KEN & MARY GT-R-KPGC110 replica

[GTR240]

Through a good friend of mine, I found out about a GENUINE one owner 1973 Datsun 240K GL 2 door coupe in white with only 51,000k’s on the clock and the history to prove it! This will be the perfect basis for a GT-R-KPGC110 replica, most commonly referred to as "Ken & Mary".

I searched high and low for the right car; I have been all over the country trying to find the “right one”. I almost gave up hope until I found this car.  I am a very meticulous person and although it won’t be a fast build, I can assure you that it will definitely be a quality one!  The car has never had an accident and never had any repairs done which is what drew me in. It’s not museum quality but it is a well maintained 240k with a genuine history and I believe that it is the perfect starting point for a GTR rebuild. The owner, who is now 91, bought the car brand new in 1973 from Nissan and has done a fantastic job keeping it in such good condition. He was sincerely distraught when he was signing over the papers but I assured him that I’d give it a good home.

Here’s a picture that I took while I was in QLD finalising payment and paper work.

The original engine is running quite rough (was fine in QLD), needs brakes and carbies need a rebuild. This has sped up my decision to take it off the road and restore it without driving it around as is.

Plans for the build are:

*Rebuild L24 from ground up with Webber carburettors and a lumpy cam.

*Convert from auto to manual (if anyone can help me source the bits I need for this, can you please pm me)

*Respray in original white

*GTR guards

*GTR spoiler

*GTR grill

*GTR badges

*GTR trim highlights (silver instead of woodgrain - although i'm tempted to keep the wood grain)

*GTR steering wheel

*New carpets

*restored dash pad (this one’s cracked)

*Wide Wantanabe with low offset (keep hubbies for shows etc)

I’ve taken some quick close ups from my phone so excuse the quality.. I will get some better pictures once I get a chance.. it only arrived this afternoon and as you can see it’s NOT a museum car and is in need of restoration.

As you can see no rust in the floors which is great

Interior is perfect..

Some may think I paid too much or too little but at least it’s in genuine original condition. Overall I’m reasonably happy and doubt I’d have found cleaner anytime soon.. I know my plans will disappoint many people but at the end of the day, it’s another classic on the road that’s been saved from the scrap heap and will get nothing but the best parts and service. It’s my car, I have always wanted an old GTR and  I’m sticking with an original style build. I won’t be putting an RB26 or anything like that (although that’d be awesome) it’s not what I want or how I envisioned it to be (I’m an old skool kinda guy!)..

[peter mc]

Great car mate , love these old girls, and the GTR options look great, look forwad to your build

[Gordo]

I had to check twice, I though I had bought a 240K and someone had ripped off my user name.

[Zedman240®]

Nice find! Seen one of these restored to GTR specs (in silver though) and it looked awesome! Made me wish I had one....

[gav240z]

Fantastic car, and story both the owner and car are true survivors. I really feel for the old fella selling it after all these years. He must have lots of great memories with it.

 

I'm glad you are keeping the build more 'original' spec, there was a time you would still see these on the road and although the shape is somewhat odd (the rear fenders really need the GTR chop) they are a fantastic car and look much nicer in person (IMO).

 

Welcome to our little group and please keep us updated as you make progress.

[sydney mike]

Welcome to the forum, didn't catch your name though. Freakin awesome find there and looking forward to the build. What part of Sydney are you from? Mike

[dat2kman]

Hi, welcome, ive been around Datsuns since 1980, and have known a few owners and cars of this model type, but never heard reference to them as Ken and Mary!

Where did that come from?

The names of the previous owners?

I have known the owners of 240k's to call them Barge, or Phat Lady, or Hulk, but never Ken and Mary.

 

There is a chap up here in Brisbane Trevor Beautel who is very knowledgeable on the various K models, he has a few in his collection, and has a large amount of documentation from Japan on these. He to is building a GTR replica, and has started to souce the parts required.

I saw him last at a Jap car show earlier on this year, he tracked me down just to let me know how progress was going. I have some photos of the car at Zama Storage facility ( Nismo) , and Trevor's contact details , somewhere!

[Agno]

Ken and Mary is a nickname given to C110 Skylines by the Japanese as a result of the advertising campaign that was run when the car first came out. It involved 2 people frolicking (best way to describe it) around the countryside driving their new Skyline.

[Patch]

Very interesting, here is a link to a collection of the TV ads.

 

My step son come home with one of these 20 years ago, was too rusty to worry about then, so we had a party and smashed the car up and set fire to it, after I pulled the parts out that I wanted, I think the only thing left now is the steering wheel.

[GTI-Z]

I remember my father buying one of these back in 1981 after he gave me his 1600 (hey, 1st year apprentices back then didn't make too much money).

 

It was a silver, 4 speed coupe.  Apparently the silver ones were known as "snakes" due to their shedding of the paintwork (It may have been the paint as it was metallic silver).

 

I was lucky enough to drive it to Adelaide and back.  The handling and traction were amazing, it was such a fun car to drive.

[thriller]

Family friend who was a toyota mechanic for 30 years or something ridiculous had one of these at some point. Anyway he dumped the L24 once the head was gone and put a holden 186 in it, said it was the best thing he ever did hahaha.

 

[GTR240]

A small update: It took me A LOT of searching around but I ended up tracking down a 5 speed gearbox, tail shaft, flywheel, slave cylinder and all the other ancillary parts needed for my auto to manual conversion. All I need now is a manual pedal box… I’ve read that I can use my existing auto with a few mods but ideally I’d prefer an original item.

I figured this was going to be the hardest thing to track down; so I made it my priority. Also can anyone make suggestions as to some relatively good and easy brake upgrades for the 240?

[thriller]

A small update: It took me A LOT of searching around but I ended up tracking down a 5 speed gearbox, tail shaft, flywheel, slave cylinder and all the other ancillary parts needed for my auto to manual conversion. All I need now is a manual pedal box… I’ve read that I can use my existing auto with a few mods but ideally I’d prefer an original item.

I figured this was going to be the hardest thing to track down; so I made it my priority. Also can anyone make suggestions as to some relatively good and easy brake upgrades for the 240?

 

Nice work! Have you started stripping down at all?

 

Hilux calipers (S12+8 I think is the name/casting?) are popular. Otherwise if you want to keep it Nissan then Sumitomoto MK63 calipers were an option (I think..?) for the Z's. Who knows RE price though.

 

For the rears, R31 or 280zx rear disc upgrades have been covered in the tech sections here, or I see lots of willwood upgrades going on for the high-budget builds. This is all referring to the Z's, I can only guess that the K will be the same.

[Veloce]

Nice find, i always take a look at random country/regional car classifieds hoping to find something like this!

 

Maybe this guy has some parts... doesn't look like any progress, is he on the forum?

 

http://project240k.com/category/240kgtr/

 

There was another Aussie website with a 240k GTR build but not sure what happened to that one either.

[gav240z]

Nice find, i always take a look at random country/regional car classifieds hoping to find something like this!

 

Maybe this guy has some parts... doesn't look like any progress, is he on the forum?

 

http://project240k.com/category/240kgtr/

 

There was another Aussie website with a 240k GTR build but not sure what happened to that one either.

 

Think his username is Kent

 

Hasn't been on here in a while I guess.

http://www.viczcar.com/forum/index.php/topic,8898.msg84862.html#msg84862

 

 

[bluerat]

A lot of Searching.....for a 240K gearbox??? I dont understand? where were you looking, a Porsche website?

 

Hilux caliper conversion is a ripper.

 

 

[GTR240]

Unfortunately with much regret due to a recent job loss, upcoming lack of income and ongoing bills, I have to put my 1973 Datsun 240K up for sale. I am a very meticulous person and this is a good honest original car. The original QLD owner, who is now 91, bought the car brand new in 1973 from Nissan and has done a fantastic job keeping it in on the road but like anything that’s old and tired, it needs restoration (paint work and mechanical).  To my knowledge the car has never had an accident and no rust that I can see. It’s not museum quality but it is a great example of a well maintained 240k with a genuine history and I believe that it is the perfect starting point for a concourse restoration. I have only owned the car since May 2012 so essentially it still is a one owner car and while I’m not looking to make a profit on it, I am looking to get my money back and ideally I’d like the car to go to an enthusiast who will bring it back to its former glory.

What else comes with the car?

- New Old Stock Nissan KPGC110 Skyline gear knob (bought from Japan);

- Complete 5 speed manual conversion (pretty much everything you need to convert the car from automatic to manual)

- Very good condition chrome trim moulds front and back (bought from Japan)

- Original point of sale brochure, original owner’s manual and genuine Nissan workshop book

- I have a heap of other parts that will be thrown in with the sale of the car.

PLEASE DON’T MAKE ANY SILLY OFFERS, I will only respond to genuine enquiries and if you’re looking at this car then you know what they’re worth and how hard they are to come by.

 

[GTR240]

$11,500 NEG

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/datsun-240k-1973-12884405?base=1216&vertical=Car&eapi=2&page=1&sort=LastUpdate&cr=1&__N=1246%201247%201252%201282%204294966615%201216&silo=Stock&Range=Price:Min,Max~0.5

 

I can see how some may jump to conclusions. Not that I should have to justify my pricing rationale but for the sake of people on this forum, I will break down the costs:

Purchase of the vehicle $5900

Blue slip, green slip and rego ($1000) (it also needed new bushes which I bought from Nissan at $104.56 plus the labour cost to fit them in order to attain a road worthy cert in QLD and pass rego in NSW)

Transport from QLD for the car $990

Flights to QLD $300

G/BOX and ancillary parts $900 (I bought it interstate so this is including the freight cost via DHL)

IMMACULATE Chrome trims from eBay $250 (plus Import monsters 2,500yen standard fee then 20% on top and postage charges from Japan)

A spare hubcap I bought on Yahoo JP for $150 (plus Import monsters 2,500yen standard fee then 20% on top and postage charges from Japan)

NOS G/Knob $130 (plus Import monsters 2,500yen standard fee then 20% on top and postage charges from Japan)

So far that’s $9,620 excluding the costs of bushes+labour and excluding Import monster fees and postage on the parts and some of the other extras I bought including another carb. I put $11,500 as I have left room for negotiation. If it doesn’t sell for what it owes me then I’ll hang onto it and sell my daily driver. I know i'll regret selling this as I have spent a while looking for one, but I have to put my priorities straight... tough job market at the moment and realistically, I am not sure how long it will be before I can find another..

[garvice]

Please don't take this the wrong way because I am trying to help save you some frustration, but that sounds like a $6000 car from the rationalle you have listed. Though no harm asking for a higher price, just don'tbe annoyed if you dogetlow balled.

[Gordo]

Unfortunatly I agree with garvice, anyone looking to buy a car is looking for a bargain. We have all been down this road of spending lots of money on our pride and joy. But the reality is you will be lucky to get half of your investment back. That's just the way it is. Good luck with your sale.

[RB26DETT]

If you think you'd want another 240k two door down the track, my advise would be to sell your other car and keep this one. You will be lucky to find a second one and every man and his dog wants a two door 240k.

[gilltech]

If you think you'd want another 240k two door down the track, my advise would be to sell your other car and keep this one.

Ditto.

This one has done stuff-all mileage, it's not museum quality restored, so ideal to hang on to as a hobby car until things improve economically. Flog your daily driver!

[dat2kman]

Your original purchase price, may have been at a premium, based on "rarity"

The bits and pieces you have accquired, in general did cost you premium,

At$900 for a 240k box, that eas about $500 to much (i reco and sell them)

 

I'd strongly suggest you keep it, put the capital expenditure into it, carefully, drive it, enjoy the ownership, and in a few, or a lot, of years, maybe sell it.

You will not get back what you will have spent, no-one ever does, unless it is a super rare very unique and highly desired car, and the depressed world markets at present, are not a "sellers" market.

 

Your ask of 11k, if you have to sell, will more than likely be around 6k selling figure

 

I am working on a "granny spec" datsun 1600, original ask price, $15k, it finally sold, to a non-tyre kicker, who was only prepared to offer $5k. That seems to be pretty well the price for a granny 1600. Your 240k will be the same.

 

Money back? I am reluctantly selling some cars, their cost to restore them is high, eg my Z, cost 60k, asking 45k, it is a specific use car, a little unique, and in Australia, it is extremely rare, in fact, it is the only one, of this particular Nissan model ( Ex USA import variant)

[1600dave]

Here you go - http://www.ozdat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=28687

 

Risky ? Possibly, although I know of a few that have gone overseas without dramas.

 

May be a chance to get your asking figure. Personally, I tend to agree with the above comments. Stuff like NSW rego / shipping / flights - they were a cost to you, not something that increases the car's value.

 

They may even lower the price someone is willing to pay, if they are interstate and have to pay for their own shipping to get the car back to them for instance.

[GTR240]

The car is sold for close to the asking price; it’s gone to a new owner who I know will do this car the justice it deserves!

For the purists wondering what his plans will be:

Full bare metal restoration

JDM fender mirrors

JDM grill

JDM steering wheel

L28 and manual box with LSD diff.

And that is it, so everyone will be happy to know that the body will not be going into surgery for the GTR treatment.

On another note, he didn’t take the gearbox, so I have a manual g/box with all ancillary parts and I’m asking $550 not negotiable and i'm not separating the parts, I’m located in Sydney. If you’re serious then PM me, I don’t want stories about how I’m asking too much or that your cousins dogs sister knows a guy who can get it cheaper!