gav240z

I agree if this was in Australia in my mind no doubt it would be repaired. It's just the uber shyte values of them over here. There are a lot of poor poor examples. Now that this has happened I've been looking at what's available and recall why I was so happy when I found this 1. I was offered the Spirit R at 17,000 euro in 2009. That was too much for me, but given the state of the economy over here and the fact that it's still sitting about waiting for someone to enjoy her it might help get it at a steal of a price. I think I've seen some in Japan for 12,000 euro - which is excellent buying really. That's before shipping and import duties though... I'm not 100% sure but apparently the Spirit R was 320HP stock but was rated at 280HP for the gentleman's agreement. There is a video on Youtube of a 1995 Type RZ (top of the line at the time) vs a 1999 Type RS (improved suspension and ducting / cooling) on a track. It's amazing how subtle changes make so much difference the Type RS absolutely dominates the Type RZ and the Spirit R is a cut above the RS. I believe the turbo's may be slightly bigger on the Spirit R (much to the same spec as the SP edition (Australia only) that dominated at Bathurst. I hope to buy it back for 500 euro, but they may try initially for 1000 euro. The Apexi ECU, Koyo Radiator, 99 Spec Rear wing would sell for more than 1000 euro so it's probably a good idea to buy it back either way. 1. Yes the Spirit R will always hold value, provided I keep her stock (or easily changed back to stock) and look after her. 2. Very tempting, if only I - I really like the paint job on . Primer Grey + Orange wheels FTW! - Inspired by Stivva's build. 3. Another option - I was also thinking buy another car like the 99 and fix up the 95 and give it to my girlfriend. We both import 1 each and can sell 1 in Australia - perhaps make some money back that way? Or just enjoy owning them. - Maybe I'm being a little unrealistic though. 4. Yeah - still looking at that. I didn't want to have to fix someone else's fudge up, but in a way it would be a bold statement to have her back and running, if those thieves ever saw it, it would be a right up yours to them. I'm going to fit a kick ass alarm no matter what I do. Remote start with Android phone and be able to remotely disable ignition and track it. (car that is). Doesn't matter if the alarm is expensive, it really is cheap insurance. Because even when you have insurance you can still loose money in the process as I'm finding out. I expect this whole exercise to cost me a couple of grand no matter how I look at it. So my advice to everyone who doesn't yet have 1 is fit a good alarm. Yeah trying not to think about what these punks will get as punishment. It's times like this I feel the law is too soft. It's not clear if they were caught, since the Gards (police) dusted for finger prints. Not sure why they would do that if they caught they fellas. Pretty sure they said it was in a park (grass was in rear wheel well's) so they were doing circle work no doubt. Think the Gards (cops) saw them and interrupted their tour of destruction. May have done a runner. If they didn't get interrupted I'm sure they would have lit her on fire. This is basically what I expect happened to my car. http://www.bebo.com/c/video?FlashBoxId=6211227184 http://www.bebo.com/c/video?FlashBoxId=6211269461 (see 2min mark) This was another RX-7 that got nicked in Ireland and eventually lit on fire. You can see these kids are basically standing in the street getting off on it. Sadly this happens often apparently - especially with Japanese imports like Skyline's, 200sx's etc.. Seems to be their favorite type of cars. I don't get the mentality.... They are really well regarded in the US and Australia but in Europe they are very much a specialist car with a lot of fear surrounding ownership. Problem is idiotic owners who tamper with them and don't do things properly. Running these lean is deadly for the apex seals as you probably know and de-catting will cause boost spikes unless properly tuned afterward. Coupled with poor cooling in earlier models, bad maintenance means they end up destroyed. Yeah I'm sad to see her get the write off treatment, I think part of the problem is OEM parts brand new from Mazda for these is expensive. But you can get many of the parts second hand for 20% of the brand new price. If you're willing to trawl EvilBay. By the way any idea how I can get footage of the SP RX-7's at Bathurst defeating the Porsches? I'd really like to see it? For me the FD RX-7 is what the 240z was all about in the 70's light weight, good looks and a cool cockpit. A true drivers car like the old S30 is. If I can make her better than she was before I could live with it. I don't think they had it longer than 60 mins and they certainly didn't do many kilometers in it given fuel left, I also doubt they filled her up at a GAS station . So I'm hoping mechanically she's ok. Just had a good carbon clearing. There is also a rev limiter on the ECU and there is a double-throttle for cold start to prevent over revving so perhaps they didn't beat on her cold either? Wishful thinking perhaps. If I do repair her, I want to make sure the paint job is mickey mouse, and she looks a million bucks. Anything less and I would probably loose enthusiasm and sell her off. For me I enjoy being able to polish it up and take her for a weekend drive by the coast and just enjoy having something that looks really nice as well as drives well. In fact the roads over here don't lend her to big power output stock is fast enough, I already set a target of 350HP as something that would be more than enough for me. If my 240z was stolen there is no way I'd let that put me off fixing her up. They are really expensive in Australia, hence I couldn't believe it when I saw prices over here. I remember when they were new at near $80,000 AU - Seeing 1 on the road on the way to school as a 18 yr old kid in 2000 really had an impact on me. Back then I just got a 240z and loved the 240z, but the RX-7 captivated me for it's unreal performance out of the box and sexy shape. Australia does have a lot of 99+ models though and they do tend to be in better condition over there given the price of them, more mature owners I guess. Although as they get cheaper expect to see quite a few junkers. I also thought I would see more on the road when I was in Australia. I only saw 1 coming the opposite way to me near Brighton Baths. I was in my 240z and found it funny to see the other car I own coming the other way. It might be less hassle in the end though - when you add up shipping costs etc.. Yeah perhaps I should clarify, I love modifying cars within reason, but over here you see so many tacky body kits and horrible looking shagged interiors with massive gauges drilled into the dash and hideous seats. Many cars have also had air-con removed and emissions controls, the problem is I plan to bring it to Australia with me and for that I need Air-Con the 240z is just too hot in summer with windows up and getting it complianced I figured would be far easier if the engine was stock or close to it. Including original cat and emissions. I would love a single turbo 500HP beast, just not sure I can get it into the country and unfortunately the 500HP single turbo's either have horrible paint jobs (I saw 1 with glitter! yes glitter for a paint job) or massive wide body kits that are a acquired taste to say the least. Yeah I think if there was the possibility of loosing a hand for stealing something crimes like this would not be common. Having said that if these are just a couple of kids I wouldn't want them to really loose a hand. No matter how angry I am with them right now. Of course I realise you probably don't mean that either. Actually what's interesting is that the previous owner of the car has already expressed interest in buying it back, rather than see her broken up for parts. I guess that's testament to it being a well cared for example. I'm not sure what he'll offer but it's another possibility, claim insurance + sell it back to old owner. A TVR would be nice, I was looking at a TVR Sagaris but it's way out of budget and TVR's have a mixed reputation. I was also looking at a Lotus Exige, Porsche 911, Honda S2000, but I keep coming back to the FD. Just like the way it looks, it fitted my budget and I always wanted a rotary powered car. When I was 16 I was looking to get a 240z or an RX-4 coupe. Glad I got the 240z, but have always liked early rotary's and the first gen RX-7. Yeah haha, they can be like loved ones sometimes. I know, I want to be practical. I just think what a waste it would be to see her become just another wreck. In 10 years people will be restoring these like 240z's and they will be getting thin on the ground. This would be a good project for someone then and extremely rare in original condition. I'll keep everyone updated on what I decide to do. Lots of options. It's all melting my brain box, once I've made a decision and have all the facts in front of me I think the picture will become clearer. The real shame here though is I was planning to drive her to the UK, France, Spain, Italy over summer in Europe and was working on getting her ready for the trip. Oh well, guess there's always next year, if I'm still in Europe then. Think this is the longest post I've written here. Thanks for reading if you got this far .

Hi Everyone, I'm just looking for general advice from fellow car enthusiasts as this has been going round my head for the last 7+ days. Last weekend I had my FD RX-7 stolen out of my driveway and taken for a joy ride by a couple of youths who decided to also trash it and had probably planned to torch it when finished. To say I've been upset is an understatement. I've been devastated and angry about it for a week. For me the car is more than just a car, it's a way of life, my hobby and passion and behind the 240z the FD RX-7 is a car I've always wanted and second best car I've ever had . After spending a good 12 months hunting for the right example, I finally found an unmodified (or at least tastefully modified) example, which I've been really happy with and have enjoyed every minute. 1 of the things I really liked about it was original paint job and tidy body lines (shut lines etc..). Anyway here she was just a couple of weeks ago: https://picasaweb.google.com/107400787026175995661/MYFDRX7 As you can see a really good honest example, even had the original exhaust system and never boosted beyond stock. Only problem I had was a leaky radiator (plastic end tanks went on it) and I replaced this with a koyo radiator and silicon hoses. Up until this point I was collecting bits and pieces like uprated (Greddy) intercooler kit, and a few other bits and pieces for reliability improvements which most RX-7 owners perform. So on to the bad part, this is what it looks like after it was stolen. https://picasaweb.google.com/107400787026175995661/Rx7StolenAndBustedUp The main damage is: Front bumper, Front passenger wing Passenger door (bent frame - trying to get in?) and major dent in door Drivers side roof (look like someone stomped on it) Ignition barrel was ripped out to turn ignition Passenger door lock / used screw driver to force entry Pop up lights - 1 damaged the other was ripped off (cover) Apparently the car starts and runs, and the panel shop said the motor seems ok - but I've not driven it yet - It was literally driven 50km's at most given how much fuel I left in it and what's left now. Chassis doesn't look damaged but it's possible where the passenger wing attaches to the body the metal is bent (so some bent metal under the panels), it appears no chassis damage though. Insurance have declared her a category C write off, the value of these cars over here is rubbish. I paid 5,000 euro for it 1.5 years back. So I think insurance are going to try and screw me on it's value and say it's not worth anything, even though I said it's value was 5k on the policy. It's a 95 model and only done 96,000 km's on the clock. A recent NCT Test (RWC) showed only a minor sump leak and headlight adjustment needing attention. It drove beautifully no clunks or noises etc.. This leaves me 2 options 1. Accept insurance pay out, buy the wreck back and attempt to repair myself (source parts, and get it painted etc..) 2. Accept payout and look for a new RX-7 to replace her I had originally intended to bring the FD back with me to Australia, but given what's happened I feel like she's been tainted and to be honest as much as it pains me to do it, I feel like giving up on it and just buying another example. Keeping in mind it will cost a bit of money in shipping so I don't want to take junk with me. I like my cars original, like they were from factory and if I'm going to go to the effort of shipping it across the world I want to make sure she's not junk. I guess I'm worried the repair just won't be the same and the car will not be returned to a standard I'm happy with. To really be happy with it, I'd want to paint the whole car not just the front or side. If this was a Z I'd say she's worth saving, but given the low values of these cars over here. Finding another is painful but not impossible. Am I being silly? Should a good repair job be possible? Will she ever be the same? Or should I look for a clean example and move on? Right now I'm looking at the following cars as potential replacements. 1. http://www.irishrotary.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=6399 1995 model, needs engine rebuild as water seals have gone. Not a fan of headlights or side skirts but overall looks clean and close to stock. Would rebuild motor so at least I know it's a good engine, but rebuilds cost 2-3k pounds. 2. http://www.irishrotary.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=5361 https://picasaweb.google.com/117728920354002109670/RX7# 1999 model with revised front bumper and turbos, suspension etc.. Looks like a great car and so far looks like a good option, but it's done about 50,000 more km's than my current FD and no idea what condition motor is in, although owner says he'll do compression test etc.. Also not seen in person so photos could hide things. Upgrading to 99 spec front bumper (on my current 95) would cost around 2000 pounds to buy new parts from Mazda, second hand is difficult to find over here as very few 99+ spec cars were brought to the UK / Ireland / EU in general. Much more common to find 92-96 models. I don't like aftermarket stuff as it never fits good. 3. 2001 model http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/3766095.htm I've actually seen this car in person, before I bought my current FD he wanted close to 15,000 euro for it. So I didn't bother, now price has dropped a bit though and it is a great looking car, despite the stickers. 2001 is the last year where the gauges were changed to white and a couple of other minor trim changes. Very original, even original ECU (would want to upgrade to Apexi PowerFC though and this can be expensive). To be honest this is my favorite example as it still has air-con (big plus when back in Australia) and dual airbags (safety matters!) - although it's also the most expensive. Another advantage of buying this car is that it's already been registered in Ireland (even though it's currently in the UK) and that means not paying import tax on it, which is another 1,500+ euro on top of purchase price. Paint is very good also, and I do like Silver FD's, a classy colour. 4. Finally there is a very small possibility of buying Spirit R. 1 exists in the country and I know the owner but I don't think he'd part with it for a price that's within my range. http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mazda/Rx7/Spirit-R/201151206203664/advert?channel=CARS So realistically options #1-#3 are probably most feasible and #3 may have been sold. So would you repair existing car or go for another?

I don't think many people can comprehend the potential of a 20B in a car as light as a 260z. This would be a serious monster.

Only thing that let's it down is the engine bay.

I envy your workspace, wish I had that. Looking forward to updates. Definitely a good project base.

Told you I'd seen some shockers. I reakon the yellow 1 is the creme de le crop of ugly Z's

This thread needs some balance, so start with beauty and end with beast... Beauty... How to modify Beasts.. How not to modify Never quite could like convertible Z's, just buy a bloody TVR mate.

I've seen some shockers over the years. These are not that bad.

Thanks guys, I was willing to give this a go. However after discussing with the seller it was missing some other parts and I had no idea where to source them from. I don't think the original supplier sells these components separately so it was just going to be too much work and not really worth the effort. Last time I saw 1 of these air-boxes it was £100 second hand which was a good price, I just spotted another that's being sold with a rolling shell, so I've asked the seller if he would sell it separately, but not holding my breathe. Plenty of other work to be done on the car anyway.

No truer words were spoken on this day...it's not enough to crack down on so-called 'hoons' where anyone with a modified car is a career criminal, but now they want to also make it so difficult to have a 'legal' motorsport event.

Don't let this happen to you... (in infomercial voice over type voice)... Use www.auctionsniper.com, I've used it a few times and works wonders for that last minute snipe

A true perfectionist Peter, anxious to see how far you can take this motor.

Did you polish that thing up? Looks amazing.

Pinging sounds like a rattling noise coming from the engine under load in particular, like if you stuck it in 5th and used the torque of the motor and put your foot to the floor. If the timing is too advanced, or the octane of the fuel too low, you'll hear a clanking rattling noise. It will usually go away under light throttle / slow acceleration so you'll know exactly what noise it is. As others have said, the the car feels wrong take it back to the mechanic.

Amazing how fixing the little things can be so rewarding. Perhaps with engine bay light check for corrosion? What does multi-meter say and what kind of resistance is there?

Awesome looking 260z 2+2, but it's in the UK. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1978-DATSUN-260Z-2-2-WHITE-/330709275794?_trksid=p4340.m1374&_trkparms=algo%3DPI.WATCH%26its%3DC%252BS%26itu%3DUCC%26otn%3D5%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D7699748761385872541#ht_500wt_1206 Tempting, very tempting - albeit you pay for the privledge of owning a Z over this side of the world.

Is it second hand / new or rebuilt? The bearings wouldn't have gone like that in shipping. If you bought it as new or reconditioned I'd be speaking to the guy you bought it from about that.

I think this is highly relevant.

That's an awesome tip I'll use that! @Linton - car looks superb.

Please leave it that original colour and combination. I even like the venetian blinds in the back. I've seen it in some Z's now, but can't work out if it is an option (from the dealers back in the day) or something added by owners later? Just oozes 70's look as it is and looks very tidy. It was a 260z 2+2 in that exact colour that got me started on Z's some 12 years back now

Thread resurrection indeed. However is anyone in contact with Simon Degroot? I reached out to him long ago about getting his build documented in our member rides section but it never materialised. Still love that car and would love to have it show cased on our site.

20B would be very nice in a 240z, there is some videos of a 20B powered 240z on Youtube. Even a 13B REW from an FD RX-7 could be built to 400-500HP on a street port with a single turbo like a GT35R or T04Z and would make the Z deadly fast. I've thought about it many times. 20B would sound the best though!

I'm not a fan of the speakers in the door cards, but the rest is ok. The wheel can be changed, the hoses in the engine bay are actually quite nice I think. The original hoses on a 240z were braided with a cloth type material, these look like they may be steel braided which I quite like. Still a cracking car, but hard pressed getting the asking price I think.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Datsun-240z-Sports-1971-2D-Coupe-5-SP-Manual-2-6L-Twin-Carb-/190655593888?pt=AU_Cars&hash=item2c63f57da0#ht_857wt_1185 A bit expensive, but a clean looking car.

In terms of buying any classic sight unseen it's a massive gamble in my opinion and a really bad idea. Unless you know the cars history or have seen it's build photos etc.. There are some absolutely mint looking cars I see from time to time or cars that look great, but I know myself I've been misled so many times by digital images posted on the internet, only to arrive at the car and be utterly disappointed with it. Rust bubbles and damage, rough engine bays, shot interiors and tired motors. Any time a car appears to be a bargain there is a strong possibility that it is in fact not the bargain you suspect it is. I personally would rather pay a bit more (perhaps slightly higher than market value) for a car that I've inspected and know is a genuinely good car. You always save money buying the best car you can 'afford' to buy, well almost always anyway. A few times I've seen some great looking cars on ebay motors US, for a time I've really considered importing a LHD 240z to Ireland from the US of A, but only if they have a significant album of images (100+) showing all kinds of detail, under the car, boot, under rear wheel, floor pans, battery area, you name it! A good looking Californian car often looks pretty rust free, but even still it's a massive risk to me. The again I'm willing to roll up the sleeves and get my hands dirty. If I was buying with view of paying someone else some cars could get very expensive. For every bargain out there, there is also an unfinished project car that someone has given up on. Probably bought it thinking they got a bargain but now realise the 'true cost' of a proper restoration. At the end of the day, I guess it depends on the type of person you are, do you like buying something immediately drivable and enjoy it or do you like hunting down those rare parts on eBay etc.. and don't mind waiting a couple of years to have it on the road. I personally prefer to buy a great car and then just fix things as they come up or gradually improve it over time. Full restoration is nice, but I think if any of my cars were in pieces for long enough I'd probably end up selling them incomplete.