Barn find 73 in North Alabama

[outlawswine]

Hey guys. I'm new to the Z car world. I inherited a "barn find" '73 240 this week. 
It was my grandfathers and it has been tucked away in his barn for 25 years. I had actually forgotten about the car. Anyway, it is mine now and I'm trying to figure out what to do with it. Should I restore it or just sell it. I don't have a tremendous amount of time to work on it so I'm kind of torn on what to do.

It is completely all original. Interior is in good shape (needs a good cleaning). It only has 35k original miles and only a few spots of surface rust. I gave it a wash and it looks pretty solid. Planning on pulling the plugs tonight to be sure the engine will rotate. 
Anyway, looking forward to chatting with you guys.

 

Here she is all cleaned up.....

[wal280z]

@siteunseen Cliff, look..... It's the right color AND it's in your state.... Go ahead, get another one...

[grannyknot]

Always nice when a 240z drops into your lap,  it looks good.  So you're thinking about restoring it or selling it, if you sell it as is you will get less for it than if you put in some time and money and get it running well, making sure all the lights, signals, horns etc are working properly.  Also, try and find as much original paper work on the car as you can.

[Zed Head]

43 minutes ago, outlawswine said:

It was my grandfathers and it has been tucked away in his barn for 25 years.

It only has 35k original miles and only a few spots of surface rust........... Planning on pulling the plugs tonight to be sure the engine will rotate. 

Very nice.  Somewhere around here there is a good writeup of things you should do before even trying to rotate the engine.  Surprising amounts of water can condense in a cold engine and surprising amounts of rust can happen on what should be dry metal.  Maybe somebody knows where that list is and will post a link.

At least, pull the valve cover and check the camshaft for rust, drain the oil to see if there's water at the bottom of the pan, and squirt a bunch of oil in to each cylinder if you plan to try to turn it over.  Plus, drain all of the old fuel out and look for rust.  There's a drain plug on the tank.  Almost no way that the fuel is good, but you might get lucky on rust.  Drain the carbs too, if there's anything in them, they're probably gummed up with dried fuel residue.  Probably need to rebuild them.

Don't get in a hurry and spin the engine too soon.  25 years is a long time.

[Zed Head]

Not the same kind of Z but the principles are the same.  Hope yours runs better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymb36xGUC8c

 

Edited February 5, 2019 by Zed Head

[rcb280z]

Nice! Waiting on more pics.

1 hour ago, outlawswine said:

Should I restore it or just sell it

Depends on what you want. If you "really" like the Z car I would imagine you wouldn't bring up the other part of that statement, (or should I sell it)

 

[rcb280z]

I think this is what Zed Head was referring to. Go to post #8

 

Edited February 5, 2019 by rcb280z

[NVZEE]

Somewhere in the process, you need to address whether the car project or the potential cash suits your lifestyle better. Either could be a life-changer, depending on your situation. 35k on the clock means the value is there to enjoy, one way or the other.

[outlawswine]

7 minutes ago, NVZEE said:

Somewhere in the process, you need to address whether the car project or the potential cash suits your lifestyle better. Either could be a life-changer, depending on your situation. 35k on the clock means the value is there to enjoy, one way or the other.

That is something the wife and I will need to address. Time and money right now are at a premium because we are in the middle of opening a new brewery and distillery. All time right now is spent on beer and whiskey. I really want to keep it to work on as a father/son project with my 9 yr old. I was a mechanic as I worked my way through college and he's been wanting a project to work on together. 

Edited February 5, 2019 by outlawswine

[outlawswine]

1 hour ago, rcb280z said:

Nice! Waiting on more pics.

Depends on what you want. If you "really" like the Z car I would imagine you wouldn't bring up the other part of that statement, (or should I sell it)

 

Here are all the pics I've taken of it...

https://photos.app.goo.gl/3bxhAmRXWZwz9L9n9

[Dave WM]

looks like a good starting point. War Eagle!

[NVZEE]

You aren’t the first Z owner to spend time on beer and whiskey ?

Good to consider all the options. If you can see a future with the car, the returns could be enjoyed for years. The tough thing with an original car is balancing maintenance and upgrades with preserving its unique value. There’s plenty of wisdom around here to help with the process. Good luck with all your ventures!