emccallum

Greenwood/abbeville

Thanks for the replies and the welcome backs! ! At this point, I am open to all ideas concerning the roof, as I have a lot of work to do before I get to that point! I have restored a number of cars since I refreshed my last z back in the 90's. It turned out nice, but looking back, it would have been better if I had taken it completely apart. One of the biggest improvements since the 90's is the cell phone camera. Lots and lots of pictures at your fingertips! My old z right before she was shipped to Canada...

I joined this group in 2000 and sold my last 240 in 2014. I saved some old parts for some crazy reason. I really thought with the recent increase in Z values that I would never get back into them. So, I moved on to restoring and playing with some other cars. A couple of weeks ago I got an email from an old college friend. We both had 240's in college. He swapped to a vw after his second year in college. He told me that he had parked his 240 in a shed at his parents house in 1986 and never touched it again. He said his parents were moving to an assisted living facility and the car had to go. He lives across the country and doesn't have time to deal with it, and thought I may be interested. I initially said no, but I would go take a look as it was less than an hour from me, and I could help him sell it. Long story short we made a deal on it and I am back in the z scene. The car is a 72, but was modified with a rear wing and front spoiler and a sunroof! The good, is that it is very solid, has the original motor and straight panels. Bumpers are straight and in good shape. Interior is rough. My plans are a complete restoration to the original metallic brown. I remembered I had an old parts car that I let a friend have. Thinking I could use it for a donor roof, I went to check it out. Guess what.....It has a sunroof too! How could I get this unlucky? Why didn't I remember that? It did have a few other bits that I will need. So, I will be searching for a donor roof. I will post up some more pictures when I go get the car and get it home. Looking forward to catching up with the z community. It was my first online car group. I remember when we had a list serv system where we got emails back in the 90's. Here is how she has been sitting since 1986.

It looks like my days of Z ownership are coming to an end. I have owned a z since 1982. Had them in my life since my dad bought one new in 1974. A good friend of mine has been breaking my chops about selling him my Z for a while. It is a 2/71 in very good shape. Refreshed it (thought I restored it, until I met Carl Beck on the internet) back in the mid 90's and have put a total of 5K miles on it. I am sad to see it go, but I haven't driven it and I think it is time for someone else to enjoy it. I am planning to put something else in its place just not a Datsun. I have seen one or two old z's around my hometown, Greenwood, SC, maybe I can catch them and pass along some knowlege I have gained from all of you over the years. I have a lot of boxes I am going to go through over the winter and try and sell/give away some stuff, but if anyone is around my area and wants to come see if i have anything of interest, please contact me. ernest

Bought several things from him over the last 15 years! Top tier.

I sent an email to Antennamastsrus.com to inquire if they had a source for a replacement mast, knowing that they probably wouldn't. I have exchanged emails with them and they are interested in making a replacent mast. Mine is in very good condition except the plastic cable is broken, and they need a good donor. They said it may take up to 6 months and I would not get my mast back, but they would give me a couple of replacements. Should I risk it? Has anyone ever dealt with this company? I sent decals to Banzai for him to reproduce and never had any problems. Should I risk one for the team?? ernest

I am located in Abbeville/Greenwood SC. I was referring to Carl Beck, but I remember Bambikiller very well. That is very sad to hear, 54 isnt as old as it used to be.

In the mid to late 90's I refreshed my 2/71 240. It turned out pretty good and really haven't done much with it since. I was pretty active with the original List-serv we had and when we swapped to the forum I obviously lost some interest. As my last two posts were in 2004 and 2009! I hope Carl and some of the older guys are still around. I have spent the last decade raising kids, and working. I got away from tinkering with cars. Last fall I got the bug again and ordered a factory five cobra kit car. I spent the winter building it. Kids really enjoyed it. Where is all this going? Well, my 15 year old and I were messing around Saturday and he asked if the Z still ran. We uncovered it, jumped it off and I spent the rest of the afternoon teaching him how to drive a stick. You can get your license at 15 in SC. He had a blast. We washed the car and cleaned it up. We spent today flushing the radiator, brake fluid and changing the oil. Of course we did some more driving. I have been away a long time from the z community, but it still brought a smile to my face. I was never really happy with my paint job, and it has a few dings from storage. So don't be surprised if I show up this winter with photos of the car completely apart .......again. If any members are in the upstate SC area and need any parts, help or want to talk z , let me know. Its been a great ride and it ain't over! Ernest

I was having electrical issues on my 71. A few things that I did. Replaced the voltage regulator, altenator, battery, checked all connections and grounds. It has been a while...but as I recall there is a large red/white striped main wire that runs from the altenator to the fuse box. Make sure it is well connected, as it will heat up quickly if it has a lot of resistance (poor connections). You can run another wire (fused of course) from the positive of the battery straight to the altenator (pos side). This will help reduce pressure on the fuse box. Sometimes, changing one part puts another over the top. This system wasnt that great 35 years ago! My car is rarely driven, so this wotked for me. If I was going to drive it daily, I would consider upgrading to the internally regulated zx altenator, as others have posted.

i would love to have a copy to troubleshoot my '70 tach wired to a zx distributor. Thanks!! emccallum@emeraldis.com

My Panasports are 15 inch. With 205/60 tires. If you go with a 16 inch wheel you will need 50 series tires. Tooo pricey for me. I am fond of the classic 70's look, higher profile etc. I guess I am showing my age, but I loved the way they looked when I was a kid. Also, I like to have a bit of cushion between the pothole and the Panasport. Make sure if you go 16 that it will clear the wheel wells with the tire you choose. The lower profile depending on the width may tend to change the camber causing wearing on the inside of the tires. Talk to others before deciding on a wheel / tire combo. Someone besides the salesman! All the best. Ernest

The interior looks appealing. I assume it is leather. What was behind the seats? flat storage ? Ernest

I went with urethane every where. Nonadjustable camber, and standard thrust rod, but urethane. But I kept the same aspect ratio on my tires 205/60/15in. If you go to a real low profile it will change the camber and adjustments may be helpful. No fun wearing out a brand new pair of expensive tires b/c you cant get them in line. Been there. It is easy to get a z too stiff.... in my opinion. I think a good set up for street driving would be new stock springs, new rubber bushings, adjustable gas struts, and larger sway bars. Using a 205/60/15 tire. I think the rubber gives better insulation, but not as stiff. Something to consider. Ernest

I have the suspension techn. springs on my car and they seem ok. I actually think I got them from JC whitney for about half of what MSA wanted. AIR they have sway bars for the 240 also. I went with the MSA bars, but I did have to drill to put on the rear bar. It mounts in front of the rear end, and I think the later z's had it routed to the rear so this can be an issue. I would like to try a new set of stock springs on my car just to feel the difference. I may have liked that better for my driving. Mine is very stiff. Ernest

This is a recent photo of my 2/71. Pretty much completely restored. At least I thought it was until I got into this group, then found out mine is really very "refreshed". Original engine, tranny, rear end. Although I did change the rear end mounts to let it line up like the later 240's. New everything bushings,calipers, rotors, drums, wheel cylinders, springs etc. etc. It has the MSA 6 into 1 header, and a mild Schneider cam, engine and tranny completely overhauled. Interior is all stock except for an aftermarket radio. I bought one of those rear deck things that holds two 6x9 speakers, so I did not have to do any cutting, and can go back with the stock panel if needeed. Everything works including the rear defroster console light and all interior lights. Suspension has front and rear sway bars new springs and gas struts, with urethane bushings. May be a bit stiff for daily driving but corners great. Even with my high profile tires. Sorry guys, I think a z looks best with the panasports and a tire that fills up the wheelwell. Plus it gives some cushion if you hit a curb. Enjoy the ride. Ernest

Great pictures. I kinda like it. I llike the front better than the back. I dont like the tall big rounded rear ends... on cars. But they seem to be in vogue. As for the doors being too high, that would be, in my opinion, classic zcar design. They are too high for my liking in the 240. I thought about putting a few spacers under my seats to raise them up so I can see out. Cant wait to see it in person. Ernest

Make sure you keep your feet on the pedals!! I think I would be inclined to fix them. Ernest