Finally got to play with my Z!

[TXblue240Z]

I am working in DC and have been since early August. I am from Texas (if my name isn't a dead giveaway) and I am returning there tomorrow to start Graduate School in January. The sad part of my tale began in march, when I had low speed (5-7mph) encounter with a pickup truck on I-35 in Austin Gridlock traffic. I was driving and had had a bad day, with lots of annoying circumstances and I really pissed a friend who had ballsout lied to me about a radar detector I was gonna pick up from him in Austin, and the whole reason for my trek there... So i wrecked my car, which was at the time, a 1981 Toyota Celica, that I was the third owner, my dad had purchased it from the first owner in 82 and and when i was in eight grade, I was told that if I wanted a car when I was 16, the celica was it, but I would have to fix it. It had sat, not run for 7 years, rusted out etc, and over two years, we took the engine apart, sanded thed whole thing down to metal and repaired the holes in the quarter panels, and trunk area...full car restoration. SO i had had this car always, and knew backwards and forwards, and how to fix it all etc, so this was tramatic loss. (a loss that still sits in my parents driveway with horrible body damage, but a perfectly functioning mechanical car) See, my bumper went under the pickup trucks, buckling the hood, smashing the grill, etc in about 4 inches ( even though it was a 5mph collision)

The upswing:

Well this was the perfect opportunity for me to buy the car that I had been looking for since about 2000, A datsun 240Z. So I found one, Bought it, it's a 73 with roundtops, new paint, numbers matching, no rustouts, turn key car.

TWO DAYS LATER, I leave for DC with my car still in texas, and I haven't gotten to have much Z time with my new car.

SO over thanksgiving when I returned to my car, I got to play with it for about a week. I still don't knwo the car as well as I did my celica, because this one it obviously a lot different. This car I am also the thrid owner of, the first being a mechanic who owned it until 1999, a kid who was gonna do a V-8 swap, but let it sit around and never did anything to, but it sat for 5 years but still started fine.

THings I learned about my car:

Needs a carb tune, balancing, clean out.

Fuel system, could be better, the fuel filter was filthy.

Replaced some of the fuel lines ( not the ones that were still original braided ones, but some regular fuel line hose that had become hard and brittle)

Has the infamous gas smell when the tank is full "forcing" me to drive it a bunch the day i fill it up

Definitely needs a good radiator flush, and probably a new thermostat and maybe a water pump (has some of that telling "blue crystals accumulation around some of the hoses)

The "professional who did the paint job, didn't clean the car well enough or something becase the door has cancer, eventhough I can't find ANY rust under the carpets or a framerails...so I'm kinda pissed that this kid had him destroy the original paint job...the interior paint in the truck area is BEAUTIFUL!

Also the kid who I bought the car from said he had swapped engines from another 240. I went to check the numbers, so that I could find out possibly what year the engine came from and guess what? The engine numbers matched the number behind the cowl in the engine bay...as well as with my chassis number...wonder why someone would lie about putting a non original engine in? (unless of course to hide that it isn't the original engine)

SO anyway, I've been meaning to post my car saga since thanksgiving, but just had time today...

Oh, and the car drives amazingly on the freeway...barely pushing down on the pedal at all in 4th and going 80...

[Fun_in_my_z]

Thats sucks,having a z and no time to play...Hope you get everything sorted out.

[TXblue240Z]

it sucks even more, having a Z and being in a different STATE as it. But, next week, i'll be back will my Z indefinitely.

[Carlos78Z]

TXblue I emphatize with you. I am in Wash DC myself and my Z (78) is in SC. where are you in DC?

[TXblue240Z]

I'm in Downtown DC, but in 4 hours I leave for good...back to Texas, back to my Z.

[Carlos78Z]

Good luck to you! Have a safe fly and happy-Z-Mas!