BTF/PTM

Just went to look at this 72 today. Rolling chassis, 280zx rear disc brakes & upgraded fronts, 16" panasports with new tires, Tokico springs, whole chassis has been coated and/or painted. Almost 100% rust free body, little places on the primer need to be touched up and some surface rust removed. Rear hatch deck has already been replaced. Dash is cracked, and one seat is tearing, but the carpets are brand new (boxed up) and all the other bits are with the car. Door handles have been shaved, car has solenoids. Not sure I like that... Unfortunately, the cost of finishing the body work (properly) and finding the engine/transmission/driveshaft to get her back to life again puts it outside of my budget unless someone knows where I can find a complete 240z powertrain for under a grand. So I figured I'd post it up here to see if anyone else was curious. The thing truly is almost rust free, and it looks like the grimy work is already done. http://s132.photobucket.com/albums/q27/AwwsChwA/240z/

Thanks, guys, all great feedback. I do agree completely with digging for more paperwork before buying the car. I've also gotten other facts like the car has no seatbelts installed and has no door locks. This isn't a problem for someone like the current owner, but for someone in a different situation these things mean some extra work just to be able to leave the car unattended anywhere except inside one's own garage. p.s. - I've heard about the LSD trick with lifting the car and spinning the wheels. If memory serves, if it's a true LSD, the two wheels will turn opposite directions when one is rotated, and if one wheel is held in place, the free one cannot be turned if it's a real LSD where if it's an open diff the free wheel can still be turned along with the driveshaft(with the transmission in neutral). Is this correct?

So I found a 73 240z for sale in Oceanside that's been for sale for quite a while becuz in my opinion the seller is asking too much. I talked to him today, got some good information. I'll put the link below. Here's the scoop: - 3 liter stroker made from an L28 block with ported E88 head and a hot cam. - 5-speed transmission out of an early 80's 300ZX turbo - R200 LSD http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/1604300964.html All of this information is at his word. Obviously one cannot pull the head off the engine to look, but are there ways to visually tell if the diff and other things are legit? The seller is pretty fixed on getting his asking price for the car despite admitting that the body does have some rust reappearing since the car was repainted. So the question is: From the perspective of a person who wants a 240z that's a real Z but doesn't need to be show quality and any flaws are repairable without stripping the car down to a shell and is already set up with a higher-output power train (I was planning to do similar powertrain work eventually anyway), what's the car really worth? Is it even worth going to look at, or is the owner stubbornly set on a pie-in-the-sky price that he'll never get? Thanks guys =)

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/cto/1599342293.html I've asked the seller for more pictures, hopefully I'll get some. Owner says it's a '72, repainted its original color in 1985 due to vandalism, it's claimed to be in excellent mechanical condition and it's claimed rust free. If swapping in a manual transmission doesn't involve cutting or drilling, and of course if the car turned out to be otherwise sound, it would be quite appealing. What sayeth the group?

What about places like, in the event of dog leg replacement, coating POR on the inside metal faces of the wheel well, chassis and back of the dog leg before it's welded back together? Likely it would peel or evaporate where the weld bead goes, but would it be good to coat those faces too?

Elsinore isn't far at all, about an hour. I have no problem truckin' up there to look, and I'd be more than willing to pitch in food n brew for anyone who might be willing to come with me to look. As you mention with rust, even if I looked as close as my eyes allowed, I may miss things that an experienced set of eyes would see. I'm away this weekend, so I'll approach the group after I'm back from all my shenanigans and can make real plans Oh, and yes, Elsinore is near Perris.

Thanks Should I do a spin-off thread to ask for help in looking at the car, or ask in this one?

For what it's worth, one option to build your mechanical skills is to buy a second car to turn into a turbo monster that also won't bring you to tears if you bend it up or put a rod (or two) out the side of the block. Don't simply put your dreams of a tire melter on hold becuz you have a car that requires big patience and a big budget. Build a lower-budget screamer (perhaps a 4-banger that only requires a single turbo and already has electronic fuel injection) and keep your 240 happily stock while you enjoy it and learn to drive it. When you're equipped with a bigger budget, more time due to being finished with school and more space to work, you can combine those with bolstered wrenching abilities to begin work on building your screaming z-car

the ad: http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/cto/1589200529.html I've emailed the owner to ask the primary question about rust, he says there isn't any. I've requested pictures. I have a couple questions for the forum about this one besides the rust: 1) that's not a factory color, is it? 2) does it look like the rear wheel is sitting too far forward, or is it just me? If it is too far forward, is it because of the problem with the differential mounts that have the mentioned problems? 3) are the problems with the differential mounts something that makes the car unsafe to drive? If the car were otherwise purchasable, should it be towed? 4) are there any specific questions the forum could recommend that I ask as I email back n forth with this person? thanks =)

Haha...my apologies, guys, it just occurred to me why you're asking about my interest in the San Diego group. I live in San Diego, have for many years, but I was away in Texas for a stint with my job, and I enrolled in this forum at that point. Hence it says Texas. I'll change that now. Montezuma, I look forward to meeting yall. I won't be arriving in a Z-car just yet, but my truck is a Nissan so that must count for something =)

Hoping to meet some z car folks, make some connections and learn from some experts as I shop for my own 240z.

I found a link for a local Z car club chapter, but it just goes to a dead webpage. How does one go about getting in touch with the San Diego Z car folks?

Freaking awesome, thanks for the great feedback, guys!! I'll definitely look you guys up once I've got a real budget to work with. Paying off debts before buying toys takes unbelievable amounts of self control but I'm almost there. p.s. - I guess I can change the "texas" location in my profile since I'm back home again...

I've had good luck in the past with giving prospective cars a pre-buy, professional inspection. I'm getting gradually closer to being able to shop for and buy my first z-car, and I wonder if anyone here has experience with this sort of thing. Whether you got good feedback from a pre-buy inspection, and also whether anyone can recommend a good shop. I'm in San Diego so feedback on southern california shops would be great. I'm not opposed to finding the right car just about anywhere in the country, but obviously to ask for feedback on a whole nation's worth of shops would be impossible so I'll just start with the SoCal area. Thanks in advance, everyone

Hi all, Newbie checkin' in, thought I'd see what I could learn about the Z car before I dive into a project, and share any knowledge I may pick up as I learn stuff along the way. So again, hi everyone Ok, now the cheesy poetic story: So I've wanted a 240z for at least 5 years now, and I'm finally putting myself in position to find one and running out of excuses for why I shouldn't have one. By that I mean that I'm out of college, very near paying off all my debts and I finally have a career that allows for enough money to begin a project car. I cannot freaking wait:D With all the powertrain swaps and upgrades out there, I have no idea which way I should go with it; from autocross to road racing to parking lot donuts and wannabe drift stuff that's just fun cuz it's thrilling to being a street legal driver. I guess I just want a car that's fun (and scary sometimes) to drive