Hardway

This may sound like a dumb question. Is there any way to remove the clips found in our cars that have the plastic stick/pin in the middle and not lose the pin? Removing it seems rather obvious, use a small punch to push the pin through and pull the clip out. However one is left to find the pin as it falls out and usually disappears forever. I am tempted to replace all of mine with the small nail head style clips, that way you pull the pin up and remove the clip. Any guidance here is greatly appreciated.

Congratulations Chris on your Z! I echo Frank's comments on what do with your newly acquired 240z. There is a lot to be said for keeping a low production number car all original. I think you might be on to something about making it original as possible and re-selling it on to a passionate Z enthusiast willing to pay good money for a good car. If a track car is what you want there are plenty of cars out there that are either stalled projects due to lack of funds or time and other cars already modded or at least with the hard stuff done for what you want. However in the end your Z is YOUR Z. Make it what you want and enjoy doing it. I, myself just picked up my first 240z earlier this week after owning several 280z's and a few 300zx's. I know the choices you are weighing and hope you make the right one that makes you happy. We would love to see some pics of Hugger Orange Z when you can post them up. Good luck and welcome to the club!

Thanks for the compliments guys. I already picked up a 240z hood and some chrome bumpers from a local seller. Later down the road I will get the hood painted and mounted but for now the 280z hood will stay. The switch is for an aux. electric fan mounted in front of the radiator. It has working cold AC and I assume the fan helps once it gets really hot outside. Right now my focus is on the exhaust manifold lead and either getting some different seats for it or biting the bullet and buying everything now to recover them. They have not padding left and I instantly sink when sitting in them.

That is beautiful ZCurves! Love the color, makes the wheels and bumpers pop very nicely. Congrats on a job well done!

I purchased this 1972 240z from a seller off Craigslist. Due to the distance being 300 miles away I opted to have it shipped. Based on the few pictures the seller gave me and the info they provided I rolled the dice and bought it sight unseen. For the most part it is everything the seller described. It has a little more rust on it that I anticipated but for what I got the car for and what has already been done to it I am still happy. According to the seller the engine is from a '78 280Z and the transmission and rear end are from a 280ZX. I have verifed the block is a L28, it has an N47 head, and it has an E88 intake. As you can see in the pics it has some rust on the doors and the floor pans are soft. The carbs need some tuning but I was able to drive it around, fill it up with gas and drive it home. All the gauges and electrics work and I will be testing out the AC later this week. The seller said it blew cold so we will see. My biggest question is the color. From what I can tell it is the original since everything in the engine bay is the same color. It has been repainted at least once and the factory color sticker is there but the print is long gone. So, is it Lime Green or something else? I took some pictures in and out of my garage since the sun was super bright this afternoon. All of comments are welcome

Just because you buy a car in TX or OK does not mean it won't have rust. I picked up and sold on a '77 280z 5spd a few weeks ago, see link below. It was a TX car its whole life. The frame rails were good but due to the car's age the weatherstripping had deteriorated and let water in. The rust you see in the pictures is water coming in at the quarter windows and dripping down. No matter where you buy a S30 check it over for rust really good as others have already mentioned it is the car's Achilles's heel. http://www.zcar.com/cars_sale_1970-83_240z_260z_280z_280zx/1977_280z_5-speed_austin_tx_3200_sold_903408.0.html In regards to reliability, the S30 presents the most bang for the buck and many have run 200K, 300K+ miles and are stilling running strong. They are like any car, do the proper maintenance and it will last. On a S30 it is minimal but the usual stuff must be done at expected reasonable intervals.

If it really is bedliner paint its not coming off. At this point you are better off finding a decent used one to get you by if you don't want to buy a brand new one. Keep your eyes peeled to Ebay and the various early Z classifieds, both on here and other sites. Also, setup a Craigslist RSS feed, might find one there and get it at a good price. On the Ebay completed listings looks like a run of used ones went for $90. A good deal IMO. Good luck!

Glad to hear you got it fixed and your materials were at no cost. You are right, the smallest adjustments can make the biggest difference in how well a part functions. It's all in the details. If you have any pictures of your repair post them up, I think myself and other forum members would like to see your work.

That is a great presentation in that link. Thank you for posting Cygnusx1. I think the word "classic" is something that not only served its purpose very well but makes you feel good doing it. If classic was just in reference to age then items from 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago and on that were design and function failures would deteriorate the meaning of the word. In the case of the 240z, even if you have never driven one you are drawn to it. If you have driven one then you admire its simplicity, revel in its performance, and appreciate its flaws. My wife, who is not in to cars anywhere near as much as I am shocked me when she said she liked the rusty '77 280z I brought home a few months ago, she said it was cute. Of course her next question was how much to get it painted and how long? Still recovering from shock since I was afraid I was going to be in the dog house for parking such a "cosmetic needy" car in our driveway. She said it reminded her of the old Ferrari's and other cars we saw at Pebble Beach last year. With this comment I believe classic is something not modern and stirs an emotion. Think of other things we call "classic" Wurlitzer jukeboxes, old tractors, steam trains, heck, KFC calls their chicken pot pie "classic" and it is, cooked well not only is it appealing to the eye, it dang sure tastes good! This probably reminds many of us of dinners around the table or camp fires with friends and family. I believe the 240z and its classic status also has to do with the fact it will never be repeated. Granted, light weight, small, fast attractive cars are made all the time but they are not as attainable from a price standpoint as the 240z was. The 240z set a benchmark and has served as inspiration to others and it is recognized when it has done so. Just like drivers and enthusiasts back when the car was new recognized its inspiration was taken from the Ferrari GTO, Jag XKE, and the like. The part of the story that we benefit the most from is the fact the 240z is available and attainable by everyone. Plus, if you love almost everything about the 240z but want a little more plush-ness there is a 260z or 280z out there for you as well. May we all admire the people and machines we call "classic" in our driveways, behind velvet ropes, and in all forms of media around the world.

I agree with the $950 price but if it ran good and might have some goodies under the hood, ya never know. Someone needs to go check it out and negotiate the dealer down if its worth picking up. Here in Austin a rusty non-running and damaged but complete '73 240z sold for $900. It even had all the AC components on it.

Without hearing it run or having someone drive the car its hard to say. You really need to see all around inside and under the hood, its obvious the driver seat will need to be recovered. Every seller says their car runs good. If the L-tronic fuel injection system has been maintained and runs good the car is $1700 - $3000. If it has AC and works thats a plus. Looks like the floor has been Dynamat'd, could be a plus or minus depending on whats under it. Really need more info to be able to tell you go for it, walk away, or run. Is it local to you? If so make an appointment to go see it. Second piece to think about, can or will you be doing any repairs yourself. Obviously the more you can do the better but think about what might need to be farmed out a pro.

Thank you for the suggestions on the steering wheel. I ended up finding a 240z in TX and working out the deal now. It still has the factory wheel on it. I have used Grant wheels in the past and always been happy with their quality, looks, and comfort. I may consider one for the 240 once I get it.

Saw this while searching and thought the community would like to know about it. Needs a hood and some interior attention, seems like a project you could drive and restore. No comments on rust or other condition. http://www.carsonlinefree.com/sites/inventoryDetails.cfm?dealerID=2407&vid=245809&searchTerm=all&sortBy=makeA&startRow=1

Good to know. I appreciate the information guys. I have my eyes set on a 260Z but its out of state. Planning to have a friend go check it out for me.

I know the 240z is lighter and thus would be more nimble than a 260z. However how much of a difference is it? I have read the steering ratio is tighter on a 240z. I am working to find a clean 240z for $5K - $7K. There are none in TX but seems to be plenty along the west coast in CA and OR. I am trying to determine if the extra money for a 240z is really worth it from a handling and performance stand point. I am planning on using the car just cruise around town, no auto-crossing is in my future. Thank you!

The car has sold and I actually got more than the $2800 I had originally expected from the previous interested party. The buyer who is a paint and body guy wanted a good running car and did not mind the rust repair ahead of him. Sounds like it is going to a good home and hopefully he will post up his progress as he saw the ad here. Thank you to everyone for the comments. Now the 240z hunt begins!

I appreciate the comments guys and I see where you are coming from. You are right, the 280 crowd is not as big as the 240 crowd. However I have seen some really nice 280z's sell for $8K - $11K, and that's sell, not just for sale. I think $2800 is good too and fair considering how good the car runs, if I can get it I will run with it but the offer I think has very little chance of actually happening. I think for me I just need to determine a number where I keep the car, fix it, paint it, and enjoy it. I know a really good 240z will run me $6K - $8K but the 280 may be worth keeping too.

So I have my '77 5spd 280z up for sale. It truly runs great, super smooth, plenty of power, handles well, and stops confidently. Its biggest drawback is rust. It has some on the rockers as seen in the pics in my ad, the passenger side floor pan has a section that is rusted through, and the battery tray is a 6 on a scale of 1-10. The frame rails are in excellent shape as well as the hatch area. I am asking $3200 but its negotiable. I like the car but really want a 240z. My question is, what do you guys think is a reasonable number on it but not giving it away? I have a tentative offer of $2800 if the guy sells his other car. That's about as low as I want to go on it as I feel that is truly what its worth. However with the influx of 280z's coming on the market I may have to go lower if this guy does not come through. Thoughts and opinions are greatly appreciated. My CL ad with pics and info: http://austin.craigslist.org/cto/2864732902.html

I have looked at that car several times. For that price you would want to see it up close. The black is not original as you can see the dark green all over the engine bay. For a turn key car that is probably a decent deal.

Congrats and thank you for saving a Z worthy of restoration. All of us that don't live in CA sure wish we did. These kinds of cars seem to be all over the place. Keep us posted on your progress!

The silver one is the way to go. For what the sellers want for the other two you are way ahead with the silver one. Please listen to experienced owners here. You will sink, 3x, 4x, if not more in to one of the others for what you can get the silver one for. If I lived in the area I would have already picked it up and not even haggled on the price.

I definitely hear everyone on getting out there and just buying it. Its just not do-able for me right now but wanted to give the Z community here some visibility to it. The seller will get there asking price for sure and should sell quickly. I wish the seller and potential buyer the best of luck with it.

I talked to the owner and got some more pics as I seriously considered flying out this weekend to look at it. However with a $500 flight and $1000+ in shipping back to TX I am just not in a position to pick this one up so I thought I would post it up here. Has a aftermarket AC, newer paint, alum. radiator, a high quality driver piece. Looks to be worth every bit of $7K http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/cto/2860220134.html I want a 240z so bad and Texas offers nothing at reasonable prices. Contrary to popular belief, all cars here are just as rusty as just about everywhere else. I missed out on a nice 240z in Houston because I just could not get out there from Austin fast enough. I could literally start a business by picking up classic cars in CA, bringing them to TX, and flipping them. Maybe I should!

I had the pleasure of reading this article while waiting for my Z to be inspected a few weeks ago. Its a great article and very informative. Definitely worth picking up!

With so many posts about cars listed on Ebay this one popped up this evening and thought it was deserving of a post here. For the work that has been done, the color combo, and options I think the BIN of $13K is very fair. If someone got this for $11K - $12K they would be getting a deal! Check it out. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Fully-Restored-Blue-280Z-/220952783382?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item3371cfea16