LiamR's 280z Restomod - SR20DET to RB25DET

LiamR

LiamR

Club Member
Sorry for the lack of updates but I have now returned to Saudi for work after a month back in the UK of which, 2 weeks were self isolation post travel :(

Right so...

Managed to get the car rolling over on the rotisserie with some advice from Joe (many thanks mate) and then had to make a set of rolling dollies for the car to go to blasting as John from Bodyshell-Restoration likes to use his own (which is fair enough)

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So the car was loaded up on my mates flat bed and ready to be taken up to John.

Half way through blasting, I had the phone call that no-one wants to hear. "Hi Liam, John here... So I've got half way through blasting the car and this car is in terrible shape. Someone has tried to hide a multitude of sins/bad workmanship by the looks of it. It ALMOST looks like the car is a cut and shut. Do you want me to keep going and do it all?"

Ah feck... "Is it really that bad? Yeah sod it, you've done half of it, may as-well finish it off and see what lies beneath."

So fast forward 2 weeks and the car is ready to be collected.

I hope you lot are sitting down whilst reading this... I've never seen anything like it.

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Looks fairly normal right??? WRONG!!!

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LiamR

LiamR

Club Member
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So if you can't work out from the images whats actually going on... Here is a video that my mate Ste made of the car when he got it back to the unit...


What are your guys thoughts on it? I'm not going to lie, I'm completely gutted. I thought this car needed "some" work but if I knew it was to this extent I don't think I would have bothered with it at all and kept my S2000.

Hopefully it can be sorted, just going to require a LOT of time and money now. Is it worth it for a 280z? Hmmmmm....
 
WazzaJB

WazzaJB

Club Member
Sorry to see the state of this Liam, I've been enjoying your updates.

Anybody else who was curious about the idea of it being a cut and shut, watch the video. Goes into it at about 1:30. It is :EXTRAeek:

What's the process from here? I would have guessed that shell is unsafe without significant replacement of panels/firewall?
 
Rob Gaskin

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
IMO that shell is scrap.

Get another 280 shell. It's the only way to have something you can be proud of, saleable and safe.
 
jonbills

jonbills

Membership Secretary
Site Administrator
I wouldn't say its necessarily unsafe. if the suspension pickup points are in the right place and the welding is solid and you were expecting to do the floors and other rust repairs then its not so much more than you were planning.
Main question is: can you live with knowing whats underneath? I could.
 
Rob Gaskin

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
jonbills said:
I wouldn't say its necessarily unsafe. if the suspension pickup points are in the right place and the welding is solid and you were expecting to do the floors and other rust repairs then its not so much more than you were planning.
Main question is: can you live with knowing whats underneath? I could.
Click to expand...

Jon, would you be happy to knowingly buy a modern 'cut and shut' from a garage as your daily driver?
 
Rob Gaskin

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
It's not just the 'cut and shut' aspect that is concerning. The amount of work (and cost) to get this car presentable would be immense (as some on here know only too well). Surely a better option is to get another shell.
 
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LiamR

LiamR

Club Member
Rob Gaskin said:
It's not just the 'cut and shut' aspect that is concerning. The amount of work (and cost) to get this car presentable would be immense (as have some on here know only too well). Surely a better option is to get another shell.
Click to expand...

That's what I'm thinking, but then again, what's saying that the next shell I buy isn't the same or needs even more work? I got offered another shell but it was around 10k and I ended up paying around 17k for this car (swap value for my s2000)!! What a monumental waste of money.

My plan was to do a RHD conversion, floor pan replacement, floor rail replacement. Front end needed work as it I knew it was rusty and damaged but not to this extent.

I really am in 2 minds now. We will have to do all the work ourselves to save on labour.

After speaking to Andy at APS, he has sent me images of cars that he has been working on and they are in need of a LOT more work than mine... near enough a full shell build and completely rotten, yet no-one bats an eyelid at those when they have been built properly and go on to be sold for a crazy price... so its a tough one. He reckons its worth saving if I'm willing to do it myself. Just a lot of time needed and he is willing to help with the replacement panel side of things.
 
LiamR

LiamR

Club Member
jonbills said:
I wouldn't say its necessarily unsafe. if the suspension pickup points are in the right place and the welding is solid and you were expecting to do the floors and other rust repairs then its not so much more than you were planning.
Main question is: can you live with knowing whats underneath? I could.
Click to expand...

Exactly my thought process for saving it.

Andy from Z-Farm said, as long as the suspension points are in the correct place, the measurements are all correct and all the panels that have been poorly welded are replaced and repaired properly, then he doesn't see how it's any different from anyone that's restored one from being completely rotten. It's just had a right bodge of a welder doing all the work but can be sorted no problem.

I'm not really interested in selling it on in the future as it's going to be the biggest project I've ever been involved in and want to hand it down to my son (if I have one haha) etc, but you can never say never.

I know that if I do it, then the car will be completely solid as most stuff will be replaced.
 
Rob Gaskin

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
Liam, nothing is beyond repair but is it worth it. I would keep an eye on what huggy imports.
 
Mark N

Mark N

Club Member
I watched the YouTube video yesterday and it's pretty worrying that you could be driving around completely oblivious to the shoddy repairs holding the car together.
It's going to take a lot of time and effort to rectify all of that, as I'm sure you are aware.
I would imagine it was a T-bone, or some other side impact, that necessitated replacing that much of the shell.
The only problem with sourcing another shell is the possibility of uncovering a multitude of horrors like this.
 
WazzaJB

WazzaJB

Club Member
I think you'd be brave to take it on, but if you have the equipment and time to do so then no harm in making a start and having a go! I had a similar project on my hand with a 280ZX and it broke my heart to sell it for parts but I didn't have the time, experience, equipment or money to do anything else with it.

If you were replacing as much of the cut & shut affected panels/pressings (eg buying a whole new firewall and transmission tunnel(?)) then it would be okay?

I think you raise a good point of "what's to say you won't end up with another bad shell" and in that sense, maybe better the devil you know?
 
S

status

Well-Known Forum User
Options,keep going with it and do the tight hand drive conversion and get a donor uk 260z and use the bits off of it then you have a uk rhd 260 z with a new shell
Or get yer S2000 back as it’s a much better car
You’ve gone too deep to just walk away really
 
AD240Z

AD240Z

Club Member
Step 1 --- Go back and edit Post #1 - 'So I picked up this 280z from a friend in a trade deal' to 'So I picked up this 280z from an Ex-Friend in a trade deal'.


That is bad news - I feel for you .

Just goes to show that you arent always getting what you think when you acquire a shiney car- beauty is only skin deep.

What about a change of plan - worry less about the aesthetics - make it a safe and strong track car?

Then you can get another shell - and put all the bits on that for your second road car Z ..............
 
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