New & need advice

[rponycar]

Hi Folks,

I've always liked Z's , but have never owned one. I have a son who is 14 1/2 and wants to tinker on cars. I have found a 240Z locally, 1972 w/ automatic. Asking price is $1,200.00. The car is said to run well, has had electronic ignition installed. It has what appears to be minor rust along the bottom of the doors, quarter panels, etc. The floor pans do have rust through. I'm thinking that over the next 18 months he could have a usable, presentable, really cool car.

Any guidance I could get here would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

rponycar

[MikeW]

As always rust is the killer. "Tinkering" and repairing major rust do not necessarily coincide. Can you post pictures of the car so we can get a better idea of just how bad the rust is? You might want to also update your profile to include your location in case someone here can help you inspect it.

[rponycar]

Thanks Mike. I'm in Orlando. I'll update asap. Don't have pictures. From 20 feet the car looks pretty good. The rust is bubbling under the paint. ( except for the floor pans. It needs reupolstry, carpet, AC re-installed. It will be a lot of work, but I'm not doing it. I'm trying to keep my teenage son positively focused.

[26th-Z]

Hey there Orlando! You might want to join the Central Florida Z Car Club and meet all the Z owner's near you. http://www.centralfloridazclub.com/phpBB2/portal.php There is a hurricane of exciting Z things brewing in Florida.

An early Z like a '72 is a great beginer's sports car because it is so simple and easy to work on. Rust is the biggest frustration and parts availability probably the next. It all depends on what you want out of the car, but for an inexpensive sports car, your budding new driver can't go wrong. Zs are fast and they do not crash very well, but they still have lots of style and there is a great crowd of Z owners in Florida to hang with.

Get a copy of "How to Restore Your 240Z" by Humble and read what he has to say about rust. Cruise the archives here and make your evaluation of your potential car. Have fun!

[rponycar]

If this car is no worse than it seems right now, is $1200.00 reasonable?

BTW, is this car body on frame or unibody?

also, what is HLS_30?

[ChrisA]

HLS30 is a "general" term for the model designation of the cars that came to North America.

26th-Z has cars with serial numbers 26 and 27 versus mine which is newer at 156693. There are MANY variations on the "S30" chassis depending on where in the world the car itself was to be delivered.

1200 sounds like a good deal if its not too rusty. Its a unibody car.

Good luck with your decision.

Chris A.

[MikeW]

BTW, is this car body on frame or unibody?

also, what is HLS_30?

Unibody.

S30 is the identifier for the body style from 1970 to 1978. H indicates that it's the L24 engine and the L indicates left-hand drive.

[ChrisA]

From 26th-Z himself from a different thread....

240Z/260Z/280Z

G H L S30 #####

Blank = Coupe

G = 2+2

H = L24 for 240Z

R = L26 for 260Z

H = L28E for 280Z

L = Left Hand Drive

Blank = Right Hand Drive

S30 = Car model

##### = serial number

So can you tell us what the serial number is on the car you're looking at? Someone here may know of it.

Chris A.

[280z1975]

snip ... The rust is bubbling under the paint. ... snip

If you can see the rust coming up from under the paint, there is a GOOD chance there is a lot more to be found. 1,200 for a 240 isn't a bad price (even and automatic), but just be prepared for the worst. My car was garaged in Texas and it still had plenty of rust to be found. Standing water inside the body will do as much damage as salt in the winter given just a little more time.

Welcome to the site and feel free to add any more questions to the peanut gallery...

PS: the search function on the site has TONS of cool info. I spent a whole weekend using it when I first started work on my Z.