May be buying a 240Z for my son: Need Advice!

[whyrualive]

Great Forum. You folks are a wealth of information. I spent the last several days reviewing Z-car sites and decided to join here. I am going to inspect a 1974 240Z tonight. It is a complete car, but it has been completely disassembled. The body has had all the rust cut out / removed and new panels welded in place. It appears to be in good shape. So after I've followed the advice you have given to others about where / how to check for rust, what else should I check for? Note: At this point, the vehicle is only $750 all in. Thanks.

[Fun_in_my_z]

It being a 74 it is mostly likely a 260Z

[Montezuma]

How are you sure that it is a complete car? How old is your son and what is his experience building cars? If you are planning on doing a father son project this is a great starting point. Parts are pretty easy to come by and not too expensive.

[EScanlon]

Do post WHERE you are. A $750 price tag in the North EAST would be a tell tale sign of a junker, whereas in the South West, it would NOT necessarily be.

Also, keep in mind that the less you pay for the car, generally involves a LOT of money to get it up to "standards" (those being yours), whereas paying a bit more for an already refreshed car will allow you to enjoy it MORE sooner.

2¢

E

[whyrualive]

Thanks for the encouragement! I'm not sure it is a complete car. The person selling it started with the complete car and stripped it down to bare metal. He says it is complete, but I'm not sure how to tell for sure. My son is only 12and I hope to have it done in 4 years. I've rebuilt an old Datsun B210 years ago. Better yet, I have two neighbors that have completly rebuilt cars (Toyota FJ40 and a Rock Crawling Jeep) from the ground up, so I am hoping to use them for expertise (and tools). They just don't know Datsun.

[whyrualive]

Do post WHERE you are. A $750 price tag in the North EAST would be a tell tale sign of a junker, whereas in the South West, it would NOT necessarily be.

Also, keep in mind that the less you pay for the car, generally involves a LOT of money to get it up to "standards" (those being yours), whereas paying a bit more for an already refreshed car will allow you to enjoy it MORE sooner.

2¢

E

I'm in Colorado. Good point on enjoying it more and money spent. My goal is to spend time with my son and make styling decisions together. Since he likes imports and I like older cars, we agreed the Z would be the right choice, but finding one has been tough. Almost all of them have been rusted out at the rocker, floor pans or over the wheel wells. Have you done all the work yourself or are you working with someone else?

[Arne]

Sounds like you are on the right track, if the goal is to have a project. As long as you are aware (and it sounds like you are) that it is ALWAYS cheaper to buy the best already done, rather than build it from scratch. But that negates the entertainment of the building process. I've done it both ways - in years past I completely restored a '67 MGB from a bare tub, last year I started rebuilding an old 240Z with the intent to do like I did on the MG, but just last week I bought a peach of a 240Z that needs minor maintenance, not rebuilding. Both approaches can be rewarding, but if you can get your son involved the rebuilding job is great.

[Montezuma]

I think that you have a very solid idea and plan. It will be a great Father/Son project that will bring a great common bond between you two men. One of my good friends grew up fixing up Z cars in Japan with his dad when his dad was stationed in Japan, the dad still remises about the great times they had working on cars together. The son turned out to be an outstanding mechanic. I think the Z car is a great starting point for the project, there is so many things you can do since you are not in a hurry. Check out the availability of parts from Motorsport Auto, Classic Datsun, and Courtesy Nissan plus others. Enjoy the special time with your son.

[EScanlon]

I do all my own bodywork, interior and electrical, and farm out the mechanical to a professional. But that's due to a job I held after college due to money crunch in 82, and have kept at it over the years (averaging one to two cars a year).

Doing the mechanical work is entirely possible by you and your son and you'll find a bunch of guys here knowledgeable enough to advise you on keeping her stock, or pursuing a highly souped up engine / chassis. If you're looking to insert a V8 or something, then the guys at HybridZ.org are more conversant with that.

As far as the exterior and interior as well as the electrical, I can't think of another site better than us here. This isn't to brag, it's a simple statement of fact.

Since your intent appears to be one of getting a car that you and your son can enjoy soon, and effect some of the customizations / modifications together, then I suggest you look to spending more like $3,000-$5,000 for a basic well-kept and maintained car.

This range will be more towards the "drive and enjoy immediately and only require refreshing of parts" vehicle; as opposed to spending $500 to $2,500 which will be the "bring a flat bed trailer and don't drive until you've made structural repairs" car.

You could also opt for the $6,000 to $10,000 range which gets you into the "ready to drive to a car show" stage, or go whole hog and spend $10,000 to $25,000 and more, for the "you won't be driving this one, you'll need an enclosed trailer to take to Concours Auto Shows...climate controlled garage required" vehicle.

But DO remember one thing, if you buy a $500 back-yard forgotten heap, it will take $20,000 and MORE to get it to be a $8,000 car...and I'm sure other's will chime in that I'm being unduly generous in that final price.

FWIW

Enrique

[Arne]

But DO remember one thing, if you buy a $500 back-yard forgotten heap, it will take $20,000 and MORE to get it to be a $8,000 car...and I'm sure other's will chime in that I'm being unduly generous in that final price.

True story. I've got $4000 in my yellow car, which is only just now approaching being driveable. If I scrimped a bit, I could maybe get it nicely finished for another $8000, since my skill set is is different than Enrique's - I do all my own mechanical work, along with the electical and upholstery. But the body and paint I have to pay others to do for me. Realistically, I figure that I'd end up with $15-16k in that car before it was done. And when I go to sell it in a few weeks I won't get close to that $4000 back out of it.

[agemeansnothing]

Thank you see another young person like me getting a Z!!!!!!!!!

[whyrualive]

Thanks to everyone for the comments and encouragement. I'll take pictures of the vehicle tonight (and the parts) and post them for discussion later. Hopefully, you'll have a chance to provide some guidance after that. One thought on the money piece: based on some of the responses, it seems like I may have to consider the 'lost money' as an investment in my relationship with my son! I'm going to see the vehicle now and will post a reply when I return.