240Z Help in Sacramento area

[Kaizoku]

I have a '72 240Z which my brother-in-law has been holding for me for 12 years or so. I suspect it has been stored outside and it was not running that well when I gave it to him. I would like get it from there (Sacramento) to here (Seattle, WA), which is about 1,000 miles.

My plan is to completely rebuild the car once I get it up here, but it occurs to me that I might as well have some work done on it down there so I can drive it up instead of working out how to trailer/ship it up.

Can anyone suggest an honest/reliable shop in the Sacramento area that could handle working on my car, considering that I have not seen it in years? That is, I will have to be able to trust the shop to make repairs that I can't actually verify are required. Perhaps even have the engine & transmission rebuild done in Sacramento if that makes sense.

I am just trying to control some costs here, as I realize I could find a better car at a better price if I looked around. This was my first car and I'd love to be able to get it back on the road.

I do have friends in Folsom that can help to coodinate repairs if need be. I appreciate any adivce.

[Bambikiller240]

After 12 years sitting IMO it will need lots of work to be made safe to drive ANY distance. My advice would be to trailer it to where you live and rebuild it yourself over time. It's going to take a lot of time and money to be made safe and reliable, let alone rebuilt. Fuel system and brake system will likely need complete major overhaul to be reliable. Engine, Trans, Clutch.......who know what condition they might be in. Suspension / Steering bushings are most likely rotten and struts.......who knows.

IMO safer to trailer it or have it transported up to you (and possibly cheaper to have work done in WA)

JMO,

[beandip]

I agree with bambykiller , all he said plus with a 30 year old car that has been sitting this long there are a toousand things that could give you big trouble with a first trip this long. All four wheel bearings should be checked , replaced or packed . There are 5 ujoints that could fail , this sort of thing . If a ujoint goes and your 10 miles from home that is one thing . If you do plan this I live in Portland , let me know ahead of time and I do have a access to a flat bed trailer. Gary

[tanny]

No question but that you should trailer it. My z had been stored for 20 years and there was no way I could have driven it home without spending about 2 or 3 thousand dollars having someone get it reliable and safe enough to drive it home. New tires, all new brake parts(essentially completely new brake system except for the steel brake lines), all new rubber hoses, radiator clean out, valve job(sticking valve), flush block water jackets, clean out gas tank and lines, carb rebuilds, all new fluids, new fuel pump(pumpS) in the case of my 73), new water pump were the minimum repairs that needed to be done before I would have even considered driving it. And this car had been stored all twenty years in a garage and the rest of the car was in great shape interior and exterior. If you have money to burn, go ahead and pay someone to restore it to at least safe and driveable condition. Otherwise rent the trailer(probably around $125-$150) and bring it home to do the restoration. Have fun, Victor.

[Zron]

What the above posts have said is true, it would be better to trailer it. A "one way" uhaul costs about $65 for 3 days.

If you still want an honest and reasonable shop in Sacramento, Ken's All Foreign, 916-921-2280

[Kaizoku]

Thank you all for your advice. I will take all of this into consideration as I try to figure out how to handle this situation.