so i made the jump...

[Slight]

wow! that's a great before and after!

is the common opinion that the flat tops were more reliable than the round? or something to that effect?

I believe the car has around the 80k mark in miles..

[Reverend]

You are on the road of no return, once the Z has bitten you, there is no antidote. Get ready to spend some serious cash on this baby

[Healey Z]

Slight,

I think your path is a good one. Do a complete honest assessment of the car, starting with getting it up on 4 jack stands and seeing what you are dealing with in rust and frame repair. As you concluded, it could be that it is beyond economical repair, but maybe not.

Will the motor rotate? You can put it in gear and rock it back and forth, to see if the motor will rotate.

[Slight]

Haha yes the disease.. although it might've bitten me earlier as my father's first car was a 240... either way I'm down to learn.

If this darn -35 weather would just die and get warm i could go out at least start messing around hah

thanks for the idea Healey, I'll do that as soon as I get some jackstands and some tires that can actually hold air! you would have laughed at the sight of us filling those tires with a ghetto air compressor.. It was by the grace of God that those things held air long enough to get it on the trailer >.<

[Slight]

This car inspires me to get that z running..

[Slight]

aside from forums addressing specific issues and builds.. where should I be looking to learn more about my cars body, electrical, and mechanical?

manuals? online resources? are there things that I'd have specific access to at Nissan since I work there?

thanks for pointing me in the right direction =)

[JonnyRock]

Every Z owner should have How to Restore Your Datsun Z-Car by Wick Humble.

Lots of good info on this forum of course.

And Carl Beck's The Internet Z Car Club is indispensable as well.

Oh, and check ebay for Factory Service Manuals. I believe by 1973 there was just one (earlier Zs had 2 FSMs).

Welcome!

Edited January 19, 2012 by JonnyRock

[Healey Z]

Slight, downloading the service manual is a must.

Link

[Slight]

thanks for the heads up!

[Slight]

Ordered myself

" How to Restore Your Datsun Z-Car "

and

How to Rebuild Your Nissan/Datsun OHC Engine: Covers L-Series Engines 4-Cylinder 1968-1978, 6-Cylinder 1970-1984

http://www.amazon.com/Rebuild-Your-Nissan-Datsun-Engine/dp/1931128030/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_cart_2

hopefully that coupled with the fsm and forums will do the trick =)

[Slight]

little bit of an update:

got myself a decent floor jack, some good stands, and a starter ratchet set.

jacked the car up quick with what light i still had in the day;

at this point I'm trying to assess what I have, i know for certain i have a good parts car,

I just don't know how much work it would take to get running again..

If yall can point out certain things? costs?

I'll try and get some better pictures up later, I snapped a few..

essentially two things i'm looking at:

1. is the rust too extensive for a mild restoration?

2. will the engine crank over... I'll have to see in due time.

I have a potential opportunity to land a pretty decent job this summer, If I do... I'm going to work my butt off to afford a minty lime-green 240z from nearby

I'd like to sell this car to my friend for cheap; both himself and I want to learn off of it.. we'd like to make it into a running shakotan zombie z..

but if its deemed too far gone, we won't pour unneeded money..

The under bellie is pretty soft.. so i'm assuming we'd have to replace

- floor pans

- rocker panels

- the list goes on... if you can lend a hand at spotting things that will have to be addressed first?

thanks for any advice!

[Slight]

some more pictures underneath: from the passenger side around to the front.