rdefabri

Wow! I love this thread - the S2000, John Deere tractors, Eddie Lawson replica bike, the plane stuff - it all has me envious! BTW - just was in Orlando area and spent some time at my folks' house in DeLand - not far from Mt. Dora. A few years back there was a car show that featured some prominent Ferraris IIRC. My garage (mostly in my sig): 1972 Datsun 240Z 1966 Jaguar E-Type 1967 Honda CL/77 Scrambler SCAG SSZ 52" Commercial Mower Homebuilt canoe (ok - it's only half completed...it's a "round TUIT" project) Barbie Jeep (my girls' ride) Part of my scuderia, but not IN the garage: 2000 Lexus GS400 (daily driver) 2003 Honda Pilot (my wife's daily driver)

Any other points raised about the 240Z? Curious what they liked/disliked, especially compared to the new model.

I'll have to dig mine out too. Prior to my current '72 240Z, I owned a '76 280Z (one of my first cars) and a '85 Nissan Truck (which was a nice red color). I was in high school when I bought the 280Z (this is 22 years ago). It was a green color with a white interior, stick (of course). I had 3 other friends, all had 280Zs - one had a '77 with a SBC Chevy (although it was original when he bought it - we all chipped in to do the engine swap), the other 2 guys had '78s I believe. The others were the light blue color (which I personally love). My car had a "hotter" cam - and a JCR "big throat" throttle body. I put hotter in quotes - I don't remember the specs, but since it was mild, I don't know what gains (if any) I got from it. Back then, we were of the mind set that adding a K&N filter gave you 200 extra HP I did drag my 280Z - did a 15.8 1/4 mile, so I believe it had some extra nuts over stock. I also (street) raced a then new 300ZX NA and beat it pretty good. Those were the days. My poor Z met its demise as I was driving home from college, in the rain. The car slid and hit a curb, the passenger side frame rail cracked, leaving the front wheel dangling from the suspension bits only.

Well...yes and no. Exclusivity does not always equal higher value, but I generally agree with you on the Superbird. However, let's look at similar cars/production numbers (rounded): Jaguar XKE: 75,000 Corvette (1963 - 1967): 120,000 240Z: 150,000 So perhaps the Jag, at half the production units, is a bit of an anomaly, but clean examples easily exceed $100K. Same with the Corvettes, especially if numbers matching. I think it was Carl Beck that said there may be around 5,000 examples of the 240Z left - so it's still exclusive, yet it doesn't approach the values of the other cars. That's more proof for Stephen's argument of "whatever someone will pay".

Quick q - slightly off topic...is the '73 radio same as '72?

No, it doesn't need much - primarily a paint job and I'd suggest having the head refreshed. It runs, the underside is in great shape, interior is in good shape. It often gets comments on how "nice" it is. It's certainly not show quality, and my Jag trounces it cosmetically, but that was a more recent refresh than my 240Z. I reiterate Stephen's point - it's worth whatever someone will pay for it. Shoot, most of us have a story - I could have had an original Superbird 20 years ago for almost nothing. Today, those are $100K+ cars, which is shocking given that they were not really desirable, even when new. SOMEONE is willing to pay that - not me of course, but that's what the market is bearing at the moment.

Stephen sums it up well - I suppose if someone has to have an F500 car, they'll pay what I'll call a premium. FWIW - at the car show I attended, some people asked me what I'd sell my car for. I said about $6,500.00 - some thought that was reasonable. Being mindful that there aren't many running around in the rust belt, that might not be a bad deal. On eBay, I couldn't crack $3,500.00 (but considering eBay isn't the best for classic cars, I shouldn't be surprised).

Yes, of course. That's an observation I've made with the Z-car - there was another thread on this and I posted my thoughts. It's a tough car to sell because you either have to attract someone that really wants one or someone that knows them well. It's not like a classic 'Vette or even my E-Type - a casual buyer may jump to purchase one. That may even be defined by geography - here in NJ, you don't see that many of them. There were more MG-TDs (3) than there were 240Zs (mine, only one) at the last car show I entered FWIW. I meant this not as a knock - I am just surprised that $5,200 gets you this. I would think that's either a) too high or my Z is valued too low.

Interesting we have similar ideas, only different. My thought was the Toyota 1UZ-FE 4.0L V8 that powers the GS series. My GS has 300HP, 310 ft-lbs. of torque. It's a small (but tall) V8 that I would bet fits nicely in the spacious engine compartment of a 240Z. The Lexus V8 follows the "overbuilt" philosophy we see from Japan - as an example, it has a 6-bolt main, and is the same engine that was used in the LeMans MR2 and the current Lexus Daytona Prototype. It's dirt cheap ($300-900) and ultra-reliable. 300HP out of the gate - that would be something!

I find this fascinating. Rhetorically speaking, are early production models worth that much more than a later 240Z? For those of us here, perhaps that's true, but to an "average" buyer, I'd think there's not much difference. Recently, I had my 1972 for sale. It's in far superior cosmetic shape, and it's numbers matching. Yet, I couldn't yield more than $3,500 for mine (a blessing in disguise - I am happy to keep mine). For me, $5,200 seems quite a lot for this car.

I saw that - as well as "Brian510" Rebello stroker pulling some wicked 1/4 mile passes.

About 22 years ago - I had a '76 280Z, I did a 15.8 quarter mile. I don't think my current car could touch that (needs head work and possibly rings). I used to take anything and everything to Old Bridge when I was in high school, including my parents' Dodge Aries K wagon (did like a 19.00 1/4), my '59 Chevy Sedan Delivery (somewhere in the 16.5 sec. range)....you name it! I was thinking of taking my daily driver, a Lexus GS400. That should do a low 14 second quarter mile...

I was at the same show as Poindexter, then a day later at a "general" classic car show. I too had the only Z out of about 400 cars, and I thoroughly enjoyed the looks and comments. See, at the Z show, my car was just another in a crowd. In fact, given the cosmetic condition, mine was even "ho-hum". At the general classic show, my car was unique, and it's present condition did not diminish its cachet. FWIW - your car is quite nice BTW.

Good luck - I have a replacement diff too that's in similar shape, so I am keenly interested in your progress. The "replacement" is actually the standard 1972 diff, I currently have 4.11 R180, but I want to get mine back as close to stock as possible. BTW, your garage is CLEEEEEANN. IIRC, you just had your first child? Mine was like that once...ONCE - then the kids got at it and the clutter overwhelmed me and the garage

Nice - same Personal steering wheel I had on mine (and now selling on eBay). I just looked at a parts car with similar color (silver / red), it's quite striking.

Mike - thanks for posting. I thought as much. I wonder what the rocker switch is in my car, but obviously it's not right. I'll see if I can pinch this piece (and defroster switch). Thanks!

Although I have a '72 with round tops, I would guess it's what xray said. I just had a similar issue whereby the float wasn't closing the needle valve, causing spillage from the over flow tube/outlet.

Does anyone have some pics of the 1972 console? Specifically, the embossed piece just after the stick shift and the accessory panel (w/ defroster). I just looked at a 1972 parts car - it had some bits I wanted to poach. I noticed that the accessory panel was different than mine, so I am curious which would be the right piece. The parts car had a "fasten seat belts" warning light in the center, where I have a rocker switch with a red lens. I am pretty sure the "fasten seat belts" is correct, but since there were tweaks made from '70-'73, I am not certain. For the embossed piece aft of the stick, I have an aftermarket air conditioner control unit. Since that required cutting away the console piece, I may try to acquire the entire console from the seller.

So sad - I am a huge Phil Hill fan. As a young kid, I'd always read of his exploits in Road and Track (where, after retirement, he was a guest editor). A true man of class, he was from an era of "gentlemen" racers. God rest his soul

I am re-doing the gas tank on my 1967 Honda motorcycle - almost universally, people recommend POR-15, even over the Honda suggested product ("Kreem"). Apparently, other products can flake off in time, so many suggest POR-15. FWIW

Nice color, nice car. Obligatory dumb follow up question - where can you see other classified ads on your site? Do you only post them as you find or are there others listed?

That's all I needed to know - I remember that thread, and I recall the name change, but couldn't place it. Thanks!

There is a vendor on eBay - "datsun-parts" - that has a bunch of nice items, including rebuilt E31 and E88 heads. Anyone know if it's a reputable vendor? Has a bunch of feedback, 99.2% positive, but as I've been a vendor on eBay for nearly 7 years, I am always wary. If anyone has any experience, let me know. The price on the E31 and E88 seem reasonable (~$325.00 per), which I thought was cheap, but that also had me questioning if it's legit.

Ehh, this is a stretch. We are traditionally union-minded, which honestly doesn't help - US workers (factory and non-factory) tend to be higherpaid and less productive than any other nation, but that's systematic, not being better equipped. It's due to American company greed, both on part of the unions and management. The story of GM and it's fall from grace is quite sad when you think about it. Perhaps that's semantics on my part - Harley-Davidson is a good example of an American manufacturing company that is succeeding both in sales and quality product. I still can't believe that some people think Japanese cars are cheap. I've owned a ton of American cars, barely any of them were of high quality. All the Japanese cars I've owned were tanks. Maybe luck of the draw, but the sales numbers are clear - Toyota is the #1 manufacturer in the world, and it wasn't by building cheap junk.

Geezer - that was my plan this year. My family is in the Orlando area, actually about 45 minutes north, so the commute to Amelia wasn't completely off base. However, my little girls could care less about cars, so no point in going to a Concours if they were going to pitch fits, so we never made it. Anyway, you could easily make it there by car if you stay somewhere nearby.