Hey guys, this is my first post here. I am looking for some advice from people more knowledgeable than me on the topic of Z cars.

I went and saw a 71 hatch vent 240Z yesterday.
It is a second owner car, painted from orange to red. Has been sitting in a garage untouched for 25 years. The owner parked it when he moved city and left it at his parents house. I met with him yesterday, he was very nice and clearly liked his car and wanted to be as transparent with it as possible.

Here are about 250 photos that I took of the car.

I am looking for advice. If I can buy this for under $4k, is it worth it considering the work that needs to be done. Especially on the frame? I understand it is a project and not going to be my second car this summer. I am patient and can take my time with the restoration while paying people to do the trickier stuff. (frame, body, paint) I know the resto could easily cost 15-20k if done right.


It looks like the front frame is pretty bad. One side is much worse than the other. It does have welded plates on the bottom and sides of it that were done by the owner in the late 80's to strengthen what i assume were already rusty frame rails. He paid something in the $800 range. Adjust for inflation.

The engine hasn't been started in 22-23 years but was running when it was parked. He drove it around the block over holidays for the next couple years but then stopped that eventually and it just sat. Judging by the space under the battery pan the battery was probably removed a few years later.

Other than that lots of bubbling rust everywhere but it has a fairly clean rear end. Solid under the spare, solid roof, solid hood, good trim everywhere. Missing vents for the hatch and a few emblems. Interior is good. Dash only has a few tiny cracks. Seats are toast though.

Would You ?

Thanks so much for your help!

 

That pos needs to go to the crusher. Pass Pass Pass. Why not just wait for something better. Check out ebay for a car twice as good for 1/2 that much.

 

Datsun 240 Z Series 1 car

 

Where are you located, I bet there is somebody on here that would help you find a lot better car. Also there are several Facebook pages for them that maybe you can find one on there as well.

 

I live in Toronto Canada. So everything is rusty

I would be willing to pay the extra $1000 to ship from anywhere
In the states if the car was clean.

Can I get a running rust free 1970, 1971 or 1972 datsun 250z with a 4 speed for $3000-$3500?

If so I'll take it! Here in Toronto they are few and far between. Where is a good place to look for listings?

 

i just bought one that was running, for 3500. needs body work and rust repair in spots. i had to drive like 4 hours to get it. then i drove it back to my house. i live near san francisco and i got it from fesno. look on california cities craigslist.

 

I'm thinking that under-paint rust on a car 25+ yrs old is a result of how well it was cared for, how often garaged, etc. If you get a ding in your paint and you don't seal it, you get rust over time. Water and oxygen are the enemy of steel.

Under-body rust and frame rot are a different story - and are common in northern and northeast states where they salt the roads in winter to speed the melting of ice on the road. When you drive on that crap, the underside gets coated in every crevice and the salt sits there for years, pushing the rust along whenever it can find some moisture. I have friends who leave their best cars in the garage from November to April.

If you are looking for a whole car body with 25+ years and little rust, the best areas to check are the west coast and southwest. OR and WA are wet - but they don't salt roads as far as I know. CA doesn't - and the southwest, NV, AZ, NM, UT have low rainfall and little freezing - so no salt.

Craig's list is a great place to shop. You can select a city/region and look for Zs for sale by owner. When you contact a seller you can ask for more photos to check the car for rust and rot. See if you can find out where the car has lived for all its years. It makes a big difference.