mriz

I would also check the gasket that connects the manifold to the exhaust . That one went on both my 79 and 82. Jim

I would take a magnet to it to see where any filler or hidden rust is in the lower rear quarters / doglegs / rockers. Check the inside structure of the lower doors to see if there is enough metal to weld a patch panel to. How bad is the rust on the firewall ? Check where the tension rods connect to the frame. You want to make sure you have somthing that can at least be road worthy on your budget . A least know where your starting point is . That was my mistake . You want a learning experience not a Phd so at least you can have fun with it . Jim

Quite curious about how it will turn out but I think any shade of silver would look good on a Z so why not try it. Jim

Thanks , it will be good to see a decent paint job on it. I almost had to abandon the project but my wife convinced me to hang in and keep it and glad she did . I was going between silver and graphite for a while and couldn't decide . The painter said he will add a little black to the silver to knock it down a little and should look nice. Possibly a shade darker than 76 280z's car . It's no show car as the panel gaps are as good as it gets due to previous damage but better than no Z at all . Jim

Finally found a small shop who was willing to paint the Z. He mostly does dealer work and small jobs the other shops refuse . Gave it to him in primer with all the trim/bumpers/glass and such off. He will do the final sand and tape He uses Dupont Chromabase and should have it back in a couple of weeks. I'll post pics as soon as it's home .

Build date 11/76.

Actually wanted to post this to Dave's other thread. oops! Build date 11/76

After a sudden illness I was forced to let the Z sit for almost a year so the body never got finished. The other day I was at the neighbors house as he is restoring a 76 buick as a DD. Turns out a friend of his has a younger brother in law who does small body work jobs on the side. He used to work in a shop before changing careers and enjoys it as a hobby. He was there working on the Buick and wanted to see the Z as they are rare around here and he never saw one in person . He offered to finish it up for me this week if I wanted . Not being up to it yet I took him up on it and should have the car ready for paint in a few days. When I dropped it off tonight his brother was there with his 350Z . He was quite interested in the 280 and saw where some of the ideas for the gauges and just the heritage of the Z in general. Never met any one who hasn't loved the lines on a S30 yet. Now I just have to beg a shop to take the money and spray it as it is. Not so easy around here as I have found out last year. We will see as it could take awhile.

From the A pillar back it's starting to look more like a 911 in that photo.

I heard a radio comercial for Darien Nissan Ct. the other day with Bob Sharp talking about the history of the Z. He mentions his racing days and that the Z was introduced to compete with the higher priced Porsches of the day and won . I think he finally sold his Nissan dealership located in Wilton a couple of years ago but still in the area I guess.

Joel welcome ,that looks like a real nice 240. If you are new to Z cars make sure to ask him for more pictures of the car such as hatch,rockers,frame,battery tray,interior. Find out about the electrical ,heater,gauges ,charging system ,ect... Has the suspension been redone? Was it rust free or repaired? Look in the picture gallery here and you will see the trouble areas or search "rust" . Go in with as much info as possible. If you get to the point of writing a check let me know and I'll see if I can go with you as a second set of eyes . Jim

Well I checked it out today and it was worse than I thought. Interior was missing and dash was trashed. The body was totaled by mother nature with all panels rusted through including the firewall.

I am mostly going to look out of curiosity because it is not out of my way home from work. By the looks of the picture it is a 200 dollar parts car and without doucmentation on the 40k mi. it may as well be 240k mi. . Hood damage ,no bumper ,I doubt they know anything about Z cars as most people in the area don't. There is no market for a car like this in the area and not worth buying sight unseen and shipping out of state at any price. If by miracle the body is rust free from being stored properly I'll tell them to call me when they want it gone.

I am going to check this one out as it is on the way home from work. A Z car for sale is rare in Bridgeport Ct in Febuary of all months. I am curious as to how they came across it and it's condition. I'll probably hurt thier feelings if I made an offer as I doubt 40k miles. If by chance it has a good motor and body I would be tempted. My apology if the link does not work. http://newyork.craigslist.org/search/sss/fct?query=datsun fairfield > cars & trucks $2,495, silver w/gray interior, 40,000 mi, 2 Dr, 5 Spd Std, 6 Cyl, 2.8 6 CYLINDER 5 SPEED, RUNS AND DRIVES VERY STRONG ORIGINAL MILES, GOOD PROJECT RESTORATION CAR OR , FOR YOUR DATSUN COLLECTOR, THIS IS A MUST SEE!, PRICED RIGHT FOR OUT TAX RETURN BLOW OUT SALE!, VIN:HLS30425992, Stock No: 280Z, Call: 203-540-5000 Hours: MON-FRI 9:00AM - 6:00PM & SAT 9:00AM - 4:00PM. LOCATED AT 773 STATE ST, BRIDGEPORT, CT 06604 - WE HAVE THE BEST CASH PRICES AROUND! COME CHECK US OUT! CALL TODAY 203-540-5000

Interesting website which sums up the differences in Z cars. Datsun Models | Conceptcarz.com

I ran a jumper wire to the pump to prime it . After that it ran fine on it's own.

Put one through 5yrs of college. Currently putting the orthodontist's kid through college.

Sorry Arne, I should have stated all markets as I was not referring to just US Z cars. It would have been interesting if technology alone dictated the path of the engineers. I would have liked for the S30 to have stayed around a bit longer . At least to the era where rust prevention was built into the design.

I don't know if this has been covered before but I was wondering what path the 240Z would have taken if not for bumper and emisssion and other govt. regulations. How far would the engineers at Datsun let the 240Z evolve and for how long?

Thats the one,Thanks Stephen.

I can't get the link to post but a very nice one an hour north of me sold for $8,850 last week on ebay. Red 1978 with black int. I had spoken with the owner a couple of times at the beginning of the auction and he told me the reserve was realistic and I should come up and see it. It hit reserve around $6,500. I told him the timing was bad right now but would be seroiusly interested in a few months. My wonderful wife told me I should have just bought it for the reserve when I had the chance. Enlarge Datsun : Z-Series 280Z 1978 Datsun 280Z

I had to stop using the car cover due to those pesky mice. Or is that meeses? Lots of woodlands behind the house so it comes with the territory in winter. I have to plug the fender drain tubes, muffler and air cleaner also. They enjoyed the darkness and warmth the cover provided and caused a lot of damage. Never had that problem until the neighbors with the 4 cats moved. I should give they new neighbors a cat as a housewarming gift when they move in:classic:

77 under reconstruction.

I did the gauges taking out the green lenses and using the BA9s white wide angle . They are much brighter but I prefer the blue ones KTM has. Would the festoon bulb 3022-whp2 fit all Z's ?