Here are some more photos - the OS wing is just hanging there for storage. I'm running out of parts space!!! Note the breaking S2000 in the background!:
I certainly have my work cut out and I'm praying not tooo much is going to fall off when the car is shot blast....
Here are some more photos - the OS wing is just hanging there for storage. I'm running out of parts space!!! Note the breaking S2000 in the background!:
I certainly have my work cut out and I'm praying not tooo much is going to fall off when the car is shot blast....
On the way to Hockley Motorsport in Powys for plastic blasting.
Returned:
Hey guys, Thanks for all the comments!
I got the car back from Hockly Motorsport a few days ago, all blasted and now in bare metal with a thin coat of plastic (from the plastic media used to blast it).
Its not toooo bad. Or at least there are no nasty suprises apart from those I already knew about. Its still a LOT of work to do and quotes to have it welded elsewhere are around the £5k mark!
Anyway, here are some photos:
After picking it up, this is what it looks like!
I have been quoted varying amounts to do the welding on the shell and had settled on a local welder who runs a company called Zackham Engineering. Unfortunately, after booking it in and waiting for 5 months for it to go in, it now turns out he is unable to take the work on through no real fault of his own. This is very annoying though as the car has been sitting in bare metal, albeit protected by the plastic coating from the blasting in my garage this whole time.
I will be visiting another restorer later this week and providing I am happy with their work, I will be taking it in on Friday.
Anyways, heres how the shell sits.
And finally back at home safe in the garage!
Returned:
Hey guys, Thanks for all the comments!
I got the car back from Hockly Motorsport a few days ago, all blasted and now in bare metal with a thin coat of plastic (from the plastic media used to blast it).
Its not toooo bad. Or at least there are no nasty suprises apart from those I already knew about. Its still a LOT of work to do and quotes to have it welded elsewhere are around the £5k mark!
Anyway, here are some photos:
After picking it up, this is what it looks like!
I have been quoted varying amounts to do the welding on the shell and had settled on a local welder who runs a company called Zackham Engineering. Unfortunately, after booking it in and waiting for 5 months for it to go in, it now turns out he is unable to take the work on through no real fault of his own. This is very annoying though as the car has been sitting in bare metal, albeit protected by the plastic coating from the blasting in my garage this whole time.
I will be visiting another restorer later this week and providing I am happy with their work, I will be taking it in on Friday.
Anyways, heres how the shell sits.
And finally back at home safe in the garage!
pjfamilyguy1 said:
agree that's a BIG project, but keep the pictures/updates coming, personally I love reading about such projects.
silly question but after the blasting, it looks like there is rust on the surface, shouldn't this all of have been blasted away ?
More photos coming! silly question but after the blasting, it looks like there is rust on the surface, shouldn't this all of have been blasted away ?
Yea, the car had been sitting for about 4 months when that photo was taken unfortunately. Long story short I was messed about a little by the welder I had chosen and the car sat for about 5 months in bare metal. Luckily, it was originally blast using plastic beads which do leave a very thin coat of plastic on the metal so its only VERY surface the rust that has come back. The beads are also a VERY gentle blast media which is what I wanted as this will clearly show where rust is rather than removing it. Once the repairs are done to the rusty areas it will be re-blast with a harsher medium and etch primed straight away.
Anyways, the company now doing the welding for me are NJ Restorations in Camarthen! They are currently removing the butchered roof skin and welding a new one on.
They will be posting photos of the work they do up on their site which is here: http://www.njrestorations.co.uk/current-projects/d...
I will keep you guys up to date!
pjfamilyguy1 said:
agree that's a BIG project, but keep the pictures/updates coming, personally I love reading about such projects.
silly question but after the blasting, it looks like there is rust on the surface, shouldn't this all of have been blasted away ?
More photos coming! silly question but after the blasting, it looks like there is rust on the surface, shouldn't this all of have been blasted away ?
Yea, the car had been sitting for about 4 months when that photo was taken unfortunately. Long story short I was messed about a little by the welder I had chosen and the car sat for about 5 months in bare metal. Luckily, it was originally blast using plastic beads which do leave a very thin coat of plastic on the metal so its only VERY surface the rust that has come back. The beads are also a VERY gentle blast media which is what I wanted as this will clearly show where rust is rather than removing it. Once the repairs are done to the rusty areas it will be re-blast with a harsher medium and etch primed straight away.
Anyways, the company now doing the welding for me are NJ Restorations in Camarthen! They are currently removing the butchered roof skin and welding a new one on.
They will be posting photos of the work they do up on their site which is here: http://www.njrestorations.co.uk/current-projects/d...
I will keep you guys up to date!
A few updates guys.
NJ have been working on the shell on and off for the past few months now and they are making some progress
They have repaired and fabricated a few sections of rust around the windscreen under the dash, floorpan, the front strut area and front wheel well.
Drivers Floorpan
Attempted to keep the patterning standard on the fabricated pan.
Under the dashboard area. This all needed to be jigged up with the steering column as it was around the column mounts.
Front crossmember repairs:
Bonnet mount and front of air tubes fabbed up and on:
New outer front suspension turret skin:
The front of the outer sill was cut off as it was rusted to reveal this behind:
This is currently being repaired!
Front sill repair done:
Various repairs in the front wheel wells:
All in all its coming on well. Rear arch repair panels have arrived from MJP and look substantially better than the rear valance I received. I think I have decided to keep the car standard without the wide arches on it so these will be going on in the next week or so. In the mean time the guys have started the front air tubes as these are pretty deeply pitted with rust.
Always interesting going up to NJ though purely to see the other cars that Nick and the guys are working on!
Cant wait to get it on the road now! Colour suggestions needed! I want it a standard Datsun colour but not white or red! I am really liking the Lime Green but I see Terry has painted his that colour!
The welding is nearly finished now and it will soon be blast a second time to remove the last of the rust and then etch primed.
Neutral was this Mike from MJP whom you sold the white one too?
Sounds like you are an expert on them! Its crazy how the value of them has changed so much in the last few years! You could pick them up for 100s not too long ago and now there are some for sale for nearer £25,000!
Sounds like you are an expert on them! Its crazy how the value of them has changed so much in the last few years! You could pick them up for 100s not too long ago and now there are some for sale for nearer £25,000!
neutral 3 said:
Had 3 of these...my first circa 1986, bought from a pal for £500 quid, was a fantastic and very scarce Silver 1973 260Z 2 seater VPK 426M ( where Are you now ??? ) which was my everyday driver. I cut the springs down, fitted new Monroe inserts, 7 inch Wolfies and a GDS exhaust system.
I foolishly sold ( due to pressure from my future / now ex thank god wife ) to a guy from Horsham, in Sussex in 1987 ) He sent me a photo and had had it re painted Red the fool.
I saw this car in 1995 in Barkingside, it went past me, I swung my 5 Turbo around, but lost him in the traffic. The first shipment of 260Z 2 seaters here was only around 150 odd 73-74 making them a very rare car.
My next one in 1986 was another 2 seater a second batch Red car S reg and absolutely rotten, the steel and build quality on the second batch to be imported was awful !! I sold this to Samurai Kevin Irons I think was running the firm then.
My last was a tottaly original white 240Z, RJD ???M, that I stumbled accros in Loot ( good old Loot ) in 1994. I paid £100 for it with a huge pile of spares. However divorce meant I lost my storage and I foolishly sold it to a " let's call him a long term player" in Zs in Kent.....I can still see the smarmy f.....rs face now...aparently he broke it for spares...
I foolishly sold ( due to pressure from my future / now ex thank god wife ) to a guy from Horsham, in Sussex in 1987 ) He sent me a photo and had had it re painted Red the fool.
I saw this car in 1995 in Barkingside, it went past me, I swung my 5 Turbo around, but lost him in the traffic. The first shipment of 260Z 2 seaters here was only around 150 odd 73-74 making them a very rare car.
My next one in 1986 was another 2 seater a second batch Red car S reg and absolutely rotten, the steel and build quality on the second batch to be imported was awful !! I sold this to Samurai Kevin Irons I think was running the firm then.
My last was a tottaly original white 240Z, RJD ???M, that I stumbled accros in Loot ( good old Loot ) in 1994. I paid £100 for it with a huge pile of spares. However divorce meant I lost my storage and I foolishly sold it to a " let's call him a long term player" in Zs in Kent.....I can still see the smarmy f.....rs face now...aparently he broke it for spares...
Cheers guys!
The car will indeed be staying largely stock looking with a slightly uprated engine. Im on the hunt for a set of Genuine Watanabes.
Im looking at this for my inspiration. Its a guy I speak to sometimes on Instagrams car and its perfect IMO.... even leaning towards painting mine this colour! I think I know the colour you mean Alias and I do quite like that too.
Its starting to get expensive now! Just received a new full weather seal kit and new inner arches. The welding is NEARLY done! I should have a few more photos soon!
In the mean time I picked up a 350Z hardtop for a bit of track day fun!
The Mrs is a big fan!
The car will indeed be staying largely stock looking with a slightly uprated engine. Im on the hunt for a set of Genuine Watanabes.
Im looking at this for my inspiration. Its a guy I speak to sometimes on Instagrams car and its perfect IMO.... even leaning towards painting mine this colour! I think I know the colour you mean Alias and I do quite like that too.
Its starting to get expensive now! Just received a new full weather seal kit and new inner arches. The welding is NEARLY done! I should have a few more photos soon!
In the mean time I picked up a 350Z hardtop for a bit of track day fun!
The Mrs is a big fan!
Edited by adz9 on Tuesday 29th September 12:16
Edited by adz9 on Tuesday 29th September 12:17
Edited by adz9 on Tuesday 29th September 12:24
Samjeev said:
Looks like its really coming along, not long now!
Have you decided on wheels? and apologies if you mention this before but are there any plans for engine? going to keep the standard straight 6 or any kind of swap?
Have always loved the idea of owning an 240/260/280z with an RB26
Cheers guys! Have you decided on wheels? and apologies if you mention this before but are there any plans for engine? going to keep the standard straight 6 or any kind of swap?
Have always loved the idea of owning an 240/260/280z with an RB26
I have, I want genuine Watanabes and Im determined to get some and not run replicas!
Engine wise I want to keep it straight six so I have the original L26 with a lumpy cam and some big carbs to go in. I might look at going L28 in the future.
Ive picked up a second shell which is much rougher than mine was when I first got it so Im looking at maybe engine swapping that one!
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