An old flame rekindled -- Finally, I have my Z car.

[hagdog]

Flashback: Late 70's in high school. Saw my first Z car and instantly fell in love. Definitely could not afford one. Kept buying junkers just to get from point A to point B. Favorite 2 cars ever have been a '76 Celica and '02 BMW 530i. The bimmer re-awakened my interest in working on and driving good cars.

Have been wanting to get a smaller car autocross. Had to be light, handle well, and be cool. Had my sights set on a different Z car, a Z3M. Again, unaffordable for a guy w/ mortgage, high maintenance wife, and 3 boys.

I happened upon a 260Z that was transplanted from Cali to New England. And, I could afford it! I might have paid a bit too much for it. Maybe not. I have only found surface rust on it and tons of power robbing emissions accessories. Inspected it on a lift and found that many bushings and suspension parts have been recently updated. It's got a 10ft paint job (sprayed outdoors?) that changed it from the original gold to a newer red wine metallic.

While I am currently fixing it up for autocross, I am keeping parts that get changed out and avoiding non-reversible mods. I'm deferring the decision to build a cranker vs. doing an LS1 swap. I'll cross that bridge when I save up a few grand.

When I'm too old to autocross or want to do a project w/ one of my sons, I'd like to restore the Z. Though, how do you resolve the dilemmas of going totally stock vs. living w/ the boat anchor, flat-top SU's and the stock slushbox vs. a 5spd? Hmm.

Incidentally, my brief time lurking here has already impressed me. The quality of available resources for Z cars is incredible.

So, yeah, this summer will involve lots more research, engine and suspension work, and driving my new Z.

[rcb280z]

Hagdog, I would advise you to start collecting what you need for parts as they are becoming harder and harder to find. And when you do find what you need it may be in bad shape as well. Not saying it is impossible...just getting difficult to find good parts. Looks good in the one pic. How about some more pics. BTW, welcome to the club.

[Travel'n Man]

Rick -

High school in the '70's was a blast (or at least the parts I remember were great!!)...............welcome to the site!

[72 OJ]

1972 my best year, full of great memories , back then I had a 1969 Triumph Herald and my then sweet heart had a 1970 Camaro SS,senior year ,lots of fun and discoveries .240Z's and 510's were very popular and 40 years later I have a pair as my grown up toys.DO IT IN DATSUN.:cool:Welcome.

Edited March 1, 2012 by 72 OJ

[bquiggle]

I just bought a 260z also...1972 memories of a friends 240z in college racing all over the westernslope of Colorado, well some blurry memories anyway

[hagdog]

Too funny, old timers. (like me) Thanks for your comments.

I tell people, "I never watch 'That 70's Show'. I lived it!" More importantly, we survived it. Z's definitely stand out as a highlight. As do muscle cars and Triumph's. I don't remember the Herald but did like the TR7.

The counterpoints were the gas shortage and rationing, and early attempts at emmission reductions. Each year brought worse cars to market... Gratefully, some retro gems can still be found.

Good advice, rcb280z. I am trying to do just that. I am currently hunting for some missing interior pieces.

[tlorber]

Hagdod, I wouldn't worry about originality issues when it comes to things like tranny and carbs. You can always reverse them if you ever want to-which you won't. You'll also find that things like an electronic dizzy and internal regulated alternator from zx's are great upgrades. These are all written up extensively on this site

If you are auto crossing and want to lose a few pounds you might want to put on some 240 bumpers as well

[Z Speed]

Welcome to the site hagdog. I too am a long-time Datsun owner as well has bimmers....

The 70's were fun times for sure....

[justinyee]

welcome to the site Hagdog! this has definitely been a great resource for my 280z and i'm sure you'll see it and it's members are just as invaluable!

[ms260z]

Congrats Hagdog!! You will definitely enjoy! I now own a 74 260Z and just got it road worthy. I still have a lot to do to the car but it is driveable now. Class of 77 here!! My avatar pic is of the 73 240Z I had back in 1978. Been wanting another one since I sold it in 79!!

[mshandor]

Welcome Hagdog. I have an early 74 260Z and love it. I finished the restore in early December and drive it EVERY dry day. As for the flat-tops (aka boat anchors), I rebuilt mine and after a little tweaking, they run just fine. I get mid-20 MPG on the highway and there is ample power for cruising. Haven't been through a summer yet so we'll see if they are prone to the over-heating issues so many have posted about. Best of luck with the mods.

I have included a bunch of pictures of my 260Z on my profile page, check em out.