Planning on buying another Zed in 2016. As much as I love ?Lil Red?, I?ve now done as much to it as I set out to; beyond normal maintenance and a few minor improvements in the future. What I really want is another Zed to work on and tinker with as a project car, and I am interested in where people would spend the money given a certain budget. So this thread asks the question: Given a loose budget range of either: $2,000, $5,000, $10,000 or $20,000+, what would be your plan be to improve the car. (Yes, everyone?s tastes and goals are different but that?s what I am interested in). A few assumptions: Let's assume we are starting with a stock or near stock Zed, either NA or TT in your chosen colour and in reasonably good body and mechanical condition. e.g. not a trasher that needs to be rebuilt from the ground up and, not a car that has been heavily modified in any way... although they are alternative paths for someone to take, if they desire. Let's also assume that we need to set aside a couple of grand (over and above the budget) for any mandatory repairs / surprises that arise. And finally - your budget needs to reflect the cost of parts and/or labour - depending on your skill level and access to workshop & tools etc. You might choose to do all of the labour yourself, or get some or all of the work done at a workshop - that's up to you. You might focus your improvements and mods on: motor / power /drivetrain body & interior ride and handling or a mix of all of these. Keen to hear people's thoughts. :zlove:
Well mine being a convertible, and an n/a auto. I would want too freshen up the engine, and give it some tlc plus maybe add some decent headers etc to garner a few more extra killawasps. Convert to manual. Maybe work with some electrical engineer and a expert in upholstery to see if an electric system can be made for the roof instead of having too do it manually all the time. Do some modern upgrades to the body, ie as much 2k stuff. And replace all the undercarriage with new parts suspension wise etc. So i'd estimate at least $20k.
It's always best to start with the neatest well looked after example you can find. From there it is just tiding/fixing up the parts that require it. For me because my Z is somewhat rare, I am attempting to keep it as stock as I can. Anything that is changed from factory can be reverted without too much hassle or money. As for budget, I never budget when it comes to a hobby/passion. I just keep chipping away when money permits.
Well for one of my z ether the black auto or the man, I would have to start with engine rebuild forged 1mm oversized pistons arp head studs ported heads and hi-flowed turbos and a new oil pump, 750cc injectors and new engine harness $10k-$15. Ditch the hicas and put in a one pice tail shaft, new bushes in front and rear $1k, coil overs $2500, brake upgrade $5000. Body work let see 2k spec front bolt on rear defuser, vailside typ 1 sides and a infill on the hatch and smoked light all round and a set of 5 spoke drag ways chrome lip and black centre 8" front 10" back $5k. Interior all black with stock look ( no pod gagers ) with a nice stereo nothing over the top maybe $3k $35000 all up and I have over estimated so I'm not short and I can do without brake upgrade. That just one z
as you already havr a really clean 300 why not look into something a bit older (240-280 to keep in the zed side of things), after driving a 260z I would swap my z32 for one in a heart beat. Only problem would be cutting the rust out of one that needs work. But are a beautiful looking car drive nicely (for their age) and have alot of unique potential my 2c anyway Ben
Thanks for all the comments guys. Jonno, thanks mate... I kinda had guys like you in mind when I started this thread. I like what you've done with your past and present Zeds. I agree, starting with a good base is important and then building on from that. This is what I did when I purchased my present Zed. Sure, I paid a little more up front for the car, but I have never regretted it and the small work that I have done to it over the years, including major service work has been a good investment from an enjoyment point of view. Looking back when I is was 19 or so, with my first car, I wasted a lot of money on pointless, endless mods and silly needless things and still ended up with a crap car. I was at a car show one day and I got to talking with a chap who had the same model as me - but he had done a really good restoration job on his, for not much more money than I had shelled out over a few years on silly mods etc. The difference was, he started with a plan, I didn't. Ben, thanks, yes I love the 240's and 260's but I think I have my heart/head set on another 300ZX but preferably in white - This is what I was originally looking for at the time I found Lil Red.. I took it for a spin and that was it. Oh well.
Again as others have said something clean and stock looking, NA MT 2+0. Some mild suspension upgrades, sway bars, shocks and springs only, brake upgrade to TT, good tread on original wheels, then........SUPERCHARGER!. Job Done.
