Hi from brisbane

[isaac]

Hi all,

 

New to the forums - joined as i'm looking at purchasing an early zed as a project. Used to own a r33 skyline and now have a mazda 6 mps as my daily but miss having a enthusiast car to work on and modify.

 

I've never restored a car before but have done some minor engine / body / elecrical work so ideally looking for a car to suit a 1st time restorer, .. if anyone knows of such a car in south east qld please let me know

 

Will search through the forums to find some common problems to look out for on pre-purchase inspection.

As for cars I've found this one, but wondering if its asking price is fair?

http://www.carsales.com.au/pls/carsales/!unique_content.enquiry?vehicle_id=7080169

 

[stevo_gj]

Hey Isaac welcome to the forums.

 

When you get a chance could you fill in your location under your profile so that it shows up every time you post. It will make it a much easier for people to answer your questions in other threads.

 

I think the hardest thing to fix is usually body work, so you want to be on the lookout for the best condition Z body you can get your mitts on.

 

The forums are great, but meeting up with a bunch of Z guys in person is even better. There are a growing number of Qld guys, and we have the odd meets. Check out the QLD section of the forums and you'll see what when our next meet is, you should definitely come along.

 

That one you linked looks OK, but the photos don't show the most rust prone areas. Its really hard to tell from photos your best bet is inspecting the car in person with someone who knows their stuff. No offense to the seller, but when someone sells a 'recently painted' 30 year old car they are often using the new paint to cover up rusted areas.

 

Also that 260z has the dreaded flat top carbys that all Australian 260zs came with. Basically the 260z had to comply to emissions regulations and they put these crappy carbys on that reduced power and fuel efficiency (or so everyone says). The 'preferable' carbys are from a 240z and have round dome shaped top. They are usually referred to as 'round tops'. I must admit though, if they have been professionally tuned then the car will probably run great. Its not really a reason not to buy that Z though, thought I would just point it out.

 

Anyway I've ranted enough, hope to see you round.

 

Steve

[gav240z]

Hi all,

 

New to the forums - joined as i'm looking at purchasing an early zed as a project. Used to own a r33 skyline and now have a mazda 6 mps as my daily but miss having a enthusiast car to work on and modify.

 

I've never restored a car before but have done some minor engine / body / elecrical work so ideally looking for a car to suit a 1st time restorer, .. if anyone knows of such a car in south east qld please let me know

 

Will search through the forums to find some common problems to look out for on pre-purchase inspection.

As for cars I've found this one, but wondering if its asking price is fair?

http://www.carsales.com.au/pls/carsales/!unique_content.enquiry?vehicle_id=7080169

 

 

In my opinion the 260z you linked to is not unreasonably priced but for the same money you can probably find a better condition 2+2. I'm always weary of new paint jobs like Steve says but it may not have had much rust before the paint job.

 

If I was looking for a first time restoration project I'd look for an "original" car with limited number of owners (they are an old car and many have changed hands more than 3-4 times). As a general rule of thumb the more owners a car has been through the more likely it is to have many problems associated with it.

 

Take your time and look at as many cars as you can. We often see many cars show up on here or ebay or carsales so you will get a good idea relatively quickly of what your money will get you.

 

You have a daily driver so you shouldn't rush into buying a car either.

 

Definitely avoid cars with serious rust. Superficial areas are ok and to be expected but gapping holes and areas of structural integrity are expensive to fix.

 

The engines are very sturdy and hard to break. So if you find a car with a great body but engine could use a freshen up its still worth considering. Replacement parts and engines still well priced.

[isaac]

Thanks for the replys, all really useful info. Profile updated to include location.

 

Honestly that car is at the upper limit of my budget but I do think the colour really suits the car, I guess if the body was solid then it would be a ok buy. I dont really know anyone that knows these old cars that well, so I would either need to find someone that could help me look over the car or pay for a professional inspection.

 

Didn't know about the carbs, will have to keep that in mind, and definatley not in a hurry to buy although It would be nice to own one right now! haha.

[sexual_sushi]

Don't worry too much about the round top carbys. If there is a car with good body work etc and flat top you can easily buy a set of round tops off ebay. They have been going for around $200, so in the grand scheme of things, it's not the end of the world, it's just another small positive or minus for the car. Steve drove around with flat tops for a year, and his car actually ran better haha sorry Steve

 

Other positives to look for are an electric dizzy and an uncracked dash, but these can also be upgraded/fixed. A recovered dash will set you back about $700 though. If you are lucky enough to find a car with triple carbys (webbers, dellorto's, mikuni) these normally go for $700-1200 depending on condition. Other positives might be bigger brakes on the front or disc brake conversion on the rear, and the H4 Headlight upgrade. But really, all these things are a walk in the park in comparison to cutting out rust. So body work is definitely your major priority and doing these other upgrades are part of the fun of owning a z

 

Anyways I'm happy to go have a look at some z's around Brisbane with you if you find something good. Good luck

 

 

 

 

[kalium]

. The 'preferable' carbys are from a 240z and have round dome shaped top. They are usually referred to as 'round tops'. I must admit though, if they have been professionally tuned then the car will probably run great. Its not really a reason not to buy that Z though, thought I would just point it out.

 

Anyway I've ranted enough, hope to see you round.

 

Steve

 

Steve! I used to have the 'round top' carbies on my car. What a pile of junk! Or maybe it was the fact it was an smokey L28 with a craptacular 3 speed auto...

 

With the round top carbies, in particular its the ones with the seperate float bowl you want. I'm not sure if they were a standard attachment or not, but mine had the float bowl integrated, and I was told these ones are no good!

 

Ray

[isaac]

Yeah I guess you can unbolt and rebuild an engine/driveline, retrim an interior but rust will always come back unless done professionally or not there (in serious amounts) to begin with.

 

Thanks for the comments, sushi thanks for the offer - if I find a car I need a second opinion on i'll let you know

 

 

 

 

[BobsYourUncle]

there's also this one on carsales:

http://www.carsales.com.au/pls/carsales/!unique_content.enquiry?vehicle_id=5905498

 

Seems pretty cheap, not sure if I like the colour though. I'm in Ipswich tonight and tomorrow morning, I'm thinking of going and having a look, it's probably only 25mins or so from where I am.

[isaac]

Yeah I seen that car too, not driven since 2006, no RWC (although it says possibly can do by negotiation) and also not a fan of the tan interior / light blue paintjob - I know these can be changed but if I was going to retrim and respray a car might aswell try save some $$$ and get a car that doesn't already have the work done in the first place.

 

Working all week + weekend unfortunatley so can't get out there to have a look, still would be keen to know how you go if you get out there to see the car? (assuming its not such a bargain you dont buy the car yourself!  )

[stevo_gj]

D Steve drove around with flat tops for a year, and his car actually ran better haha sorry Steve

 

Ah but it was non carb related issues that caused the problem. With the tappets loosened to their correct level the car now runs better than it did with flat tops. 

 

I wasn't really saying that he should only look for cars with round tops though, just that if he can get them its a bonus.

 

Steve! I used to have the 'round top' carbies on my car. What a pile of junk! Or maybe it was the fact it was an smokey L28 with a craptacular 3 speed auto...

With the round top carbies, in particular its the ones with the seperate float bowl you want. I'm not sure if they were a standard attachment or not, but mine had the float bowl integrated, and I was told these ones are no good!

Ray

 

Hey Ray,

 

You had a bad experience with round tops? I was having no end of trouble with mine but it turns out none of the problems were because of the carbys. I have been able to learn from educational videos how to install and tune the round tops and get them running well at a pretty decent non dyno tune, and I don't know if its quite so easy with other carbys.

 

I didn't even know that SUs came with an integrated float bowl! Definitely not the hitachi ones I've seen anyway. Thanks for the tip.

 

there's also this one on carsales:

http://www.carsales.com.au/pls/carsales/!unique_content.enquiry?vehicle_id=5905498

 

Zomg! Another Z with the same Cheviot wheels as mine. I am not a fan. I wish wats weren't so exxy.

[BobsYourUncle]

I like the tan, not sure I'm a fan of the blue though. It also looks to be missing a side mirror?

[BobsYourUncle]

Turns out the owner of that blue 2+2 is in Rockhampton for the next six weeks, so I won't be going to check it out. The search continues...

 

I see that purple/blue one mentioned earlier in this thread has had a price drop too...

[Lynton]

To be honest when you are looking for a Zed if you can find one that has had mechanical modification upgrades, like electronic coil and dizzy, extractors and exhaust system plus replacement dome top carburettors preferably 240Z carbies already done, it will make for an exciting car to drive with reliable everyday performance.

Look for rust in the dog legs, windscreen wiper panel and around the petrol filler are common areas and around the chrome strip along the roofline, also the hatch area just above the tail lights rusts out and also around the hinges of the rear hatch is a rust prone area, take a magnet for these areas to see if bog has been used and take a mirror and a torch so you can see underneath the car to check the floor and rails on both sides. On the 2+2 under the back of the car by now the electronic fuel pump probably will need replacing with an aftermarket or possibly a new original. Pull the carpets up in the front and look for dampness it is usually the heater leaking and it probably won't work anyway, the clock usually does not work on most of these Zeds. Key door barrels will usually be worn or not working. If the car is repainted unless it is proper restoration or has been done for some recent years then that will give you an indication of prevalent rust re occuring or not but a freshly painted car at a low cost is likely to be covering rust and have bog in it. Lynton

[Zedback]

Hi Issac, there's some good Z guys around Brissie and I'm still yet to meet most of them.

 

With getting a Z, just decide on a budget and go buy the first car that you fall for.  Yes, it's bad advice that counters what everyone advises, yet I keep on doing it and I'm happy with my rusty resto Z's.  But, I do go in looking for the major problems, and I do usually make a lower offer than my budget that reflects those problems.  So many cars that look good and cost more often end up needing almost as much spent on them as the dog.  Just google project Hugo by Mull and you'll see a fantastic example.

 

Good luck with it,

Mike

[RBZ 260]

welcome to the forum.. looks like guys are keeping you up to date what to look for.

 

looking at the car sale one looks like the price of 2+2 has slightly increased.... YAY 

 

me happy  prob dont help your cause, but bargains can be found. just keep an eye and ear out.

 

also they tend to pop up every now and then on auctions decesaed estate etc... so keep an eye on pickles and menhaim(or how ever u spell it)fowles.

 

Z is great car prob not as luxo or comfy or fast (can be faster if u have a suped up engine or conversion done) as the skyline or MPS.

 

it will for sure be bigger headturner than the other two.

 

my Z was a second resto car plus have been working on silvias, skylines, 180sx and 200sx for some time now.

You be suprised how similar the old Z is to the newer siblings. great car to work on.

 

happy hunting