New Owner from Mass. 56K Beware

[padam07]

Well I jumped feet first into my first project car and I bought a 1972 240Z. I have been wanting to get a 240Z for some time now but I just hada baby and you can't find many of these cars here that isn't rotted out beyond belief for around $1K. I found a local craigslist ad saying he hada 1971 240Z California car that has been sitting in his garage for 10 years. I went and looked at it on Saturday morning and made a deal for $1000. It definitly was a California car 20 years ago. There is some rust that will need to be fixed but overall the condition is OK. He said that it was running when he put it in the garage. I will be spending a lot of time prepping it to see if will run. My short term goal is to get all the machinical items working then put it on the road in let her rip for a while.

I believe at some point someone put an aftermarket AC unit in there which I will remove. Here are some pics from tonight when I purcahsed it and brought it home.

[padam07]

[James Salvato]

Hey Padam07,

Looks a little rough.Mine was rougher when I purchased it in 2005.You did the right thing to purchase a s30 z.I remember how pumped I was when I bought mine.It never wears off.I still see mine in the front yard every day and get excited.There is somthing very special about these cars we tinker with.It will take tons of hard resto work but you will enjoy the process.Have fun and good luck.When you have a question about any z car,come to this site and the anwser will be there.

James Salvato

[gnosez]

It would seem to me that you might want to tap into the years (last count it was well over 200) of experience the New England Z Car Club can offer you as you begin your restoration project.

We are a ZCCA member club with over 25 members with most right here in MA. Our club holds events throughout the year (shows, road trips, social events) and many of our of members do some form of racing (autocross or road course). We know Zs and with money always an issue we can help you with your decision process as you move forward.

It goes without saying that every member has some restoration project, big or small, going on at one time or another so we've been there and done that.

A very short list of current 240 projects being done by our members include:

1) 1972 club race car - aerodynamic add-ons, custom strut bars, engine dyno

2) 1970 RB26TT swap, fuel cell, and a whole lot more

3) 1972 complete restoration from the shell up

4) 1972 re-fresh F/R suspension, new steering rack, 280ZX brake booster

We hope to hear from you soon.....my email is: john@baddogparts.com

[padam07]

It would seem to me that you might want to tap into the years (last count it was well over 200) of experience the New England Z Car Club can offer you as you begin your restoration project.

We are a ZCCA member club with over 25 members with most right here in MA. Our club holds events throughout the year (shows, road trips, social events) and many of our of members do some form of racing (autocross or road course). We know Zs and with money always an issue we can help you with your decision process as you move forward.

It goes without saying that every member has some restoration project, big or small, going on at one time or another so we've been there and done that.

A very short list of current 240 projects being done by our members include:

1) 1972 club race car - aerodynamic add-ons, custom strut bars, engine dyno

2) 1970 RB26TT swap, fuel cell, and a whole lot more

3) 1972 complete restoration from the shell up

4) 1972 re-fresh F/R suspension, new steering rack, 280ZX brake booster

We hope to hear from you soon.....my email is: john@baddogparts.com

Cool..thanks for the info. How do I get involved in this club.

Also check out my project thread for updates.

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33278

[gnosez]

The club website is: www.zccne.org

We will be posting a complete listing of all our club events in the next 10 days.

You don't need a Z to come, we understand, sometimes they are up on jack stands.

Feel free to contact me via email and we can talk about the club and your restoration efforts.

It's likely we can save you both money and time.....

[stevef1972z]

Welcome and good luck with the car, looks like a great place to start!

Before you get to banging on it too hard, check the floor pans, floor support and frame rail on the passenger side and then the drivers side, these can rot pretty quick and leave the front suspension mounting point for the torsion control rod weak.

The one I bought sat a while too before I picked it up and it did not have good levels of antifreeze in it. I got it running and it spit a headgasket real quick, when I pulled the head the headgasket had rusted and weakened till it failed. Cheap fix and not a bad job to do, hope yours was stored better than mine!

[padam07]

thanks for the tip.

The passenger side floor and rail is pretty much toast but the driver side is still good.

I will be pulling the engine out assoon as the car gets into is resting place (i won't say final). I plan on replacing the head gasket when it is on hte stand.

[mgmoreau]

Welcome and congratulations on finding a 240Z. I am also a member of the Z Car Club of New England and hope you join our club. It is a great group of guys who all share the same passion for these Z's. Good luck with the restoration.

[Z train]

Don't rip that AC too quick.Most were dealer ad-ons.It could be"correct".

[padam07]

Don't rip that AC too quick.Most were dealer ad-ons.It could be"correct".

yeah it may be correct but i don't want it.

[tibZ]

Welcome to the best Z site on the web. Good to see another Z here in Mass.

I'm about 6 months ahead of you in the restoration dept. I bought mine last August. Hope to be on the road in late 2010 or 2011. These are great toys to play with.

Mike