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73 240Z with SBC V8- worth it? Good build?


saki302

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Hi guys!

 

I'm seriously thinking of flying up to purchase this Z-

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/cto/5958590790.html

 

According to the seller, it has a seized rear brake cylinder which he plans to fix in the next couple days when the part arrives.  Catch is, it has to survive a 370 mile drive back home for me.

 

Pros:   Body looks decent, not much rust.   Engine build looks nice in the pics.

 

Cons:

Speedo/Tach not working.  Probably needs the JCI conversion for tach, and maybe speedo cable adapter?   He swapped the T5 in and didn't mess with the speedometer.

Reverse lights don't work- just need to be fished out and wired up.

Front and rear window gaskets leak.   I assume this is a problem for a pro- I'd buy the gaskets and get a glas splace to do it.

Slight leak in the trans at the output shaft I believe.   Had a TKO trans which did the same- would be an easy fix if access was easy.  He said it's a super slow drip, probably easier to let it go.

Heater core disconnected for hose leak (bypassed- fan but no heat- not a huge deal in CA).

 

What do you guys think?

I'm looking for an experienced opinion.   I had a Cobra kit car before, so this won't be too strange powertrain-wise, but I have zero Z experience.

 

He said the longest trip it's been on was 100 miles round trip, and he did use it as a local daily driver on occasion, so 370mi *in theory* should be fine.   Just have to watch my speed! (He said it runs 1800-2000 rpms @ 70mph).

 

I'm kind of OCD when it comes to stuff working, so even though it has a functiona aftermarket tach, it'll probably bug me til I get the stock one (And speedo) running.  And knowing me, I'll probably have to fix that leak.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

-Dave

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Not worth his asking price. 

 

For his asking price the entire car should have been restored such that it has new paint, new weather seals and everything working.

 

There is absolutely nothing special about this car.

 

Offer him $5k and have the car shipped home. 

 

You will get burned.

 

 

Look at the attached pictures.  This 72 240Z was stripped to bare metal and rebuilt from the ground up and includes a new Good Wrench crate 350 SBC and a T5 Camaro transmission. Over $25K invested. It has been on the road reliably for 10 years. It is maybe a $10K to $12K 240Z if I were to sell it.

 

I bought a 240Z like the one you are looking at and it turned out to be a real horror show. We had to take the car apart and start over.

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Edited by Miles
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This isn't meant to shit on anyone, so if you disagree, that's cool, but please don't read into this as a personal attack on anyone. If something I say below doesn't apply to you and your project, good. I'm not trying to throw stones here.

 

Dave,

 

Move "not much rust" from the Pros column to the Cons column. There is more rust than he's letting on OR there is more rust than he knows of because he hasn't gone in to fix it all and gone "aw shit" yet, and previous owner before him told HIM there wasn't much rust. There are two accurate statements I've seen regarding rust on an s30: "Lots of rust, needs floorpans redone" and "No rust, I've stripped it bare and done a full resto to get it back in fighting condition. Everything else is a sales pitch.

 

 

Speedo/Tach not working is commonplace, but so is people not doing something in a swap because they can come back to it later and then never coming back to it. I know because I have done it and I no longer do it.  Point is: what else has he left behind to come back to take care of later and just wound up coping with it not being up to snuff instead?

 

Reverse lights don't work: this could be because the reverse switch isn't wired up right (points to the same thing as above, just thinking 'man i wanna drive this, I can sort out the details later'), or it could be because the wiring in the car is 45 years old.  If it's because the wiring in the car isn't up to snuff, could have a ton of problems down the road as you troubleshoot other things that pop up.

 

Leaky window gaskets: yeah, you would want to have a shop do the work.  I have no experience as to why someone would be okay with doing an engine swap while their windows leak. ;) But then, I live in Seattle.

 

Leak in trans at the output shaft (you believe): The drivetrain having been swapped in is the only argument to be made for this car's value. If the trans leaks, that's a big ding in the value of the car.  That means you need to redo something that the current owner should have done.

 

"Heater core DC'd for hose leak" - this isn't a repair, this is a bandaid. This is further indicative of the "eh deal with it later" problem above. Also, not having heat in California may not be an issue, but if you need to draw heat out of the cooling system to prevent it from overheating at some point, having the heating system hooked up would be good.

 

Hope something here helps, and I hope you wind up with a Z and hanging around, this is a great forum!

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Also also, I second what Miles said above, there is no way this car is worth $15k.  It's worth $5k, maybe $7500. To safely drive a 50 year old unibody with 320 horsepower, you need to KNOW there is no rust in critical parts (even if it's only important in case of an accident). The difference in work between knowing where all the rust is and only replacing some and knowing where all the rust is and replacing all of it is not huge. Just the body prep, paint, and fab work on a car which has had the time and money (and tbh the love) into it to say "this bitch has no rust, I know for certain" is going to have $10k+ into it, or thereabouts.  This guy's car does not have that.  I will have ~$35k into mine by the time it's finished. It will never be worth more than $15k. If that.  

 

I have no doubt he's put $20k in it, but he's put it in all the stuff that is easy and fun. Malibud's right, these things are getting harder to find, but you can always buy one with rust in unknown places for less than $1500.  The body of this car in my eyes is worth $1500. 

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Thanks guys,

 

I thought it would be worth asking the experts first :)

 

-Dave

 

PS- I posted a reply on the one for sale at 9K in Van Nuys- drove there for a look since it's maybe 20 mins from me.   I wouldn't buy that one for $5K- whole driveline needs replacement, as well as suspension and brakes.

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With all due respect to Miles and badjuju, I think you're out of date on Z values. Maybe several years ago, but not now. I'm a little out of touch myself, but my gut is telling me about 10k for that car with the issues it has. Maybe 12k as malibud suggested.

 

Miles, if you honestly think your Z would only sell for 10k, I think you should reacquaint yourself with the current Z market. I could be wrong, but I would be very, very surprised if that's all it went for. I'd put it in the ballpark of 15-18k.

Edited by rturbo 930
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With all due respect to Miles and badjuju, I think you're out of date on Z values. Maybe several years ago, but not now. I'm a little out of touch myself, but my gut is telling me about 10k for that car with the issues it has. Maybe 12k as malibud suggested.

 

Miles, if you honestly think your Z would only sell for 10k, I think you should reacquaint yourself with the current Z market. I could be wrong, but I would be very, very surprised if that's all it went for. I'd put it in the ballpark of 15-18k.

 

 

You may be correct.  I was looking at 240Zs on Craigslist and was amazed at the asking prices for poorly crafted hybrid z cars. Cars in the LA area were the highest.  I bought my 240Z in San Jose in 2001 for $3K. It was a two owner car and very clean.  The original owner kept it until 1999 and he took meticulous care of the car.

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Saki302...u seem like nice guy I'm owner of the the red datsun...and just cause u think driveline needs replacement isn't actually so...motor work fine...and trans shifts smooth ur not an expert. im not one also to say something isn't functional and needs replacement. unless ur a mechanic and fully inspected a car ur self personally witch u did not.u did not drive it and assume something is wrong witch is stupid.the car was originally set up for road coarse and the short gearing. if u know about cars helps get out for the corners faster.....the body may need work but so does every other z out there in the price range...and this add for this car is nice with alot of money in it...people take for granted how much everything cost and want a cheap car that has all the bells and whistles and be 10/10 every car needs work just comes down to what ur willing to pay and how much effort it takes to get there...for someone who's never owned a z u sure think u know alot...and be able to just judge things from looking lol...i hope.u find ur sweetheart car and not have any issues...

Edited by Stevo
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Saki302...u seem like nice guy I'm owner of the the red datsun...and just cause u think driveline needs replacement isn't actually so...motor work fine...and trans shifts smooth ur not an expert. im not one also to say something isn't functional and needs replacement. unless ur a mechanic and fully inspected a car ur self personally witch u did not.u did not drive it and assume something is wrong witch is stupid.the car was originally set up for road coarse and the short gearing. if u know about cars helps get out for the corners faster.....the body may need work but so does every other z out there in the price range...and this add for this car is nice with alot of money in it...people take for granted how much everything cost and want a cheap car that has all the bells and whistles and be 10/10 every car needs work just comes down to what ur willing to pay and how much effort it takes to get there...for someone who's never owned a z u sure think u know alot...and be able to just judge things from looking lol...i hope.u find ur sweetheart car and not have any issues...

He does own a Z....

 

If your price was fair and the car in as good shape as you think then it would be sold, correct?

 

I bet you did throw a lot of money into it, which most of the Z guys do. Getting a Z car to the level you have it takes a lot of work.  Problem is your tastes will be different from someone else, especially with custom work. You will not get $0.50 to the dollar when you do custom work like this.  Unless you restored it to complete factory Original, you have to find the "RIGHT" buyer who is willing to pay for your car. I have seen a very nicely restored Z car go for $35000.

 

Just a grammar stab :

Stop calling poor Rturbo a "witch". Name calling is not very nice lol.

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  • 2 weeks later...

After seeing some of these, makes me wish I'd of held off and bought one mostly done.. I bought my 350 swapped 74 260z for 2500$. purchased 3k in parts so far and it hasn't moved an inch.. I think the value of these cars are really increasing as of late.

 

Same here man,

I bought mine for 2500 non runner. Stuck around 15k into her and shes still on blocks LOL.. It NEVER ends lol.... She runs and drives well..but I wanted to redo the body to match the hp...

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