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Soon To Be 1974 260Z Owner.....


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Hi All,

My brother in law is looking to sell his 1974 260z 2 seater and asked me if I am still interested in it as I enquired about it 2 years ago.

He has owned it since new (still has the original owner's manual, warranty/service booklet and full 260z service manual) and only stopped driving it about 18 months ago. He indicated it is accident free (other than some right front fender damage from a kangaroo) however he replaced the original engine in 1992 with one from a 280z after removal of all the fuel injection system). Also, he did mention that years ago the front passenger floor pan was pushed up when the car slipped of a hoist support when being serviced in the 1990's.

It has the original paintwork and other than a small patch of "deep" rust in the lower front door (about the size of a 20c coin) only appears to have some surface rust on the roof and some other panels. 

I have always wanted to have a 240/260z however never had the time (family/work etc) or money. I have worked on other cars but not serious mechanicals or panel work.

If I do take up his offer my first step would be to get it re registered in Victoria (currently it is in east Gippsland) - whilst I know it is asking how long is a piece of string - can anyone give me an indication as to what it may take to get it to a roadworthy condition?

 

Here are some pics : https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bhk6ykfsr1rwe8x/AAAhByzmTdP4-6FnA9_uTUnya?dl=0

 

I will upload more pictures if anyone has some specific areas that may assist in answering my question, however I am no longer at the property so it may be a while until I can get any detailed info.

Regards,

Andrew.

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RS30 000467 - That's a pretty early 260z 2 seater. So definitely a 1974 model.

 

Impossible to tell you what it will need for roadworthy, probably rust repairs, probably a lot of neglected items too! It's in a bit of a state alright. But it does look tired and honest as opposed to messed about with.

 

Not a fan of the speakers holes being cut into the rear storage box area. It obviously had a late 80s/early 90s radio fitted.

 

Good luck, I'd bank on 7-8k worth of work to make it roadworthy.

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Nice. That's a good starting point with nice history.

If you don't take up the offer in sure he won't have trouble moving it.

A few good Datsun people in the east Gippsland area that you may be able to enlist for assistance.

Jeff.

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As a early '74 owner myself, it certainly looks to be a good honest Zed that hasn't been messed about by a succession of owners like most have.

Those rear speakers look to be mounted right where the perforations were for the factory speakers which were concealed in behind. But better there than in the door trims!

Ditto Chris240's comments, but I'd say not too much south of 10K seeing as it's one-owner, as long as the rust is fairly minimal.

However, the reality is that the car really needs a full body paint job, interior tidy-up (ask him if he still has the plastic caps for the rear strut towers, otherwise they are expensive to buy), plus a complete mechanical going-over. A nice project for a Zed enthusiast with DIY skills.

If you don't buy it then I'll put my hand up for it!!!

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RS30 000467 - That's a pretty early 260z 2 seater. So definitely a 1974 model.

 

Impossible to tell you what it will need for roadworthy, probably rust repairs, probably a lot of neglected items too! It's in a bit of a state alright. But it does look tired and honest as opposed to messed about with.

 

Not a fan of the speakers holes being cut into the rear storage box area. It obviously had a late 80s/early 90s radio fitted.

 

Good luck, I'd bank on 7-8k worth of work to make it roadworthy.

 

Thanks for the estimate, I cannot see any rust in the floor areas and that that is visible appears to be just surface rust )other than a small area in the drivers door).

 

Added some additional photos to the link in the first post.

 

What are the key areas that need attention in a car of this age? - I presume mostly rubber components like those in the suspension / engine?

Edited by AndBir
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Nice. That's a good starting point with nice history.

If you don't take up the offer in sure he won't have trouble moving it.

A few good Datsun people in the east Gippsland area that you may be able to enlist for assistance.

Jeff.

Thanks Jeff,

If I get the car I will be in touch as it would be good to be able to have some good Datsun people to assist.

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The car is what a lot of people dream of finding.
Especially with the documentation. It's worthy of a complete rebuild.
You can bank on rust in the sills and dogleg panels for sure and probably the doors was well. The slam panel where the boot closes is another sure area for corrosion.

I made the mistake of rushing out and getting my car registered only to now have it off the road for months doing rust repairs and paint.
Speak to others about what you intend to do with the car long term before you do RWC items.

If you embark on a complete teardown to fix rust and straighten panels you will cover all the RWC items in the rebuild.

IMO the car deserves a complete tear down, sandblast, rust repairs and repaint. There are lots of great features about your car.

Try and keep the dealers logo in the rear hatch window and any other period features.
If you can get your hands on the original radio that's a keeper too. See if you can get the original purchase receipt too.

What a great starting point for a restoration.

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Thanks for the advice GroundHog,

Always liked the car and thought whilst not in great condition it would be a worthwhile "doer upper".

 

There is also a 260Z 2+2 that was purchased for the engine which is meant to be reasonably low kms.

Could this be used as a donor car for parts ? https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0f111rz7jzw4xyz/AAC7a2_qBfUg21o18asLTLmWa?dl=0

 

Thanks,

AB

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Some parts will match or cross over, others not, depending on what they are & what year. The 2+2 and 2-seaters are essentially different in many ways from the windscreen back, & from the front seats rearwards, as you'll soon find out when you put the two cars side-by-side.

And even the same body styles can vary from one year to the next as various running changes or improvements were made to the Zeds by Nissan. You'll pick up on all that as you go.

 

I presume yours is an 'early-74' car like mine, which I've found has some commonality with the last of the 240Zs; so don't just assume when you look to buy new parts that you will be buying '260Z' - you may find that you actually need 240Z items, suspension & brakes specifically. Some of the '260Z' aftermarket parts are actually 2+2 specific, which the majority of 260Zs sold in Australia were.

Just proceed with caution & ask lots of questions.

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Thanks Gilltech,

Yes my brother in law said he ordered a 240z in 1973 but when the car arrived in 1974 it was a 260z!

I appreciate everyone's advice and have a lot of reading to do (through the valuable forum posts here) before making a decision on the best way forward.

Definitely need to have a closer look at the car to see what the known rust areas are like as the inside to outside rusting concerns me albeit there is no obvious signs of deep rust other than in the lower front drivers door. Fingers crossed, but forewarned is forearmed.

Whilst I consider that I can turn my hands to most things I doubt I have the patience to allow myself to do the majority of the work that will be required so any suggestions as to who I should contact for any required panel work, paintwork and mechanicals here in Victoria (Gippsland/Melbourne) would be appreciated.

Regards,

AB

Edited by AndBir
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Some great advice here, I agree with the 'fix it up first' mob, these cars are getting to be valuable enough that preserving them should be the first priority. Which includes anti rust treatment because it will be there inside somewhere and it will come through some day. People may do it and and don't talk about it but there is often a lot of emphasis placed on body repair here but little on body preservation. 

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Always liked that colour.

As a loving brother in law he should just give it to you for a case or a few bottles of red.

If he wants money then it needs to be south of $10k.

 

Looks like it may have to be cash and some bottles of Grange !!

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The negotiations continue, as you can imagine having owned it since new it appears some indecision is creeping in regarding selling it.
 
Meanwhile, looking at some of the pics I took, what are people's opinion of the floor rail on the passenger side?

 

post-105219-0-21454800-1471599805_thumb.jpg

 

Not sure why the image is upside down, this one is not : https://www.dropbox.com/s/qnjf8yazrv7qnte/IMG_2525.JPG?dl=0

Edited by AndBir
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Those slim floor stiffeners get clogged with dirt & then breed rust. They are not very strong & also can get crushed by errant trolley jacks etc.

In the case of my car, & by now a long time ago, I had a panelbeater remove a couple of suspect sections & replace with fresh metal. Following which I added an extra drain hole at the south end & pumped the sections full of rust preventer. Been fine since, touch wood.

However, from reading this forum I gather that later cars had longer/stronger sections. I think both styles are available? Others on here will be able to confirm.

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Good news, the deal has been done!!

 

I will have to start a new Members Project Journal - not sure of a title - maybe something "green" related as I will be repainting it in its original Emerald Green Metallic colour (#303).

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good luck on this one mate! I purchased mine in a similar state, and went straight toward working on a roadworthy. My advice is expect to turn every bolt, even if you don't plan a FULL restoration, it will ultimately happen. I've had my car registered for about 6 months and this is now the 3rd motor it will have had in that time (finally decided to rebuild one properly). 

Initially, i dropped around 8k to fix the essential to pass a RWC, that was including things like rust repairs, brake work, tyres, exhaust, rego costs and general fixing up and a bit of love EVERY DAY. It will consume you and your bank account, but it's a heck of a load of fun :)

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