Project Boomerang After 20 years, I'm back.

[UTBirdMan]

<Warning, long introduction>

My first car was a '76 280z 2+2 4 speed. I drove it like the teenager I was, and that car lasted me through high school, college, marriage and our first child. I lived in Utah and drove it to Seattle, San Diego, into Mexico and all the way back east to Philadelphia, it never let me down, never left me stranded. At 250,000 miles it succumbed to rust and it didn't move with us to California, and was later sold for $100. I'll probably never own another one, but I have my memories.

When we moved to California, I picked up a sensible Mitsubishi Galant for work and my wife came with a Ford Escort Wagon. These were respectable new/newish cars, the Galant even had a 195 hp V6 engine. However, neither were fun. Not even close to it. They both took care of the need for transportation. After driving a Z for eight years, my life was missing the fun factor for transportation. This would have been in 1999.

Work was going well enough that I somehow convinced the Mrs. that I needed a fun car. At that time, about the only car that fit the bill and price point was a Miata, but those just didn't move me. Then one day I was back at the farm in Utah, and on one of the side roads near our house an old convertible was listed for sale. I turned around to look closer at it. The car had seen better days, but it was a Datsun. At that time I knew nothing of Pre-Z Datsuns, I was hooked. The Internet was just starting to fill in the details of everything, and I jumped right in, learning all that I could. I knew better than to buy that car, but I started looking for one.

A few months later I was made aware of an early 1967 in the Sacramento area. Mechanically sound, cosmetically lacking. We drove up there and I drove it home to Orange County. What an experience. Over the course of the next two years I did a mild frame off restoration. The engine came out, body off the fram. The body was delivered to a local shop where it was prepped and painted, I took care of the interior and other necessary items. Eventually it all came together and I drove it to our then home in Tempe, AZ.

For the next two years it was used regularly as a third car, even at times a first car. It was loved, it was lovely. I was active on the Roadster Email list as well as in AzROC. I visited Solvang once (while the car was in pieces) and the car became a part of early family lore.

Then I followed another passion of mine, in December 2003 we sold everything we had and moved to Vietnam. This included the little SPL311. My brother took it off my hands for about half of what I had put into it. We drove it up to Utah for him. He did his best to take care of it, but it became his only car, driven in the Utah winter, without a nice place to store overnight. He never loved the R16 engine, but he did like the car. Eventually the engine "blew up" and he picked up an eBay JDM S15 SR20DE and never quite got it running. The project languished for far too many years, then he moved to Idaho, left the car with a friend, then had the friend take it to a shop, where the shop didn't get it running, and then, two weeks ago, I received a phone call from him where he dropped this bomb on me.

"It's yours. If you sell it, we can split the sales price, if you keep it, it is free for you"

The car is in the Roadster Registry, not looking as good as it was back then.

https://www.311s.org/registry/new/roads ... l?vid=1414

Now I have a dilemma. We lived in Vietnam for 10 years and have been back in Utah for the last 10. A new job might have me moving back to Asia in the next six months. I liked the older R16 engine and enjoy keeping things as faithful to stock as possible. The old engine is long gone and the frame has been modified for the SR20DE. The interior needs refreshing, the body will eventually need another go-over. All key items also need to be refreshed. If I take the project, it'll be a resto-mod that could easily take me years.

I'll clean up my garage and find a place for it, I'll work on it for a few months while my job figures things out. I have committed to my wife that if I take this as my own, I will have a plan for it, even if we move abroad again for a few years. I've been into adventure touring motorcycles lately, this came to me out of the blue. I am cautious, concerned and realistic as to what will happen, but I might just return to an old hobby soon.

Sorry for the long introduction, I'm looking forward to chatting with many of you, maybe some old friends will come out of the woodwork as well.

[S Allen]

Very cool story. I say go for it, get it back and let the project begin. I think you will pleased you did once you get it sorted and back on the road.

Steve

[Habitat.pat]

Welcome! I fully agree with Steve, get her in the garage! There is lots of knowledge on this list, ask any questions you like. I look forward to seeing your results, no matter how long it takes!

Peace, Pat

[Gregs672000]

Yep, go get it! No question. The R16 is a lot simpler, but an SR20 is not super complex of you decide to go that route, and that swap is well sorted in the community.

[Gregs672000]

Also, if you are out of country for some time you can find a decent shop to do the more "specialized" work (like completing the swap and getting it reliable/turn-key) while you're gone. Before you leave you can get a lot done on suspension, brakes, body touch up etc in a few months, especially if some local owners can help.

[UTBirdMan]

It should be in my garage in a week or two. First order of business is to get the engine running. My brother picked up an aftermarket wiring harness, and when that didn't work right he got an aftermarket ECU, that didn't work either. No spark is what I have been told. The shop his friend took it to was more of a muscle car fabrication / restoration shop, not a mechanic shop versed in JDM engines, they wasted far too much time and his money to resolve nothing. Fingers are being pointed at the distributor, but I'm not yet convinced anyone knew what they were doing. I've done enough of my own work and know how to get help when needed. I'm better at this than I was twenty years ago, but still have a lot to learn. I am looking forward to the collective knowledge out there and hope one day to contribute some of my own. No radiator or exhaust yet, suspension, brakes, wheels, tops, glass, interior and body will come later, I need to get this engine sorted out first.

[Gregs672000]

There are a number of very knowledgeable folks here who know the ins and outs of this swap, as well as the specific quirks that I've read about that may be tripping you/others up. Post your questions as they come and I'm sure they will chime in!

[Dreymar]

That's a good read! Welcome

[UTBirdMan]

In garage.jpg

Going Home.jpg

It's home, the real work starts soon.

[Dreymar]

In garage.jpgGoing Home.jpgIt's home, the real work starts soon.

Aright! Enjoy