opinons please

[MotoManMike]

Hello all. I like many of you am a Z car addict. I have 2 1973 240Z's. One very clean, one not so clean rusted. They both drive fine, I drive them both regularly, probably 10 to 15k miles a year. The one rusty Z, I have all the metal for, and I have the original block that matches the number plate. It is solid driving and much "safer" feeling than my clean Z. My question is does this make them more valuable or desireable with numbers matching? This car will take a lot of work to get it to look new but i have all the metal, and capability just need some direction.

My second Z, the clean one. Has been in an accident in some point in its life. It was hit in the right rear, the portion was repaired fairly well, you can see the hatch was bent and they should have replaced the hatch but didn't. With that being said, it is as close to stock as one gets but its not the numbers matching motor. So I bought a turbo motor i'm planning to swap in because the car is tainted in my opinion with the accident, and non numbers matching car. If you pull the hatch carpet you can see the ripples still in the metal so its by no means perfect. It is sad, I didn't realize it when I bought it but hey live and learn right.

Am I off track with any of this thinking or does it even matter? Also value wise I know it really affects value if they have been patched back together whether it was done right or not.

Opinions please. I love these cars, don't really plan on selling any of them but you never know what life might throw at you or what other Z may come along .

[72 OJ]

Mike ,the # matching has two banks of opinions,those who see value and others that don't see it, this is not an Italian exotic or a Leno type car,,,, not yet in the future who knows , get all the feedback and then make your move......good luck my friend.

[cbuczesk]

Matching numbers would matter on a 1969 and maybe a 1970 240Z. It makes little difference on the others. Installing a turbo motor in your "wrecked" car will probably increase its value. Just do what you want and have fun with them!

Chuck

[jfa.series1]

Hah - "opinions are like belly buttons, everybody has one".

Ultimately everything boils down to money and how you want to spend it. Off the top, neither car really qualifies for potential "collector" status so that actually takes some load off of you. So... now you are into fun and enjoyability investment. As to the "clean" car, you state it is not the safest feeling but don't say why. Did the collision cause any serious unibody/frame bends that compromise handling or safety integrity? If not and it is the cleaner car cosmetically, this is probably the ideal candidate for the turbo motor and some additional cosmetic work like a replacement hatch.

As to the "rusty" car, do hold onto the original motor but build yourself a very realistic budget of what it might take to put the car back to good and safe condition BEFORE you undertake the project. Doing the labor yourself will help hold down costs. Even if you value your labor at $0, there is a strong likelihood you will never recover your investment when it comes time to sell the car. Matching numbers will always mean something to a lot of buyers, so stay true if you can.

So... there you have a brief opinion and it is worth exactly what you paid for it. Good luck and always consider yourself a man of good fortune to have two Z cars that you can drive on a regular basis.

Jim

[JonnyRock]

I agree with Chuck, numbers matching likely matters only for Series 1 cars.

I've got #1704 with matching original motor and tranny and I'm confident that helps its value. I don't think the same would be true if I had #36,000.

I think you should keep the original motor if you remove it, but put your money into the best candidate. If that means putting the turbo block in the rusty-but-solid car, then so be it.

Edited June 12, 2012 by JonnyRock

[Hardway]

I have bought sold almost 40 sports & muscle cars over the past years so I will chime in on this one. When you say you have all the metal to repair the rust car I assume this means floor pans, doors, fenders, etc. Doors and front fenders are a bolt on affair. Floor pans and rocker panels on the other hand are weld-in and require the obvious tools to do the job but also the skill to do it right. If the clean car does not handle properly due to the accident or cannot be repaired it may be a case of cutting your losses with it and enjoy it as is. If you can fix the handling issues then I would say leave the car clean and all stock. That way you can have a car that is stock and then a modified turbo car, best of both worlds! Matching numbers is over rated in my opinion and only true high grade collector cars warrant worrying about it. I agree, low # Series 1 cars fall in to this category as long as they are in good condition. The posts above call out some really good points. These cars are meant to be enjoyed, both driving and wrenching on them. Take stock of your skillset and determine what you can and realistically cannot do. If you can't weld or do body work to correct the rust then you need to factor that in to your budget. In the end, whatever you do with each car you want to be done right, be safe, and more importantly be fun to drive.

[MotoManMike]

Thanks everyone. I didn't realize it doesn't affect their value as much as old muscle cars. Either way I did buy these cars to drive, not to make money. I have the one rusted car so tuned it just drives great but i've owned it 2 years so i've had the time to go through everything underneath safety wise, new brakes, ball joints, bushings, struts etc etc. The cleaner Z just has worn out suspension, i've only had it maybe 5 months. It doesn't look as if anything mechanical was affected during the accident, the unibody rails are straight looking at it on the lift. Control arm mounting looks true on both sides, it almost looking at the repair looks as if they spun out and hit into a ditch backwards or something as it was isolated to the right quarter panel area. I have a good idea which direction to head now though and appreciate everyones input. Turbo it is, Ill put the turbo in the cleaner car since i've got to tear the suspension off and rebuild it all anyhow and the transmission has a terrible deceleration whine in second so its got to come out anyhow. Thanks everyone.