Hardway

I didn't know whether to put this in the Body & Paint section or Engine section. A few months ago I picked up a 2400 valve cover that is in very condition. Years ago the previous owner had cleaned and wet sanded it to smooth it out. I am wanting to get it back to original as possible but I am having a hard time finding what an original really looks like. Were they painted grayish silver from the factory? Did they have a smooth finish or cast finish? Based on what t looks like now should I just leave it as is? Any details or pictures you guys have are greatly appreciated. Below is what it currently looks like next to the series-1 air cleaner I plan on restoring soon.

Several weeks ago I went back and forth with the seller on trying to get the valve cover for around $260. Given its condition and the price of shipping I felt that was fair. He declined and I ended up getting a nicer 2400 valve cover for $330 shipped to my door. The seller was great and the valve cover was packed well. In my opinion the 2400 valve cover referenced above will be there for awhile unless the price comes down.

Too bad about the dual sunroofs. It definitely has curb appeal! At an asking price of $6K it will get scooped up quick as long as the rest of the car is up to snuff and rust is minimal.

Congrats Tool Man! That is a great looking Z and you certainly picked it up for the right price. Your patience definitely paid off and I think many of us have been down the same road of being impatient, buying a project, and never seeing it to the end before selling it. Now you have something you can drive and enjoy while doing small jobs here and there to make it better. We look forward to your updates and more pictures.

After I thought about this some more I wanted to add one important note. All Z owners need to make sure your cars are insured appropriately. I don't want to start a discussion of which carrier is the best or trade war stories but if you do not have real coverage for your car you need to get it. Some companies require an appraisal to get a value like the owner wants. If so, spend the money and get it. A few hundred dollars now and few hours of your time is worth the investment. God forbid something happens to your car but in the event it does, at least you get a check to help replace your car. Our cars are going up in value, make sure your insurance coverage follows.

I saw the TV special they did for Ron Pratt's collection. If you listen real closely he gives an indication the collection was sold to fund his passion for vintage planes. I don't think the selling of Ron's collection is necessarily the single indicator the market is down. Yes, BJ's revenue is down, I do not think they will go hungry or stop doing auctions. Overall, I think a lot of buyers finally have what they want. Detroit muscle cars, as cool as they are, they are not rare. Every auction has no shortage of them and to be honest, after awhile, the excitement fades and prices reflect it. Truly rare and unique cars will always hold their value but another '64-68 Mustang, another 1st Gen Camaro, another Chevelle is just that, another car. Cars like vintage Ferrari's and Lamborghini's continue to appreciate. More people are buying up nice examples of models from the 80's and 90's now, just look at Countach and Ferrari 308/328 prices. Air cooled Porches, same thing, just going up. Will these cars ever hit a cap, probably but no one knows when. All the big pre-war stuff, I think it is beautiful but I am no expert so I cannot comment. Since this thread is about classic Z prices, I will give me .02. Thanks to all the media outlets, car websites, magazines, and the release of new cars that remind people of the classic Z's (FR-S/BRZ) there has been a constant spot light on the Z cars for the past several years. Just looking at 240z's, from a collector stand point, there are a lot of them out there. Which is good because at any given time there is something out there for every level of Z buyer, from pristine restored cars, to low mileage originals, to very nice drivers, to projects, and everything in between. Stock/Stock-ish cars and tastefully modified cars will always do well in the market. For a clean 240z that is stock and well maintained but not necessarily restored is a $10K - $15K car all day long depending what part of the country you are in. Truly restored cars start at $22K and seem to cap around $30K with a few outliers that have been bought at auction. Just average cars needing some work but could at least be driven home within reason, $4K - $8K. Of course every car needs to looked at up close, consider rust and other issues, changes that are bolt on vs. permanent, everything else that goes with buying a 40 year old Japanese sports car. Things like one owner, low VINs, and popular colors can add a premium to prices across all conditions. The great thing about classic Z's is that unlike so many other vintage cars, they can be driven and regularly. They can keep up with modern traffic and they don't shout "look at me" as a lot of other vintage cars do on the road.

Ever since I bought my Z I wanted to get the two missing series-1 specific components, the non-flapper air cleaner and the “2400” valve cover. Prices for both of these items have gone up significantly over the past few years. Luckily, after some patience and persistence I found both on Ebay at “reasonable” prices. The air cleaner needs to be stripped and repainted along with some new decals which I plan to get from Mike at Banzai Motorworks. The valve cover won’t go on until the air cleaner is done. My goal is to do this in the spring once I get some consistent warm weather. For now, they are in storage for safe keeping. That’s it for now. Once I wrap up the Honda Passport I will jump back in to the Z and document my various projects and tasks.

It has been several months since I posted anything about #8011 so I figured an update was in order. A lot of big changes have happened but not necessarily to the car. On 10/30/2015 my wife and I moved in to a new house. The house and the property are great. We still live in the Austin area per se’ but we are now in Hutto which is about a 20 minute drive to the Austin city limit. A big selling point of the new house is the workshop that came with a two post lift. The previous owner was an auto-X racer and used the space for his C6 Z06 and Porsche Cayman. For any of you that have outfitted a shop from scratch you know it seems like forever until you can really work on stuff again. After many weekends of unpacking, organizing, installing shelves, positioning lockers, etc. etc. I finally got to get to do some real work. Not surprising the Z has not really needed anything but I am working on a ’98 Honda Passport/Isuzu Rodeo that I picked up for $500 for one of my new neighbors. It is currently receiving a new alternator and battery along with a thorough check up. Needless to say the lift is a great tool to have and I can already envision what this additional capability could mean for the future! Once the holidays came and went and I had a free weekend I took the Z out for the first Cars and Coffee of 2016. It was a brisk 30 degrees when I left the house in the morning. As I rolled down the street and on to the main road I quickly realized my heat was not working. To make matters worse the fresh air door was blowing in cold air and I could not close it. I was tempted to turn around and just not go but I was already on the road and the local Z Car club was doing a Z invasion so I pressed on. After a quick meet up in a Target parking lot we headed out to C&C. There were a lot of late model Z’s but only two classic Z’s, mine and Mike W’s gorgeous 260Z. Once things warmed up the crowd at C&C reached capacity so all in all it was a successful morning.

I saw the CL ad linked on Facebook but it was already gone. Low and behold the Bring A Trailer watchers had already posted it up. http://bringatrailer.com/2016/01/23/original-drivetrain-included-l285-speed-swapped-1970-datsun-240z/ I find it very interesting that it is a spinning image of mine. Heck, even the paint almost has the same patina as mine. I would love to know the VIN if anyone saw it. Would just be curious to see how close it is to my #8011. I posted my request in the comments as well. If this car really sold for $15K or close to it then it indicates another upward tick in the pricing and values for these cars.

Thanks guys! This is exactly what I needed. I will be giving Mike a call tomorrow.

A few months ago I picked up a correct non-flapper air cleaner that needs a full restoration. Once done I would like to affix the correct decals to it. I know several vendors offer these decals but I just received a set from a vendor and they were not the silver Mylar material that the originals seem to be made of. The one I received is a dull gray vinyl and the seller is already working with me to refund my money. My question is, where have you guys bought your decals recently and what is your opinion or satisfaction level of them? I realize material and ink process may have changed from the originals but I would like the decals to look and feel as close to original as possible. I don't mind pony'ing up the money for a good set, I just don't want to waste time and money on something that is not right. Any input and pictures are greatly appreciated!

I picked this up a few months ago but have not had time to do anything to it. Its a 1998 Honda Passport/Isuzu Rodeo. Got it for $500 from my new neighbor. It needs a battery, alternator, tires, and a good cleaning. Has 179K miles but short of being tapped on the front bumper cover it is in pretty good shape. The lease is up on my FR-S in Feb. 2017 so my plan is to get this up to scratch and drive it, having it becoming my daily driver when the FR-S goes away.

Hey Gav. My car did have air conditioning at one time but it was a dealer installed unit. When I got the car there was nothing left but the under dash unit and the controls mounted on the side of the console so I unsure if any components were ever mounted to those mounts. The mystery continues!

Another suggestion is to also install the parking light relay. I did this on my 240z in addition to the headlight relay from Dave and it does make a difference. Plus, it takes more heat away from the headlight switch.

For anyone that is curious, both of the Craigslist links above still work.

I was in much the same boat several years ago when I bought my welder and I took all the advice above. I ended up buying a Hobart Handler 150 that I picked up at a pawn shop for $300 including the HF cart it was sitting on. It had some miles on it but it works perfectly. It is 220V, setup for gas which I have a bottle of argon for it, and parts are easy to come by as places like NH Northern, Tractor Supply Co., and all welding supply stores support Hobart. At the end of the day it is more welder than I need but I know that if I take care of it that welder should handle any project I throw at it for the rest of my life. I did some small sheet metal work on my previous Z using it and welded some metal track together for some barn doors my wife and I built a year or two ago. I rarely use it but it is priceless when I need it. Add the auto darkening helmet, some good vise grips, and it is a great tool package that will always be with me.

I am just now seeing this thread but glad you came to your senses Zed. I will only add the words that the original owner of my Z had for me when I got to meet him a few weeks ago, "great looking car, makes me wonder why I ever sold it" And he had it for twenty-five years. The energy and excitement of getting a new car is definitely intoxicating, but it comes and goes. However, the regret of letting one go is a pain that never completely goes away.

Congrats! 10 years is a long time to wait for a car. Kudos to you for hanging in there and getting such a great looking car to start with. We look forward to your future posts and as always, more pictures!

Great story and great pictures! Thank you so much for sharing it with us. Even surrounded my American muscle cars your Z looks right at home. That Super Bird is as radical today as it was when it was new. One day I would love for my wife and I to do some road trips in my Z. I need to show her this post!

Thank you for all the compliments guys. I am glad I was able to share the story and thrilled that the event actually happened. Getting to meet Frank and show him the car made his day as much as mine. I look forward to keeping in touch with him and hopefully hearing about him being the new owner of Porsche 911 one day!

Great work and attention to detail. I love your pictures, they highlight not only the actual labor but how good the finished product can be if your pay attention to everything and get it right. Keep up the good work!!! I look forward to seeing more updates.

As car enthusiasts we are not merely the owners of 4-wheeled machines but caretakers of classic and interesting automobiles. Anytime we acquire a used but “new to me“ vehicle we always want to know its history, where has it been, has it been treated well, what made the owner buy this car over another, and so on. Many times there are clues left behind in between the seat cushions or stashed in the glovebox in the form of receipts, matchbooks, and maybe even an occasional photograph that was included with the sale. Sometimes the story of ownership is passed down through the owners themselves. But as time marches on and these cars and their previous owners grow older it is becoming harder to track down and have the opportunity to talk with the original owner of a car. After several conversations and a few months of planning this opportunity materialized and I am so grateful it did. This past weekend I trailered my 1971 240z #8011 to the Dallas area to visit family, attend the Dallas/Plano Cars and Coffee, and have lunch with Frank Lauriello, the original owner of the car. On Sunday October 4th we met at Main Street Bistro and Bakery for brunch. I didn’t know what Frank looked like but knew he was in his 60’s. Seeing that everyone else there was a young beautiful family and well-dressed I figured the first guy in his 60’s that walked in by himself would be Frank. Sure enough as an older gentleman walked in I tapped him on the shoulder and I was right. We formally introduced ourselves, shook hands, and a got a table outside. After ordering coffee and discussing how beautiful the weather was the conversation quickly turned to cars. Frank had never heard of Cars and Coffee so I told him about the event and even given the fact there were two dozen Italian exotics in attendance, only three classic Z’s were there. Being exclusive does not always mean being expensive I said. He laughed and agreed and asked the next time it comes around he would like to check it out. When I originally setup this weekend I was hoping to meet Frank at C&C but he was already booked up on Saturday. The waitress comes back around, we order our food and get back to our conversation. I asked Frank what made him buy the Z and what else was he considering when he did. He told me how he was looking at Porsche 911’s as they were fast and cheap back then and the 240Z’s were already popular around Los Angeles. After test driving the 240z he figured it would be more reliable than the Porsche so he bought it in late September of 1970. He remembered that the car was built in August of 1970 and felt it should really be called a 1970 but was titled as a ’71. I asked him “how cheap was a Porsche 911 in 1970?“ Frank: “About $9,000” Me: “How much was the Z?” Frank: “Around $3,000 if I remember correctly” Me: “How much was a house in Los Angeles in the early 70’s?” Frank: “Around 15 to 20 grand” We both laughed, seems that Porches have always been expensive. He went on to tell me a few years ago he considered buying a new 911 but his wife would not even get in the car to go on a test drive. He still likes them but he for now they are not in the financial picture. I asked him has ever thought about getting another Z, maybe a new one like a 370z? He said they are nice but he has not paid that much attention to them. Our food arrives, we take a few bites, switch gears to another topic of what we with our time, job, etc. Frank goes on to tell me that he volunteers with an organization that provides handyman services to senior citizens called Plain-O-Helpers. I was truly impressed with the variety of work they do and how busy they are, averaging thirty houses per week. They work with the city and county to help seniors get their homes up to code or install ramps, grab bars, and more. He has been doing it for twelve to thirteen years and I could tell he has a real passion for it. Suddenly my job as an IT project manager was not that interesting. We took in some more of our food and I ask Frank to tell me about any exciting trips or adventures he had in the Z. He wipes mouth and sits back as I can tell the mental wheels are spinning and he says “we drove that car everywhere.” “We took it up the California highway all the way to Canada one time, we drove it to Washington, Wyoming, Colorado, and Nevada.” “It was always a good car, had plenty of room for our bags” “It was always garage kept and never got rained on unless it had been driven and the rain came along” There were no adventures or mishaps with the car. Based on Frank’s stories the Z served as fun but essential transportation to their destinations. The conversation changed gears to ownership history and I shared what I knew based on the information I had gathered from the owner I bought it from. Frank owned the car for approximately twenty five years and during that time he lived in LA, Colorado, and then moving to the Dallas Texas area where he lives now. He sold the car to a car collector a few years after moving to Dallas in the mid 90’s. The car had an issue with second gear and at this point Frank was done with the car and did not feel like fixing it. We concluded that the collector fixed the transmission and sold the car on to the owner in Denison Texas near the Oklahoma border. I told Frank I actually spoke with this owner briefly after buying the car and that he was now in his 90’s. I did not keep him on the phone long, just confirmed a few things about the car and was hoping he still had the window sticker as Frank originally told me during our first phone conversation that it went with the car. Fortunately he remembered the window sticker but unfortunately it was lost during a move. I told Frank about all the work the work that Dave Hoffer and his crew had done on the car prior to me buying it from Dave. This included the engine and suspension rebuild along with the 5-speed transmission swap. We wrapped up our meal, took care of the check, and vacated our residency on the patio. We walked to the parking garage where the Z was and as we came upon it we talked about the condition of the paint. He said the color it is now is very close to what he remembered as the original color. I opened the hatch and showed him the evidence of the BMW graphite metallic that remained along with the original paint peeking through in a few locations where the BMW color had flaked off. I asked him if he wanted to go for a ride and he quickly accepted. After a quick seat belt adjustment we were off as several car alarms chirped upon our exit, informing us that we were disturbing their morning slumber. I took Frank on a nice loop away from traffic so I could do some spirited driving with him. He said “she really moves along” as the engine pulled the car around with ease, always providing a little g-force to the occupants. As we got on to a road with a higher speed limit I shifted in to 5th demonstrating how nice the car cruised and Frank agreed that is what it needed since day one. We drove around some more as I could see him looking around the inside of the car, taking it all in. As we made our way back to the parking garage Frank asked if he could take my picture with the car so he could show his wife and I replied “absolutely”. I parked on the side street next to the garage as we took turns taking pictures of the car and of the other standing next to it. We chatted a little more as Frank remembered being in a small accident in the car, being hit on the front right side. He said the shop did a good job and I concurred as the car has nice shot lines and handles well. I told him I had picked up the set of slotted mag wheels the last time I was in the Dallas area from a guy off Craigslist and asked what wheels were on the car when he got it and did he ever changed them. “It had the regular steel wheels and wheel covers on it, always did.” I popped the hood to show him the engine bay and that you could see the detailed suspension as well. He was impressed with all the attention to detail and was so glad to see that it has always been cared for. He mentioned the dealer chopped off the front of the original air cleaner to make room for the AC compressor. I have the “before” pictures of when Dave got the car and had always been curious who chopped the front of the snorkel off the air box and why. The morning had turned to the afternoon and I knew I needed to start heading back to Austin. I closed the hood down as Frank stood at the back of the car looking over the rear passenger quarter panel and as I joined him I hear him say “she looks really good, makes me wonder why I ever got rid of it” I could tell the memories were playing in full HD at this point in his mind. I told him I really enjoy the car and I am very happy and honored to have it as I know how special it is. I thanked him again for meeting with me, shook his hand, and that it had been a pleasure getting to talk with him. He did the same, thanked me for the meal, and said he really appreciated me reaching out to him and setting this up, it had been a fun morning. I told him I would keep him posted on the car and let him know the next time Cars and Coffee was taking place. I got the Z loaded back up and back to Austin without incident. As I write this I have more questions I wish I had asked Frank and wish I had someone to take pictures of us during our meeting. For now, I am beyond thrilled at getting to meet with him as it will be one of the many great memories I have with the Z.

When I did mine not too long ago I had to use a block of wood and a jack to push it in to place. Took a little time but got it in there. With a spread of 9 years for the classic Z's and decades of life events for any car, there are bound to be instances where a part slips in to place on one car and and it a complete bear on others. Spindle pins are a whole different animal so don't be scared of a little ole' diff mount

I live in Texas and just watched this episode. It was a true Series-1, even had the 2400 valve cover on it. Since it is a TV show it impossible to know how long it took her to turn it around and no way to know if the investment price and final sale price was real. I looked on her website and could not find it in her inventory. The Dallas area Z car guys have a lot of guys looking and posting their findings so I would have thought someone would have seen it by now. I will be at the Plano Cars and Coffee this weekend and will do some asking around.