Oddessey

[JLPurcell]

Odyssey, summer of 1975:

The next month or so was a fog. The Z was at the local dealer since the car had been caught by a wire fence, and it needed a complete paint job. While in the body shop, rust was discovered in the rear quarters and needed attention. The body shop was old school and did not replace any metal. They leaded in the rusted areas. The Z was finished in late June. The thought of pursing a national championship seemed trite.

While the car was out the dealership, I had developed a friendship with the parts manager, Everett. I ordered a set of Datsun Comp Mikuni 44's for the Z with thoughts of running in the prepared class in the future. I did return to a club meeting that spring and found that Moriarty's (lime green Z) owner had taken a new job over the winter and moved out west. I would not get the chance to avenge the defeats I had received at his hands. Later in the year I went to a few meets and was able to consistently win, but with Moriarty gone there was no way to measure the accomplishment.

I recall one event in particular; it's the stuff legends within the club are made of. The Corvette Club in the local region asked if our club would set up an event. The event was to be SCCA members VS the Corvette Club members in the autocross format. They were to bring the trophies. Needless to say they didn't stand a chance; they should have challenged us to a drag race. They were so pissed off that they left at the end of the day and took their trophies with them. Our club made up trophies commemorating the event. They were wooden with our place in the event noted, and an AFX 64 th Scale Corvette attached with a chrome screw through the window. I still have mine somewhere. Competition was in my blood; I began looking forward to next summer's challenges, including competing in a prepared class hill climb. To be continued…

[=Enigma=]

Wow! I can see now why you kept the car for so long. I'm not sure I could have parted with it either.

Just curious, why the name Jeep for the dog, and did you ever figure out where your Dad was headed?

[JLPurcell]

Wow! I can see now why you kept the car for so long. I'm not sure I could have parted with it either.

Just curious, why the name Jeep for the dog, and did you ever figure out where your Dad was headed?

Enigma, The friend that gave us Jeep as a pup, just after we were married, drove a Jeep, keep it simple. As to what my dad was thinking when he got into the Z, don’t know. Being a Emergency Medical Technician for some 23 years now, people having a heart attack do not think rationally. It’s the fight of flight instinct. I believe that he could only think of getting home to my mother. Hope to be able to ask him someday. Thanks for the interest.

PS

My sons new cat is named Datsun.

[JLPurcell]

I will be loading the car and packing the parts in my truck tomorrow. It’s been a long time coming. Excited but not looking forward to the 2200 mile tow each way.

One of my brother firefighters, which will be going with me, brightened my day today. He had tour shirts printed complete with cities and dates for the trip. Labeled “MORE MONEY THAN SENSE TOUR ‘06”, I will try to get a picture on before I leave Sunday. He even had one printed for Les Cannaday. I will post pictures of the trip when I get back.

I have been bragging about all of my NOS parts for the project but while packing realized what I didn’t have, so this past two weeks I picked up a number of items. Items such as new head lamp assemblies, rear bumper rubber trim, console, fuse panel door for console, gas cap etc… All of the sources were from fellow members of this site. I thank you my wife doesn’t.

I will pick up the odyssey story in 1976 when I return; it was the summer that I expanded my SCCA experience and bought HLS30-00029.

[BRE-240Z]

Good luck on the trip. Hopefully you'll have good weather and a great time.

Be safe!

[JLPurcell]

I will be leaving for Classic Datsun Motorsports in about 2 hours. As always, all preparation is going down to the wire. I will try and document the trip with photos and post them upon our return. We should be getting back home in eastern Indiana Saturday (December 9th).

And so begins the long awaited restoration chapter in the "Odyssey of a Z". I will miss checking in on this site for the next week or maybe Les will let me post a short note from his shop.

[datsun40146]

Wow this story is amazing, I can see why you hold your car so dear to you. That car has been a VERY major part of your life and I'm glad to say that I have read this story its very moving. I can't wait for the update!

[jmark]

I will be leaving for Classic Datsun Motorsports in about 2 hours. As always, all preparation is going down to the wire. I will try and document the trip with photos and post them upon our return. We should be getting back home in eastern Indiana Saturday (December 9th).

And so begins the long awaited restoration chapter in the "Odyssey of a Z". I will miss checking in on this site for the next week or maybe Les will let me post a short note from his shop.

Hope you have a safe journey & tell Les "hello".

[JLPurcell]

Our trek is complete for now. We made it to Classic Datsun Motorsports in Vista, CA and dropped off the Z car. Les (Cannaday) said that the car was not as bad as I had initially indicated. He had made arrangements for me to bring back a roadster from LA to Indianapolis. He led me to the car, helped load it, and saw us on our way. Now mind you, Les did not have a dog in that hunt, so I have to thank him for the generosity of his time. I am in the process of getting the photos of the trip and Classic Datsun Motorsports shop and projects on my gallery. Hope you enjoy seeing all of the projects and historic Datsuns as much as I did. Historic cars such as Pete Brocks rally 510 and it’s original hauler. I got to see Ron Carter’s roadster. Nice car Ron!!! I will elaborate more on the trip as I get the pictures downloaded. Now, as for Les, what a treasure trove of knowledge, expertise, and dedication to Datsun preservation. Les has promised to keep me up to date with photos of the restoration of my Z, and I will follow it on this thread as "The ongoing story of the ‘Odyssey of a Z’." I will try to pick up the story of my "Z" tonight or tomorrow for those who are following the story.

[Fun_in_my_z]

Nice to see you made it home safe. Patiently awaiting them pics

[JLPurcell]

Nice to see you made it home safe. Patiently awaiting them pics

I have attached some pictures from the trip to Classic Datsun Motorsports.

Including a stop in the Arizona desert to check the straps, my brother firefighters on the trailer, the official "More Money Than Sense Tour 06" shirts, Les Cannaday with Ron Carter's Car, my car after being unloaded at Classic Datsun Motorsports, Adam Corolla's car, and (left) Jerry Purcell, (right) "Chief Allen" on the beach at Carlsbad, CA.

[JLPurcell]

In the spring of 1976 I was trying to refocus my life and made many changes. I quit my job managing the furniture store and opened a custom paint and van shop. This also gave me a place to work on my car.

I reviewed the past work on the Z and readied it for the upcoming autocross season. I started out the season dominating the local meets and gaining confidence in my renewed quest to go to the nationals. I also expanded my experiences that summer by participating in a few hill climbs in prepared class. I would bolt on my set of Mikuni 44’s, headers with dual exhaust dumping in front of each rear tire, and upgraded tires and wheels. I found success, winning the event at Belfountain, Ohio that summer.

Late in the summer, George (Pro Auto Tune) made me aware of an ad in Autoweek. The ad was for a prepared 1970 240Z located in Albuquerque, NM. Although it was a distraction from the mission at hand I purchased the car in anticipation of moving to the next level after my planned autocross championship run. At the end of the summer, George and I had qualified for the championships and were planning the trip.

I was in my shop when I received a faithful call. It was the local police department making me aware that my wife had been involved in an auto accident. I went to the scene and found that, although shaken, my wife had not been injured, but the same could not be said for her pride or our Z. She was passing a car on the right which was waiting to turn, the tire of the Z touched the curb. With the small steering wheel and the wide tires the steering wheel was pulled out of her hands and the car jumped the curb and hit a light pole square in the right headlamp, pushing it back to the tire.

These were the days when insurance was not required and having opened a new business and purchasing another Z, I had not renewed my insurance. Needless to say this ended my quest for a national championship. George did go, won his class and brought home the impressive first place crystal trophy. Our ‘72 Z was parked, and thus ended four years of it’s fast and furious life. It also started the 30 years of on and off attempts to restore the car.

I focused my efforts on getting the ‘70 Z ready for driving schools. Although the damage from the accident was repaired, I found that the rust problem had returned. The ‘72 Z has not seen the road since the accident in 1976.