New (To Me lol) 240z and Advice Needed

[Jem2749]

I am fortunate enough to have been gifted a Series 1 (1971 I think ) 240z.  Without boring you with a novel, this car belongs to my Great Aunt who has been holding onto it since my Great Uncle died in the 1990s.  He was the original owner, but towards the end of his life he was unable to enjoy the car so it sat for some time until he passed.  Since then it has been sitting dormant in a barn on their property- probably for at least the past 25 years or so.  She has wanted the car to go to a family member and informed me of its existence when I casually mentioned to her that I had bought a '76 280z a few months ago to restore. The 280z needs a TON of fab work and, quite frankly, I made the same mistake that most new Z owners do by biting off way more than I can chew or reasonably repair with my tools/skillsets.  So, after asking her "ARE YOU SURE??" about a million times I told her that I would love to have it and that it would live on happily with me. ?

From what I can see / what she has told me, the car was bought right around the end of '70 or '71. It has roughly 40k miles on the odometer and is an Automatic.  I posted some pictures on r/Datsun over on Reddit and was told to post here since there's more knowledge and activity on this forum.

So here's where I need help:

I'm flying out to her place in the midwest to have the car put on a truck and sent to FL where I live.  It currently does not run.  Are there specific things that I should do to the car to get it ready to ship?  It'll need to be put in neutral to roll and the rear drums may need to be freed, but outside of that, any advice you can offer would be appreciated.  The shipping company I've contracted with will be putting it in an enclosed trailer for the ~1800 mile journey and has a winch to pull it if needed.

I was also looking around online and came across a build/equipment list for chassis and engine/transmission combinations which says that Series 1 240s were only offered with an AT for a short period of time. Is that correct and does anyone know what months/years? 

That will help me narrow down the paint color between 905 and 110 since I don't have access to the car until I go get it.  It'll also dictate more of what I do with the car.  My original plan for the 280 I bought was a resto-mod with flares, t3 Suspension, and an engine swap.  Since this thing looks to be in good condition and may be rarer than I thought- I may have to keep it as original as possible out of respect for the car.

Thanks in advance.  So anyway, here are some pics she sent me:

Edited November 5, 2018 by Jem2749

[26th-Z]

I'm betting 905 Monte Carlo Red.  Its an early car and probably worth more in a stock configuration, but it's your car.  Nice find!  No, you don't really need to do anything more other than get it rolling before you ship it.  Probably air up the tires.

[wheee!]

You are one lucky man.... that is a true survivor! Keep it stock....

[Zed Head]

53 minutes ago, Jem2749 said:

I'm flying out to her place in the midwest to have the car put on a truck and sent to FL where I live.  It currently does not run.  Are there specific things that I should do to the car to get it ready to ship?  It'll need to be put in neutral to roll and the rear drums may need to be freed, but outside of that, any advice you can offer would be appreciated.  The shipping company I've contracted with will be putting it in an enclosed trailer for the ~1800 mile journey and has a winch to pull it if needed.

The front valance is pretty low and often gets damaged.  Don't let the guy with the winch just crawl under and hook up to the crossmember without being sure the valance won't get dented by the cable when he pulls.  In the back the gas tank can be in the way if hooks to the diff.  The hooks and loops left on the car from shipping aren't tow hooks.  Don't let him use those to pull on.

Wheel straps to hold the car in place are probably the best way to secure the car in the trailer.  There's not much to grab on to underneath, no frame to hook on to.  If the company regularly ships old cars they should know.  If not, they could do some damage.

Breaking the drums loose can be almost impossible in some cases.  Don't assume that it can be done in the time that you have.

There's probably mice living in it.  Watch out for hantavirus.

[26th-Z]

[Jem2749]

2 minutes ago, Zed Head said:

Breaking the drums loose can be almost impossible in some cases.  Don't assume that it can be done in the time that you have.

There's probably mice living in it.  Watch out for hantavirus.

1

That's a good call. Hopefully, the drums are not fully seized. 

The 280z that I bought was outdoors for the past few years and was filled with broken snake eggs.  I didn't think anything of it until I heard my wife screaming because a 4" corn snake had managed to leave the car and get into our dining room after a few weeks of living in the garage.

[Zed Head]

17 minutes ago, 26th-Z said:

Oops.  I had understood differently. Maybe it's the back loops.

Nice post.  Dragging seized brakes might put him over the limit though.

Funny how they don't show towing from the back but all of the kids' race cars today have to have a shiny red tow hook in the back.  Weird.

Edited November 5, 2018 by Zed Head

[87mj]

I would remove those tow hooks and put them in the glove box.  If they use them and the car shifts forward, you could damage things.

[26th-Z]

There seems to be so much confusion about tow hooks!  How can that be?!  The loop eye bolted to the front frame rail is the specified tow hook per the owner's manual and service manuals.  There is a load rating given for it.  Towing the car from the front is the only concession made.  There is no recommendation for pulling or towing the car from the rear.  These hooks mounted to the rear bumper brackets are tie-down hooks meant for transportation purposes; keeping a car stationary on a flat surface.  That's how the cars were secured during shipping.  Sometimes they were removed by the dealer but I see them all the time.  They have no structural load rating.

[Zed Head]

6 hours ago, 87mj said:

I would remove those tow hooks and put them in the glove box.  If they use them and the car shifts forward, you could damage things.

 

3 hours ago, 26th-Z said:

There seems to be so much confusion about tow hooks!  How can that be?! 

87mj seems to be talking about some other problem.  "shifting forward".  Not really sure what he means, doesn't really seem to be about tow hooks at all.

 

The OP might have to pull from the back.  Generally, the advice is "make sure the guy doing the pulling is careful".  Make sure the car is secured properly for transport.  Two areas where damage, generally, occurs.

[Carl Beck]

@Jem2749   If you live in Orlando - first thing to do is come over to Clearwater for a visit - we can spend some garage time together - and go over a lot of Z Car related subjects. drop me an Email - beck@becksysetms.com 

 

If the car is being shipped in an enclosed trailer - towed by a pick-up, by a private transporter for example. Then you can use wheel dollies on the rear wheels to load and unload the car. Just jack the car up and slip the wheel dollies under the rear wheels. Then remove them to tie the car down in the trailer. Reverse operation when it get here. DO NOT pull the EBrake lever. DO NOT PULL THE EBRAKE LEVER.!!

 

DO NOT attempt to start the car prior to shipping. Don’t put a battery in it. Wait until you have car home..

 

Looks like Red to me - also since the rear tail light finisher is painted red - it may have been repainted at some Point.

 

The A/T equipped 240Z’s start in production around 07 or 08 of 70. They seem to have been made in groups during 08, 10 and 11 of 70.

[Patcon]

@Jem2749