OT: Garage find..., an unmolested Datsun 240Z, 23 years idle in garage Options

[neo914-6]

I'd love to buy it but not sure what it's worth or what to offer. All original paint, optional AC, very little rust that I could see, only one shallow crease in the rear quarter panel, door dings, cracked dash, tears in drivers seat, rusted exhaust, some worn door seals. Everything else is just dirty. It was only outside the garage for the past year.

How do you start cars like this? My guess would be to replace the fluids, filters, plugs, plugs wires, rotor, gas, carb fuel lines, good battery, hand crank it to see if it turns, prime the carbs, and try to start her up...

[Wes V]

I'd personally offer around 2 grand for it. But that may be really off. They may have no idea on it's worth, and also may feel it's a rare collectors car.

It would appear that early Datsuns have become real popular, and I feel it's justified.

As for starting it;

1, Replace all the fluids and filters.

2. Pull the spark plugs and remove the distributor cap.

3. Pull off the valve cover and check the valve train. If in doubt, back off the valve adjustment.

4. Squirt some oil in the spark plug holes. Squirt some oil on the cam and rockers. Hand rotate the engine.

5. Drain the gas tank (drop the tank if there isn't a drain plug) and if it hasn't turned into crap, put in new gas. Drain the gas out of the carbs.

6. Disconnect the fuel line from the carbs and crank over the engine long enough to pass the new gas out of the system. (it should have a mechanical fuel pump on the side of the head) Re-attach the fuel line.

7. Use the starter to crank over the engine until you see oil pressure. There is a "sprayer" bar that squirts oil on the cam followers (rockers) and this may throw oil. It can make a mess, but you should view it to verify that all of the rockers are getting squirted.

8. Hook up the distributor and plug in one spark plug. Rest the plug against a grounded surface and have somebody crank over the engine, while you see if the plug sparks.

9. Put in new spark plugs and adjust the valves. Use a new gasket and put the valve cover on for good.

10. Start the engine.

(ya, I've spent some time under the hood of a Datsun)

Wes Vann

[Katmanken]

AAAAhhhh

Evil car!!! Killed the 914 sales.....

That being said, there might be more teeners left than 240z's.

Check the rear shock towers, a bad place for rust.

Ken

[ConeDodger]

You can do all of that and it is best but I can tell you from 30 years of Z car ownership that all you really have to do is make sure it has gas, replace the battery and crank until it fires. Very durable cars.

Do you have the VIN? What year? The earliest cars are worth the most. First 500 are gold in any appreciable condition. If it is a '73 and has its original flat top Hitachi SU carbs, take them off and PM me. I have the carbs and intake you need. Those carbs were smogged down and very few survived since they were near impossible to keep tuned. I think there are far more parts available for the Z than the 914. Sorry, another look at your pics reveals this to be a '70 through '72 engine or a '73 with backdated carbs. This car has some desirable options. Bumper overriders, AC though more than likely dealer installed. It has the steel wheels and hubcaps which are very rare. Datsun dealers did the same thing Porsche dealers did. They pulled off the factory wheels and wheel covers and upcharged you for some cheap alloy wheel to increase their margins.

As for value, some of the Z Store Project cars have sold for $50K. A restored original car up to $30K. An unrestored original car in that condition is $1000 - $2000 at most. Unfortunately, a lot of these cars that sit in a garage for 20+ years are kind of a poor man's retirement plan. He or she may think it is worth a lot more than it actually is.

That is a very popular color though I never liked it.

Most of the rust issues are under the battery tray and in snow belt cars, along the driver side rocker panel from plow salt blast. Really bad examples have shock tower rust.

If you are serious about this car go to ClassicZ.Com and you will get all the advice you need.

Here is one of my favorites...

[cooltimes]

It's worth can probably be found here:
http://www.zcar.com/forums/

Long story cut short.
I had a 1970 240Z with a number within the 1st 500 sold in the USA. Traded a 914 for it. Both ran. The Z was all original, no rust or damage. Just as it came from the dealer except it had been driven and had all the normal looks of a Zcar from years of fun time driving. A year or so later, I tried to sell it local (Memphis TN)for $1500. Nobody even called after running the ad for 10 full days. Then I went online Found ZCars.
Dropped price to $1K but never a peep from anyone there. Everyone had a Zcar to sell it seemed. When I learned my serial number was one of the 1st, actually, the 70 I had was manufactured and stamped on the door plate as built in 69. I added that into my for sale ad their at Zcar. Within an hour I had sold the car to someone in Arizona. They picked it up 2 days later cash in hand.
Then, I learned that the Japanese people were buying the 1st ones to restore back to prime condition and were planning on offering a new 1970 ZCar back to the pub johns for around $50K. Yep. I cried.

You didn't say what year your wanna own Zcar is but personally, I would dicker below $1000 to start with. They probably have already tried to do it online.

CoolZ

This post has been edited by cooltimes: Mar 29 2009, 09:35 AM

[J P Stein]

Those Zs make one hell of an SCCA F/P AX car.

[boxstr]

I worked at a local Datsun(Nissan) dealer during the early Z car era. Very dependable sports car.
Some of the parts are very costly to replace with NOS Datsun parts today. But then so are some of the 914 parts. So nothing new there.
Good luck.
CCLINZME

[rick 918-S]

I had one. 1970 240. This was a GA car sitting in a garage for many years so the tin worm missed it.

If you find a nice one keep it! These old Z's rust anywhere there's a bend, curve or fold in the metal!

I actually saw a 1970 Fairlady Z 32 years ago. The interior was done is metal flake vinyl and it was right hand drive. The girl that was driving it was dating the owner. He worked in Japan and purchased it there and had it shipped over here. It was carbed. Very cool!

[cooltimes]

I gave the wrong web page in a message I did above.
The Z place is http://www2.zhome.com:81/
I am still shown as a member ( Cooley, the one in TN) there but the info on my Zcar became void since I was no longer the owner.
Not to waste the Zpace, I bought another after that for someone else. It was sitting in a empty spot on some property. Been there for a couple of years just sitting and doors still locked. I located the owner and actually bought that 70Z for $50 but since I did the find for someone else, a guy I used to haul my Pcars when needed, they got the deal for the $50. Yes it ran after doing the oil and adding gas. So price is a trick. Maybe others will sell low if it has been sitting.

CoolZ

a 80 Z I found for $500



This post has been edited by cooltimes: Mar 29 2009, 11:41 AM

[ConeDodger]

ZHome is the old Internet Z Car Club which was a mailing list with a website run by and still owned by Carl Beck in Florida.

The Z Store Project that I alluded to and Cooley also mentioned was a project intended to help with the introduction of the 350Z. Z cars had been off the market for a number of years and Nissan wanted to do an advertising gimick to rekindle Z car excitement as if that was really needed. The plan was to buy 100 very restorable first generation cars and take them down to the last bolt and rebuild them. Two restoration shops were used and instead of the planned 100 only about 20 ever made it to completion. Nissan had any parts that weren't available reissued sometimes if possible using the original vendor. The restoration shops used were Classic Datsun Motorsports and Pierre's Z in California. There may have been another East Coast shop but I do not recall the name. These cars were sold for about $25K with a warranty but due to Federal law they had the miles that were showing on their odometers. So, essentially you were buying a "new" car with 70K miles on it.
In terms of value, the most valuable Z car is the unmolested preservation with low miles. Next would be a well done original restoration. Third would be a Z Store project cars. Everything else falls in below that. Historic cars such as the one in the picture below are anybody's guess. Yes, that is Mr. Brock standing next to it.
One fortunate side-effect of the Z Store project is that many NLA parts were reissued and were actually cheaper than they had been. I bought a new hood and several other NLA parts just three years ago. Even new door panels are currently for sale.

[pete-stevers]

buy the damn thing! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[ConeDodger]

This one is for sale in San Diego for $19,000.00 but the ad was pulled recently. I suspect Pete Brock gave him a cease and desist letter because it isn't a licensed replica.

[r_towle]

$500 bucks.
Rebuild thosecarbs....you will learn to hate those carbs.

Rich

[neo914-6]

$500 bucks.
Rebuild thosecarbs....you will learn to hate those carbs.

Rich

Yep, I had a '67 1600 roadster with only 2 SU's...

Thanks guys!

[Todd Enlund]

$500 bucks.
Rebuild thosecarbs....you will learn to hate those carbs.

Rich

Depending on your goals... if your goal is fun, either switch to triple Mikuni/Weber DCOE, or swap in a later L28E FI engine from a 280Z or ZX.

[mel reckling]

While following the link provided to Z home I found out something that made my jaw drop. I have owned a 77 Z for 31 years and until yesterday had no idea it was special. While looking through the color codes I couldn't find the yellow(I always thought it was called bamboo) my car is. It is actually Sunburst yellow(411) and was only available on a special edition ZAP model that came with a bunch of gawd-awful black decals. By the time I bought it(78) the PO had gotten rid of the stripes. According to the site it is now one of the most collectible Z's with around 1,000 of them built.

I guess you find something new every day, thanks for the link. I may have never found out about it otherwise.

[dlo914]

Cool...i actually like the decals: (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
(IMG:http://www2.zhome.com:81/zcarfilesJPEG/ZZZapZL.jpg)
(IMG:http://www.zhome.com/zcarfilesJPEG/zaprsid.jpg)
(IMG:http://www.zhome.com/zcarfilesJPEG/zaplf.jpg)

[VaccaRabite]

240Zs are so damn hot. My childhood dream car. Everytime I see one I am reminded that 5 year old me promised adult me that I would buy one when I was old enough.

I need to stop looking at any threads with a 2002 or a 240z in it. I get all loaded down with irrational WANT.

Maybe I should just sell the m715 and buy another old sports car...
Maybe I should brain myself with a tire iron...

Zach

[jmill]

Yeah, I'd buy it. The wife had a 260Z when we met. She loved it. It was stolen and then wrecked. She's been after me to get another one for her and fix it up.

[charliew]

I had been looking at new 77 z's and decided on a 77 toyota gt fastback as I got a new job as a service tech. at IBM and needed a work car that got good gas mileage. I had a new 76 3/4 ton 4x4 silverado with 4:10 gears and couldn't get by with that driving about 70k a year. I got a divorce and moved in with a fellow IBMer and he had a new 280z, one night he comes home after a trip to dallas and says, I got a ticket for 130 mph. I said bs and he shows it to me. I said you are screwed and he says maybe not I know a assistant da that I went to high school with I'll buy his lunch tomorrow. Sure enough the ticket disappeared. He said he was hauling ass home on 35 south and met a highway patrolman so he just let off and coasted to a stop and waited on him to come up behind him. The cop asked why he stopped and waited as he didn't think he would stop. My friend said he figured someone would be waiting ahead and he thought it would be better if he just took the ticket. Before the z he had a nova with a 327 in it that was pretty fast. The z car was his IBM work car.

Another friend has moved from z cars to type 3's and bugs to now old tractors. He has one complete z car and one for parts. The complete one is in a shed but looks rough at a glance. I think I have two sets of those su's somewhere in a 5 gallon plastic bucket with the lid on it, maybe two buckets. I get the buckets from a bbq place up the street, they make pretty good storage containers for cheap if you don't mind the sauce smell.