Any idea on total investment so far?

I'm interested

Looking Good!
I love reading the updates
can't wait to see a finished product.

EDIT: ^^^ Thanks! The list is getting shorter....But if only I could make my brake lines stop leaking...Then I could make serious progress....Boo...


It's hard to tell, since lots of tools were also purchased in order to do certain things to the car, you know how it is...

But, tools and knowledge aside...Here's a rough guesstimate. I do, however, keep all the records for the things I do to the car. All previous owners of this car have done the same. So I have most, if not all, of the service records/notes to the car since the late 70's. Way awesome. I almost feel obligated.





Bought the car originally for $2500 in 2007.
Spent $1000 getting it here (NY) from California.

$3500 initial investment

$600 on interior components, as the car was bare.

$500 in paint materials (the car was originally a teal blue). Once I painted it, I drove it 3 years, seasonally.

.......Then... I blew up the high compression motor (l24) that came with the car....

.....So..

$600 in aftermarket gauges

$2500 for l28 motor purchase, remachine, and rebuild with intent to turbo.

$250 for various components I needed to convert a carbureted car to be capable of electronic fuel injection. Drove it for a year N/A breaking in the motor, on a stock Datsun/Nissan 280z EFI system.

$3500 Roughly compiled for standalone EFI, turbocharger conversion on my n.a motor, and retrofitting those systems to the car. Includes building all of my harnesses, various unmentioned, but necessary, wiring and drivetrain/clutch upgrades made to the car.

$2700 in sectioned struts, coilover suspension, Koni race dampers, Eibach springs. Fully adjustable lower control arms front and rear, bump steer spacers, camber plates (front).

$1000 for carbon hood, and flares

$1700 wheels and tires (17x9 -13 front/ 17x9.5 -19 rear) 275/40 back 245/40 front


So that rough list is just under 17,000 total investment to date. Sounds like a lot of money, but for the things I've done to the car, at the level of professionalism I am attempting, I feel I am very much ahead of the game.

I've got about 5,000 more to dump into rear end/braking system/roll bar. Then in essence the car is done.


The problem is, since this car is also a teaching tool for me, I've spent lots more than I needed to because many aspects had to be changed, or redone multiple times.

Case and point: Why this thread is going on 2+ years old, Haha.

This post was edited by OldAndyAndTheSea on Dec 29 2014 11:32am

That's not bad at all. I figured you would be almost double that by now.

It would cost 5 times that to have someone do it to the level you have completed it so far.

I was expecting the rim/tire combo to cost at least double that

Glad that someone else thinks so too. I know lots of people who have spent the same amount on a paint job alone. In Japan similarly modded S30s, if done tastefully, can fetch 90 grand....Haha. It appreciates in value each year, despite how much I hack into it.... So, I'll continue to pump dollars into it.




Rota.

But those, if you remember, are mounted on the 280zx currently...It's going to be hard for me to revert that car back to 'normal' looking wheels.....Ideally, RS watanabes in 16s, otherwise the same widths will be my eventual setup on this car; the 280 keeps the Rotas I'm guessing.

This post was edited by OldAndyAndTheSea on Dec 29 2014 02:54pm

Continued cleaning/sandblasting of various components.

Rear differential stuff......43 years of grease caked on there. Nice.





Go Go Gadget sandblaster!




I'll probably start powdercoating some of those pieces this evening.

My buddy had his 70 charger done and paid 28k for the paint job.

Gratned the guy did everything from stripping to finishing and it was black but still...

Ah, I thought I remembered you having real RS Wats. I was gonna say, you got one of the best deals imaginable lol.

Man, sounds terribly ugly..



I've always got my eyes peeled for used sets.

One day, they will be mine...Oh yes, they will be mine.





Okay, last update of the night, I promise.