Let's say you had a Z with a lot of body damage but otherwise in good shape and you wanted to make it into a track car. It would need a rear bumper, rear hatch, driver door, right rear quarter panel and left lower fascia.

Are there enough Z body parts in salvage yards to put things back together on your own on the cheap? I'm not talking about a show room restoration, just good enough for the track with a DIY paint job?

 

Yes it would be easy

 

The rear quarter panels are expensive to get put in....other than that, not much of a problem.

 

Man, looking at salvage yards online 350Z body parts are expensive! Door assembly in "good" (not "very good") condition for $750. Rear quarter panels $650. I can't imagine how much the rear hatch would cost.

I sure hope aftermarket panels are less.

 

Id rather buy and abused one for 6K and go from there.
Id assume your replacing all the performance components for the track anyways right?
why waste your money on replacing body panels that have no performance gains?

 

I did not realize the rear quarter panel included the triangle window and all that. Does it have to be welded in?

 

I already own the car.

 

Yes, the rear quarter has to be cut out and rewelded back in....

....it is usually 3-4k easy to get one replaced after an accident, or so I've heard.

 

Parts are at a premium because the 350Z is a sports car, perhaps another alternative if you have the space is to buy a shell that has front end damage and purge all that you need in one go?

 

just fiberglass the ISH out of that thing.
save your money.
and who needs a hatch?
Make it a convertible and have that weight reduction!!!

 

for the quarter panels do either a huge over fender and riveted on. Or bang it out with a body hammer and dolley, and bondo the crap out of it. its also far less intrusive to the car than cutting the spotwelds out and mig welding a new fender on. its pretty much a hack job even if u pay 5k for it.

 

Aftermarket and used parts. Rear 1/4 panel is tricky, for a dedicated track car I would find someone to make molds and go fiberglass will possible wide body rear. Do some cutting and make the rears simple to change out.

 

If you are thinking about taking it W2W spec racing then most likely OEM is the only real choice. As said It may be worth finding a shell with a blown engine and move over the parts.

A lot is going to depend on where you plan to be with the car in the next year or so.

 

The rear quarter panel damage is the least of all the body damage and I may see if the body shop can hammer it out/bondo and then replace the bumper, door and hatch. I bet the hatch is going to be pricey.

Anyway, if they can get it looking decent without breaking the bank I'll keep it as my DD and find something a little cheaper to crash at the track.

If it is going to be too expensive to get it back to normal I may just get them to do the best they can on the rear quarter without replacing it and then park it for a while until I can do the rest myself. I've got a buddy who can do a good enough DIY shade tree paint job for a track car.

 

you could do that.... or miata..cheapest option for racing

 

In the same boat and I have had good luck with ebay and the marketplace here. I got 2 front fenders the same color as my car for $175 shipped on ebay. So deals are out there if you are patient.

 

I like the idea of a Miata but I'm 6'4" and barely fit in my Z so I'm not sure if I'd pass the "broomstick" test with the roll bar. A friend of mine has one so I can check it out easy enough.

 

Thanks. I will start looking.

 

Like I said, I would think about where I want to be in a year or more. If it's racing, find a class that appeals to you, and one that has a future. If it's spec Z, then fix the Z. other great classes would be spec Miata or Spec E30. Cheap fun, great racing. In the Southeast you could get a Thunder Roadster cheaper than fixing the Z and be out there racing with 20 other guys. With the possible changes in STx it could be come very popular.

If it's just doing track days or looking at Time trails, then spendign that money on a C5 vette is hard to beat. they are great track cars out of the box, and they are competitive in TT as well.

 

You can fit! A shop here (V2 Motorsports) built a spec miata for a fella who is 6'6".