So I've pretty much gotten my S to 100%. It's my daily and I have been kinda panicky about doing any sort of work on it since if I don't get it running before Monday morning... well I'm basically forced to take a vacation day

I love tinkering with things on the weekends. I would really love a longer (1, 2, 3 year?) project to work on little by little. I'm a very 'learn by a book/manual' type of person and would really like to learn how to do things such breaking down and rebuilding an engine, becoming a better diagnostician in terms of engine part failures, doing clutch work, and other labor intensive work on a car. Possibly even learning how to spray

My question is: Is this practical? My background (career) is engineering.

Would say a z32 300zx (90-96, vg30de [non-turbo]) be a good place to start? There's a few in my area that I think would make good (long term) projects and I've loved the car and history for a very long time.

From what I understand, things that's I've mentioned would take a considerable amount of automotive-specific tools. I'm okay with this. Like I said, I enjoy learning moreso than the expectation of results.

Your input is very valuable to me

 

Why not build another S with plans for power? That way you get the best of both.

 

I had a twin turbo swapped 300zx that I got pretty involved in before picking up my s2000. They're reasonably reliable cars, although keep in mind they're 20+ years old at this point so things are bound to wear out. 500rwhp is also possible on the stock turbos with almost instant spool (the guy who bought mine dynoed at 480rwhp with the smaller AT turbos). Twinturbo.net is a great resource for any questions you could have (though their site is a bit dated...). 300zxclub is also decent, although the posters tend to be a bit more immature.

Be prepared to spend tons of $$$ and deal with lots of frustration dealing with the most cramped engine bay ever, however. Though I did love the sound of the V6 a lot more than the s2000's 2.2 liter.

Any specific questions let me know.

EDIT: Also, if you ever plan on swapping to a twin turbo, just spend the extra money now and get a TT. The amount of money you'll end up spending with a swap is not worth it; you can get a clean lower mileage twin turbo for what it costs. The NA is also nothing special power wise.

 

I can think of many other cars that would be easier and cheaper project cars. Don't get me wrong, if you're fire up about that car then it will theoretically bring you the most joy... maybe.

But learning how to do that stuff on a car that is difficult to work on is probably going to take some of the fun out of it.

You may not like this answer, but a mid 90s Honda Civic would be your best bet for a first-time project car. The main reason I say this is because there is an endless supply of knowledge available on the internet. I can't think of any other car that has the same level of "support."

 

I'm a huge fan of the Z32 as well, first car I ever wanted and really got me into cars. That said... not the most DYI friendly car out there. But hey you like what you like. Personally, I'd go for a supra, might be the only car of tha tgeneration where you can take a run down blown engine one for cheap, pour money into it and potentially get your money back.
Btw, bodywork is a whole different animal, especially painting, you gotta have the facility and tools to do an OEM level paint job, let along a show car level.

 

100% truth...the civic has got to be one of the most widely known about tuner cars ever made.

 

Thank you everybody for your responses.

I'm debating between the sort of two options people have expressed which is going for something like another s2k build? an older sports/sportier car? or something like a civic?. I did say that my primary interest would be learning how to diagnose, fix things, etc... but I'm not sure how I feel about a civic right now. I'm not looking to go the "tuner" route... merely fixing stock stuff. And honestly, doing any sort of power/susp mod to a civic would kind of make me feel like a 14 yr old boy waiting for his nuts to drop still BUT then again, I think you all are also right in that information/resources would be plentiful.

After saying that, I think I do want to go the route of a car that I would "enjoy." Doesn't have to be a monster, but not something like a typical commuter sedan. When I said Z32 I do not have a lot of interest right now in making power and a TT would just complicate things for me I think. Like people have said, I think I would already have a hard time with the tight quarters in the engine bay. I do know that TT swaps are way more involved than a lot of people realize, and usually it's better to just buy one and put down the extra cash.

As for body work (exterior) I'm a little hesitant but from what I've been reading I think the hardest part for people is patience and control over a long period of time to make sure you do it right the first time... it seems as soon as you start to rush ANY step... it really bites you in the butt in the end.


I think I want to go with a Z32 still. Will the cramped engine bay really be that daunting as a first project car for someone, or will it just be a PITA with a few more swear words involved? I think the VG30DE is a solid engine and would be a good one to do a stock rebuild on as my first rebuild... does anyone agree/disagree?

Thanks for the input so far!

 

If you want something you can really build, I'd look at some cars from the 70s with a lot less complexity, but that will still give you a good experience and some cool things to do.

 

Somethig to think about, is domestic cars. I myself came from the Ford Mustang world (hence the screen name) and the amount of knowledge, how-to's, and aftermarket support for that car rivals the Civic. Granted getting into Mustang or other domestic pony/muscle cars comes with a whole other set of perceptions that you may or may not want. But the Mustang is very easy to work on, the parts are generally very easy to find, and much cheaper than imports. Something to consider.

 

I would partially disagree with this. I agree that a Mustang is another good option but I would disagree that a Mustang is easier to work on if for no other reason that I can literally move a Honda engine around the garage by myself and I weigh 140 lbs.

Furthermore, Honda really wrote the book on automotive wiring, in my opinion. The way their sensors are utilized and laid out is really logical, unlike many other cars I've worked on.