So having a numbers-matching Series-1 car is great. Lightweight, there's a limited number of them, and it's plenty quick as it is.

But then you all start chiming in about suspension modifications, transmission and differential swaps, motor modifications, and all order of wild sounding things that sound... well, awesome. So, I grabbed a beer, hunkered into the couch, and had a nice long brainstorming session. In the end, I believe I came to the same conclusion any sane car guy would: Buy another one.

I located this car on the Charlotte, NC Craigslist:

"1970 240Z, with SCCA approved roll cage. This car was running when it was parked. Body condition is good except for the bumpers, which are still on the vehicle.

The interior is good. The suspension was modified. It has an engine and transmission but probably needs a new engine as it was not producing full power. Make offer. "

I'd already made one good decision that month in deciding to purchase a second car. I thought another bold power-move was in order: Purchase a rust-prone car sight-unseen from photos showing it stored outdoors and have it shipped up to VA.

Seller was a nice guy - very patient, and thanks to PayPal, I was $1,500 poorer but one Datsun richer.

Seller included this scrap of paper when he sent the title. Looked to be the ad he bought the car from back in the '90's. Got me excited about some of the treats I might find lying in store:

Edited January 17, 201312 yr by ksbeta
Wishing I could capitalize the "S" in the title. It'll bug me forever.

Thankfully it arrived without too many surprises. It was a low-rust, modified 1971 car, that probably hadn't moved in about 8 years or so.

Roll bar was there, brakes were seized, Weber DGV's on a non-matching L24. Five speed installed, dash and seats both totally intact.

It takes it's place in the garage next to the '70 for the winter:

While I sorted out some plans for the car, I was trying to learn a bit more about it's history. The PO was friendly, but didn't know too much on the history. Fortunately the aforementioned flier supplied with the car had the Name and Number of the Previous-Previous-Owner (two owners ago). Unsure of whether he'd remember the car twenty years later, I called the number and left a message on the machine. His wife called back later, laughing as the call was so out of the blue. They were both incredibly nice, and he patiently explained to me that he built the car in the early '80's to Autocross with, mostly with parts from his brother-in-law's crashed S30 racer. Should he ever read this, and I've remembered the details wrong, I hope he'll correct me.

Edited January 17, 201312 yr by ksbeta

Things came together nicely. Datsun Spirit is in my backyard here in Virginia, and Eiji very kindly agreed to build me a motor for the vehicle. This car would receive Datsun Spirit's STR2.8B package: An L28 with Flat Top pistons, N47 head, DSI's camshaft and lightweight flywheel, and the triple Solex 44's that were previously on my '70. That meant I needed to refresh everything else prior to the motor arriving in Late January. Suspension and brakes were up first. A Tokico Illumina setup was sourced, along with MSA Sway Bars, Toyota 4-Piston Calipers, and new hardware for just about everything else.

Some before / in-process of disassembling photos:

Cleaning up parts. Notice the second spring perch on the rear. Some discussion on this thread helped assume it was perhaps a way of compensating for the driver's weight. We ultimately cut it off prior to re-installing.

Rebuild, rebuild, rebuild. New brake lines in the rear, and otherwise everything bolted together fairly nicely. Jason, a good friend, has some partial insomnia and was staying in our guest room. We agreed to wake up around 6am the next day to put it all together, and when I woke up, he announced he'd finished it all. Between Mid-night and 5:30am. It's like having a mechanic elf. It's great.

The car came with an FS5C71A 5-Speed. It's a Datsun Roadster Transmission with a 240z bell-housing and tail. Someone will correct me if I got that wrong. When this car was built in the early '80's, all those ZX transmissions were still being used by all those ZX's. I imagine this was somehow more available. It will be replaced by a ZX transmission. The 4.11 differential from the ad turned out to be erroneous. It's actually a 3.54 R180. Here's the driveline that came out:

Pulling the old L24. Anyone need a spare?

That's about all for now.

If I was closer I would love to have that L24, or just the head! Looks like another great project

"This car was running when it was parked.

That's got to be the most common sentence I've seen in Z car ads. I see that almost all the time! Has anyone ever seen an ad that says "Engine blew and it's been sitting since"?

Congrats. She's a beauty!

Bountiful suspension tree too. I planted one in my back yard, but it didn't take. Must like warmer weather.

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