Oiluj

I'll echo what's been stated above. It's much more economical to spend a bit more up-front on a car in better condition. They are out there if you look, even if you have to drive a few hours to see it. I loked for over 6-months to find the best 240 I could find to restore. Look at condition of the electrical system as well, but don't worry about the clock, (90%+ original clocks don't work). Just so you know, the 2+2 is heavier and doesn't "feel" as sporty to drive as the stock 2 seater. If you've got small kids to carry around, the 2+2 is a good option that's still fun to drive. This may offend some, but in my opinion, if you want a true sports car, stick with a 2-seat version. YMMV

Nice photo journal. Been there, done that. Only part I found to be difficult was the rear sturt tower covers.

Here is a quote I like to use at work: "Only fix something if you are going to improve it." As long as it's a better idea, I'm all for it.

Verified that my fan clutch is toast. Plan to take it off and rebuild it in a couple weeks. While I was at it, I checked the engine temp vs. the gauge. I found the water temp in the radiator was about 175 F while the gauge reads about 2 needle widths past the center mark. May try to calibrate the reading adding a in-line resistor.

I run a Pertronix and would never go ack to points. Verify that all the wiring on you pertronix set-up is in good shape, and that there are no possible shorts to ground. When I was having ignition problems on my MG, I found that there was a worn spot on the wire, (insulation), that allowed the wire to contact the distributor case when the distributor plate rotated. This caused a similar symptom to what you describe.

Nice work. When I got mine back in, it felt like I had hit a major milestone!

I considered looking at this can myself, but decided I have enough on my plate at the moment... If it's rust free and mechanically sound, the price is close to right. I wouldn't pay more than $10,500 for it, (arbitrary number). That's without finding any costly rust, mechanical or cosmetic problems. (Some small issues are to be expected at this price). It does seem to have a few cosmetic issues, and some missing & non-original parts. I'll second that for just a bit more green, I would talk to Arne about his car. You know it's in good condition and has been well maintained. I'm close by and would be happy to go look at it with you tomorrrow or Saturday to offer technical advice.

Did a search and found some have used the SEM white. I'm about to redo my nieghbor's "Butterscoth" color interior, and need to dye / paint new interior panels and refresh the color of the tranny soft vinyl. Neither SEM or Colorbond make a color that is close. I plan to contact Colorbond & SEM about the cost for a custom color match. However, I found this manufacturer that will match colors. http://www.parasolinc.com/Products.asp?ProductID=VARIKOTE Price isn't bad at $99/quart. That would easily do all the interior panels and have a pint to spare for matching dis-colored soft vinyl and have left over for touch-ups. They also will do custom aerosol cans. Anyone have experience with this product?

Call Motorsport. They are usually pretty good about making things right, (if they can).

Thought about this before. On my last visit to the 1960's, Dr. Who said anything I tried to change could affect future events, or move my Z's future to another dimension / reality. I considered how much I like my 240Z and how well the S30's did on both the track and in the market. Then decided not to change a thing...

A white engine would look cool in a white engine bay, but agree with the comments above about yellowing in "hot spots". Kinda depends on how important having it remain "pure white" is to you.

I just use warm water and a micro fiber cloth to clean my dash, then wipe with a LIGHT coating of baby oil / water mix. So Far, so good. Did that on my llast 240Z dash with no cracks for 8 years. Thing is, since most of us are not original owners, we don't know the history of how our dashes were maintained, amount of exposure to UV and mechanical stress, or even what conditions were during manufacture. Given that, I consider no matter how I care for it, it's a certainty that someday the dash will crack. It's only a matter of time, and all I can to is to postpone it...

trains always win...

What a cool idea! I have all the info on mine and may do that. I did show the PO what it looked like after I finished the cosmetic refresh. He loved it!

Chris, I think you may find that in the SF bay area, prices for a decent "rust free" 240Z have gone up over the last 3 years. My guess is that a car in good running order with no rust will cost about $7-10K. This is not a for a restored car, but a drivable 240 that needs minor cosmetic or interior work. Given the cost of rust repairs, paying a bit more is worth it... In fact, I've recently seen 240z's with minor rust, poorly repaired panels, needing paint, etc, selling for $10K, and still getting buyers!

It should pop out just like on the wheel side.

Any mod that is bolt-off without any dmage to the stock parts is not an issue in my book. If it can be easily returned to stock, it's not an issue. Especially things that improve drivability and safety. A good paint job is expected on a 40 year old car. That said, a "truly original" cars in good condition are rare gems that should be kept that way...

Here's a few pics from the trip.

Drove the 240Z from the SF bay area to Santa Barbra, then to Camarillo, San Luis Obsibo, Morro Bay and Home. Picked-up my buddy in the east bay and dropped him off again. Drove about 960 miles total, and the Z got 22 to 25 MPH, depending on the leg of the trip. Purpose of the trip was for my buddy to go for a ride in a WWII P-51 Mustang, but the fog never lifted. Guess we will have to do the trip again this coming Spring! The car ran great, but I did find that my fan clutch needs to be rebuilt, as the car ran a bit too warm in extended stop-n-go traffic. Had an opportunity to open her up on an empty, straight stretch coming back up the valley, and the Rebello engine didn't disappoint. Car garnered attention everywhere we went. Got a couple notes left on the windshield and a young gas station attendant told me he was saving-up to buy one. All in all, a very good trip!

That's what I did too. Not a problem unless you need to keep it original for a concours show event.

Very Nice!

Yes, high temp clear coat. Don't remember which product I used. Got it "off-the-shelf" at Napa Auto Parts.

Kinda depends on what YOU like. I just cleaned mine up and clear-coated them. To my eye they look nice w/o the bling.

I have the zx master with un-vented toyota 4x4 calipers in front, stock rear brakes and an adjustable propotioning valve. Brakes perform great and I was able to balance braking front-to-rear. Who is selling the rear caliper set-up? I bought a similar sounding set online. The "re-manufactered" calipers were crap and could not be used. Spent a lot of time & effort to figure that out... After finally getting them to work I wasn't satified with the result. Changed them out for the stock rears and have never looked back...

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