Help needed ...ALAN (HS-30-H)

[LEE240ZPERTH]

Just a few words of warning on cars of this age that don't look as though they have much rust.

I bought my car, also a 1970 model #306, the car had stood in a dry barn for several years and having owned 240's before was very careful and took my time going over the bodywork, I went under the car and had a look at the floor's which were dry and didn't have any underseal left on them, everything looked great including the seams.

I did all the other checks in the normal places and everything looked pretty good, the interior carpets were glued down so I started to pull part of them up, the mistake I made was that I didn't pull them all up!

I bought the car anyway with the intention of restoring it at some point. When I got it home I gutted the inside to get a real good look at the floor, this revealed that the rust was rotting the floor from the inside out, by the time I had finished with the wire brush I had holes in both sides of the car.

I am now having the car restored professionally and although I am still well please to have a pretty original early Zed there was far more rust than was visible at the time of purchase.

There is also rust in the firewall, not much,but I would never have seen it unless I took the scuttle off and got in there with a torch.

I don't mean to rain on your parade and the car is certainly worth going for, just dont be afraid to take your time and get the carpets up even if they are glued, what you find may not put you off the car but it may help get the price down.

BTW my car has Nissan OHC on the rocker cover which is on the original engine, a mate of mine has a lower car number than mine also with the same rocker cover, I would therefore suggest that your's is probably correct.

Good luck with the car, keep us informed of your progress.

Regards

Lee

[HS30-H]

Hi James ( 240znz ),

Probably a bit late answering this now, but you were asking about the structure of the sills and the dogleg panel between the end of the sill and the rear quarter.

Best advice really is to think of the WHOLE BODY as being important structurally. Personally I wouldn't knowingly leave any area with rust in it if I was able to repair it or replace it. The sills are relatively easy to come by, and the dogleg section is available as a repair section. A good body man would be able to repair / replace these with little trouble ( although the dogleg needs to be attached properly UNDER the sill overlap to work and look right ) so I would not personally worry to much about those bits. I would look a bit more closely at the rest of it though; there are areas of the car that are much more difficult and costly to repair than the sills and doglegs.

Lee's advice is very good advice indeed, and I'd tend to err on the side of caution if I were you - going ALL over the car and giving it a proper and full body condition inspection. Ultimately its very difficult to give anything other than the most general advice on a board like this. Its you who are going to see the car, and its your money that you are spending - so you will ultimately have to make your own decision based on what you see and how you feel about it.

I guess all of this advice would also need to be balanced by the thought that you don't have all that many cars to choose from in your neck of the woods. You will be wanting to find the best one that you can within your budget, but you can only choose from what is available, after all.

Some of our American friends - especially those who live in dry states where Z cars are comparatively numerous - would probably walk away from a car that needed some structural repair. Here in the UK we can't do that, as if you want an early Z you will usually be forced to buy something less than perfect and with a lot of inherited repairs. I'm sure the situation in New Zealand will be quite similar, but please take heart in the knowledge that good and effective repair IS possible ( have a look at my 432R replica project car Gallery photos, which has had new floors, new rear panel, new sills and doglegs, new front wings, new doors and rear wheel arch repair sections! ).

I'm glad to hear that the VIN number checks out as correct and therefore ( like Lee's car ) in my mind it makes it all the more worth saving. I like the sound of that law in NZ where you can check all details of ownership etc from the car's registration number ( that would be most useful here in the UK! ).

As for driving it back 600 miles, well only you can judge that based on how well it runs and whether you have any back-up in case of a breakdown ( NZ equivalent of RAC or AA recovery? ). I used to do stuff like that when I was a bit younger and a bit less cautious, and 9 times out of 10 I got home OK. Sounds like a good plan to take a few little spares with you, and change the fuel filter for sure ( you can check the oil level and condition on the dipstick I guess ).

Final ( and probably biggest ) factor is the cost, which will affect everything else. Again, this will be a situation that many of us cannot offer advice on, as the used market and average prices in NZ are a big unknown to those of us outside the territory.

Good luck!

Alan T.

[240znz]

Just had an important thought.

Where in the interior is the VIN number stamped? I guess this is the only way on confirm if the body matches the engine bay plate.

If off in 12 hours so if please reply as soon as you can.

Cheers,

[halz]

There is a number stamped into the firewall in the engine bay on the driver's side (RHD) just below the rubber bonnet seal. It should match the engine bay plate... I guess what it amounts to is that all of the numbers you will need to see are under the bonnet!

[Gav240z]

Only American cars had the numbers inside the car to my knowledge if your's is an Australian delivered Z brought to NZ I would say it should be above the brake booster stamped into the wall.

You can cross check it with a plate in the engine bay on the strut tower that will tell you both engine number and chassis number.

Don't forget the engine number is just below the head stamped into the block on the driver side towards the radiator.

Good Luck and Take Photo's

[240znz]

Thanks guys for the info.

Yes I have the digital camera all ready to go. Stay tuned for some pics on.....

A) It is a piece of crap due to these rusty pictures.

or.....

Look at the sweet thang I've got.

I hope it's B.

Cheers,

[240znz]

HS30 00352 is MINE.

It has some need of repair with regard to rust/heater not working/clunking diff/5 gear popping out when you put on the power/ no dash lights.

What a drive home. The torque! Going up a steep hill in 4 and pulled away from 2000rpm like the hill was a pimple. Got to love the engine. L24 with sahved E88 and lumpy cam (not sure what lift of duration is, but all hel;l breaks loose at 4500rpm to 6500. Idle is rough. Seems as though the accelerator is ON/OFF. Thi smight be due to a sticky cable or just the cam.

Thanks for all your help and advice.

A very happy........

[halz]

Congratulations! Now you just need to stay out of the car long enough to post some more pics!

[HS30-H]

Congratulations James,

I echo halz and say post some detail pics as soon as you get the opportunity.

Here's wishing you the best of luck with it.

Alan T.

[Ben]

Another one saved! :love:

[2ManyZs]

Congrats.... we were starting to wonder if you were ever going to find a cure for your fever....

Oh, BTW..... ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZLOL

[sjcurtis]

240ZNZ congratulations,

I wish I had been there to take a photo for you of the look on your face when you stepped out of your Zed. You know the best part of it is we all Know that exact feeling. And the smile of success when you realised that Zed is ultimate driving pleasure.

fantastic responce I guess you have the Zed bug.

When you post your next group of pics, can you please post original engine serial number detail and if possible pic of data plate.

Cheers

Steve:classic: