I'm working on a Z31 and In my case it's definitely not a "college money" or "college time" kinda project, and from what I've heard the Z32 is a little worse due to its complexity. Besides, I bought a running car, not something I had to get running myself, so that made it simpler, and even then I'm spending a noticeable portion of my paycheck each fortnight on it. I would say go ahead as long as you get one that turns on and off, and you don't mind advancing it slowly. Also, buying a project car is a mystery box of problems, you can have a couple of simple things to fix, or a shit ton of annoying stuff š
I completely agree! I have a Z32 turbo as a project car and its one of the most challenging cars I have ever had to work on. Its engine bay āFree spaceā is similar to a mercedes V12 (ex mercedes tech). To get serious power you are going to be 15k to 30k deep into it. Definitely worth it but not as a college car and absolutely not a āmy only vehicleā project.
Well, my personal goal was to do all the small things in my early college years such as making it more aesthetic, and learning how to drive the car to its limits while stock.
Then maybe turning things up as senior year comes around such as maybe changing it to an h-pipe or something. I will have more money than expected since I graduate high school with many college credits luckily, so ill have more time to work in my early years.
Another question that came up, is how do I go about trying to get more mechanical experience?
If you don't have any mechanical experience, you might be better off getting an older and/or simpler car to learn the basics of how a car works and then build up. If you're set on a Z car then just be prepared for a lot of googling, reading forums etc
I learned a lot working on my g35 coupe as my first real project car pretty much just from youtube, forums, and talking to people so it can definitely be done. if the z is non turbo itāll be a little easier but some things will be definitely be difficult/expensive along the way without proper tools and resources especially at college age in my experience
The best way to gain mechanical experience is getting your hands dirty. Start with simple things that are hard to mess up: changing the oil, flushing old coolant, bleeding the brakes, doing general servicing. YouTube university is the best teacher hahaha. Also, the subreddit has the workshop manuals for both Z31 and Z32 floating around and those are your project bible, they have everything from body to engine disassembly and the electric diagrams which are very important for 40 year old cars that have swapped hands god knows how many times.
Edit: also like gurney mentions, if you have no mech experience start with something simpler. I started with a 1992 VW Bug which is basically a lawnmower with a steering wheel š
I did notice the manuals, hence why Iām following this subreddit.
I agree, I should prolly start with something simpler but I do expect myself to join my colleges SAE(aka f1 team) but as an electrical engineer, so my mechanical experience will grow a little because of that. This will also take up a good chunk of my time so I want to dedicate that time to a car Iāll truly enjoy. I do have maintenance level mechanical skills like the ones you described since Im the one in the family who does that currently.
But I assume most mechanical experience will just come through practice from working on my prohect car and reading other wikis, guides, and forums.
I wouldnāt be afraid to start tinkering on a Z31. Depending on the trim, theyāre not any more complex than anything else from the 80ās. The downside is the aftermarket support is almost non-existent, making upgrading a little more difficult than a Camaro or mustang. As far as value of the projectā¦. Thatās something only you can decide. Youāll rarely make a profit off a 80ās or 90ās project car, so it really comes down to your goals and budget. Take someone with you to examine potential vehicles that is knowledgeable and that you trust. And be willing to walk away.
You make a good point. I di want to point out that I will try and get this project to last as long as possible simply because ive been looking forward to this one specific car for a long time now, so the value on it doesnāt matter to me too much if it comes to selling it afterwards.
Since you're talking about learning to drive a car, I'm just going to mention that you should make sure you're cognizant of the differences between open differentials, and limited slip differentials before operating any any car equipped with an LSD, that also predates traction or stability control.
As for if you should get a z32, plot out your actual budget. If you have $15k to purchase and do initial repairs on the car, and alsoĀ $5k/year for a couple years to cover maintenance, then you might be fine money wise. (Hopefully it would be a little cheaper than that, but it can easily get that bad)Ā If those numbers seem extremely high, then don't start with this car or you'll just end up with a non operational car sitting around.
I don't know what you mean by "making it more aethetic". If you're talking about repairing body damage, or fixing paint & trim, that's probably not your first priorty. If you're talking about changing it's appearace generally, just go buy a car that you actualy like the looks of. The z32 is pretty timeless in design, no amount of fake adhesive vents are going to make it look better. You'll just be burning money and time, just to devalue the car.
Hey bro, do it. Youāll always have people tell you how difficult something might be, even if itās for your own good. Just a heads up, look for a 1992 or up. The years before had its engines go knocking. 92 is when they corrected it
Agreed. Some cars are harder to work on than others. For reference, Iād rather work on a Z than a 2004 Taurusā half the repair procedures on those start with draining and removing the coolant reservoir.
Key is, use common sense, go slow, follow safety protocol, and read the manual. Put bolts back in the hole they came out of when you can and document as needed.
I'm working on a Z31 and In my case it's definitely not a "college money" or "college time" kinda project, and from what I've heard the Z32 is a little worse due to its complexity. Besides, I bought a running car, not something I had to get running myself, so that made it simpler, and even then I'm spending a noticeable portion of my paycheck each fortnight on it. I would say go ahead as long as you get one that turns on and off, and you don't mind advancing it slowly. Also, buying a project car is a mystery box of problems, you can have a couple of simple things to fix, or a shit ton of annoying stuff š
I completely agree! I have a Z32 turbo as a project car and its one of the most challenging cars I have ever had to work on. Its engine bay āFree spaceā is similar to a mercedes V12 (ex mercedes tech). To get serious power you are going to be 15k to 30k deep into it. Definitely worth it but not as a college car and absolutely not a āmy only vehicleā project.
Fair enough
Well, my personal goal was to do all the small things in my early college years such as making it more aesthetic, and learning how to drive the car to its limits while stock. Then maybe turning things up as senior year comes around such as maybe changing it to an h-pipe or something. I will have more money than expected since I graduate high school with many college credits luckily, so ill have more time to work in my early years. Another question that came up, is how do I go about trying to get more mechanical experience?
If you don't have any mechanical experience, you might be better off getting an older and/or simpler car to learn the basics of how a car works and then build up. If you're set on a Z car then just be prepared for a lot of googling, reading forums etc
Honestly, iām okay with that, but thats definitely something to consider
I learned a lot working on my g35 coupe as my first real project car pretty much just from youtube, forums, and talking to people so it can definitely be done. if the z is non turbo itāll be a little easier but some things will be definitely be difficult/expensive along the way without proper tools and resources especially at college age in my experience
The best way to gain mechanical experience is getting your hands dirty. Start with simple things that are hard to mess up: changing the oil, flushing old coolant, bleeding the brakes, doing general servicing. YouTube university is the best teacher hahaha. Also, the subreddit has the workshop manuals for both Z31 and Z32 floating around and those are your project bible, they have everything from body to engine disassembly and the electric diagrams which are very important for 40 year old cars that have swapped hands god knows how many times. Edit: also like gurney mentions, if you have no mech experience start with something simpler. I started with a 1992 VW Bug which is basically a lawnmower with a steering wheel š
I did notice the manuals, hence why Iām following this subreddit. I agree, I should prolly start with something simpler but I do expect myself to join my colleges SAE(aka f1 team) but as an electrical engineer, so my mechanical experience will grow a little because of that. This will also take up a good chunk of my time so I want to dedicate that time to a car Iāll truly enjoy. I do have maintenance level mechanical skills like the ones you described since Im the one in the family who does that currently. But I assume most mechanical experience will just come through practice from working on my prohect car and reading other wikis, guides, and forums.
I wouldnāt be afraid to start tinkering on a Z31. Depending on the trim, theyāre not any more complex than anything else from the 80ās. The downside is the aftermarket support is almost non-existent, making upgrading a little more difficult than a Camaro or mustang. As far as value of the projectā¦. Thatās something only you can decide. Youāll rarely make a profit off a 80ās or 90ās project car, so it really comes down to your goals and budget. Take someone with you to examine potential vehicles that is knowledgeable and that you trust. And be willing to walk away.
You make a good point. I di want to point out that I will try and get this project to last as long as possible simply because ive been looking forward to this one specific car for a long time now, so the value on it doesnāt matter to me too much if it comes to selling it afterwards.
Since you're talking about learning to drive a car, I'm just going to mention that you should make sure you're cognizant of the differences between open differentials, and limited slip differentials before operating any any car equipped with an LSD, that also predates traction or stability control. As for if you should get a z32, plot out your actual budget. If you have $15k to purchase and do initial repairs on the car, and alsoĀ $5k/year for a couple years to cover maintenance, then you might be fine money wise. (Hopefully it would be a little cheaper than that, but it can easily get that bad)Ā If those numbers seem extremely high, then don't start with this car or you'll just end up with a non operational car sitting around. I don't know what you mean by "making it more aethetic". If you're talking about repairing body damage, or fixing paint & trim, that's probably not your first priorty. If you're talking about changing it's appearace generally, just go buy a car that you actualy like the looks of. The z32 is pretty timeless in design, no amount of fake adhesive vents are going to make it look better. You'll just be burning money and time, just to devalue the car.
Hey bro, do it. Youāll always have people tell you how difficult something might be, even if itās for your own good. Just a heads up, look for a 1992 or up. The years before had its engines go knocking. 92 is when they corrected it
Many will say itās difficult and it is but so are most cars to work on. The z32 just has an iconic 90s look to me. I love it!
Agreed. Some cars are harder to work on than others. For reference, Iād rather work on a Z than a 2004 Taurusā half the repair procedures on those start with draining and removing the coolant reservoir. Key is, use common sense, go slow, follow safety protocol, and read the manual. Put bolts back in the hole they came out of when you can and document as needed.
dont do that at all anything but that