madpuppy

thanks for the info, I probably just do that....

I appreciate the help, I tell you one thing though, definitely no 2+2s though

Got an e-mail from the owner, He wised up and decided to keep the car. said he was "talkin' to some Datsun people" and decided to restore the car himself. I have to send him a good fortune e-mail! P.S. Anybody in Central FL looking to sell a Z-car (no 2+2 or autos) Thanks for all the replies to my questions. I guess the hunt go's on.

sorry about red dog, that was just a knee jerk reaction to reading part of your post.

first off, I may not have put together my sentence properly but, what I "meant" was, I "know" Toyotas, and I own a Nissan 720 extra cab pickup that I love and I would never get rid of. I have worked on Nissan cars, engine and tranny R and R, head gaskets, a/c work. but, I have more experience with Toyota vehicles. I cannot see the Z-car engine being more complex than my 1989 Toyota Cressida 7M engine,(a 24 valve dual overhead cam stright 6) and I had the engine and transmission out of that car and did head work, I also had a 1985 MR2 that I did a performance rebuild on the engine. suspension mods and the like (1600cc 4age 16 valve dual overhead cam 4 cylinder), the ONLY thing I was concerned about was body construction, and I know that Nissan/Datsun body sheet steel tended to be "thinner" than Toyota's. which, I guess is the reason alot of Nissan vehicles suffer from terrible rot. kind of like the mid to late 70's chevy/GMC pickups. Think of it this way, you don't ask a Ford man about GM cars and engines. one more thing, 720 is the model of my Nissan truck if I owned a 620 it would have the Datsun badge on it, even though earlier versions of the 720 had datsun by Nissan on them. BLAH......

Frankly, I am just amazed that I was able to find one that wasn't "pimped". Usually, a car like this would have so many garbage upgrades and bondo that it would look like a wedding cake. EScanlon, the wheel well is just chipped paint, that, I guess would be some primer color. The car also seems to have the remnants of a dealer applied undercoat, this may be why there is not alot of rust on this car, Even though I live in Florida I am located just about dead center, so, this car did not live by the sea. oh yeah! the window, I love that! even if you did not want to play with it, I really don't understand why he did not just straighten the window and roll it up, all it is is partially off its track. I think I am going to go back today after work and get a real good look at the frame rails and if they look good I will grab it, looks like it will be an interesting project.

oh, one more thing, I meant to say 150k this is a local Central Florida car, purchased in town new and the second owner is selling it.

Ironically, I think the color of the car was originally the same as your avatar.

there is no rust on the floorboards, the rockers are perfect, the battery tray is still painted the color of the car. the body is straight, and there are no ripples on the body, the hatch has some small rust at the bottom and under that above where the hatch closes at the same spot (right approx in line with the left taillight. there is a hole about the size of a silver dollar . the drivers mirror was ripped off and there is a little surface rust where the bolt up holes were. the doors other than that the doors, fenders, rear rockers, the pan under the bumper, wheel wells all areas that are bad for rust are simply not rusty. I have some pics that he sent prior to looking at it. I will attach.

I have found a 1976 280z for sale that needs to be restored, I went to look at it and there is almost no rust on the body, paint is toast though, it has an unverifiable 15000mi on the car. second owner. the car has sat up for quite a while and a rat made a feast out of the wiring in the engine bay, the interior is rough, but it is all there, there is surface rust on the windshield defroster panel and key start. It is a manual trans with A/C I can get the car for 300.00, I am not afraid of replacing the harness. and It seems that a z car with no rust is like a gift from the gods. I want to buy this car for a long term project, I know Toyota's really well and I own a 1985 720 x-tra cab pickup that I simply would never get rid of. would this be a good buy?