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Rust Repair or different car? debate

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Old 01-08-2008, 07:18 AM
  #1  
LeX
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Rust Repair or different car? debate

I was looking to purchase the original car but ran into some financial troubles at the time.

the car I have now i picked up for a lot less but has some rust issues. it's a 78 5spd Z
Nothing major but here is the total list...

frame rails been repaired by amateur so dont look great but are solid.
hood has some rust damage right at the front but is basically in good shape
battery tray under area is gone
one side rocker panel has a lot of damage so needs new metal
other side needs a little metal or some other form of replacement.

car does have some good mods on it though.... springs, shocks, exhaust, seats, etc (see sig)


but I am also considering the original car I wanted to purchase....
its a 77 with no body damage. I went over it perfectly and no rust on whole car except battery tray area surface rust no rot at all. It has upgraded front brakes, coilovers, rear disc conversion, nice interior, and has a V8 swap in there.

car would cost $3500

what do you guys think of in terms of rust repair? Each car would be receiving eventually an rb25det. The 3500dollar car has a v8 already and is an auto, my car is stock L28 with 5spd transmission. I'm not sure on converting to 5spd and back from v8 to a 6cyl in case tranny tunnel mods were done. What do you guys think? will my repaired car still be just as good a body for a swap... I wouldnt mind the coilovers and rear brakes, plus the absense of rust. It's something I have been debating. I will probably end up keeping the car I have now out of convenience and just getting it repaired but the other car just seems like such a good bet. Just wondering about how much I will spend on an auto to 5spd swap as well as any issues with the tranny tunnel or engine bay. The car is still using an R200 rear end

Last edited by LeX; 01-08-2008 at 08:09 AM.
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Old 01-08-2008, 10:32 AM
  #2  
The Good Twin
 
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Welcome to ZDriver!!!

Originally Posted by LeX
frame rails been repaired by amateur so dont look great but are solid.
hood has some rust damage right at the front but is basically in good shape
battery tray under area is gone
one side rocker panel has a lot of damage so needs new metal
other side needs a little metal or some other form of replacement.
Sounds like the usual S30...

Originally Posted by LeX
but I am also considering the original car I wanted to purchase....
its a 77 with no body damage. I went over it perfectly and no rust on whole car except battery tray area surface rust no rot at all. It has upgraded front brakes, coilovers, rear disc conversion, nice interior, and has a V8 swap in there.

car would cost $3500
SOUNDS nice... check it out really good tho.

Originally Posted by LeX
what do you guys think of in terms of rust repair? Each car would be receiving eventually an rb25det. The 3500dollar car has a v8 already and is an auto, my car is stock L28 with 5spd transmission. I'm not sure on converting to 5spd and back from v8 to a 6cyl in case tranny tunnel mods were done. What do you guys think? will my repaired car still be just as good a body for a swap... I wouldnt mind the coilovers and rear brakes, plus the absense of rust. It's something I have been debating. I will probably end up keeping the car I have now out of convenience and just getting it repaired but the other car just seems like such a good bet. Just wondering about how much I will spend on an auto to 5spd swap as well as any issues with the tranny tunnel or engine bay. The car is still using an R200 rear end
Are you going to do these repairs & mods yourself?

#1... rust repair sucks.
#2... paying someone to repair rust sucks even more (unless you have cash SPEWING outta your ears).
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Old 01-08-2008, 02:03 PM
  #3  
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Paying $3500 for a donor car is kind of a waste. Better to wait for a cheap roller and spend the money on what you need for the RB swap.
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