Good for you! Down load the service manual from CZCC, study this site. 99.99% of questions can be found in these threads or members will help you with problems Take your time to do it right. Your Z has been in your family from day one. It's a treasure that you can't replace and you could enjoy your entire life.

Have Fun, John

Thank you! I just downloaded all of the service manuals. The weather is so hot out here I'm not gonna start any work until it cools down. There is no way I could let myself sell this car haha.

Joe,

Welcome to the forum! I'm also glad that you are restoring this car with originality in mind. You can get a replacement rear deck panel from MSA that will have to be welded in: Motorsport! Rear Panel Upper Top Repair Insert, 70-78* 240Z-260Z-280Z - The Z Store! Nissan-Datsun 240Z-260Z-280Z-280ZX-300ZX(Z31/Z32)-350Z-370Z Parts You have a good starting point and it looks like there is minimal rust compared to a Midwest car. Congratulations!

Robert S.

Wow. With 83 thousand miles it's still a baby.

Only disagree with one thing, cheap tires are no good where it gets to 115F in the shade, especially on the freeway, since you tend to go a little faster in a Z.

The radio probably has only one speaker, on the left rear side. I replaced mine with a $25 speaker from pep boys and it's a lot better, still crummy though.

For cheap "AC" get a cool cushion at NAPA and a 40 ounce cold drink, park in shade if possible.

Best "MOD" for the money, a 2 1/4" exhaust pipe and turbo muffler, with the stock (or copy) Y-pipe, preferably at a local independent muffler shop.

What they said about changing the hoses etc.

Edited July 30, 201410 yr by Stanley

A few other things to keep in mind and this goes for owning and driving any vintage car. Keep a small tool kit, jumper cables, and a good fire extinguisher in the car at all times. Things can happen and they do. Better to have it and not need it than the other way around.

Since you want to drive the car I echo what everyone else has suggested. Do a complete bumper to bumper fluid change, pull the gas tank, clean it it out, inspect and replace all rubber lines for all components, and don't get in a hurry. You will have to order parts, wait on parts, things won't go as planned etc. At the end of the day you want the car to be safe and not present a danger to you or others around you. Getting the basics taken care of will be a great education and provide a solid foundation for your restoration plans moving forward.

Awesome! Wow, you're the only person in the family interested in restoring this car... Lucky you!

A word about bad gas: Don't just "not drive" the car on the old gas. I would recommend not even running the engine on it in the driveway. Old gas can have lots of varnish, which can gum up your valves. The problem is when a hot, gummy valve train cools down, and the varnish solidifies. Then your valves are stuck, and when you crank an engine like that, it will literally fall apart and require a rebuild -- valve collisions with piston tops, rockers popping loose, and all sorts of chaos. Please don't ask me how I know...

A few other things to keep in mind and this goes for owning and driving any vintage car. Keep a small tool kit, jumper cables, and a good fire extinguisher in the car at all times. Things can happen and they do. Better to have it and not need it than the other way around.

Since you want to drive the car I echo what everyone else has suggested. Do a complete bumper to bumper fluid change, pull the gas tank, clean it it out, inspect and replace all rubber lines for all components, and don't get in a hurry. You will have to order parts, wait on parts, things won't go as planned etc. At the end of the day you want the car to be safe and not present a danger to you or others around you. Getting the basics taken care of will be a great education and provide a solid foundation for your restoration plans moving forward.

I've already figured that this is a project that's gonna take a long time before its done, so its worth it just to be patient. Just like any other restoration. I'm fully prepared for the Z to sit for a while haha. I just recently bought a Kobalt toolkit w/ all the metric and standard sockets, and combination wrenches. That's probably all I need for right now.

What would be the best way to get rid of the rest of the bad fuel? The tank is right on empty.

Do you have a household hazardous waste site nearby. Go talk with them.

There's a drain plug on the bottom of the tank.

Ok sweet. Thanks guys.