my 1978 datsun 280z project

[benmiller]

hope I do this right first time posting pictures but anyways this is my 1978 datsun 280z its kinda in rough shape but its already coming along nicely.

[benmiller]

more pics the passenger side is the side I been working on most

[1LOMOFO]

WOW!! That passenger side looks great. Big project but I see the diamond in the rough :)

[benmiller]

thanks I just would like to have more time to work on it cause I eventually got to pull that engine out

[D/\SH]

very nice going so far and be sure to make sure you dont have any pinholes in thgat bondo work!! going to be a nice looking car :) cant wait to see the progress you make on this beast throgu hthe spring and summer. :smile: :car:

[benmiller]

yeah them pin holes are a pain I used to work for a yacht painting place in rhode island so I really been trying to build up the spots with primer and skimming the Bondo and the more primer

[D/\SH]

Originally Posted by benmiller

yeah them pin holes are a pain I used to work for a yacht painting place in rhode island so I really been trying to build up the spots with primer and skimming the Bondo and the more primer

yuppers primer is the best way to tell and them pinholes are a ***** trust me especially on aluminum like i used to have to do when painting and prepping firetruck cabs..... but your doing a great job so far and dont feel shy to ask some thoughts and all ill give you some ideas i have done in the past or drew up and always thought were cool..... i have been a car guy for wayyy longer than ppc's hahaha

[1LOMOFO]

When ever I did bondo work I've always had the best luck with Evercoat brand. It contracts and expands with the climate. Normal Bondo always seems kike it cracked.

[benmiller]

I like the old cars alot easier to work on but I really don't know much about cars but body work is bodywork

[D/\SH]

Originally Posted by 1LOMOFO

When ever I did bondo work I've always had the best luck with Evercoat brand. It contracts and expands with the climate. Normal Bondo always seems kike it cracked.

yup i use the same..... i wont ever touch bondo becasue its junk and cracks especially under michigan standards..... evercoat i have never seen crack and as you said expands and contracts nicely when it goes from cold to hot.

[1LOMOFO]

Originally Posted by D/\SH

yup i use the same..... i wont ever touch bondo becasue its junk and cracks especially under michigan standards..... evercoat i have never seen crack and as you said expands and contracts nicely when it goes from cold to hot.

Oh ya this michigan climate can really dog great work and make it look like crap within a year.

[benmiller]

I have actually gotten away with not using alot of Bondo yet really been just primeing then sanding then primeing and alot of its came out that way I sort of figure it won't be a show car just want it to look alright without spending alot of money I guess my main concern would be using the fibreglass to cover the larger holes it may crack off in the winter but it seems like its holding real well right now if it pops off I may just jb welled it back it place haha either way it will look alot better than when o got it

[D/\SH]

Originally Posted by benmiller

I have actually gotten away with not using alot of Bondo yet really been just primeing then sanding then primeing and alot of its came out that way I sort of figure it won't be a show car just want it to look alright without spending alot of money I guess my main concern would be using the fibreglass to cover the larger holes it may crack off in the winter but it seems like its holding real well right now if it pops off I may just jb welled it back it place haha either way it will look alot better than when o got it

where in michigan asre you again? i got a mig and could get those welded with new steel.

[benmiller]

Actually Dash I live in iowa. I have had tons of people be all like yeah I can weld that for you if I get the gear. Which yeah thats easy to do haha. The town I live in is a small town with alot of rednecks that do derbys and stuff. But I think alot of them are lazy or to busy with there own stuff to help a brother out. How bout this when I get this thing running I will grab the GF and take a vaction to Michigan just so you can weld her up ;)

[D/\SH]

Originally Posted by benmiller

Actually Dash I live in iowa. I have had tons of people be all like yeah I can weld that for you if I get the gear. Which yeah thats easy to do haha. The town I live in is a small town with alot of rednecks that do derbys and stuff. But I think alot of them are lazy or to busy with there own stuff to help a brother out. How bout this when I get this thing running I will grab the GF and take a vaction to Michigan just so you can weld her up ;)

hahahahaha sounds good and wont take long to do... will make it that much better and put you at that much more ease knowing it isnt going to get cracked off it tapped the wrong way or just going down the street hahaahaha

[benmiller]

im thinking if i take her past 110 and nothing flies off then it might be good tell winter thats when im really going to see if its going to hold I overlapped the metal by like 3 to 4 inches in most spots. I really need to get the bumpers pulled off so I can see if it wouldnt be to much of a pain to fab up some replacements. Getting rid of them big shiny benchs hanging off the front and back will make it look alot newer in styling maybe less safe but hey there are some risks worth taking.

[1LOMOFO]

Check this datson out for some ideas, custom body work and a twin turbo! some insperation

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/827044

[D/\SH]

Originally Posted by benmiller

im thinking if i take her past 110 and nothing flies off then it might be good tell winter thats when im really going to see if its going to hold I overlapped the metal by like 3 to 4 inches in most spots. I really need to get the bumpers pulled off so I can see if it wouldnt be to much of a pain to fab up some replacements. Getting rid of them big shiny benchs hanging off the front and back will make it look alot newer in styling maybe less safe but hey there are some risks worth taking.

yeah good idea on the bumpers but wont make too much of a difference since you are still using stell bumpers meanign you have thick steel all throughout the vehicle meaning it will crinkle the shit out of the steel but not you...... you will still be safe i nthat beast and your going to be fast so if you hit something it wont make a difference for you really since it will be at fast speeds :)

[benmiller]

yeah I looked at alot of them already on there but in my search I found this pic of a reddish datsun with this really slick simple front pretty much just smoothed it and extended it down to the ground I will have to find the pic I printed out to get the link off of if I were to make one similar it would put it right up along the lines of any high end modern sports car look. I also been looking at alot of the body kits from MSA but really there pretty ugly in there own right I would rather just make something that is clean and simple.

[D/\SH]

Originally Posted by benmiller

yeah I looked at alot of them already on there but in my search I found this pic of a reddish datsun with this really slick simple front pretty much just smoothed it and extended it down to the ground I will have to find the pic I printed out to get the link off of if I were to make one similar it would put it right up along the lines of any high end modern sports car look. I also been looking at alot of the body kits from MSA but really there pretty ugly in there own right I would rather just make something that is clean and simple.

clean and simple is the way to go... the body kit will do too much to this vehicle and make it look cheap... also with a body kit in the state of michigan especially but anywhere is hard to keep up with since they crack, chip, and make it so you cant go into many parking lots..... also on top of that you normally have to take the bumpers themselves off so you have nothing to stop your car from crinkling through too you...... they are styled for look and not safety. also they are a ***** to build fiberglass up on since you will have to do that to get the body lines to match correctly.

[benmiller]

yeah got the same problem here and also just plain shitty gravel roads lord help a body kit if you ever hit a B Maintenance road i hit one once in my ford contour and end up getting stranded cause a rock put a whole through my air intake manefold. I think im just going to make smaller pumpers more along the lines of the 240z bumpers they looked alot nicer. Haha I have even seen quite a few pics where they just didnt even have bumpers on the car now that is stupid though it looks alright just plain stupid.

[D/\SH]

Originally Posted by benmiller

yeah got the same problem here and also just plain shitty gravel roads lord help a body kit if you ever hit a B Maintenance road i hit one once in my ford contour and end up getting stranded cause a rock put a whole through my air intake manefold. I think im just going to make smaller pumpers more along the lines of the 240z bumpers they looked alot nicer. Haha I have even seen quite a few pics where they just didnt even have bumpers on the car now that is stupid though it looks alright just plain stupid.

yuppers that will happen and i ran into the dirt road problem quite a bit around me especially when i went to the salvage yard in ionia by lowell with all the redneck hillbillies hahaha

[benmiller]

just found out that if I get this baby running it will only be the 2nd z in town but I hope it will be the cooler lookin outta the 2 haha

[benmiller]

well just got all the holes on the passenger side patched over its lookin alot better will have to post pics soon. The worst part is I caught a wicked bad sunburn working out in the direct sunlight with no shirt ouch. Went from being overcast to blazin without me realizin haha.

[D/\SH]

Originally Posted by benmiller

well just got all the holes on the passenger side patched over its lookin alot better will have to post pics soon. The worst part is I caught a wicked bad sunburn working out in the direct sunlight with no shirt ouch. Went from being overcast to blazin without me realizin haha.

hahah we had that in michigan today also right around 4 or so.... we had it looking like rain and than boom it was a beautiful day nad the clouds just vanished. and nice cant wait to see the pictures now that she is coming along and together.

[benmiller]

I just got to convince the gf ro come give me a hand so I can get more work done on it other than the one day she is at work and I am off, because one day a week is taking way to long.

[D/\SH]

Originally Posted by benmiller

I just got to convince the gf ro come give me a hand so I can get more work done on it other than the one day she is at work and I am off, because one day a week is taking way to long.

hahah for sure i bet it does take forever and prolly pisses you off since you cant just get all the body work pulled and than do all the bondo and than the sanding and so on...... so much easier to get things done and done without forgetting something with more than 1 day a week. train her up and teach her or does she already know her way around repairing a car?

[benmiller]

yeah ummm she is from boston her family had a "guy" on speed dial whenever they needed repair work. Been pretty spoiled most her life. I keep trying to tell her its alot funner watching your guy work on a car than it is to work on his phone and its easier to talk and stuff cause your not all zoned out not trying to forget something that could brick your phone. Heck she could just lay out in a chair and catch some sun. IM starting to get a deeper tan than she has I think it might be getting on her nerves I tried to tell her that when I get my tan on people start askin if one of my parents are hispanic.

[D/\SH]

Originally Posted by benmiller

yeah ummm she is from boston her family had a "guy" on speed dial whenever they needed repair work. Been pretty spoiled most her life. I keep trying to tell her its alot funner watching your guy work on a car than it is to work on his phone and its easier to talk and stuff cause your not all zoned out not trying to forget something that could brick your phone. Heck she could just lay out in a chair and catch some sun. IM starting to get a deeper tan than she has I think it might be getting on her nerves I tried to tell her that when I get my tan on people start askin if one of my parents are hispanic.

hahahhah i get the same all the time, once i start to tan a little it just goes haywire from there an d gets dark fast... many of my chic friends are very jealous of the fact that i can have darker skin from just working on cars and being outside than they do when they do the same and go to the beds hahahahaaa

[benmiller]

when I was in the navy stationed down in florida I was just as darks as one of my hispanic buddies and I have nothing but irish, scottish, danish, french and german blood in me. Made for one heck of a farmers tan though in the dark it looked like just a floating torso.

[Superman369]

Originally Posted by benmiller

when I was in the navy stationed down in florida I was just as darks as one of my hispanic buddies and I have nothing but irish, scottish, danish, french and german blood in me. Made for one heck of a farmers tan though in the dark it looked like just a floating torso.

Damn man, thats alot of pale white ancestory. Its all I got too, and I dont get tan at all. I get more pink and red then anything. It sucks balls.

[benmiller]

I pretty much have figured out that I just ended up with really good skin. I tan really nice, I hold ink really nice havent ever had to get a touch up or anything on my tats, and most permanent dies ie.. sharpies, paint, epoxy based stuff just doesnt stick. I found that out when I was fiberglassing on the car the first time and didnt have any gloves to wear and I managed to rub off all the dried resin without loosing any skin. Gosh I wish I wasnt at work I would kill to be working on my car right now.

[smw]

So whats the plan for the engine?? I love these cars and had one for a while, traded it for a 72 chevy truck which I then gave it to my nephew he is 11 haha. This has got to be my favorite, the color the wide body just the whole thing and its all nissan. The titanium intercooler pipes are awesome.

http://www.turbo-infiniti.com/viewtopic.php?t=82&sid=85fc8ef8c1bc29f1e8c2114fb1b56e07

[benmiller]

yup that has to be about the best looking datsun I ever seen. I havent posted about mine in awhile its coming along dont really have alot of time to work on it but i about have the body all patched up just one big hole left and some smaller ones to take care of but other than that its looking pretty good the only problem is that im going to be selling her soon, the girlfriend has got it in her head that we need to move to mass shes mighty home sick. But heres the kicker she hates the car for some reason but took time to look up if any where for sale in the area we would be moving to and found a couple promising cars. Even a pair that had over 10k into them that the owner was selling for 3k haha. I will ahve to put up some pictures before I get rid of her.