Hello all,

I just recently picked up a 240z from Texas that I have been eyeing for about 5 years. Not much info on the car, it appears to be a 72' based on the carbs and headlight buckets, but the vin # seems high for that year, 149747. It has the usual rust problems although not that bad. The battery tray just started to rust through. The passenger side floor board is rotted  due to a heater core leak? The driver side looks intact. There isn't a straight panel on the car, but I am looking forward to working on it. 

Does it have a build tag in the drivers side door frame?  It will give you a build date if it's there. Number  149747   would place it somewhere  in February of 1973 I believe. 

It was common on '73's to put the round top carburetors on them to help with vapor lock problems that the 73's had with the emission carbs known as flat tops.  Also I have never heard that there is a difference in the headlight buckets for the 240's or 280's for that matter.

  On 5/28/2018 at 4:57 AM, jwtaylor said:

Does it have a build tag in the drivers side door frame?  It will give you a build date if it's there. Number  149747   would place it somewhere  in February of 1973 I believe. 

It was common on '73's to put the round top carburetors on them to help with vapor lock problems that the 73's had with the emission carbs known as flat tops.  Also I have never heard that there is a difference in the headlight buckets for the 240's or 280's for that matter.

I read somewhere that the 72' model had fiberglass headlight buckets and 73 and on had metal. It is very possible that the round tops were installed after the fact. The build plate has the number obscured due to the vehicle being painted in the past. 

My car had one fiberglass and one steel headlight bucket when I got it,  it's a early 71 240 that was built 12/70. It now has two steel ones after a lady backed into me in a gas station. The buckets were/are interchangeable across the years and are not a good way to date a car. 

A good web sight for some data on the 240's is zhome.com  Look for the "Classic Z Car Register"  Quite a few people have registered their cars and you can look for VIN #'s close to yours to get a build date.

My '72 is 69,000ish VIN and metal buckets, FWIW. 

The '73s have a bigger front bumper and a filler strip.  The mounts are different too I believe.  Nice project you have there. 

Edited May 28, 20186 yr by siteunseen

Take a picture of the hazard light switch. Unique 73 interior items include a backlit heater control panel and a pull switch for the hazard lights.

First - a BIG WELCOME to the group.  If you have not already figured it out, we're all a bunch of dedicated and sometimes crazy Z enthusiasts who are always looking for someone new to play with.  From the few pics you supplied, your car looks to be uncared for but pretty well unmolested - that's great.  You can expect to get solicited and sometimes unsolicited advice as in my comments below.

Bag and tag EVERYTHING as soon as it comes off the car.  Don't wait till later, you'll forget some details.  Be specific - sometimes a single bolt or screw needs it own bag and tag.  Markers can rub off of zip bags, use paper notes inside the bag.

Discard nothing until the replacement is installed and working OK

Keep a running list of things to be replaced while you are pulling those things off, again - don't wait to write it down.

Why is all this important?  I tore my car down in 1999 intending to do a full resto but did all of the above during the process.  Life chose to intervene and it was 10 years later that I was able to pick up the project.  Fortunately my well documented zip bag collection and list of needs paid off big time.

P.S. - I spotted a bunch of OE hose clamps in your engine bay.  Treat them gently and plan to re-use them.  They're highly desired and a darn sight better looking than most aftermarket clamps.

 

Good luck with your project.

I picked this up for $500, the owner of the shop just wanted it gone. My plan is to strip it down, go through the body DIY most of it, and then proceed with a Restomod. I am looking to complete in 4 years. 

Good buy. Those carbs are worth $200 as cores. Steering wheel and shift knob if OE and you've got your money back.

Hang around here, we want you to, and you'll get the bug and be done a lot sooner than 4 years.

My passenger's floor is rotted too from a leaky heater core. Luckily they make weld in replacements.  Luckily I'll do that one day.

That looks like a very good project car at a fantastic price,  the kind of find I dream about. Nissan used some pretty tough paint on those door ID plates, wax&grease remover or even WD40 are fairly gentle at removing overspray, they might be able to remove enough to see if it's 72 or 73. Looking forward to your updates.  Are you going to keep the wire wheels? You don't see those around much anymore.

  On 5/28/2018 at 8:01 PM, siteunseen said:

Good buy. Those carbs are worth $200 as cores. Steering wheel and shift knob if OE and you've got your money back.

Hang around here, we want you to, and you'll get the bug and be done a lot sooner than 4 years.

My passenger's floor is rotted too from a leaky heater core. Luckily they make weld in replacements.  Luckily I'll do that one day.

It still has the stock wood steering wheel and shift knob. The Texas heat has dried them out, but I will see what I can do to restore them.

  On 5/28/2018 at 5:39 AM, jwtaylor said:

My car had one fiberglass and one steel headlight bucket when I got it,  it's a early 71 240 that was built 12/70. It now has two steel ones after a lady backed into me in a gas station. The buckets were/are interchangeable across the years and are not a good way to date a car. 

A good web sight for some data on the 240's is zhome.com  Look for the "Classic Z Car Register"  Quite a few people have registered their cars and you can look for VIN #'s close to yours to get a build date.

Weirdly, my passenger side is steel, while the driver side is fiberglass.