A Thunder Roadster definitely has its appeal. Consumable costs are miniscule. I'm not sure how much fun a TR would be simply as a track day car (maybe a lot) even though it would be cheap to run. I'm assuming its primary appeal is the level of competition, which in the SE is pretty fierce, and lots like a lot of fun.

 

I've always been impressed by those guys when I have visited CMP.
Crazy thing is, go to VIR (Mid-Atlantic region) and you will not see a single one!!!!!!

 

They are a lot fun. Light weight, and very tossible. Not very fast on the straights but can hang with just about anything in the twisty parts.

 

It's starting in the SE. I don't know if it will spread though.

 

check out Certifit...they sell wholesale to the public...I purchased front fenders for my 350Z for $42 ea...they may not sell rear 1/4 panels...but call them and ask

http://www.certifit.com/storelocations.aspx?site=GA

Also should consider buying another wrecked 350Z and "chop it" as needed

Copart is a good place to purchase wrecked cars...I have purchased a couple or cars there.

Copart.com

 

Thanks John, I will definitely look those up.

 

Also try these guys...I have purchased an engine and other goodies from Danny Luna...ask for him and tell him you are racer and I sent you...

http://www.nissanunlimitedparts.com/

 

Insurance has finally decided that they are not going to cover the claim, which is no surprise. So I may get the body shop to repair the right rear quarter panel which is something I cannot do.

But, I have found a 2006, same color, through Copart which John referenced above. It has flood damage and front end damage but the rear bumper, hatch, driver door and fascia all look good. If I can get it for a decent price I can bolt on all those pieces myself.

My question is this: are those parts (2006) the same as on my 2007? I may have to ask this question in another forum but thought I'd start here first.

If they are, the car is about 6 hours away but since the parts would not require paint I think if I could get it for under $2000 I'd be saving money over having the body shop do all this work. Looks like it has new tires and the wheels look good to so I could re-coup a little money by selling those.

 

You can check part numbers here ( and @ other Nissan Web Stores) to check if there is a model year difference with parts

http://parts.nissanusa.com/

http://parts.nissanusa.com/nissanpar...iption=Keyword

 

Perfect. Thanks.

 

Body shop estimate is $7500 to fix everything. That is too much to spend on a car worth $16k and I don't have the cash right now.....saving for a wedding.

So, I'm going to bid on the car at Copart but even if I get it it will be months or longer before I'll be able to do anything with my Z. So it is going to get parked, in an open sided tractor shed, on some property I own. I'll try to get a car cover for it.

But my next question is: what do I need to do to the car for long term storage? Stabil in the gas tank? Do you prop the clutch pedal down to keep it from seizing? Do I need to do anyting to the brakes to keep them from seizing? Any help appreciated.

By the way, Copart is a great resource, but there are TONS of hidden fees and just the cost of doing business is pretty steep. And if you do not have a license for a automotive related business you have to pay a broker, approx $200, to manage the transaction. So you have to pay attention to the up front costs and fees that exist in addition to your bid. In addition to brokerage fees, Copart gets about a 10% cut. They charge $30 to move the car out of the lot to the pick up spot and charge $30 a day for storage starting 6 days after purchase. But even with all that, if I can get this wreck for around $2k it will still be cheaper than using the body shop.

 

This sounds like if your not careful you will be in a huge money pit. Even if you score on the cheap flood car, you will still have to pay to get the rear quarter removed and the new one welded on. It may even be more expensive because the shop will have to remove it from the first car instead of just working with a new or already removed quarter.

 

Yep, its a bad situation. One of the hazards of tracking a street car that you like.

They say they think they can hammer/pull the existing quarter panel. That will still cost about $1000 with paint. I'll use the donor car for rear hatch, bumper, both tail lights, driver door and mirror.

So even if they can pull the dents out of the quarter panel I'm in for $4k all together.

Taking advice on judicious placement of racing stripes and decals to hide bad body work and mismatched paint!

 

Forgot to mention, I wont' bid any more than $2k on the donor car. It may sell for more. In that case my Z will be in the shed for a lot more than a few months while I slowly track down and buy body parts for it.

 

I did not win the car on Copart. Should have bid more and spent the time to part it out.

Anyway, found a driver door and hatch, same color and had them shipped. Color match looks good.

My intention was to do the door and hatch myself. But it looks like the front quarter panel has to come off in order to remove and replace the door. Does anyone know if this is true?

Also, it looks like the headliner has to come out to get to the hinge bolts that hold the hatch in place.

It might be worth a paying the body shop to install these when they do the rear quarter panel.