Hi all,

I'm from France and I'm interested in a Datsun 240Z that has been imported from the US in the year 2016.

I know it could be crazy but I would like if someone in this big community could have informations about this Z.

The VIN number is HLS3028417. It is a 71' Z. The plate number is 2SRX221 and the previous owner was from San Jose (CA).

The car has the signature of Yoshihiko Matsuo on the passenger sunvisor if it can help.

Here are some pictures of the car .

 

Any help or advice welcome.

Thank you

 

The following site may be of help. https://www.searchquarry.com/vehicle_records/name_register_double_newdata.phtml?sqtb=license_plate&license_plates=2SRX221&state=CA

Nice car!

Check zhome.com for history and vin #s.

Never seen a white rear finisher before. It would make the taillights stand out better, I guess?

Edited April 24, 20177 yr by siteunseen

Nice garage! All kinds of beauties in there.

Since the car has a California tag the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) might be able to help. Even if it was not originally sold by a California dealer they probably have the record of the succession of hands that it passed through before they tagged it. No guarantees and plan on shelling out some money for any information. Worth a try anyway. Good Luck.

Thank you for the advice.

I have tried searchquarry website but it hasn't found anything about the car.

zhome.come have nothing for this VIN number.

The rear finisher is silver but I prefer when it's black.

The car looks good but I've driven it and there are several problems ;

- It starts braking only when the brake pedal is fully engaged and the brake light signal on the Dashboard turn on.

- The shift knob moves a lot from left to right, even if a gear is engaged.

- The car moves a little on the right when you drive on a straight line and the steering Wheel isn't centered at all (I hope this problem doesn't come from an accident).

- When I change the gear, the car is shacken  sometimes. Maybe the problem comes from the transmission or the rear of the car.

 

Here are some pictures of the underneath. I don't know why there is blue paint on the engine too.

 

What do you think about the problems and the underneath pictures ?

Thank you

Edited April 25, 20177 yr by Arny

Nice looking car, Arny.  The engine is blue because that's what color engines are.  If the visor is signed, Arny, chances are that the car was at a ZCCA convention.  I have a Matsuo signed visor from 2004.

It is hard to tell from the photos but it does look like the engine has been painted with Ford engine blue not Nissan engine blue. The car looks solid overall. The original interior color looks to be the blue which would require that the seat covers be replace to match. Nice Z!

7 hours ago, Arny said:

The car looks good but I've driven it and there are several problems;

These 'problems' seem fairly trivial for a 46-year old car and are easily rectified, in my opinion. Nothing particularly unusual there.

I think it's probably more pertinent that you take these issues up with the seller (I presume - looking at your photos - that it is a classic car specialist based in Europe?) and either get him to fix them before selling to you, or use them as a bargaining chip to get some discount from the asking price and then fix them yourself.

The car looks OK to me but it isn't a top of the market example and may have been somewhat neglected mechanically. The engine block has been painted to make it look a little fresher but the engine may well be a little tired as it is a little oily under there. The exhaust system will soon need replacing and I would guess that the brakes, steering and all suspension bushes/linkages will need servicing/replacement. The floor support channels are obviously dented from being used as jacking points (typical on these cars) but the body looks fairly honest and solid to me. Don't overpay!    

Thank you very much for all the advice.

This Z is 21200€ "as is". And 22500€ with those problems fixed.

According to the seller, the engine has been rebuild and has 3500 miles on it (but without any invoice, it could be hard to prove it..

I might know the (edit: one of the previous) owner, I'll see if it was his...

Edited April 25, 20177 yr by LeonV

Thanks Leon for informing me about this thread. That is my old 1971 240z. I sold it to someone locally in March/April 2016 and had no idea he would flip it. Good to see it again across the pond.

To answer your questions:

1. It starts braking only when the brake pedal is fully engaged and the brake light signal on the Dashboard turn on.
I didn't have this issue during my ownership. However, I do remember the rear drums and shoes needs to be replaced. It is possible that the front calipers need replacement by now. 

- The shift knob moves a lot from left to right, even if a gear is engaged.
Yes, that's a common issue with Datsun gearbox. Replace the bushing and that should solve the problem

- The car moves a little on the right when you drive on a straight line and the steering Wheel isn't centered at all (I hope this problem doesn't come from an accident).
This car has been in an accident by the previous owner, she rear-ended a truck in 1995/1996. Look closely at the strut tower bolts on both sides, it has been shaved so the bonnet can close without hitting the bolt. The bonnet and wings are not flush together due to the accident. Also, check behind the sugar scoops, there are signs of accident damage repair.  The steering wasn't center when I owned it and I didn't get a chance to take it to an alignment before I sold it. 

- When I change the gear, the car is shacken  sometimes. Maybe the problem comes from the transmission or the rear of the car.
The rear struts are blown so the rear wheel smacks into the body when shifting. Fronts are probably blown too. 

The engine is not original. The original engine threw a rod so I replaced it with a used L28 and I painted with chevy blue before installing into the car. The carbs were rebuilt by Bruce from Z Therapy so they work very well (I miss them).