Two Low-VIN 1970 240Zs on Ebay

[sakijo]

Seller of #4112 updated listing to say that she had a collector of Z cars look at it and in his opinion, it was only good for parts. Makes it sound like you're some kind of personal friend of hers.

[onuthin]

[quote name=26th If you say that the engine is not the original engine, (for whatever reason you say that) then the car is not matching numbers.

Whew!

Chris I looked at the vin# on the dash first.Then I looked at the plate on the drivers door jam the vin# matched.then I looked on the shock tower at the plate there.The vin# was the same as the other two.On the plate with the vin# on the shock tower had engine # stamped just under the vin#. I then looked on the engine block just below the head ( E-88) and closest to the firewall.There were two smooth places on the block.The first place had l24 stamped on it .The second place had a number stamped on it that was not even in the ball park with the engine # stamped on the plate on the shock tower. From that I took it the numbers didn't match.I was under the impression engines with that low vin# came with E31 heads,I could be wrong on that.

[240znz]

I was under the impression engines with that low vin# came with E31 heads,I could be wrong on that.

You are correct. The early first gen zeds came with the E31 head. However, many have been swapped out to the larger valve sized E88's to aid performance. And as you know, swapping the head is a heap easier than changing out a engine.

Sounds like a bitza car that may not even be worth it for parts. However, we always need to remember that it will be only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

[26th-Z]

Ok, ok, I was on my soap box when I saw that "matching numbers" thing. Carl hit the nail on the head. Don't get fooled by the eBay mumbo-jumbo. And as we have seen in past threads, the chassis numbers don't always match either! It does sound like it has some valuable parts, though. A 2400 valve cover is worth at least $100 these days.

[lonetreesteve]

OK, here are the Questions & Answers on 4/18, then an Update from the seller on 4/19:

Q: The biggest problem with these cars is rust on the front frame rails and floor pans. How is this particular 240Z along those lines?

Apr-18-06

A: I DID NOT REALLY NOTICE ANY RUST ON THE FRAME RAILS. THERE WAS NOT ANY NOTICIBLE RUST IN THE FLOOR BOARD. THANK YOU CINDY

Q: How is the overall rust condition of the car? You mention some rust on the body but how about the floor boards, battery tray, and frame rails where the rust really likes to eat away at these cars? Can you describe the condition of those areas and do you have any pictures of those areas you can send me? Thank you so much for your time.

Apr-18-06

A: I DID NOT REALLY NOTICE ANY RUST ON THE FRAME RAILS OR THE BATTERY TRAY. THERE ARE SEVERAL RUST SPOTS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR ON THE DOORS. THANK YOU CINDY

On Apr-19-06 at 14:32:43 PDT, seller added the following information:

I WAS WRONG ABOUT THE RUST ON THIS VEHICLE. THE FLOOR BOARD IS RUSTED THROUGH. THE BATTERY TRAY IS RUSTED OUT. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN WRECKED IT IS COVERED WITH BONDO. I HAD A Z-CAR COLLECTOR LOOK AT IT AND HIS OPINION WAS IT WOULD TAKE A LOT TO FIX IT UP. IN HIS OPINION THE CAR IS ONLY GOOD FOR PARTS. IT WILL RUN BUT IT WOULD NOT BE SAFE. ONLY GOOD FOR PARTS. I AM SORRY ABOUT THE MISLEAD INFORMATION. THANK YOU CINDY