Available '73 240z,,,, was what the private message said.

[Darrel]

You lucky lucky guy you. Was it ever posted on Denver Craigslist? It looks like one that may have been and if that it true and I would have had the chance to pay $1500 for it I would have been all over it. I am very jealous of you sir. I hope this summer I can find and buy my first Z.

Never posted on cl. He contacted me through a private message on another forum.

[Darrel]

well, it's confirmed, this car I bought is a rust bucket. I put it up on jack stands, dropped the tank and took off the rear brake cylinders for a rebuild. That's when I noticed it. It was in the pics all the time, one I don't think I posted here.

You can see it on the left side of this pic in front of the smaller drain plug.

ok, I guess I did post the pic before.

Edited March 15, 2014 by Darrel

[Darrel]

Here are some close ups of the two more spots of rust.

In this pic, the larger of the two, you can barely make out the other area. look closely at two white spots in the back ground on the other side of the plug.

And here are the two white spots up close(spider egg sacks)

Both of these are under the passenger seat.

I will post pics of the fuel tank tomorrow when I take pics of the inside.

Here is a pic of the electric fuel pump installed by previous owner(terry) with the help from his mechanic friends. Note, they did not use the factory harness which included wiring for an electric fuel pump. This car had a manufacturer date of 9/72.

Edited March 16, 2014 by Darrel

[siteunseen]

Rust bucket? Looks more like a rust shot glass to me.

[EhlersRS]

Darrel,

It's disappointing to find more rust damage on a car you just purchased, but from your descriptions and photos this car has minimal rust as far as Z's are concerned. Your car would be considered a very nice example in the Midwest! If the floors can't be patched, you may need to get a new floor pan kit (Zedd Findings or MSA) to repair the rust properly. I enjoyed seeing the old school photos from the second owner and look forward to seeing your progress on the car!

Robert S.

[Darrel]

I guess I should use more smilies when I post. My humor doesn't show up well in type. ;-)

Even if I noticed these spots before it wouldn't have changed my opinion about the car. Rust is very minimal. But between the two, my white one and this one, my white one has less rust in the floor board, this just looks a whole lot nicer overall. ;-)

[Darrel]

ARTIFACT FOUND!

Over 30 not eligible.

What is it?

[Darrel]

And now on to the gas tank pics.

What is left of 28 yr old gas.

After a trip to the car wash.

I must say the difference between the tanks that was nearly empty when parked(my white '73) and this one which may have been full, my white one was in much better shape. It looked like what the bottom looks like on this one all over inside.

[Bonzi Lon]

I have used that 'artifact' many times as a teenager.

The fuel looks just like what I had in my 73 tank, but is was a 26 year old vintage. Sure glad the pic didn't come with smell-a-vision. That an be some nasty smelling stuff.

Bonzi Lon

[brownclee]

Sorry you have more rust than you originally thought. But, from the looks of it, these are very typical of the rust issues most of us classic Z owners have faced. From the pics, it looks like your floor pan rust is from the inside out. Which means that moistrue got into the floor pan and stayed there long enough to find the smallest area of exposed metal and started its destruction. I would suggest that you remove the front seats and carpet to get a better look. And you will most likely find the need to remove most or all of the sound deadening mat as rust loves to hide under it. You may find that water has leaked into the foot wells from the cowl area. This will be hard to confirm unless you remove the dash or at the very least, stand on you head and look up under the dash. Many Zs have this same issue as it seems the cowl area seam sealer was not applied thoroughly at the factory in the cowl area (especially around the wiper motor mount and fresh air intake duct). If the cowl drains clog up, water will build up in the cowl and leak through the seam and directly into the foot wells...the passenger side is most often the worst. But consider yourself lucky, not only did I have this issue, I had rust throuh on the fresh air duct also and the firewall had a hole big enough to stick my fist through as a result of a severe battery area rust issue. Good luck and I look forward to seeing your progress.

Edited March 17, 2014 by brownclee

[Pharaohabq]

Wow, That car doesn't look too bad at all, Though I'll second that you'll need to pull the seats and see if this is a patch job or a replacement job. Either way once it's fixed, don't forget to recoat the underbody. It really looks like a patch job to me, but you'll need to tap on the pans and see what else you're looking at. A good welder could likely cut and replace most of those bad spots in an afternoon if that's all there is.

That battery holder area will need some work. it looks like it's all surface, but the real trick is to neutralize the rust before it gets bad. it's already in the metal, so use some thing to pull the rust our of the metal. Using White Vinegar with a scrubber pad has worked well for me and allowed the rust to stop interacting inside the metal. You'll be surprised how much rust Vinegar pulls out. Put it on, let it sit, scrub it off over and over. When done, Dry it off, Let it sit a little while longer, then wipe again and seal with a rust neutralizing paint. (por-50 works amazing) Then sand lightly and topcoat with body color paint.

What he was saying about the cowel area is definitely great advice. I've seen so many Z's that've leaked there and trashed the floorpans, it's not even funny. The sealer Datsun used was just not up to the task of keeping it sealed for this many years.

Wow, Nice Artifact. I haven't seen one of those in ages. I'm over 30 so I won't give it away. It'd be awesome to hang on the wall.

Edited March 17, 2014 by Pharaohabq

[Darrel]

Bonzi, keep the dates open, June 28th and September 28th. ZCCC has High Plains Raceway those two dates. I am sure your grandkids would love to see you too. ;-)

I can't say I am surprised to find more rust than what I first reported. I think a patch will work in the area.