Smokey

Add one more person hoping that he pulls through OK. My thoughts are with him and his family.

Last I heard form him, the deposit check was in hand. The buyer had promised to buy the car. I guess I just sit back and see if he does now. I am betting the car is gone, but the owner will contact me if the sale falls through.

Something else to consider. The Z is a very reliable mode of transportation, however, being used as a daily driver is hard on the car. As has been discussed, they are prone to rust. If you use it as a daily driver, you will be in rain, snow, salt, and whatever else. I made this mistake with my first Z. I lived in an apartment, and needed a daily driver. My CRX was totaled, so I bought a Z. The condition was fair, and I tinkered on it for a while. In the year that I had it, it saw all kinds of bad weather. The metal began to rust, and there was not much I could do with it since I needed transportation. Just playing devil's advocate here. The Z is a great car, and easy to work on. It is a better "second" car though. I hate to see Z's out in the weather deteriorating. They need to be in garages and driven on sunny, dry days. The 240SX would be the more practical daily driver, and a better one to learn how to drive in. I say that only cause it is easier to find replacement body parts for the newer car. And, odds are, you will wreck your first car.

Well, I'm kinda bummed out now. You see, when the owner sent me the pictures he also sent some to another potential buyer. While I was E-mailing him to set up a time to come and see the car, the other buyer was E-mailing that he was overnighting a deposit and that he wanted the car. At least for this minute, it looks like I have missed out on this car. Hopefully, either the deposit will not get sent (doubtful) or when the guy goes to look at it, he decides not to buy it (very doubtful). All I know is that he is from the Northeast. It's not you WannaZ, is it?? I had pretty much come to terms that this was going to be the car that I wanted too. Price seemed to match the condition. Guess it is just a waiting game now. I must perservere.

Yeah, I would have gone with a L28 short block too. According to the owner, the "Z Doctor" in Fl was restoring a 260 and had pulled the engine out. This was the donor block on this 240. Motor only has 4600 miles on it, and is in tune. He says that it pulls strong all the way to 6500RPM.

He only mentioned the heater core. I assume the box and the other parts are there. I know the AC works, but is out of R-12 (so he says). Also the car has an L26 block with the L24 crank and rods. Its been bored .30 over with the Early E88 head and a hot cam. The induction is 3x Mikunis. Is this a good setup? He speaks highly of the drivability.

Quick question on this car. It does not have a heater core, and therefore no heat. How difficult is it to find a heater core? Ahhh Hell, I just got some pictures of this car--I can wear a jacket:love: I need to find a way to call dibbs on this car till I can get down to SC to see it.

Yeah, I saw that car . Believe me, it is not near the car Barry thinks it is. BTW, the black one does not have a heater core. I have heard they are tuff to get a hold of. The A/C also needs charging. And, again, the front suspension needs rebuilding--Shocks, ball joints, tie rod ends, bushings. The rear brakes need to be replaced too. We shall see.

Can't help with the location, but the Z Doctor was one of the guys that designed the Z from the beginning. He now works on Datsun/Nissan cars--mainly early Z's. I have heard he does real good work. I am looking at a car that he did the motor on, so I might let you know what kind of work he does from first hand experience soon.

Talked to the guy briefly while at work. The car sounds pretty good. He has owned it for 4 years, and bought it from Orlando Fl. It has been a Fl car all it's life up till now. The motor has been replaced less than 5K miles ago with a .30 over 260 motor with early E88 head. It has the hottest cam that can be put in without affecting drivability. The SU's have been dumped for triple Mikunies. It has full electric ignition, original 4spd tranny, and diff. The floor pans have been completely replaced and are in excellent shape, and the frame rails are original with no rust. There are some rust bubbles forming at the bottoms of the doors and around the gas lid. The rubber has been replaced on both doors and hatch. The mechanical work was done by the Z Doctor in Florida. The body was originally Silver, but the last owner (had 3 owners to this point) had it sprayed Laquer black. The engine bay is still Silver, with no rust around the battery. The interior is red. He will be sending pictures soon. This sounds pretty good, but we shall see.

Found another Z I will be looking into. This one is in Lexington SC. It is a '72, but the ad tells nothing about it. Just says looks and runs great. It is black, so I know it has been painted, but then again, my first Z was a black '72. Anyone know anything about this car? Looks pretty nice, but body work can be very misleading. The one thing that it has going for it, is the black paint. Pretty hard to hide body work under black. Gonna try and call in the morning. I just can't shake the desire for one of these cars.

Came across this car on collector car trader. Just wondering if it belongs to any members here. The location is in Tampa FL. I have not talked to the owner as of yet.

DUDE!!!! put a warning on this thread . Makes me sad to see Z's in less than perfect shape, but at least you will be getting it all fixed up soon. I am glad that the damage is minor and can be repaired fairly easy. Let us know how it goes.

One thing to consider here since you say the car has sat for an extended period of time. It might not be the valve seats that are the cause of the low compression. One of the Z's I have looked at fell into that very same condition. The owner said that when he bought the car, it ran, although poorly. He pulled the head to get it machined and overhauled. While at the machine shop, the guy said that the head was pretty much shot from having sat so long. The acids in the oil had started to eat away at the head. The owner then went home and started to look at the block. He actually found a small hole in the side of the block. Come to find out, the acids in the oil along with the coolant had rusted out the block from the inside out. There was no way to save this engine. he ended up with a new Jasper L26. Not sure if this is what is going on with your engine (and I hope it isnt), but be aware that sitting is one of the worst things for an engine unless it is drained and prepped.

I am actually curious about this question. Of course, I am lost on bars too. From what I have seen, looks like 150's are good numbers for these engines. Or at least, those are the numbers that I have seen generated in the L series motor. Someone, fill us in on what is a good number range for compression.

I live in the great state of confusion. I also visit the state of chaos occasionally.

Thanks again Carl. I have not talked to the owner yet. I will prolly talk to some friends in the body shop I used to work at, and see what they say about the battery repairs. Just a lot of work to get the car where the owner says it is already.

Pic 2

I went out this morning to take a second look at the battery tray, and adjoining areas. Based on what I have read here, I think it better to walk away from this one. The rust is caused by battery acid. The damage strtches clear to the top of the inner fender where the paint is beginning to peel off. It is onto the frame rail, but I think the inside is OK. The worst part is that it is in the seam between the firewall and wheelhouse. The seam sealer has even begun to decay letting in the nasty acid. In addition to looking here, I also went in for a second look at the pans. There is some minor surface rust forming at the trailing end near the seat crossmembers. This looks to be dormant, but would need to be sand blasted to remove. With the acid damage in the major structural portion, and the need of suspension work, along with the seat, radio, etc... I think I need to walk away from this for the price that he is asking. I would not even be willing to offer him half of the 11K, which would only insult the man. Here are 2 pictures of the rust damage in the battery area. Pic 1

Victor, she looks nice. Must have been rusted in out of the way places that made it not worth repairing. From the pics, it looks flawless.

I don't think that they ever came from the factory like that. They might have been a dealer installed item in '73 and '74 to combat the flat top carbs. I think from the factory, they only came with the dual SU's.

OK, I stand corrected. I, for some reason, thought Aussies had KPH speedos. Figured us Yanks were the last of the MPH for the most part. Sorry for the assumption.:stupid:

Yeah, then they would be safe. Sharks don't eat their own kind.

The one with the MPH either has a replacement speedo, or the dash has been changed out. The engines were not always put in in sequence. They came in groups with other assemblies, and were put in the bodies in no certain order.

Yeah, I know what you are trying to convey. It is the same spot that I saw rust through on the Red one in the passenger wheel well. Thanks for the advice, I will be putting it through all these tests on Wednesday.