Greetings. New member here. My name is Matt; I own a '72 240Z in need of a full restoration.

My dad and I are Original Z Owner #129 here:

http://www.zhome.com/IZCC/ZRegisters/original.htm

He bought it new in '72 and gave me the keys as a college graduation gift (in '01). By that time I'd already learned to do a full tuneup including synchronizing and setting the (ZTherapy rebuilt) SUs. I watch their VHS tapes for entertainment; it's great stuff.

I live in Winston-Salem, NC; the car is currently parked at my parents' house in Chapel Hill. My wife, two kids and I just recently bought our first house out here in W-S and it has a two-car basement garage, perfect for tinkering. So the Z will move in there eventually.

Unfortunately, it won't be under its own power. The state of the Z is fairly bad:

- Rusted out pass. side floor pan and frame rail (the infamous battery tray leak)

- Rusty rocker panels, fender lips, etc

- Cracked dash

- Faded repaint (the car was originally 901 Silver; my dad repainted it blue sometime in the late '70s)

- L24 with likely spun bearing(s)

On that last point, there's a bit of a story / cautionary tale:

Back in '01, I was driving the car around. The car had the same rust issues it has now, but the engine and driveline (other than the diff whine) ran great. It needed a new battery, so I replaced it with a new, smaller unit. The factory battery tie-down didn't fit very well, but rigged it in place as best I could, thinking I'd secure it better at some later date.

Turns out I didn't get my chance. Driving around the following day, I saw the ammeter go crazy and smelled electrical burning. I pulled onto a side road and popped the hood to see my engine on fire. The battery had fallen forward off the tray and impacted and punctured the oil filter, spewing hot oil all over that side of the engine before the sparks from the battery terminals set it on fire.

Fortunately, I had a rag handy, so I beat the fire out. I was shaken, obviously, and in my fragile mental state decided to try to drive the car about a mile to the local CarQuest so I could buy a new oil filter.

I made it about 3/4 mile with no oil pressure before the car started acting funny, at which point I pulled into a parking lot and shut it off. I walked the remaining 1/4 mile to the store, bought the filter, put it on and drove the car home. I started it a couple of times since, but it's never been quite the same.

So the engine probably needs a teardown and inspection as well. Here's the only picture I have of the car:

This was taken in '03; I was in the middle of a 1JZ swap into my '88 Supra at the time, hence the hoist and the old 7M-GTE up on the stand.

Here's the eventual goal:

Patched up, in good running order, restored to its original 901 Silver color.

I look forward to reading and contributing. Expect many questions!

Cheers,

Matt

Welcome to the group! Sounds like you have an entertaining project ahead.

Dennis

Sorry....duplicate post.

Dennis

Edited April 12, 201113 yr by psdenno

Entertaining is one word for it! If I hadn't damaged the engine, I would feel a lot better about it. But bodywork intimidates me, so either way, it's going to be a doozie!

Thanks for the welcome,

Matt

Welcome. I like the cars in your signature, with the exception of the MPV. But we all have to deal with minivan ownership at some point.

Thanks, and very true (about minivan ownership). I actually don't mind it. It's practical, and the MPV is pretty good for what it is.

-Matt

Matt -

That is one tough story. I'm a 100 miles from you in Boone. PM me.....I do have a connection in Winston for engine work - a semi-retired race driver that owns a auto repair shop west of Winston. Not sure in Winston on body work for your needs. I've got a buddy that can complete a rebuild for you if needed. Give me a shout if I can help.

Matt -

That is one tough story. I'm a 100 miles from you in Boone. PM me.....I do have a connection in Winston for engine work - a semi-retired race driver that owns a auto repair shop west of Winston. Not sure in Winston on body work for your needs. I've got a buddy that can complete a rebuild for you if needed. Give me a shout if I can help.

Mitchell,

I will definitely hit you up for the engine shop recommendation, when the time comes. I'd like to do as much of it as I can—I've done half a dozen engine swaps but never actually cracked one fully open—and I'd like the experience. The really specialized stuff I'll probably farm out, though. The bodywork is the big thing, totally uncharted territory for me. Should be fun.

Thanks again,

Matt

Matt -

One more thing that may help you. I do have a salvage yard with several 240's - 260's - 280's and ZX's. I keep it close to my chest due to the fact that there are not many salvage yards near us anymore. PM me and I can give you info when you are closer. This is a short drive for you to get the body parts that you may need for your project........fenders - doors - glass - so forth.

Mitchell,

Awesome! Will definitely PM you for info when the time comes. Glass is good, AFAIK, as are the doors. The fenders...not so much. The rocker panels (pass. side at least) are pretty far gone too. Sigh.

Your red Z is stunning! Love the 15" slotted mags; mine has 14"s. My wife has relatives in Boone so we visit occasionally. Let me know if you're ever down this way; we'll do lunch and talk Zs. Go Mountaineers!

Best,

Matt