What's this drive train worth?

[BTF/PTM]

So I found a 73 240z for sale in Oceanside that's been for sale for quite a while becuz in my opinion the seller is asking too much. I talked to him today, got some good information. I'll put the link below. Here's the scoop:

- 3 liter stroker made from an L28 block with ported E88 head and a hot cam.

- 5-speed transmission out of an early 80's 300ZX turbo

- R200 LSD

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/1604300964.html

All of this information is at his word. Obviously one cannot pull the head off the engine to look, but are there ways to visually tell if the diff and other things are legit?

The seller is pretty fixed on getting his asking price for the car despite admitting that the body does have some rust reappearing since the car was repainted.

So the question is: From the perspective of a person who wants a 240z that's a real Z but doesn't need to be show quality and any flaws are repairable without stripping the car down to a shell and is already set up with a higher-output power train (I was planning to do similar powertrain work eventually anyway), what's the car really worth? Is it even worth going to look at, or is the owner stubbornly set on a pie-in-the-sky price that he'll never get? Thanks guys =)

[d240zx2]

A Rebello 3.1 is about $3 grand. Go from there....

[Mikez73]

A Rebello 3.1 is about $3 grand. Go from there....

Is that just for the block? I looked into the cost of building a stroker. At least 3000. If the body just has minor rust and everything else is good then it sounds like a good deal. I'm not sure why anyone would go to the trouble and expense of a good paint job w/o making damned sure any rust problems were taken care of first. But maybe the paint was done a while back and with these cars you can't sneeze w/o causing rust so maybe he thought it was well prepped for paint. Looks nice enough in the pics but a close up look may be different.

Bottom line opinion is if you go look at it and the rust looks minor and everything is good mechanically then it sounds like a good deal.

That would be a very good price in Texas....in California it might not be so good.

[WingZr0]

Yep, if it is what it is that it's a fair price. The average "low" price for a clean running Z in cali is about $4,000. And thats for stock minus this cars' upgrades. As mentioned just check for the rust and remember the little details like seats and stuff you can always change.

[Z Tyler Z]

A Rebello 3.1 is about $3 grand. Go from there....

Then a R200 LSD (assuming it's from a 87-89 300zx turbo) is around 600 and a BW T5 tranny is around 300. Perl colored paint jobs are generally a bit of coin too.

He says on the ad it's a "280 limited slip rear end" I'd make sure it's a real lsd and not just a r200.

If I were you I'd take it for a test drive and see if you like it. IF not there will always be anther. 5500 seems like a reasonable price.

[DeesZ]

The car is worth what the buyer is willing to pay. If this suits your wants, then you will likely be willing to pay more than many others, whose tastes this package would not suit. Not trying to throw a bucket of water on the campfire, but personally, I would be a bit uneasy about an engine that's billed as a stroker and has no documentation related to who did what, when, and how it really performs. If this was a documented Rebello, I'd feel much better about the price, but, unless I missed something, it is a pig in a poke. As Dirty Harry Callahan once said, "How lucky do you feel.....?" I would be tempted to dig for considerably more information before I opened my wallet. That's just me and my opinion, you need not share it, but it is in response to your question.

[ezzzzzzz]

$1500. I don't care how pretty the paint is if there is rust coming through from poor prep/body work. The R200 can be determined to be LSD by lifting the rearend and rotating tires. That doesn't tell you if the LSD is trashed or not though. A viscous LSD is nothing to get all excited about anyhow. A quick check will determine if the 5 speed is a BW or Nissan unit. The BW is worth a bit more IF it isn't trashed. Stroker? Back it up with something other than the seller's word. Unless you pull the pan or head you won't know for sure. Nothing about this car would excite me. I'd offer up the $1500 and a phone number. If I never heard back from the seller I wouldn't lose any sleep.

Edited February 19, 2010 by ezzzzzzz

[jackboxxx]

A Rebello 3.1 is about $3 grand. Go from there....

Heh...3 grand...Dave wont do it for that, but if you have the skills to do it yourself maybe 3 grand.

[BTF/PTM]

Thanks, guys, all great feedback. I do agree completely with digging for more paperwork before buying the car. I've also gotten other facts like the car has no seatbelts installed and has no door locks. This isn't a problem for someone like the current owner, but for someone in a different situation these things mean some extra work just to be able to leave the car unattended anywhere except inside one's own garage.

p.s. - I've heard about the LSD trick with lifting the car and spinning the wheels. If memory serves, if it's a true LSD, the two wheels will turn opposite directions when one is rotated, and if one wheel is held in place, the free one cannot be turned if it's a real LSD where if it's an open diff the free wheel can still be turned along with the driveshaft(with the transmission in neutral). Is this correct?

Edited February 19, 2010 by BTF/PTM

[tlorber]

As a side note, the guy I bought my electronic dizzy from was looking to sell a stroked out 3.1 short block (this was about a month ago). He had just rebuilt it and then decided on installing a skyline motor instead. I still have his number somewhere, so if anyone is interested let me know. It was up here in the L.A. area.