That Ozzy Guy

Can anyone confirm that the white/black wire is correctly soldered? It is attached to the side of the metal part while the other 3 are soldered through it and on to other wires that go in to the radio. There was evidence of tampering with the cap that goes over the wires so I just wanted to confirm if this looks correct. I haven't powered it up yet.

Although I won't be updating this thread all that often I would like to share milestone updates. With that in mind here is the first one: Tonight I'm contemplating sleeping inside my empty car shell as it will be the last time I see it for many months. Tomorrow it will be picked up and delivered to Custom and Classic Cars 1,400 km away who will restore it to its former glory. No tears will be shed when the car is towed away; maybe tears of joy - I've swept away more rust than any man ought to. Here is the shell as it stands. Stripping the 240Z As a boy I took great pleasure in taking things apart and seeing how they work. If they functioned when I put them back together it was a bonus but that was never a measure of success and I never let that get in the way of my fun. To this day I enjoy the process and I’ve learned that taking things apart requires less finesse and is usually a lot easier than putting them back together. The opposite applies to a neglected and severely rusted car. For the past couple of months I have been chipping away at stripping the 240Z. It currently sits in the garage bare of all the bits that make it a functioning marvel. It has been a time consuming process (partly because the car is at my parent’s place) with frustrations along the way but all of it enjoyable. A snapped bolt here and a stubborn clip there, strange wires and plywood panels aplenty – and of course the odd coin found for my purse. Observations The first thing that you notice after stripping a car is that the parts you take off take up far more room than they have a right to. After all, they weren’t taking up much room while on the car but all of a sudden you need boxes and shelves, hanging room and wall space for leaning panels on and snap lock bags for nuts, bolts and clips aplenty. It’s about here that you start to appreciate the work that went into manufacturing and assembling what is an elegant mechanical machine. I sought out advice prior to starting the stripping process and received a lot of good tips (thanks to you guys). Repeatedly I was told to bag and tag everything, even the broken parts. This advice was echoed in Wick Humble’s book, 'How to Restore Your Datsun Z-Car'. I have taken this advice on board but haven’t been obsessed about it. Some of the parts were not original so it was pointless to waste my time with labeling and storing them, others seemed so obvious as to not require any documentation while others yet, for example the wiring, seemed so complex that it was pointless for me to fuss over it since I have no plans to do the job myself. I might be regretting that last one as I am now considering having a go… Other advice mentioned patience and a delicate touch. The car is over 40 years old and requires a gentle and patient hand. I can tell you I’ve used hammers and mallets, grinders both large and small, screwdrivers that will scare the screws off by simply pointing at them, vice grips that have survived what looks like a throwing competition, but most of all a large broom to sweep away the rust that falls off every time I breathe near the car. I will concede it takes a delicate touch at times but when that bastard of a bolt doesn’t want to budge after being soaked in enough penetrating liquids to develop a mild addiction to it, you just have to bring out the breaker bar and standby with a grinder as a threat. Mistakes You won’t learn anything unless you have a go and make some mistakes. I had a go and now I know that taking out a windshield with previously mentioned scary screwdriver is not a good idea. The right tool for the job rings a bell but when you don’t have that right tool it’s mighty tempting to make do with what’s at hand. Exercising patience avoids costly mistakes. Throwing out damaged original parts is a big mistake with emphasis on the word original. Even if you would never use that part again it makes sense to keep it for reference until the day you have a replacement in hand. There are so many variations in parts from early cars to late cars, between models and between cars of different markets that finding the exact part you need becomes a huge task without an original for reference. This of course applies only if you are concerned with originality which I am. I learned this lesson very quickly and now I have a cache of broken clips, panels, bits of trim and even some brown stuff that looks like horse hair… Mechanical Mechanical objects fascinate me. My intention is not to sound macho but I love the challenge of stripping something bare, getting my hands dirty with its grease and grime, figuring out how it all works in a detective like manner and damned be your instruction manual as I soak up the marvel, the simplicity of mechanical objects designed and built by my father’s functional and practical generation. The 240Z is one of these mechanical objects and while certain parts of it are complex and possibly beyond my mediocre skills, the majority of it is simple and just makes perfect mechanical sense as I’m tearing it down which gives me confidence for the restoration and then the assembly phase of the project.

Relisted at NZ$20k opening bid. Going up in Australia as well. They're getting pretty thin on the ground here so the value is going up. Last week a very nice 260Z sold for AU$35k within a week of listing and at the asking price. I purchased a clean original '73 in 2001 for AU$10.5k. I've been on the market for another since Oct '13 and missed out on one that was in similar condition but at AU$20k+. That's Australia wide as well.

Great job. Hope you enjoy it.

Thanks Steve. I don't view this as an investment so I'm not concerned about recouping my costs. That happens all too rarely with cars anyway. I need to confirm the colour code somehow. It looks to be one of the orange based ones. I'm guessing 920 at this stage.

So, I picked up a car this afternoon. She's a bit rusty. OK, a lot rusty! In fact it might be extremely costly to save her. But there is hope! For where there was once life... ...there can be life once again. That is if I replace every part here. And every part here. I'm sure I can afford to replace everything in this photo. If I step on this it will just go away. Problem solved. I don't need to worry about this section - if I try real hard I can always just stare forward. But what is this! A donor car!? That's only half rusted... It is possible we just might hear this engine sing again... And this body roll with pride again... And this plate shine again... For her 50th birthday.

Doesn't even look worthwhile for a parts car.

aye i did check his other two. still don't make him less of a moron.

hi kent. sorry for the late reply. i don't visit here often enough. if you're not a member already, check out http://www.viczcar.com/forum/index.php some of the guys there will be able to help seeing as they know local laws. as for mine, i ended up purchasing another 240 that had engineers papers prior to some law changes in 1994 which allowed me to keep a large capacity engine in it. i doubt you can do it these days but things change all the time and so look into it. i'll give you a number for rta tech info you can try. they ought to help you or point you in the right direction. 1300 137 302 good luck

wow. can you be more of a moron?

amazing. can't wait to give this one a go. i've stopepd gaming but god damn if i'm going to stay away from this one.

I've been here and there Rick. Find it hard to stick to one place on the net. I'm what you might call a manwhore.

i have downloaded the subbed ones i linked. it's all done by one person but he does a good job. there are a couple of new episodes he's working on. very slowly.

Rick! hello you old codger. hope all is well with you...? i have one of those little yellow ones. keeps me company and runs more often than my real one

link down. you can get to torrents here with subs. http://a.scarywater.net/omfg/ sry admin if above is not allowed.

something like this maybe

Welcome to the boards

nice pics Dreco. very artistic

You can always come paint my car I've had both stock and v8. Both have been fun and in a perfect world I'd own a stock daily driver and a v8 for drags/fun. There is something very appealing driving a 240 with a v8 though. The power to weight is great and you can balance them extremely well. This car is perfect for v8's. Well, almost. The body could be a tad stronger.

a lot of effort went in that car. let's hope the new owner to be will take care of her like brett has. and c david, paws off our z's! we only have so many in the country.

nice. you have a shot looking in to the boot? or from underneath? what dif you running?

hey, welcome back! enjoy your resto project

Congratulations!!! --- Shame your first ride wasn't in a Z but I'm sure you'll have plenty of those when you grow up.

looking great. what kind of power/weight you going for?