'70 240z in denver

[cbudvet]

Welcome, I have been researching this exact thing for my old z car for tha past few years. I say years because at this point in time I cannot afford having someone do the work for me. I have been quoted from between 10,000 to 20,000 big ones. These are based on a series of estimates for "minor" body work, paint and engine work. The upper limits maybe being more inclusive with interior etc. but overall, I have found that due to rust issues, most body shops won't get more specific without the car sitting in front of them where they can inspect every inch. I am trying to do as much as I can myself but my experience in the midwest has been less than frugal. I still think it is worth having a z car so don't let this discourage you. Carl

[some guy]

Thanks, Carl. Yeah, I'll definitely buy another Z. I just don't know if this is right for me. I really need advice here. I can't spend 10-20K. I know that much.If I could fix what NEEDS to be fixed now, and leave the details and fine points to do a little at a time, I could make this work. But if I'm looking at 10K just to fix what needs to be fixed, and make this thing a solid driver, I'd better keep searching.

[MikeW]

Thanks, Carl. Yeah, I'll definitely buy another Z. I just don't know if this is right for me. I really need advice here. I can't spend 10-20K. I know that much.If I could fix what NEEDS to be fixed now, and leave the details and fine points to do a little at a time, I could make this work. But if I'm looking at 10K just to fix what needs to be fixed, and make this thing a solid driver, I'd better keep searching.

Unless the car has dangerous rust all you need for a solid driver is a working drive line (engine, transmission, differential, steering, brakes, etc.). Paint and bodywork don't matter. The interior doesn't matter. It really doesn't take much money to get a 240Z to that point. Some people start out with a car that doesn't drive and completely restore it over a period of years before they can finally drive it. The other approach, which is what I did, is start with the mechanical work, get the car driving reliably, and then worry about the cosmetics.

[Arne]

Unless the car has dangerous rust all you need for a solid driver is a working drive line (engine, transmission, differential, steering, brakes, etc.). Paint and bodywork don't matter. The interior doesn't matter. It really doesn't take much money to get a 240Z to that point. Some people start out with a car that doesn't drive and completely restore it over a period of years before they can finally drive it. The other approach, which is what I did, is start with the mechanical work, get the car driving reliably, and then worry about the cosmetics.

I'll second this, as that's the approach I took with my yellow Series 1. All it lacks now to be drivable is exhaust. It still needs a bit of rust repair, but that can wait. I might have paid a bit too much for it just over a year ago, but I made that up by buying a parts car to affordably get some of the things I needed. I'm in mine for about $4000 now, and the engine, drivetrain, suspension, brakes, electrical and cooling have all been taken care of. If that one runs and doesn't burn oil badly, you should be able to get to that same spot for that much or maybe less.

[some guy]

I called and talked to the owner. Real nice lady. She says because of the gas tank it's not really driveable (keeps clogging the filter), but if that's fixed it runs well, has good brakes, etc. I did some google searching for a gas tank but came up with zilch. I guess I could always push it home.:eek:

[Arne]

I called and talked to the owner. Real nice lady. She says because of the gas tank it's not really driveable (keeps clogging the filter), but if that's fixed it runs well, has good brakes, etc. I did some google searching for a gas tank but came up with zilch. I guess I could always push it home.:eek:

Hmm, I've got a decent spare '71 gas tank. Might be expensive to ship to CO, though...

[some guy]

Hmm, I've got a decent spare '71 gas tank. Might be expensive to ship to CO, though...

Thanks for the offer. It took the whole commute home to clear my head and think this through. It's rash decisions like this that caused me to go out looking for a nice older bike to commute on and come home with a ridiculously fast crotch rocket. It took me a year to get that sucker all sorted out. I better stick to my original plan and find a good condition driver. I'm just not worthy of having that car. I'd rather be driving then restoring, and she deserves someone who will take her all the way.

That said, if any of you local boys have a good solid driver you want to sell and get some '70 240Z seed money just let me know!

[Darrel]

I used "240z" in search when I found that one.

Check www.zccc.org the local z club web site. The Odometer is the monthly newsletter. We have meetings the first wednesday of every month at Brooklyns near the stadium.

[cbudvet]

I guess I should clarify my situation. I do have a pretty significant "rust" issue that even with a running drive train, a seat and a steering wheel would still prevent the car from being road worthy. I suppose my point was, for me, a 500 dollar purchase in rural Ohio has turned into a significant financial undertaking. From what people are saying, the car may not be in that bad of shape. I might have a spare gas tank from my 71 parts car but I have no idea of when I will be at a point to remove it. Don't let me talk you out of it. Carl

[Carl Beck]

...

,,,,snipped.....

That said, if any of you local boys have a good solid driver you want to sell and get some '70 240Z seed money just let me know!

How much do you think a good solid driver should sell for? What are you willing to pay for one today?

Carl B.

[lonetreesteve]

Some Guy,

Since you live in the Denver area, here's a '73 240Z driver for sale that the owner claims runs good, but you should probably go check it out in person to see what its condition really is:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=006&sspagename=STRK%3AMEBI%3AIT&viewitem=&item=160042069034&rd=1,1

[some guy]

Thanks, Steve. It's an automatic, though, and I'm looking to get more car than that.

Carl, I guess I'm looking in the 5-6K range. I've been searching nationwide to get an idea on prices, and that seems to be where I'd like to fall. For that price it looks like I can get a Z that runs well, has minimal rust, and looks pretty good. I've seen Z's in this range advertised as "no rust" but I've known enough of these cars to take it with a grain of salt.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp;?tracktype=usedcc&searchType=25&pageNumber=0&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=descending&sortfield=PRICE+descending&certifiedOnly=false&criteria=K-%7CE-ALL%7CM-_65_%7CH-%7CN-N%7CR-500%7CI-1%7CP-PRICE+descending%7CQ-descending%7CX-antique%7CZ-80126&aff=denver&paId=196557208&recnum=7&leadExists=true

This is the first one I looked at. The upper body areas are in really nice condition, as is the paint, glass, interior. The underside is in bad shape. Pretty much rusted out from front to rear. The engine doesn't run well. Not much power. It clunks really hard going into gear. All and all, a nice looking car, but that's about it. Had it ran really well I might have been temped to do the rust work. Had the underside been better I might have been tempted to tear into the engine.

I also called about a 72 that's about an hour north of me. It was restored 10 years ago and engine rebuilt 70K ago. The guy talked about a little rust but says very minor (which I figure means a bit more when I start looking), that it runs really strong, handles well, and looks really sharp. He wants $5800. That's more in line with what I want, if the description is pretty accurate. Unfortunatly I don't know when I'll have time to check it out.

Does it sound like I'm on the right track, money wise (5-6K)? All I really have to go by is what people say in their ads to get to that figure.