Programmer

Well, a final update... I've contacted a couple of members of my local Vancouver Island Datsun Enthusiasts club, and they've been very helpful. I'm feeling much better about my project now! I've already bought some much-needed used parts, have offers to help me work on the car, and plan on going to the club's next meeting to make some connections. I've never joined a car club before, but for a project like this, I think it's going to be invaluable. It'll be nice to talk to people who are as enthusiastic about Z's as I am!

Nope, it's not that one. No smashed in door on mine, the body looks great. I've now left 2 phone messages with the previous owner about coming back to pick up the rest of the parts that I left behind (as we agreed when I bought the car), and so far no reply. I'm getting a bad vibe, I even talked to his mom (he's living at home) when I left one of the messages and she assured me he would call me back shortly. He was a young kid, hopefully he's just spent the weekend enjoying the big wad of cash he got for the car and he'll call back tonight. Mostly, I really want the original seats, or at least a nice alternative. The ugly seats with torn fabric and foam sticking out that are in the car now are bothering me more than anything else - I want to be able to at least sit comfortably in the car while it's parked and make "vroom vroom" noises

Again, thanks for all the advice. Good bunch of guys (and gals) on this forum I just finished pricing out all the parts I would need to do all the weatherstripping, locks, window rollers, lights, bumper mounting hardware, steering rack pinion, seats, and seatbelt hardware, just enough bits to get the car mostly road-worthy so I can take it to my mechanic for some engine work. This is a worst-case scenario, buying parts new from Victoria British (love that catalog) and getting used seats. This is also assuming that the previous owner (who I haven't gotten a hold of yet to ask about what parts he has) has none of the parts I need. It comes to over $1500 CDN, eating up far too much of my budget! Looks like I'm going to have to be patient and buy mostly used. I'm in a bit over my head, but I know I'll enjoy this beautiful car for years and years. I really just hope I'll be able to enjoy driving it this summer :nervous:

Great replies! kmack, prioritizing the items like that makes it seem a lot less daunting. I'll have to add, though, that along with the brakes, I really need to get some decent seats and seat belts installed. The current seats are non adjustable and lean waaay back. Is it difficult to get 3-point belts in? I'm not keen on the lap-belt only. Red Z's are my favorite, and this one is a nice glossy rich red. I'll snap some pictures this weekend. Last night, I walked around the car and admired it from every angle for about 15 minutes, and it looks so much like a vintage 60's road-race car, a bit of Ferrari here, a bit of Jaguar there, maybe a few hints of Aston Martin, all wrapped up in to such a perfectly proportioned little package. Anyone that watches Victory by Design on Speed Channel... I get goose bumps sometimes watching (and listening!) to those old sports cars roaring down beautiful roads, and I got that same feeling driving the car yesterday, wrestling with the big skinny wooden steering wheel to guide myself home. Speaking of which, I can't wait to finish work and get home to my new baby!

Thanks for the encouragement Gema. It is a beautiful car and feels "alive" in a way that modern cars just can't match. Just having it sitting in my garage makes me happy The original clock still works too (that ticking sound is reassuring, like the car is letting me know it's still alive). But I'm anxious to get it on the road for some fabulous summer driving! I guess I just need to be a bit patient, retrieve as many parts as I can from the previous owner, and have my mechanic give the car a good looking over.

Yesterday, I bought a 1971 240Z. This is my second one, I absolutely loved the first car. It was sadly crashed and totalled due to some poor driving on my part a few years ago I bought the old car in good running condition and never did any work on it, so this new one is my first real project car. After getting the new car home (not that fun with lots of steering free-play, a cabin filled with exhaust fumes, brakes that are sponge-o-rific and no headlights (last 10 minutes of my drive was after sunset), I've realized that I've got a big task ahead of me to get this car nicely road-worthy. As a relative newcomer to restoring an old car, I'd love some assurance that this project is worth pursuing! The previous owner (Hello if you're reading this ran out of money and patience with the car, but did put a lot of work in to it. The car has had $6000 in bodywork and paint, looks beautiful, and has only very minor rust remaining. It's a beautiful deep red that makes my heart race. The drivetrain is all original, and actually runs pretty well. There's a loud click-click-click from the engine under acceleration (but not deceleration), and it runs a bit unevenly, but it hasn't been restored in any way or even worked on recently, so I think that's understandable. Oil pressure and temperature looked good, and the engine looks dirty but there are no signs of leaks anywhere. Supposely the car has a bit over 100,000 kms on it, and it seems plausible. The shifter seems to have no bushings or springs whatsoever and flops around like a rag doll, but it has no problems getting (and staying) in any gear. The tranny whines a bit (especially 3rd). Most of the bushings underneath look pretty worn and cracked, so the steering is very loose and the rear end clunks with every shift. Suspension actually feels quite decent. Brakes were redone very recently and tires are brand new, but the brakes feel very spongy. Hopefully just bleeding required. Now the big problem - the interior (except dash, which is in very nice shape) and exterior were stripped for the body work, and that's how I got the car. All of the soft rubber seals (doors, rear hatch, who knows where else) are missing, locks are missing, inner shift boot is shot (welcome exhaust fumes!), outer boot is missing, handbrake boot is missing, and everything back of the dash is in boxes. Grill/bumpers/side lights are off. The seats are junk (and not original) and there are no seatbelts installed. I'm sure I'm missing some parts, especially all the screws/nuts/fasteners/mounts/gaskets that I need to reinstall everything. I have no idea where to start! The previous owner has another 240Z parts car, and he said I could have anything I wanted from it, or any other parts he may have lying around, but his garage was pretty unorganized and I have no idea what else he has. I was in a rush to get home (had to catch a ferry) and really didn't spend much time making sure I had everything I needed. But the car is so sexy, I just didn't care! As a bonus, the car came with (all new in packaging) a complete polyurethane master bushing kit, Tokico 5-way adjustables, Hypercoil springs, along with an old R200 diff. And did I mention that it looks fantastic I'm a bit overwhelmed by the amount of work to be done. I don't have a lot of tools or space to work on the car, and I know it will be very slow going if I work on the car. I just want to make it road-worthy for now, and am really tempted to take it to my Datsun mechanic (he's a Z/510 fanatic) and let him go at it. But I'm limited to spending $2500 over the next few months. Is this going to be enough to get my baby back on the road?