Buying a 240z..

[MoNkEy]

Well, heres some background info on me..

I am 16, I have a 1998 GMC Sonoma. I am planing to;

A) Swap a 5.7l Vortec 350 into my Sonoma.. which would be out of commission the whole time I try to figure out what the heck im doing..

Buy a project car, a Datsun 240z 1972 Type body style.. and fix it up, either put a small block chevy, or fix up the Turbo inline 6 in it, if it has one.

I have been in love with the Z car ever seince I saw the Darious 240z movie, the sleek body lines.. I love the 2 seater look with the long hood..

And then, while test driving and looking at a 91' Eagle Talon TSI AWD.. I was like .. omg.. is that a Datsun 240z.. in this guys driveway? .. He says no.. Well, that leaves me a bit confused, so I saw umm.. it sure looks like one to me, he says, ahh yes, it is a Fairlady Z... because its right hand drive, then he tells me he got it from in the desert somewhere, its got no rust on it. He street races it, it has racing tires, and everything..

I was in love, the car is so awesome looking.. That was only the second time I've seen one in real life, that close.. ya ya its not like they are rare or anything, I guess there isnt a lot of them in Wisconsin, because the winters here suck..

Anyway, back to the point... I am hooked, and I want to build a 240z as a project car, because I feel that I dont have enough knowledge as of now to swap a 350 into my truck. I figure I will be able to work on the Z in my free time, and still learn about general automotive things, :fixing rust, dents.. stuff like that: because I want to be a mechanic, and go to school for it.. or somthing in the automotive career..

It is so hard for me to find a car around here for a good low price (under $1,000).. because, well there isnt any Datsuns around here.. The guy with the Fairlady Z, said that there are a bunch of Z cars sitting around in good condition in the lower states, but I dont know how far I'm willing to travel to get one..

On the way up to my friends cabbin, up near the michigan boarder, I saw a house with about 4-5 240z type cars sitting around the house. These cars looked to be for sale, as we did not stop, I couldnt get a price, or any other info, or even a good look, but Im sure they are Datsuns..

In Wisconsin it snows, and these cars have probably been sitting out in the snow for a long time, getting rusty, and aged over the years.

I am wondering if it is worth it to buy one of these cars, which might not even have a running engine..

If it doesnt run, and has fixable rust spots how much is it worth? Or how much is it worth if it runs, and also has rust on it?

Im sure these cars wont be a easy fix, but I want to learn..

Any info, please.

Or questions about the post, because sometimes Im not even sure what Im talking about.. and I do get carried away some times when talking about the cars, and some background about them..

[carguyinok]

Welcome in on the love of the Z. It sounds like you have the plan and need the car. Sorry but I grew up in MN. and you will need to drop in south of upper Oklahoma if you wish to find a body worth your time under 3 grand. Your neck of the woods is just the worst for rust. I am just looking to let you know its going to take you some real hunting. But if you just keep looking who knows. Just dont think you can fix up a rusty 240Z. It wont work out.

[MoNkEy]

Well, I was reading somewhere that they sell fiberglass body panels, and door shells somewhere..

are you talking about the kind of rust that is only on the body panels, or the rust that is inside the floor and the frame and everywhere?

I think I will be going up to the cabin next weekend, so I'll take a camera along, and go talk to the people... if its just surface rust, and the interior and frame and maybe even if its drivable we might be in buisness.. but I know what you mean by somethings are just not repairable..

heres a photo of my truck next to a 280z

[carguyinok]

yes there are some glass parts out there. But the Z will rust from the inside out . So if you look at one and say well I can buy glass front fenders. You will be looking at front frame rails and so on. Where you live if you see any rust or bondo walk away. If you can see it at all whats under that will be stuff that looks like sand that use to be a metal part.

Now I dont know how much work you are looking at getting into. But I do have A 260 shell that is solid but needs ALOT of tlc and the interior is not there but the body and so on are all good with no frame or floor pan rust. I am about 12 hours from you.

[MoNkEy]

Maybe I should talk to the guy who also owned the talon, about where he found his Z, and if he knows anyone or somthing like that..

or maybe if hes willing to part with his :cheeky: .. but I doubt it.. he he.. anything is for sale for a price right?..

I guess I would be willing to travel a few hours for the right car.. I wonder what he ment, by it was sitting in the desert or somthing like that, and all that was wrong with it is that the paint was faided..

[MoNkEy]

How rare is the Turbo inline 6 in the 240z cars?

What is the chance that the cars up north will have turbo engines?

I know what you mean by how they rust.. I have seen one with 1x,xxx miles on it, completely rusted while the owner was off in the service, he said he also completly covered it..

[Alfadog]

Turbo six? I guess you're talking about someone doing a swap with a 280ZX Turbo, Skyline turbo or maybe 300ZX Turbo engine... cos you DO realise they never came stock with a turbo dont you?

It'd be pretty rare to find one still, and even if you do, my bet is it wont be cheap.

[Whitea207]

Im in a similar situation as monkey although i just turned 16 and am looking for my 1st car, and just like monkey, one look at a 240Z a local kid has got me hooked and i fell in love. Im in a lil better situation than monkey cause i live in texas, but there is still the problem of restoration. I know basics of mechanics, but am i getting in over my head... to restore one, i have about 10k saved up. Is that enough, i mean i know i can get mechanical help and info, bc one of my freinds dads are mechanics. But just let me know what u think, and if u can even provide me with a 240Z... i was looking at the 1971 model, but will settle with one around that year and body stlye.

Thanks

Whitea207- Alex

[Alfadog]

if you have 10k saved up you could go right out and buy a pristine one with all the resto work already done...

[Whitea207]

Yea, but how many that are in good condition are for sale... none around here, plus i would like to restore a car... would be great to rool down the road in a bad arse Z that I! restored.

[Whitea207]

roll**

[Alfadog]

Aint that the truth...

Well if it were up to me and I had 10k I would wait for a really nice 240 to show up and go for that.

Restoring a car is something I would love to do though, and especially if you are close with a mechanic