Inspire Me! 240Z Build

[Dyson]

Hey guys

 

Joined the other night after more attempts of fueling my inner fire to start on a well worthwhile project.

 

I bought the car about 5 years ago from a local wrecker. The previous owner of the car was old and gave the car up for retirement instead of trying to sell it. I hassled the owner of the wreckers for months to sell it to me, and eventually he gave in. $1000 changed hands and then it was mine.

It's an early vin HS30-00114 with original engine. Unfortunately someone at some stage thought a sunroof was a good idea....not!

 

I stripped it all back to the bare shell and then thought..........what am I getting myself into, the rust! the rust!

It then got pushed around my workshop floor for a few months before being hoisted up and hung from the ceiling. 

 

Many people walk into my workshop and are fascinated to see it hanging from the roof and always ask if I'm going to restore it.  My reply is yes, when I'm old and grey. But now I don't think I can or should wait that long.

 

George's new project inspired me because I saw the rust he had to deal with and I thought, crap, mines not that bad.

I just bought the book 'how to restore your Z car', thought it maybe worth a read. (more inspiration)

 

In order for me to get started the car needs to be sandblasted and I need to source rust repair panels.

Floors, front chassis rails, sills, dog legs, etc. It seems like the USA is the go to place for panels. I would rather support Aussie business but I don't know where to start looking.

I've got over 20 years experience as a motor mechanic and 0 years experience as a panel beater.......no harm in trying.

 

[Triptych]

For rust repair panels hit up Mark (Scoota) as he should be able to help you out with some and if he can't do it he will point you in the right direction. Rare spares can provide you with some panels as well  but I always prefer to support the forum community first. http://www.rarespares.net.au/rarespares/SearchPage.aspx?type=partsfinder&pno=0&brand=Nissan&model=Datsun+240Z+260Z&car=34A&productgroup=Panels+%26+Rust+Panels

The forum is full of knowledge and just from the people I have met from my travels the depth of that knowledge seems to be bottomless. 

[GongZ]

Welcome to the forum Dyson.

 

Congratulations on finding such a low number car. I have posted a link to this page under the 'Early Girl Bingo - With Photos' topic;

http://www.viczcar.com/forum/topic/13773-early-girl-bingo-with-photos/page-8

 

I hope that the significant recent increase in the value of 240Z's, especially early examples, and the fabulous support that this forum provides will help you to recommence the restoration.

 

I don't know if you have ever driven a 240Z - but if not, that is certainly something to look forward to as well.

[gav240z]

Good score buying that! It doesn't look that rusty from the photo you provided, but that's 1 side. Tabco in the USA is good for replacement sections, there is also rare spares in Australia and the other stuff generally has to be fabricated at this point. Although more and more parts are becoming available as S30z values go up.

 

How original was other stuff like the interior? I'm curious did your valve cover have Nissan 24000 OHC on it or just Nissan OHC?

 

The original L24 is a big plus.

[Dyson]

Thanks for your recommendations.

Gav I think its just Nissan OHC on rocker cover (I'll check monday) and as for the interior, it's very ordinary. On the plus side the dash isn't too bad, I have the original steering wheel and alloy rims.

Being build no 114 does that make it a 70 model?

Thanks again.

Edited November 8, 2015 by Dyson

[Jason89]

Yeah it would be a 1970 build car, it should have vents in the hatch and no toolboxes in the rear deck. Looks ok from the pic but we all know anything could be under the paint, goodluck with the project. As for the alloy wheels, they all left the factory with 14" steel rims, alot of dealers were fitting alloy jellybean style wheels.

[gav240z]

Thanks for your recommendations.

Gav I think its just Nissan OHC on rocker cover (I'll check monday) and as for the interior, it's very ordinary. On the plus side the dash isn't too bad, I have the original steering wheel and alloy rims.

Being build no 114 does that make it a 70 model?

Thanks again.

 

Yes we (or I should say I and a few others) think that only HS30 0003 was built in 1969 and we don't know if it still exists today. From the anecdotal evidence I've seen littered around the web HS30 0004 was built in 1970 and arrived on our shores later in the year for testing.

 

HS30 00030 was built in 1970 from the date stamps on various components under dash etc.. I got this information from the owner who had some help decoding the Japanese manufacturing stamps on some components of the car. As a side note: The car is not very original anymore, but is actively used in a similar fashion to the cars in the HS30 0002X range were, which is the main thing.

 

It appears to me that cars under HS30 00100 are likely to have the earlier style Nissan 2400 OHC valve cover and those after that didn't. I know that HS30 00051 and HS30 00084 do have the early style valve cover. So I assume cars before and up until HS30 00084 did, but I'm not sure if cars after that did also and when the cut off point was.. Hence the reason I asked, since Dimitri's car HS30 000121 has the regular Nissan OHC cover. So somewhere between HS30 00084 and HS30 000121 the valve covers changed.

 

Both Locky's (HS30 00149) and my (HS30 00150) didn't have the earlier cover. More info here:

http://www.viczcar.com/forum/topic/13493-nissan-2400-cc-valve-covers-and-hs30-build-cars/

 

I also have reason to believe that some of the very first HS30 cars were used as dealer demo cars and not available immediately to the public, so that would mean cars like yours may have been the amongst the first purchased by Joe Public, this is at least what I can deduce from the information at hand so far. It would be great if someone working for Nissan Australia at that time and had an interest in early S30z's could confirm this though.

 

Certainly Locky's thread about Harry who bought HS30 00149 new seems to indicate that also. Since Harry went onto the waiting list.

http://www.viczcar.com/forum/topic/5319-lurch%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98early-girl%E2%80%99-240z/

[PB260Z]

.

I also have reason to believe that some of the very first HS30 cars were used as dealer demo cars and not available immediately to the public, so that would mean cars like yours may have been the amongst the first purchased by Joe Public, ent onto the waiting list.

 

From my experience the first build cars tend to be used for Factory / Distributor and Press evaluation, some of these cars have a rather hard life and never get onsold to the dealers or public. I have some photo's of what would appear to most folk to be perfectly good cars getting chopped up rather than sold to the wider community.

 

Cheers

 

PB

[gav240z]

It looks like you've been here before?

http://www.viczcar.com/forum/topic/3363-70-240z-project/