how much is too much?

[wilddog]

my 72-240 has to be painted and may need u-joints and wheel bearings; also probably some electrical work.This car means very much to me as it came from a dear freind who is gone now.My question is,how much do I spend on this deal before I've spent more than it's worth?What is a Z car like this worth?Anyone with an educated guess?

[Oleo1975]

Depends on how much the car really means to you. I just started a restoration and plan on droping 4-5 grand. I saw another guy that was sending his to the scrap yard cause nobody wanted it.

[240ZX]

Hi, I'm pretty new to this forum, but I'm currently 95% done with completely going through my 1970 240Z....paint will come later after my bank account recovers a little. First you may want to ask yourself what you want out of it! A long time toy, daily driver, original restoration, fix-up to sell, or what? I my case I decided I wanted a very good handling, reliable weekend toy that I do not plan on selling. Before I actually started my project, I did months of research, went to Z car shows, and talked to ownwers about things they encountered during their restirations. I put together a rough estimate of what I planned to do and it was estimated at about $10K. After 15 months of working on my toy, I have now reached the $15K mark!!! There will always be things that come up you never planned for and a few items you will just have to have to make you Z what you hoped it would be. To give you an idea of what I've done to incure this cost; The car was stripped down to nothing but a bare chassis, with the exception of completely removing the interior (it is in pretty nice condition but I've put about $2K into the interior with new seats, harnesses, full dash cover, whiteface gauge overlay kit, and generally freshening up the inside). Everypart on the car has been stripped, prepped, painted, and has had the appropriate parts replaced. The suspension has urethane through out, coilover conversion with 1 1/2" shorter struts. I've upgraded the brakes (see Terry Oxindale's article on brake upgrades) to Terry's recommended street upgrade and have SS flex lines and metal master pads. I have an L28 N42 engine that's stock internally but has been upgraded with electronic ignition, IR alternator, electric fan and fuel pump to replace the mechanical units, and I had Rebello Racing breath on my original SU carbs.....headers and eye candy items as well. I installed a late model 5 speed and an R200 (3.90) differential and drive axles. Well, I could go on and on, but I don't want to bore you to death. Anyway, if you have good mechanical skills and do your homework, you will save a bundle. The biggest things to be aware of before starting are: Has the rust monster eaten too much of the car and is the chassis aligned. One last important point I want to mention. Without the internet, my project would have taken much longer and alot more $$$. Again do your homework before you get started.

I hope this sheads a little light on the subject.

240ZX

[byunique]

Very hard question to answer...a showroom spec 240z is worth more money than a hotrodded one. For investment purposes, keep it stock or where you can return it to it's stock form.