Smokey

I did not know that the Batmobile came in Burgandy . You reckon I could get it in yellow?

That is the goal. I do not want to go through the bondo and primer experience this time around. I thought my '72 was in good shape, but during spring break, I found out otherwise. This is a pic of the "good" end of the car.

In that light 45) They saved the wrong end of the umbilical chord

Ahhh, that makes sense.

Royce, I agree the '70 would be the better (for lack of a better term) investment. The transmission and diff are not a concern since this car has a swapped in R200 rear end, and a 280Z 5spd Tranny. I am looking for one to drive and enjoy. The '73 just don't have enough "guts" for me. With the E88 head and 4spd, it just kinda lags as a road car. My '72 with the 4spd was much quicker and more solid in the acceleration department. Unfortunately, it was not solid anywhere else. If it were not for bondo, you could see through the car.

Here is a shot of the interior. There has to be only 1 car like this anywhere. Dig those blue seats.

This is a 1970 240Z that I will be going to see soon--hopefully. The current owner has only had it since May last year. I was wondering if this car came from any members here that might be able to shed some light on its condition. The VIN is HLS3005505 and is in the Raleigh area. Here is a pic of it to refresh memory.

Since he is talking about one wheel, I guess it might be a Steering wheel. Were they different in England?

We'll keep it a secret:tapemouth Oh, wait....this is a public board

According to Wick Humble (How to Restore Your Datsun Z-Car ) the Bosch L-Jetronic fuel-injection appeared first on the 280Z. Maybe that will clarify the issue a little.

Daniel, the flat tops started in '73 and the late '73's had slightly bigger bumpers. They were spaced out from the body, and had shock type mounts. These carried over to the 260 for the first half of the model year. The second half saw the 5mph bumpers and redesigned front valance. I think they still ran the flat tops. In '75 with the 280 motor came FI.

The mystery was killing me, so I went back and looked at the car again. The owner did not know if the head had been changed before he got it, but he has not changed it. When he got it, it still had the flat tops on it. I saw it has the E88 head, so it is the low compression one. I also spotted some more rust on it today, that I missed the first time out. I am going to hold off on it till I see what the '70 shows me.

I went back out and looked at the floor pans top and bottom, they are fine, no rust or damage. There are some blisters that I missed popping up on the rockers, but they are minor. I got down and dirty looking behind the bumpers. The front one is fine, but the rear has been tweaked on the driver's side. This has caused the paint to crack and there is rust forming near the mounting pad. There is built up dirt and debris on the inside of both front fenders that has hardened like concrete. The motor does have the round tops, but the head is the original E88 with the low compression ratio. This explains the lack of performance that I felt when I drove the car. I think I will be passing on this car, as I want one that requires NO work for that kind of money. If anyone is interested in contact info, lemme know. I'll get you his number. It is located in Winston-Salem, NC. I'm off to look at a '70 with 280 running gear.

Mmmmmm T-tops

Thanks BambiKiller, Guess I have to find out which head is on the car. He has not mentioned which one, and he might not know. The '70 I am looking at has a swapped in 280 5spd, and the R200 diff. That makes the car a bit more appealing to me. Just need to set up a time when I can go look at it.

I hate the trim too. It will come off if I get it, and when I paint it. Anyway, back on topic (the off topic has been very informative tho). I was noticing that the 70-72 Z's were rated at 150 hp from the facotory. The '73 dropped to just under 130hp. Is that simply from the carbs and head? Once the carbs are replaced with round tops is the hp close to 150, or does it get back to 150hp? I just don't want to start with a weak car.

The '73 is in pretty good shape. It has 128K miles on it, and is all original including paint. It has had no body work at all. It was originally a cali car. The current owner bought it in 83, and has had it garaged, and covered since. The dash is cracked (of course). There is only 2 small under the paint rust bubbles on the hatch. There is a small amount of rust on the driver's side frame rail from paint damage. That is easy to fix. Here is the add. Owned since 1983 - This California car has always been garaged & covered Exterior - Good to Excellent original Burnt Orange paint with original Black 240Z stripe down both sides - NO RUST Interior Original black in excellent condition with dash cracked in usual places NEW WITHIN LAST 12,000 MILES: - Blinker switch - Map light - Rubber on all bumpers & bumper guards - Clutch slave cylinder - Koni shocks & coil springs all around (lowered 1-2") - Ball joints - Oversized front & rear sway bars (1" front 7/8" rear) - Strut bars - Steering coupler & rack bushings - neoprene - Pressure plate, Clutch disc, Release bearing, & Flywheel - Headers - Transmission seals and bushings - Brake lines - K&N carb filters & breather - Water pump, Thermostat, & Coolant lines - Radiator & Fan clutch - Plug wires, Points, Condenser, Cap & Rotor - Complete fuel tank removal & all new hoses & fittings - Complete tune up including disassembly of carbs Recent compression test showed - 150-160-163-160-150-160 - Michelin tires with mag wheels The car at this time is running in A-1 form! PRICE: $ 6,800 OBO I have gotten him to come down to 5800 so far.

Yeah, Rock still races his roadster quite a bit. He runs a shop in Lewisville, NC now (RV Performance). He used to work on just the Roadsters and the Z's, but that got to be a small customer base so he branched out to pretty much all imports. He is one of the most honest and genuine people I know. And I am very glad that I have access to something that the California types dont :devious:

I've managed to talk the guy down a 1000 dollars off his original asking price. It does have the round top SU's . He has been running it on unleaded since 83 when he bought it (Cali car). Gonna take it to the resident Z expert here in town (Rock Vest) and see if he thinks it is a good car, and worth what seller is asking. If that don't work out, then I have a lead on a '70 that has been restored. It has very little rust (gas lid, and one floor pan), but is not currently registered, or inspected. That will make a test drive kinda difficult. Thanks for all the informative posts guys. What you have said is pretty much what my research has brought up. I feel comfortable with the 73 now. It is a very nice car, all original--even the paint--128K miles.

So what you are saying is the '73's just had the dreaded flat tops, but the actual motor was the same. Reason I am asking, is I have found a 73 240 with converted carbs. I just don't want to have less performance out of the motor right off the bat.

OK, here is a newb question. Other than the carbs, what differences are there between a late '73 240Z and the earlier motors? Had they started putting emmisions controls on the motor yet, or did they wait for the 260?

Oops, sorry bout missing that part. The underneath is just fine. It has tons of cobwebs, but the original undercoating (with body overspray) is present. The frame rails and floor pans are in great shape. The wheel wells are all fine also. This is the most rust free Z I have ever looked at. here is his add. Owned since 1983 - This California car has always been garaged & covered Exterior - Good to Excellent original Burnt Orange paint with original Black 240Z stripe down both sides - NO RUST Interior Original black in excellent condition with dash cracked in usual places NEW WITHIN LAST 12,000 MILES: - Blinker switch - Map light - Rubber on all bumpers & bumper guards - Clutch slave cylinder - Koni shocks & coil springs all around (lowered 1-2") - Ball joints - Oversized front & rear sway bars (1" front 7/8" rear) - Strut bars - Steering coupler & rack bushings - neoprene - Pressure plate, Clutch disc, Release bearing, & Flywheel - Headers - Transmission seals and bushings - Brake lines - K&N carb filters & breather - Water pump, Thermostat, & Coolant lines - Radiator & Fan clutch - Plug wires, Points, Condenser, Cap & Rotor - Complete fuel tank removal & all new hoses & fittings - Complete tune up including disassembly of carbs Recent compression test showed - 150-160-163-160-150-160 - Michelin tires with mag wheels The car at this time is running in A-1 form! PRICE: $ 6,800 OBO And I have been looking at ZMEFLY's car. It has gotten my attention. Just thought I would look local first. I just really started looking into a Z in November. I am still getting the money saved up. I was going to have to take out a loan on this particular Z, which I really did not want to have to do.

Hey thanks for the quick responses guys. This board ROCKS!! I agree, the car is overpriced. I've been looking at some similar Z's and found that the 3-4K price is more reasonable for the condition it is in. So, unless he decided to be realistic, I guess the search continues. He would not even entertain an offer of 5800, so I guess I will have to let him sit on it some more. Been for sale since Oct. 02. I am the third person to look at it.

I am currently looking at a 73 240Z. The owner is asking quite a bit of money for it--$6800. Just need some opinions as to whether or not this is reasonable. First off, I realize that the Z's are getting kinda sparse in good condition and the price reflects that. But, in my experience only the restored pieces go for that kind of money. This car is unrestored with original paint (good shape) 128K miles on original motor. Sounds good huh? It is, for the most part. My concerns are this, It needs weather stripping on the rear hatch area, the driver's side seal finisher needs to be replaced (rust under the vinyl). Also the car has lots of dings and dents, and the roof looks as though someone has sat on it (minor, but needs straightening). The rear hatch has two rust blisters about the size of an eraser, and is caved in slightly from closing it. The carpet in the back is dry rotted and the backing falls apart when you pull it up to access the storage area. For the good end, it has a whole Koni suspension (dropped about 2 inches) with strut braces front and rear. The car is VERY solid and stable. The gas tank has been completely refitted by the best Z man in the area IMO. The SU's (round top) have been rebuilt by the same shop. Compression numbers are 150-160-163-160-150-160. Seems pretty good but low and high are separated by 13 (I thought 10 was acceptable). While driving the car I noticed some big peaks and valleys in the acceleration curve. There was a hesitation when you mashed the loud pedal. I think this can all be cured by richening the mixture to the SU's. The only other rust on the whole car is some surface (due to paint damage) on the driver's side frame rail on the top. And, of course, the afforementioned blisters on the hatch. Keep in mind this is all original orange paint. The car was a Cali car until 83 when the current owner purchased it. It has been garaged and covered and driven on sunny days only. Any thoughts on this car? Should I hold out for a '72, or is the '73 with the SU carbs pretty much the same animal? Here is a picture of it for reference.

I let my then fiance drive my Z once. Cost me 480 dollars after she burned up the clutch and flywheel. She will not see the driver's seat in my new one.