jakay11

The tires currently on my series 1 240Z are from roughly 1980 are more square than round... and I don't even want to think of internal dry rot... So being the retired engineer (I now sell real estate) I created this tire size grid to match up rolling diameters across wheel sizes (+0, +1, +2, ect).... Also from my Porsche days I have found and used the tire size / speed calculator as well... (Both attached). So assuming 195/70R14 is the stock tire on 5" rim w/ 15mm offset. (and there are differences between mfg on rolling DIA, but lets ignore that for now) Browsing online, there aren't many options at all for a tire of this size. So the question becomes to goto a 15" or 16" rim... on a 7" or 8" wide rim on either... Putting something like a Pirelli Trofeo R seems, well stupid, if your not tracking/autocrossing this car... so what do people like these days that doesn't over-tire the car and destroy the handling? 205/60R15 on a 15x6" or 7" rim (30 options on tirerack) 205/55R16 on a 16x6" or 7" rim (148 options! plus 3 addl track tires like the Trofeo R) 225/50R16 on a 16x7" or 8" rim (42 options plus 12 addl track tires) So the question is do I stick with something like the 60-series on 15s and risk them becoming harder and harder to get, or do I go for the 50 or 55-series on 16s and run the risk of the ride/handling going to crap? Further muddying of the water is that the current Miata and Toyota GT86 run basically economy tires to allow the cars to move around... (My car is basically stock except for period mods - Koni shocks, rear sway bar, and exhaust... all installed by Bob Sharp Racing in '71) while I was browsing on tirerack and found this... which also may be useful. https://www.wheel-size.com/calc/?wheel1=195-70-14X5.0ET15 Tire size.xlsx Tire&SpeedCalc.xls

I hope everyone is having a very merry christmas! I got my present a day early - I got to drive the wee beastie (and ride in it and hear it for the first time since 1986...) Car sounds good - even with needing to rebuild the exhaust system (the Bob Sharp Racing headers are nice) the pipes back are "slightly" rusted and from the glasspack back there is a sizable "chipmunk" hole... (see below for the first start) Gas tank was removed, acid etched, POR15'd and replaced (still need a new sender for fuel level which was reading open and the fuel pump didn't - the diaphragm was stiffer than your muscles on day 2 of your new year's resolution to get back into shape...) The rust on the bottom is light surface rust (the car was not driven in winter and was rust-proofed/undercoated) - In due time that will be cleaned up with a wash and all the spider egg casing removed... Well, the early christmas present was driving - the brakes still need to be bedded in (turned the front rotors and new linings on the rear drums - they still need a slight adjustment so require a hefty push for any woah.) The engine and trans work great! The controls are delicate (as is the thin-rimmed steering wheel) and the non-assisted steering takes a hefty pull at parking speeds... the tires are still slightly square and as a result feels like an old horse-drawn wagon on a dirt trail at 40, and damn scary at 50. So this then yields the question of what to do with tires / wheels. We know there aren't many R14 options. So do I upgrade to 15s? or is there still a 14" tire out there (post 2007 tire thread) that people still like... I don't want to over-tire the thing and kill the steering feel or make it so the car doesn't move around anymore (think GT86 econo tires)... but at the same rate I want to enjoy the canyons and passes near here! And finally, I found a signed letter from Bob Sharp (in a Bob Sharp Racing envelope) congratulating my dad on his new purchase... (Which goes nicely with the BSR license plate holder)

Latest Update: New caliper (front) installed. rear wheel brake cylinders (early style) were replaced. problem carb was disassembled (not easy considering 30+ years of varnish) - improper idle circuit was corrected. new battery installed. electrics tested (no issues!) engine started (note acorn bazooka out back in the Google Drive library of photos and videos) Fuel lines plugged - (car was run for ~2-3s by adding fuel to float bowl) Tank dropped and cleaned (new fuel lines ordered) Exhaust from cat-back is badly rusted and crumbling (to be rebuilt) Areas of concern: valve springs (once running, keep it gentle at moderate rpm to break everything back in - some of those springs have been compressed for over 30yrs) cyl bore rust & blow-by (if springs compressed = valves open...) Question for forum: The chassis / underside is coated in surface rust - should this be cleaned up and powder-coated (non-original for preservation) - or should this be left alone (original)? Thanks! & happy viewing

Yup, We're keeping all the original parts, wires, ect. All the original clamps (which are a PITA to work on!) are going back on too. (and yes, you are correct on the wheels!)

Yup, has the frozen wheel cylinders. If it wasn't "This Car" I'd probably just do an upgrade to discs. But this being what it is, I've bitten the bullet and gone and ordered the early ones...

Ok, some updates for those of you who care... Goal: make car usable (ie, keep the drum rears and not upgrade to discs, and no a v8 will not be installed either.) So, New Odyssey battery has been ordered (the one from 1986 has given up the ghost) The gas tank was drained - it was, nearly full tank (which is good and minimizes the risk of internal rust... it smelled pretty funky, but had nearly no shellac/slime/sludge. Thank you dad for putting in fuel stabilizer! The Rear drums were removed, both rear brake cyl shot (the little rubber thingie was crumbling and dry white powder came tumbling out - not THAT kind, the aluminum oxide / dried brake fluid kind. Poking into the Master, slave & clutch cylinders - they gunked / slimed / melted the rubber pretty well, and so were replaced with new. Front Right disk was frozen (and needs help - not sure if can be rebuilt, so an early replacement caliper set found and ordered - I haven't gotten to the left front yet. The Front solex carb was removed and cleaned and is deemed "good". The rear solex, well the carb choke is frozen. Solid. Not sure it can be taken apart to be freed so an early carb set was located and ordered. The clutch was bled & now works again. Still to do: Finish rebuilding / reinstall the carbs. Check driver-side caliper, flush brakes, flush fuel lines. For those of you who want pictures, I have a few (and a few movies too) Google Drive library of photos and videos In the library, you'll see the period-correct narrow-gage headers (thank you BSR), and the Sempereti tires (from Ireland) are still deemed healthy (?!) mounted on American rims (from Japan) And for those of you who have pedantic tendencies, the state of Colorado has declared that this car is a 1970, based on the mfg build date (that's what they could see when they did the vin check). Go discuss among yourselves - I'm not arguing it with bureaucrats. <'flame on/>

I know - I was floored by the price! Someone must have really **really** wanted a clean, original low mileage car!

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1971-datsun-240z-69/?utm_source=dailymail&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=2018-11-06 Nicely turned out, mostly original, low-mileage car

So to answer that question - this particular car will probably be more original history assuming it can stay that way (and I don't see why not right now). I'd get a different car as a track toy for vintage racing / bombing around the canyons or as a project toy As for V8 conversion - (LT1? Maybe keep that for a NA Miata). Not unless it was already done (I'd be afraid of upsetting the chassis dynamics with too much weight in the nose and too much power for the drivetrain/ tires to handle - btdt)...

Since I don't know what side I'm picking, I'm just letting that one go for now. Plans are simple so far - Ship car from NJ to Colorado, get it running again, make it safe. (It was last road registered in 1980, last driven in 1986 to a shop and back.) After that use the car for a bit, and it suss out. No crazy mods (just make it run on unleaded safely without additives) - I need to see what it's like before I know where I'm going with it. Right now I forsee 2 main options - leave it as a time capsule and get it running or refresh it and make it "new" (I hate the idea of concourse level of better than new) - This is of course a (period) modified car so it will not be brought back to factory (I'm assuming period mods by such a famous shop as BSR only add to the providence) I am a bit staggered by the value of the vehicle that Haggerty has put on the car though!

So without meaning to sound like a d***, yes you are correct - just like buying a house - the contract date is not the "purchase" date even though that is when the transaction started, and Purchase Date is usually the closing date when keys are delivered and ownership is transferred. If you want to split hairs and be precise, this is what I understand (considering that this car was built T -4yrs my age and I wasn't around to verify): Down payment and contract to buy was signed July 11th 1970 (shortly after the brakes failed on my father's 1969 AMX Javelin (6 mo after he had gotten it) - The contract probably has Bob Sharp's fingerprints or DNA on it somewhere as they knew each other... ? Car was built in Dec of 1970, and shipped to Newark NJ (port of entry), was delivered 2/18/71 and was Titled 2/22/71 as a 1971 car. Of particular interest is the receipt for repairs that suggest steering vibration and shock failure so soon after delivery - that's when the Konis were installed... Jake did either or both that repair and/or the exhaust.

Next set of pictures... Note MFG date 12/1970, and VIN of 15369 (on same tag as well as vin plate) (Title not incl is 2/71 NJ) Bill of sale (to Bob Sharp Motors) is in 2nd pdf. A few pages in on PDF 1 are the street mods by Bob Sharp Racing (performed by Jake the Mechanic, and no that is not documented). (also lots of receipts and registration cards...) somewhere in there was the deposit and delivery papers too. Even the original key tag from dealer inventory. Enjoy! Zcar docs 1 of 2.pdf Zcar docs 2 of 2.pdf

Great! I'd love to meet up!

Waitlist...

so these hooks are just for tie-downs... right? (am assuming it can bend the chassis or do they just pull out/bend the bumper mounting points?) and here some snaps of the car (only damage is a scratch / dent from when a garage door spring let go pre-safety-wire days) 24,031 miles on odo... Shipper is coming after 10/24 for a post 11/7 delivery at Rallye/Sport outside of Denver...