Need some help with a first possible purchase

[slow-s]

Hello all, I am new to the forums and to the Z but not new to wrenching. I have just inherited a 1972 240z from my aunt who was the first owner of it. This has been my dream car since i was a child and it is finally in my possesion!! It is about 99 percent original(had to change the drivers seat belt and couldnt find a factory one, and she had the seats recovered in the 80's) and I am planning on staying on that path.

My question is was there a performance division of datsun that produced things like exhaust and suspension components when these were new? Something similar to what Yenko was to the Camaros. I would like to stay with factory parts. Also do you all think that this would take from the value of the car if I were to do this on some basic parts of the car. I have been searching around but havent found anything yet and figured I would go right to the source. Thanks everyone.

Chris

[psdenno]

Welcome to the Group! There were quite a few aftermarket suppliers for all of the early Z performance items ranging from springs to spoilers to exhaust systems. An active "cottage industry" developed to support owners who wanted to change the look or performance of their cars.

As for impacting value.......do you want a pristine original garage queen show car, a tastefully appointed driver, or a race car?

Dennis

Edited June 9, 2011 by psdenno

[zhead240]

post some pics when u get time.

[Arne]

Chris, welcome to Z ownership!

Yes, here in the US there was a Datsun Competition Department, but for the most part they marketed parts made by aftermarket makers here in the US, not actual Japanese parts. For example, the exhaust they offered was a header/dual-pipe package that was made by Clifford Engineering.

Unfortunately, very little of that "original" performance stuff is still available today. Many of the manufacturers are long gone, and the few that are left generally don't make parts for 40-year-old imports. A number of us have (at different times) put effort into reproducing period accessories and performance parts, as well as stock restoration parts. For example, I spent almost 6 months getting a small batch of Bolder Tint windshield sunshades reproduced. Carl Beck worked with a spring winder a few years back to build a batch of replica Nissan Euro Stage 1 springs.

Done correctly, you can safely modify most 240Zs without affecting the value. I tend to try to keep my modifications both period-correct (or at least period-looking) and reversible. Other than the things that were long gone before I bought my car (stock exhaust and wheels/hubcaps), the only non-reversible mod on mine is the front spoiler, which required drilling the front valance. Everything else is pretty much a bolt-on, and the original parts are in safe storage.

Your profile location says Oregon, what part?

Edit: I moved this thread into the Introduce Yourself forum.

Edited June 9, 2011 by Arne

[slow-s]

Well I would like to keep it pretty factory and period correct. This car was a daily driver for many years and I don't want to just turn it into a trailer queen but at the same time though I don't want to have the value drop because I modified it

[Arne]

Chris, the highest values for a 240Z are the pristine, 100% original cars. Certainly, modifying a car like that is going to drop the value, unless it can be reversed without detection.

But when it comes to the more common "nice, mostly original" examples still in weekend use (which is where I'd categorize my own car), most bolt-on mods (even some that aren't "period") won't significantly affect the value. My feel - from your description - is that your car falls into this group somewhere as well.

So in sum, unless your plan is to refresh it and turn right around and sell it, don't worry about the effect of some nice period-style mods on the value. Drive it and enjoy it, instead.

[slow-s]

^^very true...... so then the next questions is are the period correct exhussts worth it performance wise? Is there any noticeable difference. I am working today but all post pictures tomorrow!

[Arne]

^^very true...... so then the next questions is are the period correct exhussts worth it performance wise? Is there any noticeable difference.

Well, there are no period exhausts currently available, so that's part of your answer. If there were, they typically had more effect on the sound, than on performance, unless you bought a package with a header. And even then, the performance change for exhaust alone is not a huge deal. These cars respond to cam and carb changes, in combination with exhaust.

I'm currently thinking about trying to fab a period-looking exhaust but using modern, off the shelf parts. Still a couple of months out on that, I'm guessing, now that the Summer driving season appears to be arriving.

[tlorber]

Chris, the "sad" reality is that these cars are not worth a heck of a lot of money, especially in the current climate. I put "sad" in quotes only because it is not necessarily a bad thing. I, for one, would not be driving my car the way I do if the car and parts were the price of 911 parts.

That being said, just remember that if you are doing a bolt on modification it can always be reversed-the only down side being that you have to store the original parts somewhere for an extended period of time.

Rather than worrying about value I believe most here would concur that you should make the car safe. That means to go through your suspension and brakes first-especially if it has been sitting for a while. There are many writeups here describing the sequence and processes. Be sure car will stop before it goes fast! Then, bit by bit, as you learn the car, figure out what else you want to do to it. One promise I can make you is that you'll NEVER be finished with it.

[Travel'n Man]

Most of us that have put $Z$ into our cars do it for the love of the car - not for the resale value! I have no plans or intentions to sell my car - my long term plan is to give it to my son once I get too old to enjoy it, and let him be the next steward of the car. If the car was given to you make it the car that you can be proud of - build it up the way that you envision it - whether it is stock or modified. Get on KBB and see the values of 240Z's. A solid paint/body refresh and interior refresh will but you over the edge - so again - most of us don't do it for the resale value.

Welcome to the site and get those pictures up when you get a chance!!