Inspection on a 240Z in NW Pennsylvania?

[Zed Head]

Erie is one of those "Why do people live here" kind of places.  Wonder why the guy wants to get rid of his new hobby.

No members close to there, according to the map.  

[Zed Head]

The car looks like it's never had any restoration attempted.  What you see is what you get.  The "made for" tags are kind of odd.  Maybe it was a gift to General Westerberg.  And looks like somebody was trying out their new label maker.

[Zed Head]

The last tags shown are 1998 California.  But it looks like the current owner has been driving it.  It has the typical transmission fluid pattern underneath.  Leaky seal.  Rust protection.

Looks like a solid foundation for a nice 240Z.  It's a crusty survivor.

[GoldAir]

It seems like the guy selling never bought it as a hobby. He buys and sells a few different cars and has apparently sold quite a few 240Zs in the last few years. He seemingly bought it from the General or the General's family/estate and then performed a few repairs to eventually re-sell. Most wear/tear/miles will be from the General's ownership years.

The car went something like: Hawai'i (car delivered new by Datsun of Hawai'i) -> California (General was reassigned) -> Ohio (General was reassigned) -> Pennsylvania (purchased by the now seller in 2019). If we believe the California tags of 1998 as most recent, a few things could be true:

- It was driven in Hawai'i then moved to California where it was also driven. Subsequently it moved to Ohio where it was stored and not driven (lack of rust, no present Ohio plates etc).. seller then drove a little in PA legally with dealer plates.

- As above, but was driven in Ohio by the General, but we just don't have those plates/tags etc. (I'm from England originally, so my intricate knowledge of all states' license and registration rules can be a little wonky)

I saw mention that the seller has added 50 or 65 miles to the odometer— which currently sits at ~99k if correct (could be 199k or wound back).

@Zed Head Can I ask.. when you say "it has the typical transmission fluid pattern underneath.  Leaky seal.  Rust protection." do you mean that the leaky seal has something to do with the rust protection or just that you observe the rust protection on the bottom and also the leaked transmission fluid due to a faulty seal?

I have no problem putting a decent amount of money into this car and appreciate it's interesting history, so as long as it isn't in a terrible place and provides an opportunity to stabilize and restore authentically, then I'm happy to bid. My goal with hopefully finding someone local was to get ahead of any nasty surprises, but the seller does seem to be somewhat reputable and believable.

[GoldAir]

A quick follow up: would anyone think it's worth having a non-240Z expert look at this if proving too difficult due to location? Just a regular ol' shop/mechanic?

[Zed Head]

17 minutes ago, GoldAir said:

do you mean that the leaky seal has something to do with the rust protection or just that you observe the rust protection on the bottom and also the leaked transmission fluid due to a faulty seal?

I was joking about transmission fluid being good rust protection.  My car had the same spray pattern.  The rear seal of the transmission leaks a little and the propeller shaft sprays it around.  It's just a sign that somebody has been driving it.

The rear transmission seal is easy to replace.  You can do it with the transmission in the car.

[crayZlair]

I did notice from the pics that most of the coolant and fuel hose clamps have been replaced with modern worm-type clamps.

Most likely to flush the lines.

 

P.S. It is a 6 hour round trip drive to Erie for me.

Edited May 25, 2021 by crayZlair
added more for clarity

[GoldAir]

2 hours ago, crayZlair said:

I did notice from the pics that most of the coolant and fuel hose clamps have been replaced with modern worm-type clamps.

Most likely to flush the lines.

 

P.S. It is a 6 hour round trip drive to Erie for me.

You're the closest so far, but I would never dream of asking someone to look at it with that kinda round trip... ha!

Seller just listed a driving video. Not sure if cold start or not... interesting to hear some clutch slip at higher revs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=70&v=D7rkT5hIw1s&feature=emb_title

[Racer X]

4 hours ago, Zed Head said:

The car looks like it's never had any restoration attempted.  What you see is what you get.  The "made for" tags are kind of odd.  Maybe it was a gift to General Westerberg.  And looks like somebody was trying out their new label maker.

The former owner, General Westberg:  https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/105202/brigadier-general-leslie-j-westberg/

[Racer X]

3 hours ago, GoldAir said:

A quick follow up: would anyone think it's worth having a non-240Z expert look at this if proving too difficult due to location? Just a regular ol' shop/mechanic?

It can’t hurt.