86 300ZX owner looking to be a 72 240Z owner

[AutoX_Z]

Hey guys,

I just found this site after being a member of hybridz for a few months. Is this site more geared to "stock" Z's as opposed to engine swaps? I am not opposed to modifying Z's, but I don't know if I fit the general crowd at hybridz. I think my preference sits somewhere between a "stock/full restoration" and a "roll cage/sbc conversion". I think a SBC Z would be flippin' awesome, but my interest at this point in life is more on handling than raw power, and I dont have the money to do both.

I have a rust free '86 300ZX that is mostly stock and was going to be stripped down to be used as a autoX car, and then I fell in love with the 240Z. I have been looking for a 240 ever since and would gladly sell or trade my 300ZX to acquire a rust free '72. I plan on doing mild/moderate performance upgrades that focus on handling, in an attempt to make a track worthy DD. I would love to get into autoX, although I have never been to an event other than a Lamborghini/Lotus track day at Gingerman Raceway in South Haven, MI. Anyway, enough ranting, I just wanted to say hi.

Kris

[hls30.com]

Welcome!

This site is predominantly stock and lite modification, though we have several members go both ways...and that is great with us!

Be sure to check the classifieds here, you might find the car of your dreams!

Will

[Arne]

Edit: Will types faster than I do...

Welcome, Kris.

This forum is much broader than HybridZ. There are members here who have Zs with engine swaps and other wild things, pure race Zs, bone-stock trailer queens, and everything in between. The typical 240Z here is going to have at least a few mods, so don't be afraid of researching things like that here. The archives are PACKED with info on most anything that can be done to a Z, so play with the Search function a bit to get a feel for what you can find.

A couple of tips for your search. It is going to be difficult to find a rust-free example in your neck of the woods. They can still be found here in the West with a little effort, so you may want to consider a visit to the left coast for your search.

Also, while it has been said in various places that the '72 240Z is the 'preferred' year, I'd strongly recommend that you don't limit yourself to that single model year. It is true that the '72s have several improvements over the '70 and '71s, and don't have the government-required slightly larger bumpers and despised emissions-carbs of the '73s. But most of the improvements can be installed on the earlier cars, and the '73s are even better yet once you swap for the earlier carbs. The same is true of the early (small-bumper) 260Zs, swap the carbs and they are great cars. Since rust is such an important issue, if you find a rust-free car, don't worry about what year it is - just buy it!

Edited August 21, 2008 by Arne

[Curtis240Z]

You might want to broaden your search for a '71-73 240Z, as they all can be easily modified for optimum performance. Good luck.

[Rockr69]

Keep the Z31 for a daily and save your money to buy a 240 of any year. The guy you wanna hookup with on this site for the really good 240 finds is Carl Beck. He is the man when it comes to finding 240s in good shape for the right price.

Edited August 21, 2008 by hls30.com

[AutoX_Z]

Thanks to everyone for their comments. It was a much warmer welcome than the slap on the wrist I received for trying to reply to a guy's question at hybridz. Don't get me wrong, I like the site and there are lots of helpful people there, but I think a few members need to see a proctologist about a stick problem. I've resorted to more reading and less posting.

As far as finding Z's, My girlfriend and I are moving to FL next year so I am hoping to hit the jackpot there. I know that finding a rust free car is more important than finding the ideal year. Acually I am going to look at a relatively clean '71 with a '72 parts car next wkend. The only reason I am pushing for a '72 is that I dont want to have to buy a garage full of '72 parts just so I can have a '70 with all of the sweet improvements. I have a perfectionist complex so I get a little anal about things sometimes...and then again, sometimes I just dont care. I think you guys are right, buy the first real clean car I find and do all the mods I want. I can still keep looking for a clean '72, but at least I would be driving a Z all the while.

[DougN]

If you want the "most improved" 240Z, your best bet is to get a '73 and get rid of the smog stuff, change the carbs and bumpers and you're done. All of the benefits of a '72, PLUS the addition of the lighted heater control panel :classic: Or, you could get a '72 and put a '73 dash in it - whichever you find easier to do.

If you want a 240Z with even more "improvements" you can add the ZX 5 speed and rear end, as well as some other engine mods such as electronic ignition and the like.

Edited August 23, 2008 by DougN

[Arne]

If you want the "most improved" 240Z, your best bet is to get a '73 and get rid of the smog stuff, change the carbs and bumpers and you're done. All of the benefits of a '72, PLUS the addition of the lighted heater control panel :classic:

Plus the intermittant wipers, and retractable seatbelts. I'm with Doug on this one, a '73 is the best car to start with for a driver.

But again, even more important is to find the most rust-free example, regardless of year. I'd have taken a '73 in a heartbeat, but a '71 is what I found.