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Found: restoration project
Ninehigh - 7/7/10 at 07:25 AM

However there are 2 problems which I hope someone on here might know about..

First of all the "garage" I've seen it outside of (I found it a few years ago and saw it a few days ago still there) looks like it's been closed for a while. Is there any way I can trace the owner (bearing in mind it's probably a business)?

Secondly if I do manage to get it home there's a couple of spots of rust... all the way through. Surface rust I can handle but holes are a different matter. Is there any way of repairing this with fibreglass or similar or should I just get someone with a welder?


coozer - 7/7/10 at 07:29 AM

Bit vague there, I take it your pilffering it?

Anyway, a picture tells a thousands words??


r1_pete - 7/7/10 at 07:32 AM

Rust where? bodywork, chassis??

Chassis and structural must be welded.

Rusted panels should be replaced, glassing rust in my opinion is bodging not restoring.

What is it, is it worth the effort etc. etc.....


cliftyhanger - 7/7/10 at 07:35 AM

Need more info re the rust...but if on a non-structural area then fibreglass can be used. Not as easy as it sounds as all the rust will need to be removed first, and the area cleaned up to bare metal first. Really welding is the answer....

As to ownership, I would start knocking on doors. I doubt DVLA will help as you do not have a valid reason for an enquiry, unless you issue a parking ticket! They "may" pass a letter on to the registered owner though, but not really sure.


BenB - 7/7/10 at 07:42 AM

Blue glue and new metal is IMHO the best answer. Glass and metal expand at different rates. And it's a bodge in my opinion.


Ninehigh - 7/7/10 at 07:45 AM

It's a Nissan 300zx, the old one with the pop-up headlights.

The rust is in the bodywork, no structural damage that I've seen yet. I'd like to offer £50 or so as it's in a right state but it looks like a good polish, some bodywork repairs, and a bit of seat refurb inside will get it good as new. Then a set of tyres and a good engine service might be enough to get the car running.

In fact it's pretty much exactly this but without the turbo


thunderace - 7/7/10 at 07:57 AM

i dont see any point of trying to restor that,you can buy a very good 300ZX taga TWIN TURBO FAIRLADY with low milage for under £2k on ebay ,i seen one go latst week for £1400 1991 with 42000 on the clock and it looked like new taga TWIN TURBO FAIRLADY .


pmc_3 - 7/7/10 at 08:06 AM

Chance are if its sat that its had an engine problem, very expensive to fix the 300zx. I nearly bought one about 5 years ago, every receipt for a service was over £1k!


Ninehigh - 7/7/10 at 08:36 AM

quote:
Originally posted by thunderace
i dont see any point of trying to restor that,you can buy a very good 300ZX taga TWIN TURBO FAIRLADY with low milage for under £2k on ebay ,i seen one go latst week for £1400 1991 with 42000 on the clock and it looked like new taga TWIN TURBO FAIRLADY .


Oh the Batmobile style one? Never too keen on that.

As for engine work, as long as there's nothing major I can do 99% of it myself


MakeEverything - 7/7/10 at 08:58 AM

I reckon you just want to paint it black and get a picture like your avatar.....


r1_pete - 7/7/10 at 09:11 AM

would you be thinking along these lines: Rescued attachment kr.jpg
Rescued attachment kr.jpg


Ninehigh - 7/7/10 at 09:25 AM

Lol

Was going to keep it red, but seeing as it would have to be sprayed, that matt black that's in fashion these days?

I'll worry more about getting it to my house first!


cliftyhanger - 7/7/10 at 09:39 AM

I doubt they would take £50 for it, it would weigh in (if it has alloys) for about 3 times that.....
Best to get something that you have an idea will be OK. Restorations are notoriously expensive, and people tend to find that out once they have spent far too much anyway.


Ninehigh - 7/7/10 at 10:19 AM

Well yeah this is on the basis that I'll have a good look at it, I'm just thinking how difficult/costly it would be to repair what I know about.

2 Holes of rust,
tatty leather seats
new tyres
engine service (anything else is likely to be in this department)
and who I get the V5 and keys from


Canada EH! - 7/7/10 at 01:34 PM

Be very careful with rust on old Nissans, they had some major problems.
The Canadain office kept telling them they didn't know how to build a car to prevent rust.
The Canadian office had rusted panels that were replaced on warrenty shipped to their training centre and invited the Japanese engineers, I was there when they opened the doors to a large garage floor covered in badly rusted body panels.
It was damn near a comedy watching these engineers running about photographing and picking up panels and yelling at each other.
Changes were made.


Ninehigh - 7/7/10 at 05:40 PM

Well it's not going to matter if I can't legally get it. If I can't missus is after a 70's or 80's 911, and I just want something to fettle


deltron63 - 7/7/10 at 06:28 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
Well it's not going to matter if I can't legally get it. If I can't missus is after a 70's or 80's 911, and I just want something to fettle


you might as well dig a big hole and fill it with money. ( ask my boss )


Ninehigh - 8/7/10 at 08:46 PM

Update:

Called the DVLA today and they've given me 2 options:
I fill in a something 880 form to request information on the last owner, or I fill in some other form (66?) to request to be the registered keeper. With this one they contact the person last on their list to confirm it and if they don't hear anything I become the registered keeper. I then contact the previous owner...

However the previous owner might well be the person who sold the car to the garage several years ago.

Anyone know the legal situation if the previous owners are uncontactable?