Canadian Z's whats their history?

[back-to-zcars]

My son sold me his car to finance his schooling, so i'm back to owning a z car. A 72 240z that we found in LA flew down to pick up and drove back. Since then I have also bought a 71 parts car out of Oregon and a 73 from Calgary.

Once the Z bug bites it bites hard!

My Question is for other Z owners from Canada How did you find your car, where did they come from, and how long have you had them?

Dave

[240dkw]

Bought my first one a 71 240z in 83, drove it year round for two years. Decided to fix it up, bought a 72 parts car. Found too much frame damage on the 71. Stripped it and sent the scrap yard. Have had the parts and the 72 sitting around ever since. decided to try again about a month ago. Bought a 73 240z in Lethbrige and it came with a 71 parts car. Will have the parts car stripped out by tomorrow and can start rebuilding the 73. All four cars are Alberta cars so lots of rust.

Dan

[Unkle]

I have an early Jan 1970 240Z , VIN 0000538 , bought 3 years ago in Vancouver ( for sale ) . Also a Dec 1970 COMPLETE parts car ( rusty ). Also I have a crack free , complete 1972 dash with all gauges + wiring (for sale ) . Seats for an early 240 as well , and a dual hand throttle / choke assembly and many other parts . Too many cars, not enough room or time ...

[bigoak]

Always loved Z cars...

#1. Bought my first one August 2 years ago on Ebay. The red 1971 240Z (wanted a 1971 as the was the year I was born). Needed more work than anticipated, but had it done (search for the evil Ebay thread...full story posted there). New brakes, new front end components, bit of a touch up to one of the frame rails and she's good to go. Scoots like hell (engine has always run perfectly, fires up every time, even in -15C weather in the garage). Now she's at the point mechanically tight and where she can be driven anywhere and a great 20' car but I need to attack the body / cosmetics (doors, hatch, then to the painters). She's an absolute blast to drive and has been on many a tour (see the galleries) this summer.

#2. Left my corporate job (and company car) this January and as part of the exit package I was given a car allowance for 6 months. I did the math, and instead of leasing a car and having nothing to show for it at the end, why not buy another Z? The downside was that it was January and I would have to drive it through the winter...but whatever condition the vehicle was in at the end, it would be essentially a free car...so why not? I found an immaculately maintained 1987 300ZX in Niagara Falls. Mileage was on the high end (215,000 km's) but the vehicle had had all its work done at the dealership and, other than a little bit of a sloppy automatic transmission, was perfect. Got the car, had the tranny rebuilt and she was my daily driver from January until August. She's in good enough shape that I'm likely going to send her to the paint shop as well for a refresh (eliminate rock chips, one small rust spot on rear wheel well).

#3. Not much to tell yet as I need to get it picked up in San Diego and brought home. A silver 1977 280Z that will need a little bit of work but seems solid and will make for a neat project (yet another...).

[joker72z]

I bought my '72 just 2 years ago and it was an original California car that spent time in Indiana before moving to British Columbia. pretty much rust free with the exception of tired floors that are being replaced this winter. It runs like a scalded dog and I can't wipe the stupid smile off my face when I drive it...too much fun

[HotRod-Z]

Picked up my 71 on eBay almost a year ago from Colorado. Rust free car that was never driven in the rain until I went to Victoria this summer with my son...then it was in the rain for pretty much 2 weeks:(. Haven't had any issues with the car and I plan on throwing as much money into it for upgrades (better brakes, suspension, etc.) that my wife will allow or not find out aboutLOL. There's not too many Z's in this part of the country so it attracts alot of attention. It's a absolute blast to drive and at this point in time I don't think there is enough money in the world that would tempt me into selling it. The Z bite goes deep and I'm pretty sure there's no cure!

[back-to-zcars]

Wow, nice car hot rod. How did you find it? With all the upgrades listed on your cardomain site, it looks like the suspension and brakes have already been upgraded. What do you plan to do? Again a very nice car it's good to have so many local.

Dave

[back-to-zcars]

I have an early Jan 1970 240Z , VIN 0000538 , bought 3 years ago in Vancouver ( for sale ) . Also a Dec 1970 COMPLETE parts car ( rusty ). Also I have a crack free , complete 1972 dash with all gauges + wiring (for sale ) . Seats for an early 240 as well , and a dual hand throttle / choke assembly and many other parts . Too many cars, not enough room or time ...

Unkle are all your cars for sale? If so i'm sorry your getting out of them:disappoin but i hope they stay in the Great White North.

Dave

[HotRod-Z]

Wow, nice car hot rod. How did you find it? With all the upgrades listed on your cardomain site, it looks like the suspension and brakes have already been upgraded. What do you plan to do? Again a very nice car it's good to have so many local.

Dave

Thanks. Just spent countless hours on the computer searching for a Z that was what I was looking for. Suspension in it now is just springs, shocks and bushing upgrades, brakes are still stock (disc front/drums rear). Arizona Z has some very trick control arm/mustache bar/brake conversions that would cut some weight and improve performance. Fairly pricey but looks like it's worth it. Other than that I'm happy with the engine setup/performance about the only thing I'd like would be a 5-speed.

[geezer]

Like many of you who bought their cars from points south, so did I. In my case, only as far south as the Boston area, so I brought home a rusty, crusty, dusty ‘70Z that is being slowly massaged back into shape. I needed another hobby project since I am retired with too much free time on my hands. It’s a fun car to work on and I learn more about it every day either from working on it or hanging out here absorbing the collective knowledge of all you guys. I don’t move as fast as I once did, but I have taken pictures of all the nastiness that I uncovered, and what I’ve done with it. Hope to share them before too long. Seems like there are not many Zs originally sold in Canada that have survived our harsh winter climate and road conditions.

Ebay description sounded better than it was (no surprise), but it was only $1700.00. A drop in the bucket compared to what's going into it now.

[back-to-zcars]

....Seems like there are not many Zs originally sold in Canada that have survived our harsh winter climate and road conditions.

Thats what prompted my Question in the first place. My original 71 240 that was my first car at 17 in 1980. She died a fast death after hitting a frost heave at 75+ MPH the front end let go of the fire wall leaving just the drive train holding it together. After inspecting the undersides the rust was so bad on the frames it was incredable the car went around a corner without coming apart. I am my future wife were very fortunate that this happened braking at a stop light, and not at the speed I was going when I hit the rise in the road. That car was replaced with a 72 that I got too many points to keep. After a twenty-three year absence a Datsun is back in the Garage.

Dave

[geezer]

back-to-zcars - is this where your '71 came apart? Guess that's why everyone tells us to check that area huh?:laugh:

And why I used some heavier gauge metal to replace.

[back-to-zcars]

Yes that is where it failed, the rust was in the frame rails and firewall floor area.

At the time I lived in the interior of B.C., after the car fell to the ground I had it inspected by I.C.B.C. and they laugh at me when I asked why they would not fix it. The repair you did looks good and will stiffen the whole car.

Dave

[Zak's Z]

O got my '72 in Toronto in 2005. It looked awesome at 10 feet. Unfortunately it had an inch of paint on it and about 10 pounds of bondo in the body. I needed new floors and rails and 2 years and a few grand later its in the shop for prep and paint.

I also found a 71 parts car with a great interior on a farm just north. The body was rotten but I got a bunch of great parts out of her before I sent her to the crusher.

I wish I would have saved a bit more and went south for a rust free car, live and learn.

[Unkle]

Unkle are all your cars for sale? If so i'm sorry your getting out of them:disappoin but i hope they stay in the Great White North.

Dave

Well , I also have a Canadian early 1967 L520 pickup that came from Ontario. It's been restored , what a let down those 67 horses compared to the z car at almost 250 ! Both were sold here in Canada . British Columbia had some of the earliest cars come through in 1970 , as well as really early pickups , no one seems to know this ! I guess Vancouver being a large port city helped as well ! I'm in Victoria , and there's a few rare ones here , like unknown z cars with the real early GRAY dash components , not black ! The climate on Vancouver Island is probably the most moderate in all of Canada , maybe that's why cars last longer . An Island car or truck carries a 10 - 15 % premium over other areas ( salt in winter ).

[Sailor Bob]

I think there was a thread similar to this last year, but like grandpa Simpson I don't mind telling a story a second time (perhaps with a different twist to make it more interesting).

I got my first Z in 77 it was a red (orange) 71, bought in Victoria BC off a used car lot - it was in the same row as the Corvettes, Tbirds, Chargers, Camaros, Mustangs, Comets, Vegas, vw bugs, couple of Chevettes .... way down at the end a Z - looked perfect, interior was like new - turned out later the rear quarters had a couple of pounds of bondo. Anyway to me it was the best looking car there. It had two levers 1 for choke and the other I later figured out was a form of throttle control - nice.

I abused that car beyond any resonable expectation for a couple of years, befor I realized it was likely going to be my tomb. Tarped it for a while (after a significant accident) and sold it to a guy who poured a pile of cash into it only to write it off on a freeway.

I spent 20 odd years wishing I had that car back (occasionally dreaming about it) and three years ago I saw one for sale on an internet car site, got me thinking and after a few months of searching I found a 280 in California I could manage. When it arrived (shipped by rail) I was both excited and concerned - what the hell had I done - the car was only $2400, but the shipping (I still can't say it out loud) was the killer. To my very pleasent suprise the Ebay vendor was 100% honest - although not perfect the car was in very good condition (as one would expect from a California car) 71,000 miles, almost 0 rust, took it out for a drive almost right off the trailer. Driving it was like steering a sailboat, you had to keep some helm on her on a windy day to keep her on the road and there was a slack point amidships where the wheel did nothing - the steering and suspension was shot. I took it to an appraiser so I could get it insured - $7000. Spent a winter working on her, handles like new now and now she brings me pleasure every day.

I was drifting a bit, mmm.. What was the question again? ..... oh ya and thats how I invented the toilet.

[WABZ]

Bought my first 240 in '84; it was a '72 with minor rust issues but overall in very good shape. Was working at the local speed shop then, and a guy just walked in and offerered to sell it to me, knowing i was looking for one. Didn't do much to it other than proper maintenance and it got stolen in '86. then bought a '73 in a sad, bad & unfinished condition. This prompted me to scavenge and strip every 240Z in salvage yards in the area to build a stockpile of replacement parts, as many of these parts are now on my '73.

Both my 240Z came from St-Hyacinthe. ( a little place between Montreal and Quebec city). Now there's snow on the ground, so my '73 is stashed away for winter.

[beezee]

Found mine 2 years ago at z car.com The owner was loosing storage and had to sell. I made an offer after viewing several pictures,I owned the car.It was shipped from Pittsbourgh to just north of Toronto A very solid 74 260 Z

[bigoak]

From the right side it looks like a Dodge...

[ggarrard]

I bought my '72 in '82 here in Ottawa through a private sale....with just under 50K miles on it...it now has ~ 106K miles and remains original mechanically (except for the rust). We bought our '83 ZXT 2+2 (family Zed) in '03 from the original owner in Belleville and it came with the original bill of sales from the Belleville, Ontario Datsun dealer (Vader Motors?). I can trace the ownership of the '77 280Z back to '93 when it purchased through a private sale in Hamilton and brought to Kingston. I bought it this past September.

Gordon Garrard

[beezee]

From the right side it looks like a Dodge...

Just finished a rottisorie resto on the 68 Bee.Had both cars at a local show the 260 won 2nd place import

[geezer]

Just finished a rottisorie resto on the 68 Bee.Had both cars at a local show the 260 won 2nd place import

Both cars are looking great. Congrats on the 2nd place finish and completing the Mopar:love:

[bigoak]

Just finished a rottisorie resto on the 68 Bee.Had both cars at a local show the 260 won 2nd place import

Nice. Which show.

I'm just down the road in Sharon...until next week...then further down the road in Montreal...

[beezee]

Thank,s for the compliment Ron,spent the summer tuning the 500 inch RB stroker motor, should easily run into the 11,s at the track 1/4 mile.The ultimate stress reliever!

[240Zen]

Hello,

Is the dash for the '72 still for sale? If so, what is your asking price?

Thanks,

Bill