Arne

Probably, Randy. My guess from stuff I've heard from others and previous experience on other cars leads me to expect probably a 1/2" ride height increase.Problem is, the only way to avoid that is to find non-gas struts, which is darn near impossible these days. KYBs are lower pressure than Tokicos, so the increase in height should be less.

Greetings and welcome, Manny. You have found a place that abounds with knowledge and enthusiasm for these cars. Play around a bit with the website's search functions, there is more data available there than you can imagine. And let us know when we can help.

I think Carl hit the nail on the head on the re-paint issue. I think lots of the Safari gold cars got painted other colors over the years. A shame, actually, as the gold color is really distinctive these days. I had the pleasure of seeing two gold 240Zs last weekend on our local cruise - see pictures at October PDX gathering.

Maybe I should send my yellow Series 1 to Florida when I sell it. Because I'll bet its only worth $2500 or so here in Oregon.

Well, the parts car is now gone (as of yesterday - RIP, #27602) and I'm back down to two 240Zs. I can certainly sympathize with your question, Walter. I first went through this in the early '90s restoring an early MGB. Took me 4 years. Seemed like forever at the time. I bought my first Z (the yellow one) just over a year ago. Instead of immediately disassembling it for rust, body and paint, I started by trying to get it drivable first, then go for the body. At the one year mark, the car was almost drivable. A bit of exhaust work, and that will be about it. Of course, right at that point I took a big shortcut in buying the red car instead. Not that it needs no work - there's plenty of things that it needs. They're just a whole lot different in magnitude. Whereas with the yellow car I was concentrating on the basics like a running engine, good brakes, reliable electrics and such, on the red car it's all about the details. And you know what? It's all fun. I'm going back to work on the yellow car now. Probably I'll offer it up for sale once it's mechanically sound, but on the other hand....

Looking really good so far, Steve. Can't wait to see some color on it!! Please continue to post pictures of the progress.

I wish the pictures were bigger, but from what I can see it looks great! The increased rim thickness from the leather is probably nice as well. Very nice work!

Don't rule out the possibility of doing at least some of it yourself, Greg. Your situation is similar to when I restored my old '67 MGB. One car garage, and my son (in college now) was about 4 when I started the project. I farmed out the actual body and paint, but did the rest at home in that small garage. It can be done.And there are lots of us here to offer advice based on real-world experiences. Play with the search feature of this site, there is an incredible amount of info stored here, mostly accurate. And feel free to ask questions, we all seem to love to share what we know. Speaking of... I'm actually a bit humbled to be included in the same sentence as Carl Beck and Chris (26thZ). I'm happy to share what I know, but I don't feel I'm in the same category as those two in particular, and several others on this site as well. And since I know Gary (beandip) personally (had lunch with him last Sunday - October PDX cruise) I feel safe in saying that he will say the same thing (although his knowledge is broader than he will admit). Thanks for the huge compliment, David.

Not necessary, Randy. My red car still has it also. Not the yellow, though - not even close...

OK, I saw how to check my own score, but where did you find how to check the 50 best and worst?

Oh, I forget about sales tax, we ain't got that here in Oregon.

I have done that check, and it works well -- but you must have the fuel pump running while you do it to get good results. Which makes it difficult (to say the least) if you don't have an electric fuel pump.

Slightly off-topic here. I've been wondering why so many people in other parts of the country buy their tires off the Internet? Are there no good tire dealers in the rest of the country? Here in Oregon, I can buy the same tires locally for prices so close to Internet/mail-order prices that I'd never bother with the hassle.

Looks like these folks may have them. At least it shows them on the web site. http://store.classicgarage.com/nid2426piset.html

John's car (in the linked ad) is a definite buy, and that car as well as the low-miles Series 2 '71 I bought last month (see my third 240Z) show that this $7000-9000 range may be the sweet spot right now, if you are patient, but diligent in searching them out. John's car is perhaps even a better buy in some ways than mine was, unless you are after strict originality. Because as good as mine is, it will still need tires, weatherstripping, all cooling and vent hoses replaced, struts, carpet, etc. But John's car looks to be ready to drive right now. If you can swing it, you should do so.

James, you'll likely find more answers to these questions at Hybridz.org, where swaps like this are the rule, rather than the exception.

I'd watch Craigslist for your area. Don't watch for the rods, look for people trying to dump '73 L24s. I've seen intact '73 L24 engines from free to $100 or so.

Hmm, I've got a decent spare '71 gas tank. Might be expensive to ship to CO, though...

I personally prefer the old school look of the rewinds, but that might not be the case for everyone...

I'll second this, as that's the approach I took with my yellow Series 1. All it lacks now to be drivable is exhaust. It still needs a bit of rust repair, but that can wait. I might have paid a bit too much for it just over a year ago, but I made that up by buying a parts car to affordably get some of the things I needed. I'm in mine for about $4000 now, and the engine, drivetrain, suspension, brakes, electrical and cooling have all been taken care of. If that one runs and doesn't burn oil badly, you should be able to get to that same spot for that much or maybe less.

Hey Gary, if you truly want to get that fixed, throw the rest of the parts in the back of the car and drive down to my place for a Saturday. We should be able to get the rears handled and the fronts cut down in a single afternoon. Then you won't have to apologize for this all the time. It'll probably ride and drive better, too...

If anyone is going to have the "correct" color paint, I'm betting it'd be Les Canaday at Classic Datsun Motorsports.

None that I can see.

Chrome is personal preference, I don't care for it, but others do. Chevy engine orange is really close, probably close enough for most any normal car. Decals are available from several places. For example - http://www.zzxdatsun.com/decals.html

You know, I think you're right.