Might have found a 240 (thing to look for, q's)

[66_GT_FB]

Found a car locally that I'm considering.

What types of questions should I be asking. There was mention of some rust, where are the danger spots on Zs?

There is also body damage on the rear 1/4. It looks to be on just the body itself, but my concern is frame damage/tweakage. Is this section on the car difficult to replace/repair as it is on Mustangs?

Thanks for the info guys...

[Bambikiller240]

Eric:

Most common places for rust are the engine compartment under the battery (very bad place and diffcult to repair if severe); the rocker panels under the doors and along the sides of the car (expensive to replace unless you have the skills and equipment cause it's a cut out & weld-in job), floorpans (for the same cut / weld reasons). spare tire well (ditto), and rear hatch area right above the taillights (ditto).

I always bring a plastic type refridgerator magnet with me and carefully place it on the doors, fenders, rear quarter panels and anyplace else I think may have been damaged and repaired. If it sticks, you're OK, if not it means that there is BONDO hiding there. I'm not sure, but I've heard that the rear quarter panels are no longer available from the factory and the rear panel that encompasses the entire rear-end of the car is definitely NLA so keep that in mind if there is body damage to be fixed.

REMEMBER: These cars are UNIBODY cars so the body is the FRAME!

Examine the car from inside (under the floor mats) and underneath the car to see if there is rust through. Look under the dash as much as possible to see if there are signs that the wiring has been boogered up by the PO. Observe every electrical item to see if it works. Look for leaks at engine, transmission, and differential. Ask if you can have a compression and or leakdown test done on the engine.

EXAMINE EVERYTHING ON THE CAR. Bring a clipboard and write down everything you see (good or bad) Don't make your decision on first examination, take your notes home, read them, ask more questions of our members or wherever you can, think about it, inspect again, then decide.

Good Luck

Carl

[2ManyZs]

Two other places to check out carefully are the rear fender lips all the way down to where it meets the rocker panel end, the area we refer to as the dogleg. If you find a lot of bondo on the outer fender lip, it's quite possible the whole quarter may need to be replaced as well as the inside fender well... not an hard job, but very time consuming..

Also the frame rails in the engine compartment have the uncanny ability to rust out from the inside out, so check along the seam where it meets the inner fender inside the fender well, and around the sway bar mount. Pressing on the inside edge facing the engine will somtimes tell you if it is weak or not, if it flexes, it's about to go......

Most all the places that rust have patch panels, except for the inner fenders themselves and the are under the battery tray. You can get aftermarket patch panels from a couple different sources

[mmagnus]

66 GT you want to look under the spare wheel. Try to pull it out and see whats going on. This was where I had the worst damage and their is no panal you can buy to replace.

Other areas of concern are bottom corners of hatch and bottom of fenders infront of door and behind door near rocker panel.

The other obviouse ones are the floor pans infront of the seat. Although you can buy replacements you should think about the condition of these areas before offering a price

All of these areas are prone to rust as they collect the runoff of water.

[66_GT_FB]

Well, the info you guys have given me is enough to keep me away I think. Even though the car is dirt cheap (and I mean cheap)...down the road it sounds as if it would cost more to rectify the potential damage.

Anyone know where I can get a solid 72 for $2k or less?

[DatsunZGuy]

DESCRIPTION:

1972 Datsun 240Z no smog needed, all original, orange with white interior, engine runs strong, tuned up, started to restore, you finish, $1200 or reasonable offer.

[Bambikiller240]

Common sense should tell you it's $1200 for a reason. Inspect carefully. Maybe stuff missing, new paint hiding RUST, or???

SOLID 72 240Z's go for a lot more than this price in the SF Bay Area.

I'm not saying you shouldn't check it out, just go in with your eyes open and think realistically when doing so.

How much do you know about Z's? The more cars you look at, the more you'll see problems to watch for on the next car you look at. If you don't know much about them yourself, take someone who does know about them with you. Don't get stuck with something that you'll regret buying, but DO look at all the cars you can.

KNOWLEDGE is POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[1 Bravo 6]

Bambikiller and 2 ManyZs have given a lot of good advice however, one spot they didn't mention, that I found, was inside the mudguard around the headlight.

Rick.

[carguyinok]

There are so many places for rust on Zs. I think the list is endless other then saying the whole car can rust out from under you.

This is just a small part of where rust hides on the Z car.

One of the first things you can look at easy is the front frame rails. From the front bumper too the firewall. If you see ANY rust here plan on new frame rails or keep on looking. This may just be me on keep looking. But I have torn the frame (when removing the front bumper mounts) on cars that didn’t show much but little rust bubbles in the paint.

Another one that can cost you a lot of money .

Take a knife and pull back the lower edges of the rubber on the windshield in the corners If you see rust in here. Again I would just walk away

. This is the point of the car that should not have any rust for safety reasons. Most of the cars I have seen with any rust here has very deep rust ( from the inside out). This means that the point that links the roof too the firewall is bad and very weak. It also is not a easy or cheap fix.

If the car is a driver I would find a shop with a lift and swing in on the test drive. It should not cost you much of anything. But I would never buy a Z for a driver without getting under it for a good look first.

You should take some time and look back in the site. There are so many posts on rust you could read for well maybe days.

:tapemouth

[texasz]

2many,

Can you tell us where these patches can be obtained? I am also shopping for a 240Z and have no doubt that I will need this information as I can not afford to buy one that someone else has already restored...plus that's half the fun....right???

Originally posted by 2ManyZs

Most all the places that rust have patch panels, except for the inner fenders themselves and the are under the battery tray. You can get aftermarket patch panels from a couple different sources

[Royce]

DatsunZGuy,

How about some contact information???

[2ManyZs]

Motorsport Auto and Zedd Findings are the best suppliers for patch panels. You can find links to their sites in our web-links section.

Motorsport is in CA and Zedd Findings is in Ontario, Canada. Not sure but many of MSA's panels may be in fact supplied by ZF, or the same supplier Charlie Osbourne gets his from.....

These are the most reputible suppliers of panels, there are a few others, but these are the ones I would trust.