LEE240ZPERTH

Hi Could someone please tell me what the distance between the lip of the tailgate and the slam panel is when fully open. I have a 1970 car but don't know if I have the correct tailgate stay, it does'nt open anyway near as much as the tailgate on the 1972 car I used to own, was there a difference between the very early cars and say cars from 1971 onwards. There does'nt look to have been any mods to my unit so assume it is possibly original (it's stuffed by the way so looking for a replacement or re gas if it can be done) Any advice much appreciated Lee

Hi Guys Thanks for the feedback. In answer to your question Hayden, yes the engine bay was sprayed also and your'e right the engine does look drab but I have started to polish up the valve cover and I have got new hoses etc to pick up from Nissan, as time goes on I will start selecting different parts to get plated or powder coated etc etc. I got fed up with ringing companies in Perth who would be able to supply carpet cut to the right pattern, the car had no carpets when I got it so nothing to use. I decided to get a set sent over from All Zed parts in Sydney but they can take a while to send parts off as I have found out several times. HKSZ Interesting that you had #98 and that it was green with black trim, my friends car (#99) is also green/black trim My current car has the round mirror and looks like it's been on there for a very long time but my old car#117 had a bullit style mirror, don't think that was original though. Sblake01 Actually don't mind my steering wheel being on the wrong side just don't like seeing it upside down, tjhere again I do live Down under:classic: Lee

After a year of stop start resto work my car is back home and 95% finished, a few jobs remain, fit new carpets, rear vents and one last badge (these parts should be with me on Tuesday) then it's just the new bumpers and wheels to sort out, oh and the steering wheel needs correcting, I am sure many of you will have noticed that the restorer has put in back into the car upside down). The car has Vin #306 and is 905 Red, the car is mostly original including the engine, gearbox and virtually all of the interior. The Zed was completely stripped and taken back to the bare metal prior to all the rot being cut out and replaced with new metal, surprisingly the car was very good in the normal places you expect to find trouble but less than good in the area's I thought would be ok. The roof was a pain in the arse (and wallet) Just about everything on the car has been refurbished and now just need a few hours of detailing to get it to where I want it to be. The car has come up very well considering the restoration was what I would call a budget job ie the paint job is good but far from concours, I did not want to over restore the car simply because I did not want to be scared to take it out and drive it as much as possible. The way I originally came by the car was quite interesting, it was one of those stories you sometimes read about, I answered an ad in the local free ads paper that stated two early 240 Z's for sale, I lost count of the times I tried to ring the guy and got no answer but I kept going until I eventually managed to speak with him, he apparently worked nights and turned the phone off during the day! Anyway I eventually aranged to go and have a look at the cars, it was about a three hour drive to a small town in the south of the state, when I got to the property which was in the middle of nowhere I was greeted by a number of cars lying around the yard including Rileys, old tractors and even an old steam roller circa late 1800's I think. I was led into a very large shed which contained more Rileys etc, as I looked over to the corner I saw a 240z displaying it's rear hatch vents, then another series 1, then another and then a 260 z 2 seater, talk about a kid in a lollie shop, I was dribbling all over my shoes, I could here my wife just behind me saying oh my god we'll be here for hour's as she went to find somewhere to sit. Well, I eventually bought two of the cars over the next few weeks, the Vin numbers he had were #99, #117 & #306 which is the one I have just had restored, I sold #117 to finance my retoration as it was not an original car and was in a considerably worse state, #99 is still in his possesion but has since been restored also. Anyway I have placed some pictures into my gallery for you all to take a look at, please bear in mind that there are still jobs to do before it's completely finished but I am a very happy Zed driver once again. Regards Lee

110 Red is one of those colours that looks different depending on the amount of sunlight, I had a 110 Red car a few years back, I took pictures of it in direct sunlight and then about two hours later took pictures of it in partial shade, when I got the pictures back it looked like I had taken snaps of two completely different cars. 110 is one of those colours that is border line between red and orange, of all the people to see my car I would say there opinions were about a 50/50 split between the two colours. I have also had problems painting my current car which is 905 Red, the paint supplier had no less than three 905 Reds listed (has anyone alse experienced this problem) with the earliest shade being listed as a 1971 colour, this was the one applied to the car but it was a bit lighter than I expected, still looks great though. Lee

Hi Hayden Sorry but I can't be much help on the breakdown of cost's as I ordered them the same time as a mate of mine who purchased them using his credit card, when his credit card statement came through we just split the cost, worked out at $500 for each of us, the other reason I did'nt ask him for a breakdown of costs was because I was busy fending off blow's from my wife when she found out how much I had spent on seat covers, her comment went something like " the whole car's not worth $500.00":classic: You've just got to pity these zed ignorant people don't you! Anyway I've spent a whole load of money since and she's still here so she can't be all that bad. Iv'e just had my rad re-cored, got a pretty good deal with Joondalup radiators, charged me $260.00 everyone else wanted around $350.00 I am using Scott's trimming service at Wangara for the seats, all I have to supply is the old seats and the covers, they do all the rest for the price, new foam, webbing etc Will let you know when I get the car back so you can see the results of the various tradesman I have used. Lee

Hi Halz Just thought I would let you know that I am in the process of having my seats restored, I bought my seat covers from the US some timw ago (and when the exchange rate was less favourable) by the time I had got them in my hot little hand they had set me back AUD $500.00 I have to say I am well pleased with the covers and as I am also trying to get as close as possible to originality I think I made a good choice. Seats are now at the trimmers who are a bit slack as I dropped the seats and covers off over two weeks ago and they have only just given me a quote and then after I hassled them. The quote has come in at AUD $350.00 for the pair, that is for a complete rebuild of the seat, foam, webbing etc, a freind of mine recently had his covers fitted but they are a little loose IMO and spoil the look of the seat, with all the money I have spent so far I figured I may as well get them done properly. Should have the car on the road in a couple of weeks, just waiting for the dash to come back from Brisbane which is due at the end of next week. Lee

Alas, the only carpet I have is from the hatch, no carpets available from any of the floor sections of the car. Thanks for thought anyway Lee

Hi Guy's Can anyone tell me if they have any contacts for 240z carpet sets in Perth, don't really want to bring a set over from interstate if I can help it, all the automotive carpet suppliers contacted so far do most makes except 240Z's. Lee

Thanks for the lead on the magazine guy's I'll be off to the Newsagents in five minutes BTW the indicators in the UK are situated (normally) on top of the front bumper in the grill area, this is due to legislation, the wrap arounds in the valance you see in the US and Australia were deemed to low and were therefore a safety issue. zrush The Opel GT was known as a baby corvette by many in the UK, many people didn't know what it was at all (it was never imported officially in to the UK) The lines of the Opel are IMO very similar to that of a Corvette (I actually owned a couple of these cars, I seemed to remeber it handled really well but the performance sucked, it had a 1900cc engine but no get up and go, the funny thing is they actually made a 1100cc version which must have performed like a drunken slug, what were opel thinking! Anyway the results of the article (yet to be read ) don't surprise me, I would say most people not in the know about cars would come up with the more exotic marques when looking at a 240z without badges. There is a lot of ignorance in the world about our cars, my car is just about at the end of an extensive ground up restoration, when I told a few of the guy's at work I was restoring a Datsun they just about wet their pants with laughter:mad: Let's see how they laugh when I park my car next to their's:classic: Right, off to add to my mag collection Lee

Hi Cuong Have just sent you a PM Lee

Hi Cuong Could you tell me if you had the entire skin of your dash replaced or did they do a cap job only. Do you know what process they used in the resto job? If it was a full restoration I'll look to have mine done here, it would save me $300.00 in freight if nothing else The problem is my dash is at the logistics company and is due to start it's travel to Brisbane tomorrow, think I'll give them a call and get them to take it off the truck pending the possibility of getting it done in Perth. Lee Lee

As a herpetologist (weird person who keeps reptiles) for over twenty years, this find is awesome, I am staggered however that this animal is alive in captivity, most large snakes in this region are killed for their skin and food. I have had contact with many reticulated pythons and as a rule they are a real handful, not the friendliest snake you will ever come across, even a small one can take several people to handle safely. Would be interesting to see when the snake is measured officially as from memory there is a substantial reward on offer (about $100,000 USD I think) for any snake that measures over 30ft, this reward has been on offer for years. There was a reticulated python at a small zoo in the UK that measured about 29 feet, one good meal consisted of a fully grown sheep and 17 chickens (enough to last for six months) With all that going in the front end imagine what comes out the other end :sick:

Daniel Sorry forgot to answer your question about the dash, it's condition could only be described as grim, it had major cracks all across the top and a previous owner had covered the top with glue in order to stick a dash mat to it, altogether a pretty ugly site, there was no way I could restore the car and leave the dash in that condition. It has been sent to Dashboard restorations in Queensland, they have completed several resto jobs for our friends in the US, all reports seem to suggest that they do an excellent job. I was a bit reluctant to send it away as I was a little paranoid about it getting lost but I could not find a W.A based company that could do it. Lee

Halz the hoonLOL Can't blame you mate, my car should be ready in about 3 weeks and I know I will have to open her up at some point, just won't be able to help myself. Good to hear you are enjoying the zed following your long search Lee

Hi Halz I am not aware of any cameras in there at the moment, because of the low lighting and the fact that many people have their lights on, would they need a camera that has a red pulse flash as per the multinovas you come across at night? Don't blame you for putting your foot down, preferably with the window down so you can listen to the engine growl. Lee

Hi Daniel I met the guy who is restoring my car through a mutual friend, he get's all his resto jobs through word of mouth and I have seen some of his work, he is currently working on one of his cars (an early Riley) at weekends, he is currently replacing all of the cars wooden frame which to my eyes would require a fair bit of skill! My car is being restored to a budget so will not be concours condition, nor did I intend it to be as I would be reluctant to drive it on a regular basis, I just wanted a good usable classic that I could drive as much as possible. I have taken many photos of the car during the restoration as has the guy who is doing the work which I will load on to this site when the car is finished. Lee

Mr Camouflage Lights were sealed units as original, from memory I think they cost me just under $20.00 for the pair, I was quite surprised to see that they were manufactured by Koito but glad to be able to replace like for like especially when you consider it's a 33 year old car, how is your car coming along? Lee

Hi Daniel I am sorry to say that I have done little by way of restoring my own car due in part to lack of time and impatience but more because of lack of skill, I figured it would be much quicker and I would end up with a much better car if I let a professional do it. The guy I know has been restoring classics full time for 15 years and has worked on many cars although his passion is for Rileys, I have been close to the resto throughout and have been impressed at the care he has taken with my car, he is a one man band which has been good, I think I have got a better service and built up a far better relationship than I would have got from a fully commercial restoration workshop type setup, it has also been good in that when finances were tight (buying new house, xmas etc) he has been happy to put the car to one side. So far the car has been worked on for approx 150-160 hours with about 60-80 hours to go I would think. The car was completely dismantled and all paint removed, all rust cut out with new metal welded in, car is now painted with engine due to go back in by the end of the week. Like any resto it has cost a lot of money but the end result should be well worth it, car has been painted in its original colour which is 905 red (have not seen the paint job yet) the engine is original with a E31 head which has also been completely refurbished. Don't let me put you off doing your car yourself, next time I might even have a go myself. Regards Lee

Guys As part of my resto job I bought a pair of lights from a local car parts store (Marlowes for W.A guys) The lights were packaged as Bosch units but the lamps inside were Koito brand. I don't know if you get the Bosch parts in the US but would imagine that you might, I think they have global distribution, worth checking anyway. Regards Lee

Hi Daniel Welcome to the wonderful world of Zeds. I am in the final stages of a total restoration job on my 1970 240 apart from replacing brake components and having the egine/head rebuilt I have had to find few parts, those parts I needed have been or will be supplied by All Z Parts, the only things to come from outside Australia were my replacement seat covers obtained from the US. Most of the things you need will be available within Australia, even if you do have to pay through the nose, at least with a 260 you should have more luck with second hand spares. With a bit of luck my car should be finished by in a few weeks, just need to wait for my dash to come back from Dashboard restorations. If you need any specific info just ask and I will try to put you in touch with people who can help. Regards Lee