Guy who never owned a Nissan in his life.

[fspell220]

Just like the title says. I bought a Datsun 240z for $160 bucks. Car is in decent shape I guess. Complete, would be a better term. I'm also new here. You guys seem very knowlegable, so here I am, ready to absorb some of it. I will post pics also but haven't taken any yet. When I bought the car the engine bay is complete, nothing has been removed there, but the transmission has been removed and was in the trunk. The guy I bought it from bought it like that and don't know why it was ever removed so hopefully just needs a clutch kit. hummm, some body damage, large rust holes in floor boards, cracked windshield, etc. I know it is very salvageable. I love the body style on this little car. I really wanna do the L28et swap but can't afford to this year. My main focus will be get the existing engine running well, body work, paint and interior. I would also like to a few body kit pieces later, eg. ducktail and front valence maybe even the fender flare kit. If any of you experienced z guys could point me in the right direction for parts that would be a start. I have about $1500 to invest, I should be able to have a nice looking and running stocker for that. Starting project soon. Also, I'm will be trying to invest in some decent looking wheels, what is the largest size i can use without rubbing. I found some sharp 16x7's on ebay only $325 for the set. Long post, I know, sorry, just getting it all out. Thanks in advance. Excited to get this baby started.

[grantf]

congratulations! just wait till you get to drive it, you will be hooked!

[1970Datsun240z]

I remember when I started my Z... It sure is fun. I would not use anything bigger than 17s for the wheels.

Have FUN!

John

[fspell220]

Thanks 1970datsun.

[Walter Moore]

That is where I was in 2002. I found my car sitting along the side of the road with "$125 OBO" on the windshield. I had never personally owned a Nissan or any other Japanese car. Five years and several thousand dollars later I got it running. I am still working on it but at least I can enjoy driving it.

Hopefully your car is in better shape than mine. It took me so long because I did all the work myself, on a shoe string budget.

Good luck! Glad to see an new face in the game.

[Weasel73240Z]

Welcome to the club, and if you love it now, wait til you drive it. Unfortunately, I went into my partial restoration thinking I'd spend around $3,000, on top of the $3,800 I paid for my Z. About $6,000 later, I'm just about done, and it sounds like mine was in much better shape than yours is now. And I did everything except rebuilding the cylinder head myself.

I guess I'm just saying, $1,500 is gonna go quickly based on your description of the car. Not looking to burst your bubble, just being realistic so you can plan accordingly. Good luck!

[oldhemi]

You might have a drivable car for $1500 if you do ALL of the work. MSA has a lot of stuff. But you can get the mechanical stuff a lot cheaper from rockauto.com, local parts stores etc.

You have to have a lot of patience and dedication to revive an obviously abandoned old car. And you need tools to do things yourself.

You are looking at battery, clutch, hydraulics - brakes and clutch, brake parts, exhaust system, cooling system, carb cleaning and rebuilding at the least, shocks, electrical crap, possible suspension problems - bearings and bushings. That list is probably not close to complete depending on what else you find - gas tank rusted to hell, gas lines plugged and or rusted/split and then the rubber lines everywhere needing to get replaced.

Do yourself a favor and do some research using some of the online parts listings, search this site, hybridz, zcar,com etc and - if you can - put the prices that you find in a spreadsheet. That will give you a better idea of what to ask next - you will have a better specific question and get better specific answers.

I have not even covered things like frame rail(s) rust, floor pans, and body panels rust. Fiberglass spoilers, wheel well flairs and other niceties are very far away in your price point.

I am not trying to discourage you, but try to be realistic for $1500. You can easily spend that much and have a drivable car that leaks, has some paint/body and interior "issues", home-rigged floorpans, temperamental window cranks and the like, but it should be safe and somewhat reliable at this point. You can make a decision to go futher with the car or make some small improvements here and there and drive a beater.

Weasel and Walter make some good points.

Good luck and don't forget that the "search" function is your friend.

Edited March 3, 2010 by oldhemi

[TBone028]

I dont post on this board much, but I would also agree. A $1500 budget isnt impossible, but you should go ahead and multiply that by 3.14. These projects add up!

I think you got yourself a great find, but rust repair will most likely set you back the $1500 you already have budgeted. Unless of course you already own a welder and have free sources of sheet metal.

For $160, you might have yourself a GREAT parts car. I would hold off on buying any parts to restore, and start looking for a rust-free shell. Just a thought.

Good luck with your project!

[grantf]

multiply by 3.1415...

[leftover z]

$160 was your down payment. Then figure roughly $160 per month minimum. All jokes aside, good luck. Be patient. Have a sense of humor. If you smoke, quit. If you drink, drink more .

Be sure to post pics.

[Kathy & Rick]

congratulations! just wait till you get to drive it, you will be hooked!

Not for nothing, Grant, but by the tone of fspell's post it sounds like he is

already hooked! LOL

Obviously not disparaging your post, I knew that you meant "even more so!"

Yo, fspell! You definitely came to the right place!

All Z Best,..................................Kathy & Rick

[Reverend]

Well im sure if he's not hooked he will be. I just drove first 2 meters inside garage with my 72 and i was hooked That car is keeping me on the leash and when payday approaches, im thinking what i need to buy for my Z instead of thinking about buying food etc. Wife not always happy