As most of you know, I'm still searching for a zed worth getting.

 

I might have found one, but although the owner claims it's rust free it has these bits. Is even this enough to possibly avoid it, or is it likely to be able to be ground back and repainted?

 

 

 

 

Doesn't look too bad. First two pics are rear arches looking backwards and lots rot away so there's nothing left there, that looks like just a bit of surface rust and still solid. The last picture looks a bit damp at the bottom which may suggest there's more lurking beneath. You must have realised by now that your requirements and budget mean that some sacrifices have to be made, go and have a look at that Z if it's not too far and have a good poke around, at least it's not been bodged up to sell.

It's bloody miles away unfortunately, these are just pictures that the owner sent me.

 

Yeah, all the ones I've seen so far have been shocking. But my budget can go up to about 4k or so for the right car. Basically I can sell my skyline as is with it's blown head gasket for 2.5k. Or I can break it for parts and potentially earn me about 4.5k provided everything sells. My parents have offered to lend me the money to pay them back later, but obviously the cheaper I can get the car, the more I've got left to sort any issues out and make it a relatively quick manual TT if it isn't already.

If the first two pictures are just the metal behind the rear bumper, can I not just chop it off for weight saving? Or is it there to protect the fuel tank in a bump?

It's bloody miles away unfortunately, these are just pictures that the owner sent me.

 

Yeah, all the ones I've seen so far have been shocking. But my budget can go up to about 4k or so for the right car. Basically I can sell my skyline as is with it's blown head gasket for 2.5k. Or I can break it for parts and potentially earn me about 4.5k provided everything sells. My parents have offered to lend me the money to pay them back later, but obviously the cheaper I can get the car, the more I've got left to sort any issues out and make it a relatively quick manual TT if it isn't already.

 

Why don't you just fix the Skyline's head gasket and sell it for more than £2.5k...?

Why don't you just fix the Skyline's head gasket and sell it for more than £2.5k...?

There's no guarantee it'd get me any more than 3k fixed, they go for sod all at the moment. Plenty of working ones sell for less. :(

I wouldn't go anywhere near that. With the rear arches like that (they rot from the inside), you have no idea what state the inside of the sills are and I'd imagine that they'll not be that great. It's not horrendous, but I think it probably masks other corrosion.

That's why I asked, as I don't know much about the construction of these cars yet to know how bad things could be. It's a damn sight better than the other stuff I've been shown as "rust free" so far though. This one had even had the sills done just last year apparently:

 

 

 

 

 

[emoji57]

When Si says "I wouldnt go anywhere near that"..... it doesnt mean you cant! Si's Zed is "surgical theatre" clean but it's also worth about 3+ times what that one is worth. It's worth considering depending on further investigation. Compared to the other photos it's streets ahead of them.

pretty sure that you can buy those rear bumper fixing sections from nissan anyway. As Si said though, masking hidden horrors.

How much rust is too much? Is all down to the will of the enthusiast and the value of the car. A mk1 escort in a completely scrap, totally rotten condition, way worse than any zed you'll see has now become so valuable as a finished car that almost none are not worth repairing.

I've seen worse, lots worse. However that is a basket case, as said they tend to rot from the inside out( that bump in the sill is the targa drain point) the bitumen hides things till it blisters out. It might look like you've got 5p of surface rust but the reality is you've got half an apple, with a core softer than chocolate. Corse the converse could be true, stones etc have removed the bitumen and left steel exposed leaving it to rust, a wire wheel maybe solve that. Basically what I'm saying is that looks like an unknown, it's waving a red flag saying I'm going to want attention and it might cost you a fair sum. That being said, finding a rust free example us going to be nigh on impossible esp within your lower budget. Unless you can do the work yourself and/or the car is cheap enough in your opinion the rectify it I think I'd keep looking.

This might help you make your mind up.

 

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/thanks-everyone.15465/

 

Mine did not look as bad from the outside, it's only when you dig deeper you find the real extent of the corrosion.

I honestly think that, with your budget (even heading up to £4k), you're just not going to find what you're looking for.

 

These cars are all between 15 and 21 years old. So, unless you can somehow find one that's been absolutely meticulously cared for but the owner urgently needs cash, they're all going to have some degree of rust! You may as well just accept that. You're not going to find a minter for that money.

 

If I were you, I'd stop thinking that you're going to be able to spend the balance of your budget turning a Zed into a 500+ bhp fire-breathing monster and start accepting that any balance you may have left from the purchase will likely be swallowed up by servicing costs and tidying it up.

21...bit older than that mate, we celibrated 25 years last year, mine rolled off the line in that early batch in 1989.

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

This might help you make your mind up.

 

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/thanks-everyone.15465/

 

Mine did not look as bad from the outside, it's only when you dig deeper you find the real extent of the corrosion.

 

I could do with chatting with you about that at some point lol.

What looks like a little can turn out to be a lot as others have said....

 

 

 

 

And that damage was on my Green zed which had been undersealed twice and had an slight oil leak Which protected all exterior surfaces. But that part is prone to rusting from the inside.....

 

Full story is at http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?178057-Restoration-of-the-green-Zed

Edited March 17, 201510 yr by TonyB

My maths is crap first thing on a morning!! :lol: As if I honestly forgot about the 25th Anniversary as well!!

 

:headvswal

My skyline is 22, and is spotless underneath, been driven daily all year round ever since imported about ten years ago. That said, it doesn't have drain channels dumping water into the sills instead of the wheel arch.

 

The car in the first set of pictures has been stood a couple of years with a cover on it, so is that drain in the sill more likely to be rusty from the inside?

This might help you make your mind up.

 

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/thanks-everyone.15465/

 

Mine did not look as bad from the outside, it's only when you dig deeper you find the real extent of the corrosion.

How much would you charge if needed? :)

I looked at 5 R33s before buying my one, looked at 3 Z32s now and all three were worse for rust compared to the most rusty R33 out of the 5 - seems really odd that these cars just don't weather it so well - its not like there are decades of difference in the age, the R33s were ranging from 1993 to 1996 cars. Strange!

It's because of the targa roof, the drain channels stupidly end inside the shell instead of letting out in the wheel arches. The fronts behind the indicators somewhere, and the rears somewhere within the shell where the water does up using the sills as a drain. Absolutely stupid. I'd expect this means even fresh imports could potentially already be rusting away.

Ugh, predictive text. Ends, not does. :)

Jap imports are generally in better condition. But only if they have been treated once they arrive over here. They done use salt on the roads so rust is not normally an issue.

 

TBH that one doesn't look too bad, but without seeing it in person you never know. If I was you I would get one needing a little body work. That way its up to scratch once you have went over it.

Learn to mig weld, its not that hard, if I was close I would certainly help for the price of a bag of chips and a bottle of diet coke :)

( that offer extends to any subbed member on here)

My na was rotten when I got it, took loads of welding, that was a few years ago, still needs more, but has been the most fun car i've ever owned, our bodyshop said it was only fit for the scrap yard, it's still proving them wrong on a daily basis lol...

 

Given how rare our cars are getting if your willing to put the time in don't be put off, just check it carefully and budget accordingly

All rust is repairable depending on how deep your pockets are.

 

Look at Tomfromthenorths thread which Bodymech did. They did a superb job fixing that up.

 

http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?178064-Toms-Z-progress-Thread&highlight=toms+car

Awesome work, thanks for the link. Any idea how much the sill repair would have cost?