Here is the story on this car:
This 1973 Datsun 240Z was originally from California. I purchased it in 2007 from a Z enthusiast who owned a local car lot. He had several of these cars. He had purchased this car through eBay and had it trailered from California to the Gulf Coast. Because it is a '73 model it came with the emissions carbs that are difficult to tune and find parts for. He pulled the motor and painted it (orange, not sure why) and coated the frame rails at the engine bay with POR 15 to keep them in good shape since he had the engine out and they were accessible. However, he was never able to get the car running with the original carbs. I found the car sitting in storage at his car lot. It was in really great shape for a Z in this area. The ONLY rust I found was a couple small bubbles in the usual area on the deck area of the hatch opening. I spent hours going over the car and made an offer.
When I got the car home, I put a freshly rebuilt set of SUs from an older Z on the car and it literally fired right up. This car runs great. It had about 90,000 miles on it when I bought it and has around 103,000 now. I have kept it in a garage until about a year ago when it was evicted for another project. I currently keep it under a concrete-floored carport. If you know much about these cars, then you know they really must stay in a garage down here or they will rust quickly. As far as rust goes, this car is very solid. It does have a few bubbles (pictured) under the hatch as described. I also see a very small amount of rust just starting near the seam at the rear rocker on the drivers side (also pictured) and another small spot behind that one at the very front portion of the rear wheel well (also pictured). These two have developed since it has been put under the carport which is why I'm selling. There is also a small dent or crease on the passenger's front wheel well where the paint is gone and there is surface rust only here (pictured). This car needs to go to someone who can put it back inside.
The floor pans and frame rails are solid on this car. This car is great as is for a weekend driver and is an absolutely excellent choice for a restoration. The paint is the original factory paint job and the car has never been repainted (except for driver door). When I got the car, the driver door had been repaired and repainted. Don't know what happened to it but the damage was isolated to the door and the repair was not very good. About 3 years after I bought it, an engine got away from me on an engine stand and fell right into the door that had been repaired. I soda blasted an extra door I had purchased to replace the old one and painted it myself. The door I repaired looks better than the old door but the finish work is not perfect, the color is not a perfect match (but better than the old one) and there is some orange peel in the paint. The driver window also needs to be adjusted properly as it is difficult to roll up and down. The remaining paint (the factory paint) does have some dings and scratches here and there but is pretty good for a 40 year old driver.
The interior on this car is in great shape. It too is very original. This car has the original factory snap-in carpets and felt insulation throughout. It is a bit faded but looks really great as is. It's in pretty amazing condition given its age. The seats and trim are also in really nice shape. A small tear has developed in the driver's seat, right near the lever used to recline the seat. The dash had the usual cracks in it when I bought it. I repaired a dash that I had on another car and swapped that dash in. The repair lasted about five years and the cracks began to redevelop about two years ago. They are visible but not nearly as large as the original ones. I left the cardboard insert for the glove box out when I re-installed the dash. I did not get around to putting the insert back in but still have it. I purchased a drop in console lid from The Z Store that goes with the car.
Inside, pretty much everything works. Original factory AM/FM radio probably sounds about as good as it ever did (tinny!). Power antenna works. All lights and indicators function as they should. Interior light and map light are functional. Headlights are either original factory Koito, or factory replacements. All instrumentation works. Even clock has worked most of the time but is due for an oiling to get it going again. Car does have the aftermarket A/C that is common in these cars and I upgraded to the Honda Civic fan motor to move more air. It will cool the car when moving. I took this car out west in August 2010 through Texas, New Mexico and Utah (lots of desert driving) and as long as I was traveling I stayed pretty comfortable. The A/C does need charging right now but is functional when charged. I hope to recharge it before the car is sold but that's a maybe.
Mechanically, the car runs great. If it's cold, it needs to be choked, but the choke linkage works fine and the chokes don't stick, so you can start it easily from inside when it's cold outside. If it is warm or if the car has been warmed up it starts up instantly with a quick blip of the starter every time. It runs smooth, pulls strong and sounds great. During the trip mentioned earlier (2010), I drove the car from the Alabama Gulf Coast through the west (Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana) all the way up to Glacier National Park and back (over 5000 miles round trip) with absolutely no issues. The car was reliable, ran great and averaged about 25-26 MPG on the mostly highway trip. As is common with these cars, when sitting in traffic during really hot weather, the carbs will experience vapor lock on occasion, but it clears up once car is moving and airflow is re-established through the engine compartment.
The car was originally equipped with a 4-speed, but I put in a 5-speed from an '81 or '82 (can't remember) 280ZX. This is the best upgrade I made to the car by far. It totally changed the character of the car and this thing loves to run 70-75+ on the highway now. Below is a list of items that have been replaced or upgraded:
- Swapped out 4 speed for 5 speed.
- Replaced front brakes and rotors
- Rebuilt rear brakes
- Removed smog pump
- Replaced points style ignition with electronic ignition from 280ZX (another great upgrade).
- Replaced factory exhaust with headers and aftermarket exhaust (sounds great but louder than stock)
- Replaced worn out suspension with Tokico springs and adjustable shocks.
- Installed oil cooler to help with engine temps
I do have all the factory parts that I removed (except for the old shocks) including:
- Hitachi carbs
- Intake/exhaust manifold
- Smog pump
- Exhaust system
- Coil springs (I think)
- 4-speed transmission
This car would be an excellent choice for someone who is familiar with these cars and is looking for a solid driver or a restoration candidate. It would be an absolutely TERRIBLE choice as a daily driver or a first or primary car. It has all the usual issues that these cars have. For instance, I have replaced the door seals but they still leak. The hatch seal leaks a bit. The aerodynamics of the car draw exhaust fumes into the cabin with the windows down. The corrosion protection is non-existent and if left outside almost anywhere except out west, this car will rust to pieces very quickly. The ride is harsh and the road noise is pretty loud. As a trade-off the car is extremely fun to drive. It is a blast on twisty roads and the straight six feels great mated to the five-speed.
This car is presently located in Mobile, Alabama. Alabama DOES NOT TITLE cars that are older than 1975. The car was titled before coming to Alabama and the dealer I bought it from gave me the title, but Alabama WILL NOT assign a title to a vehicle this old. I can only provide a bill of sale. This should not be an issue as other states have provisions for dealing with this (In fact some less-than-reputable title companies used to operate out of Alabama so that they could run a vehicle with a lost title through the Alabama registration process, then re-title it in the owner's state). It may involve some additional paperwork and I will be more than happy to work with the purchaser in assisting them in getting it titled. If you will need to title it in another state, it would probably be worth your time to research what will be required.
This is absolutely a cash-only sale and the car must be picked up in Mobile, Alabama within 7 days of auction end unless we make other arrangements prior to the end of the auction. I really don't want to ship it and I'd rather the new owner check the car out in person before buying anyway. Please ask me any questions that you may have and I'll be glad to get back with you.
Datsun Z-Series for Sale
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Tue, 08 Apr 2014
When Nissan revived the Datsun brand name, it essentially hit the "undo" button on the rebranding it undertook decades ago. But this time, the Datsun name is being used solely as a budget brand for developing markets. The reborn marque launched in India this past July with its Go hatchback, returned in September with the Go+ minivan and revealed the Redi-Go concept just last month. And now it's back again with the new On-Do sedan.
Launched in Moscow by CEO Carlos Ghosn, the On-Do was designed and engineered in Japan specifically for the Russian market - Nissan's fifth largest worldwide - where it will be built at the AvtoVaz plant in Togliatti. Decidedly budget-oriented, the Datsun On-Do is a four-door, five-seat econo-box measuring 172 inches long, 67 inches wide and 60 inches tall with an 18.7 cubic-foot trunk which Datsun describes as class-leading. Punctuating an otherwise bland shape is a large front grille and lighting front and rear that looks (and very well might be) bigger than the wheels.
Not that the Datsun On-Do needs a big contact patch to transfer power to the road: motivation is provided by a 1.6-liter engine with a grand total of - wait for it... wait a little longer - 87 horsepower. Which might strike you as a reasonable amount of muscle, considering the 400,000 rubles Datsun is getting for the On-Do (but consider that translates to about $11,300). That's a couple grand more than what Nissan gets for the Micra in that other giant northern country, or about the same amount it gets for the Versa in the US (which sells in Russia for 499k in rubles) - both of which are powered by what is in all likelihood the same 1.6-liter four but producing 109 hp. Of course Russia has different tax rates than the United States or Canada, but with such little power, the Datsun would fall into Russia's lowest tax bracket.
Wed, 12 Nov 2014
The Datsun 240Z got a lot of things right when it was introduced, with handsome styling, strong performance and a reasonably affordable price. And while the coupes grew a strong fan base in the US, they remained quite a rarity in the UK. Decades later, a father and son in England have latched onto the car and bonded over their shared love for two completely opposite takes on this Japanese GT
There's already quite a collection of exotics in Mel Streek's garage, and his rat rod 240Z, which he calls the Ratsun, definitely doesn't fit with the rest. On the outside, the Datsun looks ready to fall apart, but it's mechanically perfect underneath. Alternatively, Mel's son, Ollie, has a completely different take for his Z with its perfect, shining paint.
Both Zs sound amazing, though. They have a mechanical, somewhat course exhaust note that's intoxicating to hear. You can definitely tell there's some work going on under the hood. Check out this video from Petrolicious for a father and son who both find something to love in these classic Japanese coupes.
Thu, 13 Mar 2014
Nobody does cars on the cheap quite like the Renault-Nissan Alliance. The former part of the equation already has its Dacia brand of cost-effective, no-frills vehicles that have become a favorite of Top Gear co-host James May, and last summer, the latter revived its Datsun nameplate for a budget brand of its own.
The reborn Datsun launched in India this past July with its Go hatchback, returned in September with the Go+ minivan and revealed the Redi-Go concept just last month. And now it's given us our first look at an upcoming budget sedan developed specifically for the Russian market.
The as-yet unnamed vehicle (which we'll bet will incorporate the word "go" into its nameplate somehow) is set to debut on April 4, where it will launch the Datsun brand in Russia. Few details are available at this point, but the low-cost sedan was designed in Japan to offer Russian drivers "an engaging driving experience, peace of mind ownership and accessibility at the right and transparent price, with a competitive Total Cost of Ownership."
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