Is a 240Z for me?

[Fun_in_my_z]

Beet me to it

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/member.php?u=5195

[montoya_fan01]

Beet me to it

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/member.php?u=5195

i also beet you tuit, bill.

[EScanlon]

I own a Roadster 2000 (currently being worked on) but can't say that I agree about the leg room. Then again that's part of what I'm working on, but to me it's just a dash cramped in the leg stretch area, I'm right at 6' tall.

If you've driven a Subaru Legacy Wagon, you'll understand what I mean about the leg room, you can put the seat all the way back, but you STILL would like an extra couple inches so that you don't feel as if you're keeping your knees bent.

[SJGREEN71]

SJGreen71,

Thanks for the steer to the 1600/2000 roadster. Any other roadster/convertibles you can recommend for tall drivers? I wish I had $30K plus laying around to get a Austin Healey 3000; those cars are beautiful!

Greg,

The performance and styling you can get out of a Datsun Z or roadster, in my opinion, is much better than you can get out of an Austin Healey. A pre-1972 Z or '68 to '70 roadsters in drivable condition can be had for $3 to $4 thousand, and with another $10,000 can be a really spectacular car. If you are lucky, you can find one that someone else has elevated to the spectacular standard for less than $10,000. You can't find a pre-owned modern sports car close to 2,000 pounds (say a Lotus Elise) for less than $40K. Light weight is a big part of the pre-smog Datsun experience.

If you settle on an early Z or high windshield roadster, there are a lot of tuning options available. Both cars came with a factory option of Mukuni/Solex carburetors which bumped the horse power by about 15%, though this came at high RPM, and at the expense of gas milage.

With the Z, Nissan maintained the same engine block for many years, so if you are not concerned with a numbers matching car, you can easily put a later model 280 engine and 5-speed transmision in the light weight '70 - '71 car, maintaining the original Hitachi/SU carburetors. If you want even more power, there is room for a Detroit V8 in there.

The stock '68 2000 roadster made 130 HP, and 150 with the Mukuni carbs. Not bad for its day, but many people have placed an FJ20 or similar Nissan engine in these cars for greater power and reliability. The blocks and lower end of either the Z or the roadster are almost indestructable, mind you, but the 2000 roadster, with a somewhat clugy overhead cam araingement requires that the timing chain and sprockets be replaced every 60,000 miles or so at a cost of $1,000 parts plus an equal amount for labor. The Datsun 1600 offers the top down motoring experience without the timing chain issues, but at a somewhat more modest straightline performance. 1600 roadsters can be stroked to approach the 2000's horse power.

As far as the esthetics of either of these cars, I believe they are both pure sports car designs that are on par with anything out of Britan, Germany, Italy or the US. The Datsun roadster was designed by Albrecht Goertz, who also penned the the classic BMW 507 (a beautiful car). The 240Z was designed in house by Nissan, but with heavy input from the US head of Nissan, Yutaka Katayama AKA Mr. K. It is his input that allowed these cars (both the Z and the high windshield roadsters) to be designed so that a 6' 4" American male could fit into these cars. Nissan actually measured hundreds of US Marines to make sure 95% or more of them could fit into the Z.

As far as design goes, you can see the influences of the Jaguar XKE, and Ferrari GTO in the Z cars, and I always likened the roadsters to the Astin Martin DB series with their hood scoops and under stated tail fins.

So if you are interested in the Z, www.zhome.com and Carl Beck, as Garth had suggested are a good bet. The early Datsun owners tend to be a welcoming crowd, so you should not have difficulty finding someone to show you their car.

Here is an example of a high windshield roadster like the one I used to own.

I would recomend the roadster mailing list, if you are interested in finding someone local who will show you their car.

http://www.datsun.org/roadster/info/list.html

Good luck with your mid-life crisis car. I bought my roadster the first time I got laid off, and my Z when my wife filed for divorce. Hope your crisis is happier than these....

[240Zgrogster]

I'm trying to find some I can hopefully drive or at least sit in. I just discovered the Suncoast Z Club in Tampa, so I may get lucky. I do remember riding in a 260Z that had plenty of room. If only the Zs had a convertible or targa top! Thanks.

[SJGREEN71]

I own a Roadster 2000 (currently being worked on) but can't say that I agree about the leg room. Then again that's part of what I'm working on, but to me it's just a dash cramped in the leg stretch area, I'm right at 6' tall.

If you've driven a Subaru Legacy Wagon, you'll understand what I mean about the leg room, you can put the seat all the way back, but you STILL would like an extra couple inches so that you don't feel as if you're keeping your knees bent.

Well Enrique, it depends. Do you have a '68 or later 2000, or an earlier model? The high windshield roadsters ('68 and later) had two sets of holes in the floor (I don't know if this was also so for the 67 1/2 flat dash 2000). If you poke around in there you might find that you can mount the whole driver's seat an inch or so further back than it is now. It makes all the difference in the world for the long legged driver.

[kenz240z]

To Bill and Montoyafan:

Of all the vegetables, only the beet goes on...

[Fun_in_my_z]

Roll with the Beet my friend

[EScanlon]

Well Enrique, it depends. Do you have a '68 or later 2000, or an earlier model? The high windshield roadsters ('68 and later) had two sets of holes in the floor (I don't know if this was also so for the 67 1/2 flat dash 2000). If you poke around in there you might find that you can mount the whole driver's seat an inch or so further back than it is now. It makes all the difference in the world for the long legged driver.

It is a 68, and I was not aware of the second set of holes. I will be removing the rest of the interior soon so I'll definitely look for that. Thanks.

As an interesting notes to any other Roadster-ophiles, the 68 I have does NOT have a VIN plate on the dash, nor does it have the cutout on the vinyl. It DOES have the vinyl pad, so it is the "padded" dash, but without the cutout even the dash caps available for it aren't "correct". How's that for a weird item.

Enrique

[zack_280]

I'm 6'4" to 6'5" and I fit ok in my Z. My head was just about touching the liner with the worn out old seats it came with and there was plenty of leg room (I have a 36" inseam). If you have less than a 34" inseam and you are 6'4" headroom might become a problem, but the seats can be adjusted. Unless you have a 37" or greater inseam, legroom shouldn't be a problem.

On a side note. I just installed Corbeau A4 seats (the wide version b/c I have a 36" waist). The headroom disappeared and I had to remove the slider and modify the bracket on the driver's side, but I am very happy with the results. I was worried that I might have to fabricate my own bracket but the one that came with the slider bolted pretty much right up. I just had to bore out the bolt holes a little with a Dremel to fit the larger mounting bolts in. It was a bit of a pain to install them because there was no room to turn a wrench, but I'm happy with the finished product. Note that these seats barely fit in this car. If anyone is thinking about adding aftermarket seats try not to get anything wider than these. Check out www.corbeau.com for dimensions.