What should I do with my father in law's Z?

[Phils204z]

I have come into possession of my father-in-law's 1973 240Z. Phil bought the car new and drove it regularly for the first 20 years of its life. Since then it was my wife's high school ride, but has spent 15 or so years in a barn. It's a late 73 car (HLS30-151555), with relatively low miles (just over 72,000). Here's a link to some pics.

Phil is still with us, but he recently retired and has taken up cleaning out the barn and his other various storage areas as his new pastime. He knew I wanted to tinker with the Z, so a couple of weeks ago, it showed up in my garage. I'm certainly grateful, but I'm not sure I have the time or money to do the car justice.

The car runs and drives, though rough on both counts. I'm not interested in modding it up, or restoring it to showroom condition. My goal is to a weekend driver that's still capable of the kind of driving it was designed for. I'm reasonably proficient with cars, though I've never owned one with carburetors. I get the impression these car are relatively easy to work on, so I figure I'll dive in and see how it goes. I'm also going to try to document the project at phils240z.tumblr.com

I'd love to hear what you guys think about the car, and opinions on the most important tasks to start with in getting an old Z back into shape.

--Will Joyce, Stillwater, OK

[olzed]

Hi Will. She looks to be in pretty decent shape. Pity you are not into a resto.

[KAL7467]

Looks great man. Nice place to start. I would tune her up and make sure the gas tank is not rusted.

[Travel'n Man]

What a great starting point you have - use the search box for educating yourself - get the ZTherapy CD on carbs - totally drain the gas tank - dump all the liquids - bleed the brake lines - have the radiator boiled and rodded. Start from scatch - don't try to do everything at once. One weekend read up on brakes and then knock that project out. Another weekend read up on dropping your gas tank and then do that. You'll be amazed on how much you can learn about these cars if you take little bites at it and keep your progress moving. Trust me - the search engine will be your best friend for many years to come.

Any of us will be happy to pitch in to assist (most of us have already battled the issues you will be addressing shortly).

Go ahead and order some fuel bowl gaskets from ZTherapy (you will need them). Inspect all your fuel lines (you will need to replace some that has dry rotted). New plugs are a must as well as points or upgrade to Pertronix electronic (that way you will not have to set points again - very plug and play).

Anyway that should get you started for a couple of weeks - keep us up to date on your family heirloom.

[GreenZZZ]

Agree that this is a great car to have fun with. Any idea why the rear interior panels are tan and the vinyl is white? The drivers side floor pan and floor rail will need to be replaced. Sounds like major surgery, but isn't on your car since only portions of metal need to be cut and welded, not the whole pan.

[Gary in NJ]

The more you get to know the car, the more you'll like it.

If it's not for you, it will easily sell.

[olzed]

A rattle can of the correct colour vinyl spray, will improve the interior.

[ZCurves]

Will, Congratulations! It says a lot to get a man's daughter and now his Z! Holy Crap, you must be Superman!! Travel'n Man posted your to-do list. I am sorry to tell you that you have been bitten by the Z bug - Try and Resist You Cannot (Yoda).

[Oiluj]

Looks like it's in good condition. Definitely worth spending a little time and money to make driveable.

[EhlersRS]

Looks like a great car Will! It was "free" that's even better!

Robert S.

[72 OJ]

Nice, it is a keeper for sure,enjoy it

[cygnusx1]

You should give it to me....or you can put a little work into it and enjoy it, almost the way it is. It is one of my favorite factory color combinations. I started with a car in similar condition, and it was a joy, and a great reward, to bring back to life. I did it during a single Winter with some help from my dad. If you want some specific pointers, just ask. When you love a car, it's not work, it's bonding.