260Z dream car

[v12horse]

           This writing is not as technical as the majority of the content posted on forums.  This is a personal account of my 260Z in a nutshell upto this point.  If it were not for members of this forum my car would not be where it is today.  Thus, I am very thankful.  I hope that some of you get a laugh or some inspiration out of this story.  You can also be critical of me as I am trying to hone my writing.  

            Sometimes I just do not know what I am doing.  I am spending a lot of money on my 260Z and there is no justifiable reason.  Its money I have that I should be saving for the future or for my family, but strangely the car has called.  The Z started as my college car 14 years ago and I have held onto it.  I drove it regularly during that time going from school to home a hundred miles away, to the coffee shop where I studied, and to where ever I desired.  It was the freedom of having a car; an American dream. 

            I then went on to dental school and the largely original 260Z went to my best friend Rich’s backyard where it sat in the baking sun.  My intent was to visit the car, cover it, or drive it.  Dental school was way too demanding and the car was put to the back of my mind.  Once I moved off campus a year later my dad and I went to Rich’s house.  The 260Z had been my father’s car and he had loaned it to me as I needed my own transportation and he was at his wits end.  The Z had broken down on him too many times.  But when my father and I saw the car after that year of being in the open, tears welled up in his eyes.  It had cobwebs, corrosion on the chrome and the paint was faded.  That was all he saw, but all I saw was my car and its potential.  It had not fared well, but there was nothing I could have done.  My father would have preferred to get rid of it right then and there to start anew with some other car.  

            I kept it and over the course of nearly ten years the car was used on and off and eventually it sat in a carport dormant and neglected once again.  Layers of dust caked on its surface as I was too busy for the car.  The 260Z was an eyesore and even more, a stab to my car enthusiast’s heart.  I could not do anything with it and nor was I ready.  It was blocked from my mind and the shear mention of the car from a family member put me in panic-mode.

            Sports cars had failed me in some way.  I worked for a dentist that put himself before his patients doing too much work and at a sub-par level to fund his car hobby.  I needed a break from having been obsessed with cars for so long.  I also lived two miles from work so I rode my bicycle.  My wife and I then had a newborn son and I was now the one at my wits end with the car.  It was time to sell.  I did all the necessary things to ready the car for the new owner; tires, fluids, new battery and a thorough cleaning. 

            I still remember the day I started it up for the first time and drove it around the block.  The wiggle needed to unlock the door, the finesse of the throttle, and the quirkiness of the four speed all for smooth driving.  There was an understanding of this car I still possessed as though it had been on the road all along.  What was happening?  I was reacquainting myself with the Z from a better place in life. 

            My wife said she had a buyer.  Her father.  Why? I thought.  For his grandson.  My son!!!  I was crying.  It would be at my in-laws in their backyard under a tarp.  There was no way that I was going to let the little car be forgotten again.  A new chapter was opened and the future was uncertain. 

            I got reacquainted with cars and the car scene I had missed for so long.  Life got in the way, but now I had a bit of time.  Over the course of a year and a half I drove the car, made improvements and realized that this was my car.  I have had the pleasure of driving many sports cars, but the 260Z fit me better than the rest.  If I could describe why that is I would. 

            Years of this car’s existence has been in dormancy.  Prior to my father and me owning the car it sat in a garage in Wisconsin for seventeen years.  My dad resurrected the car respraying it in the original color, new bumpers, new vinyl seat covers, and a set of 72’ SU carburetors. 

            The history of the car is now changing and there is no turning back.  As a college student I searched the internet and Japanese car magazines to come up with my idea of the ultimate Z.  That idea was always there and now with the help of a highly skilled mechanic it is becoming a reality.  I only wish I was the one doing the restoration, but with a carport, few tools, and no time outside of work and family I have placed this project in the hands of Rob Fuller at the Zcar Garage. 

            My vision is to build the 260Z into something largely original down to the colors and the appearance of the engine bay.  Underneath will lurk a beast.  The engine will be a 3.0 liter built by Rebello, TechnoToy coil overs, a Fujitsubo Legalis R exhaust, and a Datsun competition interior (driver's bucket seat, steering wheel, and shift knob).  Much of the inspiration of my car is from a silver 72’ Fairlady Z in Japan owned by Dr. Suzuki.  Exteriorly the only modifications are the ride height, Watanabe wheels, factory headlight covers, and the exhaust.  

            Earlier I mentioned that I don’t know what I am doing and why I am placing so much effort and money into this car, but it has everything to do with my lifelong passion for sports cars.  Since the time I can remember I have been afflicted with the car-bug.  What is it that excites car enthusiasts?  The sound, the speed, motorsport, the sleek lines of a sport cars?  All of that I am not sure, but the persona of me the driver and the driving experience is what attracts me most.  I have a passion for nearly all cars and to say I am a Zcar guy would be wrong.  This Z encapsulates all cars in some unexplainable way and I can’t wait to share my passion when its finished. 

            This writing has been long in the making and my story of the car will continue.  My goal is to put as many miles on the 260Z as I possibly can.  I ultimately want to do a cross country road trip with my son for the 50^th anniversary of the Z.  Thank you all for the knowledge and inspiration and I will keep you posted on my car’s progress. 

 

Sincerely,

Ben

inkbendental@gmail.com

            

Edited August 31, 2017 by v12horse

[Patcon]

Even the dog is happy about that...

[gwri8]

I would say that most of us here can relate to, or have personally experienced, what you beautifully wrote.

Edited August 31, 2017 by gwri8

[Mark Maras]

 Gotta love a story with a happy ending. Thanks for sharing.

[heyitsrama]

That baby blue color is really nice, its soft on the eyes.

[dmorales-bello]

Most of us on this site share your well expressed connection to the Z. Look forward to the progress reports.

[cre8d2go]

Hope you and your son create lots of great memories together with the Z. Maybe he will share your passion and pass it along to his son.

Sent from my SM-J727R4 using Tapatalk

[v12horse]

Hello everyone and thank you for the positive feedback.  I will keep you posted on the progress.  I haven't heard anything new from my mechanic, but I am not one for updates and I don't want to interfere.  He has free reign.  It's hard for me to let go as I am not one to just trust anyone with my pride and joy, but he is a person I truly believe that treats other people's cars as his own.  Upon meeting Rob I quickly understood that he gives everyone special treatment.  

I do hope that my son and daughter get into the hobby of cars somehow or some way as it is so dynamic as we all know.  Even if they enjoyed cars a bit it would be fun.  There is an infinite number of lessons to learn from a car; critical thinking, patience, perseverance, discovery, and escape among other things.  My kids have attended a ton of car shows and my son has gone to the Monterey Historics two years in a row.  I changed his diaper at the world famous corkscrew!!!  As a dad I have no shame.  I am also lathering them in sunscreen and the ear protection is on at all times.  I am not trying to create 'car-kids', but I am living my life and until they start telling me where to go and what to do I am going to continue educating them on cars.  

On a funny-note, we were at the Hillsborough Concours and a row of Ferrari's were in the distance and my 2 year old son turned to me and said, 'let's go check out that Datsun.'  I was a proud papa.  Maybe a Daytona to a toddler looks like a Z.  I will never know.    

Here is my son at the Historics this year with our own Ron Carter's 2000 roadster.  

Sincerely,

 

Ben 

Edited September 5, 2017 by v12horse

[v12horse]

I have been told by Rob at the Z Car Garage that him and his team are working like "gangbusters" on my car.  Check out that Nissan blue engine block!  I am so excited to get the old girl back on the road.  I am planning for an early morning drive through the forests of Woodside once it is done.  It looks like this will be sometime in the fall so all you enthusiasts in the SF Bay Area keep your eyes open and make a mental note for a sunrise drive on a weekend soon.  Z's are not required, but bring an appetite for food and conversation as we will be talking cars, eating breakfast at Alice's in Woodside at the fabled four corners, and the coffee will be flowing.  The roads are divine for some spirited and safe driving.  I am not sure how well I can plan a drive like this, but I figure with the internet we can do anything!  

 

All the best,

Ben

[Hardway]

Very well written and relate-able.  I believe we have all had the fire around these cars or cars in general die out from time to time for various reasons.  Glad you have found the passion again and realized to achieve your goals it is best to let someone else do the work.  Too often many of us take on projects that are beyond our skill set, resources, budget, and time.  In the end I believe you will get much more enjoyment out of your Z and the hobby as you will be spending more time driving the car than wrenching on it.  As other small things come up I am sure you will get enjoyment out of resolving them on your own.  Good luck with it and keep us posted!

[JSM]

On ‎8‎/‎31‎/‎2017 at 3:45 PM, v12horse said:

I ultimately want to do a cross country road trip with my son for the 50^th anniversary of the Z.  Thank you all for the knowledge and inspiration and I will keep you posted on my car’s progress. 

Hmmmm that may be a better reason then my 50th birthday, although, I was born in 69 so we kind of share the same birth day.  

[esmit208]

Great stuff man. And yes true car enthusiasts have gone through the same emotions as yourself to some degree or another, I sure am. But it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. The one thing I will add, most of us learned everything we know about our cars by putting our hands on them. It took me the better part of 12 years to accrue the tools I have. You don't realize you need certain tools until you actually need them then you go out and by what you need. Good luck and we hope you and the kids build many great memories. Good Luck!