Went to Croydon today with the aim of picking up another zed, to strip the engine for my yellow one and a few other parts for both my zeds, but starting off, getting a train and having to change twice on the way up, due to signalling and other problems was a pain in the ass, the guy picked me up from the station and off we went to his garage.

I get to see the zed on the ramp to have a look underneath, shabby is an understatement, lack of care would describe it politely.

Fitted with a HKS super drager single exhaust and i cant believe that the back box is stainless and the rest of the pipework is steel to the cat pipes, with more holes in than a cheese grater :thumbdown: coupled to what looks like a cheapo silencer then to homemade decat pipes with the cat temp sensor wires and aiv pipe still plumbed in.

Oil leak from the rear crank seal and some oil seepage from the head/rocker. Cheap chinese maf, which coupled with shitty plugs hindered the smooth running of the engine, hunting slightly and bogging down after revved :thumbdown:

 

Wheels in need of a refurb due to really bad curbing and chunks out the rims in places, cheap sunny tyres (225) all round, no fogs hence no sidelights, infact no lights were working as the fuse had blown, so i replaced that to get the lighting working.

Engine quiet albeit a slight tappet noise, but probably in need of fresh oil if the gearbox oil was anything to go by. Gearbox oil was brown and thin and really shitty, so we drained the gearbox oil and replaced with new ATF, took it for a test drive and wouldnt change gear, put in the AT fuse and managed to get another gear, but with the engine stumble, virtually UN-driveable over a long distance, round the block was enough to tell me not to bother.

 

My main aim was the engine on this car and anything else i could have stripped or sold would have been a bonus, but only if i could drive it home and at the right price.

I knew he wanted around a grand for the car, which i had no intention of paying of course, even before i got there, i said as it stands i wouldnt pay half of the asking price.

He dropped to £700 and offered to get it trailer-ed to Portsmouth for £200 :nono: not a chance, i told him im out and wouldnt feel comfortable driving it back as it was and certainly wasnt going to pay for it to be transported.

It really annoys me when someone tells you the car is good and engine is sweet, only to find the total opposite :thumbdown:

 

Another missed train later and another change to get home topped off a crappy day and a waste of money getting there

 

So... i have decided im going to TT my yellow NA and use the UK TT project for my donor vehicle, after all it hadnt been on the road since 2011 and i would rather focus all my time and energy on one zed :thumbup1:

 

 

So even though this zed was MOT'd till Oct 2015, so 3 months ago :scared: it certainly would have failed miserably today and to top it all off..........

 

The guy is an MOT tester :whistling:

 

Im sure there are many other been in a similar position when looking at a so called good zed, but my advice and the clubs advice is to thoroughly check the car over and dont let your heart rule your head :thumbup:

 

That is all :yes:

Sorry of ur wasted trip!

Sounds like a shed!

Why do people do that?

I remeber 20yrs ago, same thing. I went to London to buy a Z28 Camaro. So excited, got a flight to Heathrow, tube/trains to Walthamstow station to be met by a guy in a painted up camaro (he said it was original and he had it since new! !) With neon pink wipers and sunstrip. Chunks out of wheels. Interior like a cowshed.

When we left the station I asked if he had two camaros...........No!! Only this one!!.........I got a flight back home!!!! Still.....it all adds to life's rich tapestry!

(Would like to do it too often though)

 

Some people just dont really bother about descriptions. To some, " good condition" is just that, to others scruffy is good condition. I hate it when people cant describe accuratley though.

I know what you mean, i knew body wise it wasnt going to be great, it was painted matt black, for me it was about the engine, but when that was running badly and the gearbox shagged it made the decision to walk that much easier. In fact it gave me a moment of clarity in how i was going to move forward with my zeds, for weeks on end now ive been toying with v8 conversion, spending hours searching for a suitable transplant, then i thought, out of the few who have done the conversion, and i dont mean any disrespect to those who have ( John Dixon, Hollings etc) but getting it to run right and be reliable is going to be the main issue, let alone fitment and fabrication.

Rebuild a spare NA engine i have, buy another zed for transplant, but now ive decided the TT route im going to move forward with that, so some good came out of the whole saga lol

I share your pain mate genuinely. I too have flirted with the idea if an engine swap, it's still not off the table but I just can't see a way to make it a sensible option financially. It's ik for the yanks with a plethora of used v8s floating around but we just don't have them in quantity over here, subsequently price is higher. It appears to be shame shit different day, still struggling for parts that are cheaper across the pond and and engine which unless you pay big for a newer version will land you in roughly the same place as a stock TT.

Mine has a LeeK on the crank seal also. New clutch etc. The only reason I am sorting everything out is because there is no rust what so ever underneath. Also same with exhaust on mine... stainless back box but steel pipes... why do people do It?

Could you not sell your UK TT and use the funds to either rebuild or purchase a good engine from a reliable source? Would be a shame to break a perfectly serviceable UK car.

Could you not sell your UK TT and use the funds to either rebuild or purchase a good engine from a reliable source? Would be a shame to break a perfectly serviceable UK car.

 

You must have been in my dreams last night Joel :biggrin: after another think ( i must stop thinking too much) with all the parts ive bought for TT, rear lights, new spoiler, wing mirrors, i was thinking the same. Still an option and i would rather not strip the UkTT as i do believe its worth saving :thumbup:

Sorry to hear Graham. I take it though that you won't be wanting the interior anymore?

Bum holes!

 

Did you take any photos of this shed? Still surprised me how a car such as this, an enthusiasts' car gets into such and awful state.

Sorry to hear Graham. I take it though that you won't be wanting the interior anymore?

 

Hi mate, i still may keep the TT, so will let you know this week, i may have it anyway as my NA is converted to UK door panels and are starting to look a little tired.

What v8 were you toying with?

I did post up in another thread somewhere, but this is the car in question, bear in mind i knew about the body

So to clarify, he wanted a grand on this, but i know he paid £650, but would let it go for £700 if someone was interested.

In fairness it wouldnt need too much work to sort, but i couldnt risk driving it 100 miles to get it home, along with the price lol

Graham, if you want I could have a word at work and see if I can get it back to southampton for you. Okay even be able to get it over to the island but can't promise anything.

What v8 were you toying with?

 

I was looking at the lexus and even considered the 4.2v8 audi engine but ideally i would go for a turnkey engine to save hassles with electrics

Graham, if you want I could have a word at work and see if I can get it back to southampton for you. Okay even be able to get it over to the island but can't promise anything.

 

Thanks for the offer mate, but i feel he wanted too much money for the car in the state its in and i can best spend the money on either rebuilding a spare engine i have or strip the TT for the conversion :thumbup1:

Sorry to hear that Graham.....

 

......But at least you have come to a firm decision and I look forward to seeing the one Zed into which your efforts will be concentrated henceforth!!

 

Richard:clover:

Nn Graham, sweet dreams x I'll give you some more ideas tonight!

Hi mate, i still may keep the TT, so will let you know this week, i may have it anyway as my NA is converted to UK door panels and are starting to look a little tired.

 

No problem mate, they're back at my place now. Just let me know soon if you can.

 

Cheers

So to clarify, he wanted a grand on this, but i know he paid £650, but would let it go for £700 if someone was interested.

In fairness it wouldnt need too much work to sort, but i couldnt risk driving it 100 miles to get it home, along with the price lol

 

£1k for that?!

 

It's worth nothing as a car, it's only worth money in parts in that state, and at £1k with ChinaMAF, mouldy interior, poorly box, NA engine & appalling paintwork, it would take a while to make the money back.

 

I've bought TTs in much better condition for less money and still it's been a more viable proposition to break them & keep the good parts. Crazy!

He is living in cloud cuckoo land lol, i would have been prepared to pay maybe £500 in a drivable condition, take the engine out and part out the rest, but unfortunately there was very little "rest" of it worth any money due to poor condition.

My Uk TT is in better nick and its been stood for 4 years :laugh:

My Uk TT is in better nick and its been stood for 4 years :laugh:

 

What needs doing to your UK TT to make it happy again?

What needs doing to your UK TT to make it happy again?

 

Hi Andrew, it needs a fair bit of work to get it to a standard to sell IMO. Windscreen needs replacing as it has a crack along the bottom, there probably isnt one panel that doesnt have some sort of lacquer peel or blister, a couple of bits of rust, some on the rear hatch, above the windscreen and on the targas, but nothing structural that i can see without getting it on a ramp. The sills are solid and apart from a dent in the pass wheel arch the panels are straight.

Interior needs a bloody good clean and freshen up, the leather in the front seats are beyond saving.

 

Exhaust fitting, Which i have in the shed, Rear lights changing which i have, Wing mirrors, I have, Oem custom spoiler and various other parts i have amassed to get it finished.

 

It will need new tyres all round and no doubt brakes looking at as its been stood for so long.

 

Engine though is smooth and quiet and is the best part of this car, which is the reason i originally bought it, however i personally dont think its bad enough to break and is worth saving, but it is a project car, it does drive and starts first time and therein lies my quandary.

 

My NA, apart from the engine is totally sorted in every way, suspension, exhaust, body, interior etc. But i have had it since 2007 and spent alot of time and money on her :thumbup:

Just seen this on gumtree http://www.gumtree.com/p/nissan/nissan-300zx-on-going-project-almost-complete-5-months-tax-7-months-mot/1106354439

 

An even bigger abortion than when i went to see it :lol: