Triangle

I'm about the bite the bullet on a 240z so I made an account to ask if anything sticks out on this car in particular and whether or not the damage is going to be a problem past buying a new fender/bumper back piece.

Here's the ad: 1972 datsun 240

Here's an imgur mirror of the photos incase you can't get to CL: 240 CL mirror - Album on Imgur

Steve260Z74

Crappy prep work on the repaint. What did they not prep on the body before spraying? I would take it to a good body shop to get an estimate on repair. $1200 sounds too low. Poorly cared for under the hood.

Other people might be willing to take the plunge, but I would pass at that price.

Triangle

Thanks for the response Steve first of all!

I'm attempting to talk him down to around $3k, would that be a more reasonable price?

Also I do paint and bodywork myself but I mostly do old american muscle so I don't know anything about bodywork on these cars.

Steve260Z74

It can be a challenge to obtain body parts, especially in the East. If there was interior damage, finding white interior plastic panels in decent shape will be even more of a challenge.

As for price, how badly do you want it, and how much are you willing to put into it?

Read up on rust-prone areas of Z cars. the one picture online of the undercarriage does not show the key areas.

The car is probably salvageable. There is no telling about hidden damage that could affect the value of the car.

You'll have to give the car a very thorough inspection. Better yet, get someone else to inspect the car to deal with fact over emotion. After all that, you'll have a better basis to establish a price.

beg3yrs

Steve's observations are on target and his advice is spot on.

There is some nasty rust evident underneath on the floor pans, a typical area for these cars. While the photo doesn't seem to show they are very large, that can be deceiving. What it would mean to me is that yes, all the rust-prone areas need to be thoroughly checked. It's not called cancer for nothing.

Weatherstripping on the door is rotted. Probably have to redo just about all of it.

My first thought was this car, without any further inspection, would be a $2,500 car. It could go up or down after a good independent inspection.

I do like those redone seats.

As far as bumpers go, in my restoration I had crappy bumpers. As my end-product will not be a daily driver, I decided to eliminate them. The back end was smoothed and I put an air dam on the front.

theramz

Sheesh. did they paint over the dirt too? Without the wheels and seats that's a parts car for $400. Since you don't have the experience to spot all the problems you don't know how to fix them either. It would cost at least $5k to make it a daily driver. Take our advice and pass.

theramz

Love the way noobs come in here, ask for help and don't even say thanks!

Steve260Z74

Meh. After 20 years on the interwebs, I am just pleasantly surprised when some is polite enough to acknowledge the help. Rude is just the norm, though many noobs hate it when you say that you won't spend 20 minutes typing up what they wouldn't spend 5 minutes to search for.

zxguy1986

LOL Steve and guys! Class disappeared on the net 20 years ago. Basic manners your mom taught you are gone too. It's a free for all.

I think it's the anonymity. Look at the guys who come here to say things at a distance to a stranger that would earn them a serious punch in the face if they said it to the same stranger up close and personal. They wouldn't have the cojones. So courage is not required here either.

Anyway, when a little class and manners show up, you notice. Not often - but they're there. Gotta search a bit.

beg3yrs

I feel like a relatively new member of this forum (especially looking at the number of posts and length of time some of y'all have), so I have a question.

How long do you have to be on the forum or how many posts do you need before you're not a noob?

BTW, I am a member of a couple of other forums and what I call "one-hit wonders" are certainly not unique to this one.

lumens

Not just noobs. We also have some veteran members on some sites that are also just plain rude jerks. Not helpful to those websites and new people that wish to be new members.

Triangle

Wow a couple rude dudes in this thread apparently. I decided to take Steve's and Beg3yrs advice and skip on the car because I'm sure there will be others.

But there's definitely no reason to be such a rude dude especially because I'm definitely not going to come back here ever again. That being said I do appreciate the advice and I'll be more studious in my searches next time.

beg3yrs

Sorry Triangle. Some folk are quite enthusiastic about their Z cars and it flows into wanting to help others. It does happen pretty often that someone registers, asks a question or two and then disappears without any kind of acknowledgment. I think the reaction you got was due to eagerness to see what you did and how you got along. Yes, you did come back and reply and I personally don't think a week is too long but hey, some of us just can't wait!

While we are all very aware there's more than one forum for the Z-cars, and some are more active than this one, I've generally found the answers I get here to be a bit more informative and from more experienced people (yeah, probably older curmudgeons like me who get grumpy when their cars break) .

Hope you can get over it and come back when you find another car. We really do want to help and get the benefit of your own experiences as well. It's all about sharing.

Anyway, sorry this car didn't work out. Your attitude is good, there will be more of them out there. Keep looking though, the cars, like us, aren't getting any younger.

theramz

By rude are you referring to the way you introduced yourself? I get the feeling that if I hadn't said what I did you never would have said thanks to anyone anyway.
You're not a noob once you start to contribute.

Steve260Z74

To be accurate, in post #3 he did thank me for my initial response. Like I said, I don't worry about it much whether or not I get thanked.

theramz

I would have said thanks guys for saving me 4 grand and a nightmare. Body and paint are the same as on a muscle car.

Triangle

Wow you need to calm down friend. I don't have time to constantly check a thread on the internet every second of the day. Believe it or not people do things that might take an entire week to do.

That being said I do sincerely enjoy the advice and I definitely thanked Steve for his initial response.

I'm also aware of how paint works, probably more than you even. But I wanted to know if there were any specific areas of concern like cowls were with the gen I mustangs for example.

Again to reiterate what I said earlier I definitely appreciate the advice, but if I have anymore questions I'll make sure not to bother you again.

theramz

So you have a lot of experience with paint and body work, more than me. I can spot a $hitty paint job a mile away. I also noticed that the roof was tweaked and the door jam was pushed forward a 1/4 inch too. That car was like putting lipstick on a pig with a broken leg and with all your experience you were actually considering paying 3k for it.

beg3yrs

And the bartender wandered over and said ... "Hey you two, if you're going to keep arguing over how far your paint guns can spray or who has the biggest bondo spreader, take it outside ..."

theramz

Ok Ok I'd rather switch than fight. Sorry for flaming the noob. Last time I was in a bar was before the over serve laws. A guy came into the bar and ordered 2 tequila shots. Slammed them down and ordered 2 more. Slammed them down just as fast and ordered 2 more. The bartender said "Wow, what are you celebrating?" The guy says "MY first b***J**" The bartender said "If you want another one I can hook you up". The guy says "No thanks, I'm still trying to get the taste out of my mouth"

beg3yrs

Awesome! We're back to fun stuff! Cars and off-color funnies.

lumens

This is a pretty good group I think. There is a couple other sites that have, lets say
a couple rude members that degrade those sites so that some members just leave.
Not worth the pissing matches. The worst part is some mods do not police those and
sometimes they are a mod themselves.