Introductions

[JPx187]

It's been about a year since I bought my '71 240z 4 speed with 133k miles, but I haven't done too much to it so I'll try to keep y'all up to date. Please, any suggestions are welcome. That being said, here are some pix from the day it showed up at my door

It wasn't long before I started tearing into it

You can probably tell, but as I started to tamper with the wheel wells, I found rust at first, but as I dug deeper, I found an existing repair panel. It goes up to about an inch from the body line and was riveted. My new repair panel will be welded, since I have access to just about every type of welding known to man =)

Edited May 30, 2011 by JPx187

[JPx187]

Then disaster struck...

...and it gets worse

Brazing. :sick: So I washed it off

Soon after this, winter struck. Not much got done in a cold northern Minnesota garage, except maybe a little sanding. But now it's spring =) so the Bondo'd floor came out and I fabricated a new one out of 16 gauge steel. It fits well, but I wanted to do a bit more cleaning before I put it in. When it goes in, I plan on going over it with the acetylene to make it bow. and now you're all caught up. More pix coming soon =)

Edited May 30, 2011 by JPx187

[JPx187]

As far as I can tell so far, the entire engine is stock. Dizzy, carburetors, clutch, exhaust, all of it. The car was factory orange, painted Datsun blue, and repainted orange again. By my hand, the z will take on a white/carbon theme. The only reason, really, I know this is because I'm sanding down the whole thing having discovered the excessive bondo work.There are several exhaust leaks (and poor welds) on the headers so I plan on putting in an msa 3-2 coated header system with twice pipes. Ultimately, I will be moving to Florida and the car will be a daily driver. I would love to do a vq swap, but that's a long way off.

[psdenno]

Welcome to the Group! Always glad to see another '71 being put back on the road. Are you sure you want to leave Duluth for Florida? You'll miss skidding your Z down Mesabi in December

Dennis

[JPx187]

Thanks Dennis, as much as I love a challenge I am quite sure I'd like to get away from the salty doom. Plus, there's more of a z community down there =)

[JPx187]

Forza motorsport - Where dreams are driven

Aside from several obvious factual errors (here is a 439r, not a 240z) This is pretty much it. I WOULD like to move the bullet mirrors back up to the fenders, but I'm not entirely sure about the legality.

And, in case you're wondering, yes, I do ALL of my visualizations via forza. It is extremely useful. Btw, if anyone has some radical ideas they'd like to see on the car before they go and spend a bunch of money on paint, I'd be happy to mock one up for you.

Edited May 30, 2011 by JPx187

[psdenno]

I am quite sure I'd like to get away from the salty doom.

You may be just exchanging one salty doom for another, but at least you won't have to shovel snow out of the driveway before heading to the beach. You also might miss the burgers at Grandma's by the lift bridge on the way to the beach.

Good luck with the project!

Dennis

[Decoy12]

Welcome to the club! Nice to see you bringing that Z back to shape as I can see what the salt has done to the poor car. Good luck on your restoration and keep posting pictures of your progress

[JPx187]

Well I ordered coated headers from MSA yesterday they shouldn't be long now... Also, with a little help from xenon (thanks for the link) I have verified the numbers matching status of my l24

So, while I was removing the stock headers, I found the smog fittings to be quite... In the way. Also, do I have to remove the intake manifold to get the headers off? If so, how much work does that really entail? :stupid: I am quite intimidated by the concept.

Anyway, I did actually DO something today!

Here's some before pics

That floor was Bondo'd in place. Sigh. The Bondo trapped water, making the rust holes in the rocker panels seen above. Well, I guess that's what stick feeds are for, right?

... Now I need moar CO2 :ogre:

[JLPurcell]

Welcome and good luck with your project. You will find a wealth of collective Z knowledge on this site. As Z owners we all feel your "rust pain". jlp

[ajmcforester]

Great project car

[JPx187]

Cherry hill, huh? Tell me, is there a white castle near where you live?