About two weeks ago, I became a member and because I was getting my moms 240. Its a 6/72/ Its also been sitting in a field in Nevada for about 15 years. How ever, the body is in good shape and no cancer in the pans. The hoses are Shot and I am looking for replacements BUT I see a lot of Non-Braided Nissan hoses. For a restoration, are those OK? And there is even some Reproduction hoses.

It also looks like there was a after market chrome part added to the front bumper. Is that OK for a restoration? And the hatch back is black. Do you think that came off a different car?

I am all full of questions but I will keep them to a minimum for now.

Being new to all this but very excited, I am all ears!

But anyway, heres some pics!

Edited July 20, 201014 yr by Polecat
pictures added

Welcome Polecat! Good to see pictures of the car. Congratulations. Its a good idea to change the hoses after sitting for so long. You ask if the non braided hoses are ok. Sure! The only reason to use the reproduction braided hoses is if you are going for a true restoration to factory specs or if you just really want/like the look. The main goal for you and the car is do what you want to so you get the car YOU want to have. This can range from a concourse "trailer queen" car to a daily driver with a small block chevy. Everyone has different feelings and ideas. The chrome addition to the front bumper is called an over-rider bar. I am pretty sure these were dealer add ons. If you like the look keep it. If not, take it off. You will find restored cars that have them and some that don't. Again, its an owner preference. In terms of the rear hatch, it may be a replacement but that doesn't matter at all. It would seem likely based on its being painted black. It doesn't detract from the cars value because many have replacements and once its painted no one will know. Good luck and keep us posted!

Carl

Looks like a really good car to start with. Good luck.

Carl (cbudvet) gave you a really good rundown on things! Nice job!

And Polecat (I like your "handle"), welcome to the World of Z.

I was up against the same dilemma on replacing hoses: whether to spend

hundreds of dollars on a replacement set of fabric covered or not.

26thZ to the rescue. Chris told me that in the show competitions it is

recognized that some parts are difficult to find and others are nearly im-

possible except at great price. So if I understood correctly, it is okay to

have either all fabric covered or all black rubber, so long as the set of

hoses is all the same type. I.E., no mixing and matching.

Carl is right, the overrider bars were one of the earliest of the dealer-

installed add-ons. In 1970 each dealer got an allocation of maybe 2 Z's

per month to try to keep up with a waiting list of maybe 20 names. So it

was common for dealers to increase their profit margin by installing a few

"options." When the earliest person on the waiting list was notified that

their Z had arrived, they could either "take it or leave it." Same with color.

If you didn't take it, the next person on the list would. If you were lucky

you would retain your position on the list. If you had a hard-nosed dealer

you might be told "here's your deposit back, see you when you're serious."

The front overrider bar (more than the rear) was one of the more practical

"options," however. At first I didn't care for it (them) too much since they

seemed to disturb the sleekness of the car. But when I began to see a lot

of Z's with dinged or bent hoods, due to the point of the hood being so far

forward as to be susceptible to people who "park by ear," I realized their

value. So since you have it (them), I would definitely keep it (them). Not

to mention you would have holes to fill or bumperettes to replace at sig-

nificant cost if you chose to remove it (them).

Your car being a 6/72 build date (unquestionably a '72 model year and what

we call a "Series 2" car), the only thing you want to be concerned about

the hatch is whether the defroster elements run horizontally across the

glass. If vertical, it is a Series 1 hatch (1970-early 71). If no defroster

elements, it is a 1969 hatch and I will trade you the hatch off my '72 parts

car PLUS CASH for it.

Welcome to the site. Ask a lot of questions, there are a lot of guys on the

site who will gladly help you as you progress.

All Z Best,.....................................Kathy & Rick

Despite the obvious neglect, that car looks to be in decent condition.

Good luck with the restoration. It will be well worth your effort as the 240 is a great car to own and drive.

Congrats and welcome Polecat, I would recomend you get it to fire up first, secondly get the brakes re-built, register it and drive it, before considering an attempt on retoring the car, I have found that it is much easier when you tackle such a big project, in small steps, just my suggestion. I have been working on my car for the last 3 years now, and I have not even consider a restoration, I just fine with the car being mechanically functioning right now. Your car looks like it has great potential, keep us posted.

Hey Polecat,

You may need to replace the windshield too! You have the best airflow in your car! I agree with Vitamin Z. If you can get the car running reliably, you can enjoy it as you rebuild it. It would make it worth while.

carl