Time to sell off a few Z's....

[daddz]

I have decided to thin the herd a bit much to the encouragement of some Z friends. The first one has already been sold (my avatar car) and now it is time for the second '78 280Z to find a new home. Here is the ad on zcar.com:

http://www.zcar.com/classifieds/index.php?method=showdetails&list=advertisement&rollid=35046&fromfromlist=classifiedscategory&fromfrommethod=showhtmllist&fromfromid=29&

It has links to the updated pictures (69 new photos) at my yahoo photos page. I will be adding an ad here on classiczcars.com as well to help spread the word. If you miss out on this one I have another one ready to go as well.

In any case some quick details:

1978 Datsun 280Z 03/78 build date HLS30-453461 chassis number.

Factory five speed and the Z has 132,xxx original miles on it.

The engine runs very strong and exhibits no smoke or strange noises nor are there any exhaust leaks at the manifold as is the case with alot of Z's.

There are some rust issues but not serious enough to rule out a driving project. This car could go either way: great parts car or drive it as you go project.

If you have any questions email them to me at:

bobdadd@hotmail.com

[rdefabri]

Bob,

I would love to take her back to New Jersey - alas, I would NEVER be able to convince the boss that it was worthwhile. The price seems right, and you've been honest in the ad, but I need to figure out how you swung 10 of those!!!

Rich

[daddz]

Rich,

As a friend of mine always reminds me regarding marriage: it's an endless form of negotiation. The boss knows that you need another Z? In any case the car was out of Cherry Hill, New Jersey and it would indeed be neat to see it back in its former haunts.

I noticed in your signature line the E-type FHC....one of these days I would very much like to add one of those stunning beauties to the stable. This Sunday at Montgomery College in Rockville, Md. there is going to be a Concours show for the Jaguar faithful. Also, other British marques are invited to display as well. It is always a nice turnout and good for a few photo opportunities. Last year a fellow from Long Island drove his Series 1.5 roadster and he had some interesting stories to tell regarding a couple of cross country jaunts in the XKE.

As for swinging ten they are aren't all that nice but each has its own story to tell as well as much potential. The other reason relates to being able to dodge the amrriage bullet so far.

[rdefabri]

Well, I have been a good negotiator in my 14 years with my wife, enough to get the E-type, the Z, and have my half naked wife draped over said Z for the photo contest, so I can't complain.

My appetite for autos is literally insatiable, I strive to be Jay Leno, Sir Anthony Bamford or Ralph Lauren!

The E-type coupe is a gorgeous vehicle. I was fortunate that mine was very good cosmetically, which is one of the key areas. They are prone to rust, have ill fitting body panels and expensive to get right. Mechanically, my "E" needs some work, but thankfully, that's the "easy" part - they are generally bulletproof in that regard. I sit in the car at times and reminisce about my Dad's Austin Healey, as the cars smell similar (the leather).

I got the "E" coupe as they were still cheap about 1-2 years ago. That's not really the case any longer, they are starting to rise, so I am lucky. Check out a similar years Corvette, in any condition and it's likely double the E's price. It really was a no-brainer purchase for me.

Unfortunately, I need a daily driver, so I will be either buying a used Maxima, used GS 400 or a new Altima. Hence, the negotiations will not be successful to add another "project".

Let me know if you have difficulty moving it, maybe I'll get inspired and try again...

[Victor Laury]

Your'e not foolin me Bob. Your'e just making room for a Roadster.

[daddz]

Let me know if you have difficulty moving it, maybe I'll get inspired and try again...

I will definitely keep that in mind.

I have to second your opinion with regard to the car appetite. A friend of mine and I were in the "cave" which is another name for the man room knocking back a few Bacardi and cokes one evening and he finaly said "I have figured out your problem; you are a car whore"; I almost snorted the rum and coke at that point. Luckily I did not make a mess as his wife would not ahve appreciated rum and coke on her carpet. We still know who's boss?

I seem to go through phases and lately I have been building Noah's Ark which is to say that the idea of twins is appealing. So far I have two burgundy 280Z's (a '77 and '78); two '86 300ZX hardtops; two 280ZX's. The oddballs are the 240Z, '72 Celica, '87 Supra, '03 350Z, and the '91 Mustang GT. I don't think I would want one each for those although an XKE owuld look good next to the 240Z--as it is I need an airplane hangar! I would love to round out the '80's Japanese car thing with an '86 or '87 CRX Si, '85 or '86 MR2, and an '84 or '85 RX7 GSL-SE.

The Mustang is a strange one for me as at the end of high school all of my friends went crazy for those cars. At the time I did not appreciate them although I had driven a few thanks to an uncle car salesman. When a friend of mine and I saw the Mustang at a car show and I got a look at the ridiculous amount of paperwork (build sheet, window sticker, etc..) and the manner in which the owner described his maintenance habits I was hooked. As with the latest muscle car fad the devil is in the numbers and thanks to mustanggt.org there is a wealth of information to be had. I imagine with the XKE the British Motor Heritage Certificate would be a neat item to have.

As an endnote I was at a local car show at the Treasure Caost Mall in Port Saint Lucie, Florida a couple of weeks ago and I was introduced to a gentleman who happens to be the original owner of black over red XKE coupe that has only covered about 60k miles since new! I believe it was either a '65 or '66 and he mentioned that he hadn't taken it out of the garage since 2002! When I asked about paperwork he stated that he kept the original sales invoice and brochure. I would imagine there cannot be too many XKE's with that set of circumstances still around? The friend that introduced me restored an MG TF and drives the heck out of his car (Sebring, Daytona etc...) and was chiding his friend for not driving the XKE which makes sense.

[daddz]

Your'e not foolin me Bob. Your'e just making room for a Roadster.

Victor,

Too funny! Maybe when I make the move to SoCal because a Roadster in the Washington area would only get driven about three months out of the year and with the nutty drivers we seem to attract you would want to stay off the Capital Beltway as much as possible.

I have been known to bug a friend of mine from time to time about his black over red '66 Roadster that is an absolute joy to look at. He is lucky enough to live close to work and thus he drives his on a fairly regular basis. For me it would have to be low windshield model and while the 2000 would be tough to find in that configuration I would probably be just as happy with a 1600.

Of course getting back to my previous repsonse now that I think about it a Miata would be fun as longs as it was a '95 M (the burgundy thing).:stupid:

[Hrududu]

God how I wish I lived closer to you. I would love to buy it from you, but Its too far.

[rdefabri]

Bob,

Original owner XKE with paperwork would be worth good money, assuming it was in good condition. I am simply amazed that a car as legendary as the "E" isn't commanding more money than a contemporary 'Vette, but that was enough for me to make the move. As a Z owner, the "E" would be incredibly familiar to you - (D)OHC inline six, 3 SU carbs, rust...you get the idea. From a visceral perspective, the "E" has it all over the "Z" - sitting in the car evokes ghosts of past, it oozes "cool". When the car was delivered, all my neighbors came out to ogle it.

Sigh, I am car whore too! I love your eclectic collection, sounds like what I always wanted to build (it would include Lotus Europas, Opel GTs, Buick Regal Grand Nationals, a '32 Deuce Coupe, Ferraris..it goes on and on).

I even possess an SCCA license thinking (stupidly) it would "get the jollies out" - how wrong that was...I became even MORE driven towards that money pit as well! I used to drag race, but road racing is infinitely more fn and challenging..

Not to get off topic, my apologies. Should anything change, I'll let you know. I'll live vicariously through your ad in the meantime

[rdefabri]

Bob,

Just noticed you had another '78 for sale? Is that the one you already sold?

How does (did) it look?

RIch

[daddz]

Bob,

Just noticed you had another '78 for sale? Is that the one you already sold?

How does (did) it look?

RIch

Rich,

It is yet another one! I have to do this by chassis numbers:

my avatar car was a one owner car and it has already sold (July) and it was HLS30-437667,

the second one that is for sale at the moment is HLS30-453461, a fellow came by yesterday and he is supposed to pick up the Z on Wednesday! He was the first one to come and look at it and I was surprised it sold in less than 20 minutes.

The next one that is up for sale is HLS30-448652 which is yet another burgundy '78 280Z! I have to look at the receipts file and tally up what I have tied up in the car and set a price (it will be resonable) so that it sells in short order. it doesn't look too terrible and it certainly has alot less rust than the one that sold yesterday. Here is a short list of what's been done:

Engine installed from my old '82 280ZX hardtop with 119k on it. While it was out on the engine stand waiting to go into this car I painted the block with the correct blue paint from Banzai Motorworks (6 coats and 4 coats of clear). Installed new intake and exhust manifold studs (Nissan).

The transmission was swapped out for a five speed from another '82 280ZX

2+2 which is an ATK rebuilt unit.

When the engine bay was empty I repainted the engine bay (most of it including the core support and battery box) and recleared the engine bay. I also removed the brackets and sandblasted them and repainted them to the correct colors.

All hoses passing air and water were replaced.

Intake manifold was swapped for a '75 280Z non-egr manifold and new Nissan injectors and sub-harnesses were installed. This really cleaned up the intake side of the engine.

New KYB struts and Motorsport lowering springs were installed with new urethane bump stops. ABS steering coupler and urethan rack bushings installed.

I haven't installed it as of yet but a new Nissan passenger fender goes with the car. I would POR15 the inside before installing the fender. I will also include a urethan front air dam as I didn't plan on installing the big fat 280Z front bumper and stock lower valence. The rear bumper was removed but I can supply with another rear bumper if the new owner wants stock bumpers again. I also have the front bumper assembly that goes with it as well.

In any case I will start a new thread for this one in the next week or two.

I need the reclaim the driveway for the other two burgundy

280Z's that are being stored up at Andrews AFB. I will also be shooting a bunch of new photos for that one as well. Who knows where it may end up?

It would be nice to see it go to a member of this forum so that we can all see where the car ends up as it is still not a finished project.