Why the Z

[240znz]

Why restore a Zed?

I'm in the throws of bringing my series 1 back to restored with a few add ons. Everyone who I have spoken to in the automotive industry in my part of the world knows of the 240z. They all say things like "my mate had one of those and it was the weapon of its day", "they are special cars", "you got a 240z!?, you've a lucky man".

[e_racer1999]

i feel inspired to write something after reading all these posts, but there's nothing left to say!!!

[gema]

This sports car took the world on and won. And not for just a couple of years, but decades. Nissan designed this car to compete and they were more than succesfull. In both roadracing and rally competition, when the Z showed up, the competition frowned. In the U.S. the Z dominated national championships. In the home market, they raced to Nissan glory. All this sports car history is your's, every time you turn the key. That's the #1 reason I love the Nissan's of this era, the Z, the 510, the 1200, the Roadster, was built to take on the world. And that they did, in style.

Well put. This car is a milestone of achievement in many respects. In racing, sales, design, you name it, the Z excelled.

Clearly it continues to excel, look at us! Dumping thousands upon thousands of dollars and hours into a car that should logically be LONG dead, rusted away and forgotten about.

For me, it's love.

[KDMatt]

Ya know... I've only had my Z for a week... but it's such a great feeling to have one...

I get looks in it, even if it isn't really "look-worthy," and ya know why? Nostalgia.

Sure, maybe I'm too young to really know nostalgia as a lot you middle-aged folks do, but I get it somewhat. Having a Z is fun in and of itself; having a classic sports car is always cool, but there's something extra about the Z just because you can get looks when it's in far less than pristine condition... and maybe it's not even because the people looking find it pretty.

Back in its day... well I'm sure we don't need to be reminded anymore of just how popular it was, but the whole idea is if you didn't have one, one of your buddies, or buddy's buddies, or buddy's dad, or uncle's friend, etc. did (or so I'm assuming)... If you were alive back then, somehow there was a Z woven into your life. So I'm willing to bet that everytime I catch a middle-aged person looking at my car, it's not so much because they think it's pretty, but because it reminds them of their youth, and that's a magical feeling. Your car is more than just metal, they look at it and see themselves where you are, 30 years younger.

The Z is a time machine.

... and in all fairness I suppose the Delorean is too. :laugh:

[1 Bravo 6]

I had a bloke come to my home today to give me a quote on a job I want done.

As he was about to leave, he happened to glance into the garage. (Now, ... from the angle, he could only see the LF of the car). "Hey !!!!!, what's that ???" he said. "Have you got a Zed hidden in there???".

That comment started a conversation that lasted through two mugs of coffee.

Whenever I see a new book on Sports Cars on the shelves I check out what is said about the Zed. Quite a few authors describe the Zed as "One of the ten most important cars in the history of motoring".

The Zed's success in racing and rallying is very well documented but I think the cars greatest achievement was in the 1971 East African Safari when it virtually made a clean sweep of ALL major placings as well as quite a few minor placings. (Of course, .....we mustn't forget that the DRIVERS played a big part in the car's successes).

Rick.

:devious: :devious:

[GunnerRob]

The Zed's success in racing and rallying is very well documented but I think the cars greatest achievement was in the 1971 East African Safari when it virtually made a clean sweep of ALL major placings as well as quite a few minor placings. (Of course, .....we mustn't forget that the DRIVERS played a big part in the car's successes).

Rick.

:devious: :devious:

Well said Rick.

Here's a link to just one example of what Rick is saying:http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12988&highlight=Paul+Newman

[Victor Laury]

I'm glad you linked to that thread. I wished I had added these little tidbits to that one.

here's the 1973 SCCA championship results (scroll down to C Production)

http://www.virhistory.com/vir/73-apr/7304-res.htm

By the way, the virhistory site is worth exploring. You'll get a real feel for Datsun's impact looking at the pages from 1968 onward.

[theianmonster]

I'm restoring a Z based on one thing, the car is beautiful. Sure, I don't have the perfect car to start with, but I have it all invisioned in my head on how it's going to turn out. The smooth lines, the deep gauges in the dash, a coupe, I mean, what's not to love. Do what you want, I'm not going to judge you. But don't forget on how gorgeous your car would look after some time and money.

- Ian

[jmark]

I'm glad you linked to that thread. I wished I had added these little tidbits to that one.

here's the 1973 SCCA championship results (scroll down to C Production)

http://www.virhistory.com/vir/73-apr/7304-res.htm

By the way, the virhistory site is worth exploring. You'll get a real feel for Datsun's impact looking at the pages from 1968 onward.

Interesting to see the 240Z beat a 911S in CP. I am headed to the IT races this weekend at Road Atlanta. There will be several 240Z's competing against much newer cars and it is still competitive. Pretty amazing in my book. It's easy to see why the 240Z is such an important sports car. That's why I own two S30's.

[daveinc]

I've loved cars (and motorbikes) all my life, especially sports cars. Never having a lot of expendible funds has always prevented me from buying a nice porsche or jag. However, I could buy and (slowly) rebuild one of the "10 most significant cars", in my little garage, by myself. It was cheap to buy, parts are relatively inexpensive and it is simpler to work on. I am I not afraid to work on it or mess it up. I can drive it anywhere, anytime, rather than just look at it in the garage and wait for perfect weather. I rarely see another one.

It's fun! My 2 cents. David

[kenz240z]

I know with me, I love the Z because I've been around them most of my life and know them forwards and backwards, not to mention I have a lame sedimental value in one I own.

Dave, I think you've answered your own question.

What your friend says about resale value is true. Not just for a Z car, but for most any car in which the owner has invested $35,000. For full out, true restoration $35 is probably in the ball park. If you plan to do most of the work yourself I'd imagine you could finish the car for a bit less. I guess it all depends on what you want the end result to be. If you don't plan to show the car at concours events, then perhaps you might not require everything to be exactly as it was when the car rolled off the showroom floor. That would cut your investment by half, if not more, depending on how much work you can do yourself.

He's also right about the performance aspect, when he says it will never be as powerful as a restored old Chevy (well, at least one with a high performance engine). I wouldn't consider a '38 Coupe with a 383 to be restored. Sounds more like a rod. I'm not all that knowledgeable on the subject, but I don't believe a 383 with a 4 bbl carb was offered in '38. Drop a small block Chevy or Ford engine in your Z and you'd smoke most any old Chevy (if you don't snap your Z in half, that is! ).

As far as a memory lane trip, look at the Z's legacy in racing and rallying that many others have posted. Your friend is simply uneducated about the Z in this regard.

Perhaps your friend was attempting to be the voice of reason. A true restoration, of any vehicle, is not a project to be entered into lightly. Even "refreshing" a car can require more time, effort and money than most folks anticipate. There are many questions that need long consideration, such as how much work will I do myself? How much will I have someone else do? How much am I willing to pay them to do the work? How hard will it be to find parts, and how much can I afford to spend? Where will parts be stored while work is in progress? Where will the work be done, in my garage or at someone else's shop? Or, should I rent space somewhere? How soon do I want it finished? It can become a project management nightmare. For instance, if you decide to have the bumpers replated halfway through the project, you will probably be waiting 3-6 months, or longer, to get your bumpers back, depending on the replater you use.

Whether you restore your Z, or "refresh" it, I think the most important thing is the attention to detail you give it. Go to any car show and really scrutinize the work on some of the fancy looking show cars. You may be surprised to find runs in the paint, wavy panels, grungy engine bays, you name it... While in Las Vegas this spring I visited a display of vintage and collector cars, I think it was at Excalibur. Anyway, all the cars were for sale and supposedly professionally restored. Prices ranged from $50,000 to well over $1,000,000. I was surprised at the number of flaws I noticed on some of these cars!

Ultimately, it all comes down to what makes you happy. All I know is that I relished that first drive I took in my Z, when it was still dented & rusty, when the interior was still ratty, and what was left of the most recent paint job was dull & faded.

Kenny P.

[chickenwafer]

Thanks for the advice guys, I know I can count on you.

I don't about a full restoration, but I do want my Z to be a show stopper. Gleaming the sun and with the power to bite back. I'm looking at a turbocharged, fuel-injected monster of an L28 when I'm done connected to a 5-speed and lots more performance extras. I hope to achieve more than 320+ bhp and around the same torque figure when I'm all done after numerous amounts of drugs and money have been exchanged for parts. I plan on doing most of the labor myself, except for paint which I can't fully do (or body work).

Anyways, thanks for the input and know it doesn't fall on deaf ears.

Dave