Post by
DCaff300ZX »
https://forums.nicoclub.com/dcaff300zx-u136230.html
Sat May 23, 2015 2:00 pm
Wow, I'm not trying to be an a** but this is what I meant by saying that your cousin didn't do you any favors, but did for himself- this car needs a TON of work that would cost a lot have done, and the car is very near parts-car status IMO. I have a '90 NA with a bad motor and now missing several items I've taken for my TT that is in better shape than this car (repaired climate control, new trans and shifter and linkages, new alt, all maintenance done, clean/complete interior in red, etc. etc.), that I'd be lucky to get $800 for mine due to the amount of work and cost ($2-3K MINIMUM) to get that $3.5-4K car back into operating shape, much less "pretty" shape. Both are a project car for an enthusiast who understands all of the issue areas and solutions, and will make it all worthwhile through substituting his knowledge and labor for much of those costs.
Your best bet again is to stay with a tested-good low mileage, or rebuilt stock engine swap (NO Japanese imports!) to get it running right, including getting a proper cooling and exhaust setup that works and fits correctly, and then tackle the major repair problems while nit-picking at the detail stuff as the major repairs are completed. A true labor of love project. Try to locate a parts car in your area for a parts raid for any of your missing parts that you don't need to be new, anything else can be purchased as reasonably as possible through Concept Z Performance or Z1, or in a pinch Nissan at an unbelievably exorbitant cost. I only use Nissan for general info and parts (oil filter, ummm...that's it) and the others for all else.
You will need to inspect the brake system as noted for normal wear and tear on an outdated system, if it's a '90 (smaller 26mm calipers) then an upgrade to at least '91+ 30mm calipers is a must and requires rotors as well, and you'd be smart to assess the brake AND clutch (yes, it has one) booster and master cylinder while there as well as the bleeder setup and reservoir for leaking- all common issues with older cars not well maintained such as this one.
You should look at the entire brake system and may need to also replace brake lines, and by now the suspension should be sagging a lot and need attention to the upper control arms at minimum, and probably the shock coils as well. This is where many of us bite the bullet and get upgraded brakes and coilover suspension and adjustable control arms to replace and upgrade these areas to current levels at not too much over OEM replacement costs, and better quality. Powertrix is one of our vendors here at Nico and a company I have used for several things, they and SPL are your best bet for upgraded suspension parts. There are some cheaper ways to go with rebuilding the stock suspension coils/struts and replacing the control arms with OEM, but the aftermarket control arms and coilover shocks are FAR superior to OEM and allow for alignment that OEM does not- so I recommend this route although a little more costly if your goal is to have and use the car for many years.
Given what you mentioned with the climate control, while working on that problem (generally the climate control actuators go bad, causing areas to not work and where some hack makes matters worse hacking around not knowing what he is doing, or how the system works, then leaves the mess) you may want to also assess the heater core for leakage (again common, had to replace mine) as well the h/c hoses. The climate control system is a complicated and expensive fix, often it gets left alone and/or disabled when not working by guys looking for just a fast car. You also mention some other things that hinge on the electrical system, an area where our cars with bad previous owners have issues from hacked wiring during questionable mods, such as the e-fan (BAD solution) and other interior mods such as dash lighting and stereo equipment replacing the crappy dated Bose stuff. Track ALL of that stuff down and fix correctly, the online service manual and lots of spare time and patience is your friend here.
Then there's the water leakage issues, often a result of the 25 year old rubber wearing our or missing, and/or sagging hinges/connections. The rear hatch seal/latch and door seals/hinges and t-tops all suffer in this area, with the only real solution to repair or replace them from a good source such as Concept Z Performance or Z1 Motorsports.
That's about the best I can do at this point, as the rest will become more obvious and more questions arise as you tackle all of these areas over the coming months...Good Luck!
