jayhawk

Hey Ramses, that's a smart move to keep it. They keep coming up on eBay for like $250!!! I'll keep looking. Thanks --Bob

Beandip, not to hijack this thread, but I just bought the How to Restore Your Z Car from Amazon a week ago. Got it 2 days ago. So Amazon does have it (Also got the How to Restore your Nissan OHC Engine book from Amazon at the same time). --Bob

Arnie, when my kids were small and I faced that question, I just bought a Dodge minivan, and kept the old 240Z. Later I bought a nice used "4 Door Sports Car" ie. a 1989 Maxima - sporty, fun, and 4 doors! That car just hit 200,000 miles (the minivan also just hit 200,000 miles). Those 3rd generation Maximas were/are great for sporty driving with a lot of room for family. A couple of years ago I gave the Maxima to my son, and bought a '93 300ZX 2+2 for my daily driver/commute car. Frankly I think those things are a steal. But the doors on a 300ZX 2+2 are awfully big and heavy. Don't think it would be much fun for moving kids in and out frequently. The 280Z 2+2 doors may be much better for that. The real answer is.... whatever your wife wants! --Bob

Hey Ramses, what are your plans for the orginal '73 radio? I'm looking for one for my '73 that I'm starting restoration on. I'm the orginal owner, have made very few mods, and have kept the orginal parts that I have removed, like the flat top carbs. But for some idiotic reason I did not keep the radio. If you are thinking of selling, let me know. Thanks --Bob

I am the orginal owner of a '73 240Z. It came with a mono AM FM radio (which I really wish I had kept for the restoration I'm starting...) I recall that Datsun had only just started shipping radios with FM capability the year before (but might have been somewhat earlier) I do know the orginal 1970 had only AM, and of course, it was still mono. The '73 shipped from Japan with only a single speaker behind the left rear strut tower. I vaguely recall that the opposite panel had perforations for a speaker. In any case I added a speaker in the opposite location when I replaced the orginal radio. It may have even had mounting brackets there. I'd check my car for you, but I'm out of town right now. You might post on the history forum here, as there are some amazing experts on this site that can tell you month/day/serial number when Z configurations changed. --Bob

Ah, yes - it was a wonderful day. I bought my shiny blue 240Z at Gubruds Valley Datsun in Mt. Vernon, WA one fine April morning in 1973. Paid full MSRP and still had to wait about 5 months for the car. 3 years after the first 240Zs came to the US, there was still a months long waiting list to buy a car! Full MSRP was $4,106, a bargin even then. (see the window sticker attached). I had never driven a Z before that day. It was my first new car and I still clearly remember the wonderful feeling driving it off the lot. It was tight, shiny, powerful, and with that long hood, felt much bigger than I thought it would. I was a young Navy ensign, just back from an 10 month cruise with my A6 Intruder squadron to Vietnam. I had saved up my pay during that cruise, and spent most of it on that car. Worth EVERY frickin penny! I hoped it would impress the girls. It did...:-) --Bob (who just spent several hours today trying to clear junk out of the garage to make room for the Z so the long delayed restoration can begin.)

Thanks Tomohawk. But this raises 2 more questions: 1. Where do I find the 240Z "F"-project manual? (a Google search turned up nothing.) 2. Where in Japan does Kats live? I don't know if I'm ready to move there, but I may have to pay a visit to the home country of my favorite car some day. --Bob

Of course, just as soon as I posted this question, I found a 3 year old thread with essentially the same question and a reply that included the Official ZCCA Z-Car Judging Manual as of 2002! thread: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10972 So thanks to the moderators who have a "similar threads" feature that found what my earlier searches did not! Thanks --Bob

I'm getting ready to start the restoration of my '73 240Z. (just as soon as I can sell off the old kitchen cabinets occupying the bay of my garage where I want to put the Z!) I'm tenatively planning to restore it to the condition it was when I drove it new off the lot of the Datsun dealership on one fine April afternoon in 1973. I anticipate a complete teardown and rebuild of the car (its been sitting in my utility yard for the last 15 years and needs a lot of TLC) and I'm thinking maybe I should go ahead and do the kind of rebuild that would let me take it to some concours type judging events. (Maybe - I want to drive this car too, not tow it around just to keep dirt off the fender wells....!) But I know my ignorance of such events and requirements is nearly total. Heck, I'm not even sure if I'm spelling "concours" correctly... Is there such a thing as some published standards of what is acceptable/unacceptable for a "concours" 240Z? For example, I'm curious if I replace all the rubber with aftermarket new parts or even some urethane (Black Dragon, MSA, JC Whitney:sick:, etc) would that "cost points"? What about the slotted mags I had the dealer install before I even picked it up? What about using the "round top" carbs I installed in the late '70s instead of the "flat tops" (which I actually still have.)? etc, etc. Understanding what concurs requirements are will help me understand the costs, and whether it is worth the extra effort beyond the complete "like new" effort I'm planning now. So anyone know if there are such standards for 240Zs, and where I might find them? I'm also planning to go to the MSA 2007 West Coast Nationals in late April. Will that be a good place to get info on restoration and concours requirements? (I've already ordered the "How to Restore your Datsun Z Car" book and the one for overhauling the Nissan OHC engine.) Thanks --Bob Russell (in complete and utter awe of the folks on this forum and their knowledge of the 240Z)

Deleted - duplicate post. sorry...

Did Datsun/Nissan manufacture a "wide body" variant of the Z, maybe for the 280Z series? This ad in eBay claims it has a "rare" wide body from 1975 installed on a 1973 240Z. Or was this just some aftermarket body/fender kit? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-Z-Series-datsun-240z-DATSUN-240Z-WIDE-BODY-HARD-TO-FIND_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6187QQihZ005QQitemZ150082298455QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW (I'm not interested in the car, but looks like it might be an expensive way to get a good 1973 dash!....:-) --Jayhawk

I first found this site about a year ago, but today is the first time I have looked at it in depth. Which is because I'm about to start the restoration of the 1973 240Z that I purchased new in early 1973. Its been sitting in my utility yard (I'm ashamed to admit) for the last 10 years or so, but I should be able to get it into my garage in the next couple of weeks to start the ground up restoration I've defered for so long. I want to restore it to new condition to recapture that wonderful feeling when I drove it off the lot of Gubrud's Valley Datsun in Mt Vernon, WA so long ago. It was the first time I had ever driven a Z, and it was the first new car I ever purchased. I still vividly remember that feeling. I look forward to spending a LOT of time here over the next couple of years that it will likely take to properly restore HLS30-125678! --Jayhawk Walnut Creek, CA