[MARTINSR]

Here are some for the $200-400 range. http://www.showcars-bodyparts.com/280zx.html

Here's one new from Nissan? $424 http://www.nissanpartszone.com/compo...-650-1403.html

Brian

[mafiacustomz]

if you can weld cut that horror out and start again or find a friend with a welder and see what you both can do i like making patch panels for stuff you cant get its fun i feel like jesse james or paul jr.

[OneMoreTime]

A fellow can go to www.car-part.com and perhaps find the replacements he needs as well..

Sam

[MARTINSR]

Listen, what are your expectations? What kind of car are you making here, a daily driver, weekend show car? Is she taking this car off to college for a few years to be left out in packing lots 24 hours a day?
That area has no structural job at all. The leading edge of that hood is doing nothing what so ever but holding paint to look purty. The hinges are mounted on the side that look solid, the latch is all the way at the other end of the hood, this area is doing nothing.
That being said, to repair it properly by cutting and welding in new material is a HUGE undertaking. Realistically it't only to be successful by someone with a ton of experience who wouldn't be asking the question. There is nothing wrong with that, I am not knocking you, after many years in this business that is how I see it.


I think the options are in order as I see it...

1. Stopping it from getting worse. Painting over this and seeing your daughters smiling face as she drives off.

2. Breaking down and buying a new hood, paint it bolt it on and get on with life.

3. Stopping the rust then filling the holes with reinforced filler and finishing it off and painting, pretending that it is "fixed".

4. Spending hours upon hours, days, weeks, cutting out the metal and replacing it like a real restoration.


Personally, it is so far gone I think cutting it out and welding it up is a terrible waste of this little time we have on earth. If it was a hood from a 1962 Ford 406 Lightweight worth $5 grand, that is different. But on a car where the hoods are available for 3-4 hundred bucks, I wouldn't put that time into it.

Those hoods are pretty venerable and if this car is going to be driven a lot around town and parked and what not, there is a good chance something may happen to it, right in that area. To clean up the rust with ospho and epoxy priming it and painting then shutting the hood and forgetting about it until the next oil change is my thinking. If you want better than that, if your expectations are higher than that, I still say do it and then keep an eye out for a nice hood, buy it paint it and swap it out with this one when you do. In the mean time she is out having fun.

Brian

[garretthes]

That is some funny stuff!

[garretthes]

Originally Posted by OneMoreTime

A fellow can go to www.car-part.com and perhaps find the replacements he needs as well..

Sam

I have used car-part before. Might try that.

[garretthes]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

Listen, what are your expectations? What kind of car are you making here, a daily driver, weekend show car? Is she taking this car off to college for a few years to be left out in packing lots 24 hours a day?
That area has no structural job at all. The leading edge of that hood is doing nothing what so ever but holding paint to look purty. The hinges are mounted on the side that look solid, the latch is all the way at the other end of the hood, this area is doing nothing.
That being said, to repair it properly by cutting and welding in new material is a HUGE undertaking. Realistically it't only to be successful by someone with a ton of experience who wouldn't be asking the question. There is nothing wrong with that, I am not knocking you, after many years in this business that is how I see it.

I think the options are in order as I see it...

1. Stopping it from getting worse. Painting over this and seeing your daughters smiling face as she drives off.

2. Breaking down and buying a new hood, paint it bolt it on and get on with life.

3. Stopping the rust then filling the holes with reinforced filler and finishing it off and painting, pretending that it is "fixed".

4. Spending hours upon hours, days, weeks, cutting out the metal and replacing it like a real restoration.


Personally, it is so far gone I think cutting it out and welding it up is a terrible waste of this little time we have on earth. If it was a hood from a 1962 Ford 406 Lightweight worth $5 grand, that is different. But on a car where the hoods are available for 3-4 hundred bucks, I wouldn't put that time into it.

Those hoods are pretty venerable and if this car is going to be driven a lot around town and parked and what not, there is a good chance something may happen to it, right in that area. To clean up the rust with ospho and epoxy priming it and painting then shutting the hood and forgetting about it until the next oil change is my thinking. If you want better than that, if your expectations are higher than that, I still say do it and then keep an eye out for a nice hood, buy it paint it and swap it out with this one when you do. In the mean time she is out having fun.

Brian

This car is NOT a show car. It is her first car and we want it to look good but it is not a frame off resto. I'm going to spray it with rust kill then paint it. We will keep an eye out for a used hood for later.

[Jim Rockford]

DO NOT give a kid a nice car for their first one, Get em a ****box beater . I know everyone want to do something nice for their kids but truth is, they don't kow how to drive yet, it will get wrecked. Might be her fault might not, but its gonna get trashed for a first car. Buy something for 1500 bucks or less, the less reliable the better cause it keeps em close to home, and not out driving all around the country. Something with not so good fuel mileage also.

[garretthes]

Originally Posted by Jim Rockford

DO NOT give a kid a nice car for their first one, Get em a ****box beater . I know everyone want to do something nice for their kids but truth is, they don't kow how to drive yet, it will get wrecked. Might be her fault might not, but its gonna get trashed for a first car. Buy something for 1500 bucks or less, the less reliable the better cause it keeps em close to home, and not out driving all around the country. Something with not so good fuel mileage also.

Well technically it's not her 1st car to drive. She is almost 18 and has been driving her Granma's 05 Ford Focus. She is a very good driver. Actually she bought the 280zx and is paying for all the restoration. I'm just doing all the work. She works at Taco bell so SHE is investing a lot of work in the car at minimum wage.
I'm with you though. The odds are something like 75% that a teenage boy will total his 1st car. A little less for girls.
That's good advice though.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by garretthes

This car is NOT a show car. It is her first car and we want it to look good but it is not a frame off resto. I'm going to spray it with rust kill then paint it. We will keep an eye out for a used hood for later.

I'm thinking that is the best way to go.

Brian

[123pugsy]

Before painting with the rust kill, you may want to cut out some of the rust. Take a snip and carefully cut out some of the rust in say an oval shape so it looks kind of like factory.
This will get rid of alot of it and give some more openings to spray the insides.
Just leave at least 1/2'' on either side of the bend part and it should stay rigid enough.

[Conrad_AZ]

Originally Posted by garretthes

Well technically it's not her 1st car to drive. She is almost 18 and has been driving her Granma's 05 Ford Focus. She is a very good driver. Actually she bought the 280zx and is paying for all the restoration. I'm just doing all the work. She works at Taco bell so SHE is investing a lot of work in the car at minimum wage.
I'm with you though. The odds are something like 75% that a teenage boy will total his 1st car. A little less for girls.
That's good advice though.

Ah! Dont forget that teenage girls, attract teenage boys! After our divorce many years ago, my ex-wife bought my then 17 yr old daughter a restored 1965 Mustang convertible as a way of trying to stick it to me, since I had refused to buy my daughter a car until she did something to earn it. Long story short, after the Mustang showed up so did a new boy friend who promptly totaled the Mustang when he took it on a 'test' drive.

I am sure there is a moral here, I just need to find it.

[Lizer]

I think the moral is that teenage boys are stupid and only know about 12% of what they actually think they know. 67% of them will never actually grow out of this.

[deadbodyman]

A used hood is definettly the way to go with that one......and be sure to paint it pink to keep the boys out uf the drivers seat,or you'll be buying motors every month...
If you were to repair it keep in mind ,all that inner structure is ,is a support it doesnt have to be pretty or even look exctly like the old piece ....