260z with SBC? Worth it?

[nmehdikh]

Saw this on craigslist. Somewhat tempting to turn into a weekend toy. I've owned/daily driven plenty of old cars (45+ year olds), but this would be my first Z and V8. Is the price reasonable? I think I could talk him down a bit, but what do you guys think overall? Besides general old car stuff, what should I look out for on a swapped Z?


http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/cto/5962169080.html

 

 

 

 

 

"260z early build...has 350sbc with 220/212 .440 lift cam refreshed rods and pistons 10.5.1 comression..holly double pumper carb.vortech heads..new radiator.new starter....new oil pan...car lowered wit tokito regular shocks up front and adjustable on the rear...and is very light weigh...15x8 and 15x9 0 offset rims with Muncie 4 speed m20 with r200 lsd with rare 4.11 gears... the car 0 rust i reapeat 0 rust...the floor boards have been replaced had rust originally all the lights work.has a hurst short throw shifter.......the car makes 280whp...fast and ready for new home...9.5k $"

[Greeko]

If you add up all the costs, then yes its worth it!

[rturbo 930]

But you don't get the value of a car from adding up the receipts. I'm not really seeing 9.5k worth of car there. I'm probably out of the loop on current prices, but I wouldn't pay 9.5k for that. Honestly, it doesn't look that nice. The seats, the dash, the wheels, the fact that it has a 4spd (why?), although those 4spds are worth some good money. The floors were replaced, but did they do a good job? It has clearly had body work. Was it done right? How about the wiring? I don't see anything that suggests quality. It looks like it was thrown together.

[seattlejester]

Well, it isn't a screaming deal, but it isn't that bad. Depends on how much the seller is willing to come down.

 

If the chassis is truly rust free and the floors replaced etc (which you won't be able to see very well with all the insulation up top), we will start him off with 3-4k (260z is not the most desirable). Body work depends on how well it was done, and if you like the molded in spoiler and color, the shaved drip rails isn't cheap or easy to do so there can be added value there is that is something you like.

 

V8 engine swap, nothing spectacular, and for a 10.5:1 350 to be making under 300hp that seems a bit low. Maybe worth 1-2k to the right buyer.

 

4.11 LSD, I am not even sure I've heard of such a native setup, so if he found a 4.11 out of a 200sx and swapped in an LSD center section, there is some added value there. The question is how the axles were addressed. If it has CV uprated axles then that rear end is probably worth 1-1.5k. Concern is with the 4 speed you would be running it pretty high depending on the gear set in the transmission.

 

Suspension, he seems to be a bit vague on the details. If it is sectioned struts with adjustability then worth quite a bit, I'm guessing though that the adjustability is in reference to the shocks at which point with lowering springs maybe 500 in value.

 

The fact that axles, brakes, replacement hardware, bushings, etc haven't been mentioned makes me worry that you could easily have to dump 2-3k into the car with several hours of work before it becomes the weekend toy you are looking for. 

[Miles]

Agree with Seattlejester. It is an average build.

 

Also, what is the quality of the build?  Craftsman-like or a hack job?

[rturbo 930]

280 to the wheels so probably 330hp or so.

 

I didn't notice the shaved drip rails, and that would be a deal breaker for me. They serve a function, and if they aren't done right, that could be a real pain in the ass to fix. Looking at the rest of the car, I'd be concerned.

[NewZed]

Saw this on craigslist. Somewhat tempting to turn into a weekend toy. 

Street toy or track toy?  You'd probably spend more if you tried to build your own.  Nobody makes their money back when selling a swapped Z.

 

You'd need to now more about the quality of the worksmanship, and consider your own skills, to know if it's worth buying.  If the engine is in twisted and you don't know how to fix it, you'll have to pay someone else to do it.  The guy didn't mention the use of a reputable swap kit so he might have just hung it in there and welded some mounts in place.  Who knows.

[Miles]

Lesson learned the hard way.

 

I bought a V8 swapped 240Z in 2000 thinking that the with the basic swap complete it would save some time and cost.   It didn't.

 

Had to dismantle the car and reinstall everything the PO had done. Real horror show once I got into it.

 

My second 240Z V8 project started with a well maintained completely stock two owner 72 240Z. Much easier to start from scratch not having to correct mistakes and poor craftsmanship made by the PO.

[seattlejester]

If it doesn't rain, then shaved drip rails make the car look pretty nice. Makes it look much more modern with blacked out chrome as well. Definitely personal preference there.

 

I think the advice is solid from everyone. If it is a craftsman, who spent a lot of time and money and is selling the car at a loss to get onto the next project or on with life it can be a decent asking price, but adding up the parts and the unknowns, it does not seem to be the case, maybe worth a visit to gauge the fit and finish if that is what you really want.

 

Maybe, it is making more power, I just recall a friend with a stockish rebuild with a bigger carb, headers, and maybe a cam making 350hp out of his 350sbc. It seems with upped compression it should be making more, but maybe it is conservative due to californian gas.

Edited January 22, 2017 by seattlejester

[RB26powered74zcar]

It still has rust issues. I can see a rust hole in the driver side upper rocker pinch weld area. I'll bet there is more in other areas.... 

[Stevo]

Rb26powered74zcar u have the eye of the Tiger.to spot that

Edited January 23, 2017 by Stevo

[saki302]

This is an old post, but I checked out this exact car, and the owner took me for a ride.

 

Owner is nice, but not a mechanic.   Farmed out major repairs to shops, looking to get some of his money back.

 

The car has some major issues.. suspension needs bushings, body work is pretty rough.

 

Major deal breaker is the builder seems to not have known what they were doing.   The car is geared WAY too low.  Power seems in line with what he claims- probably a solid high 13 to mid 14 second car.

 

Motor makes a weird squeal when taking off- clutch maybe?  He said he was draining white liquid from the trans when he first got it (scary..).  Had flushed it multiple times.

 

Headers hang WAY down and scrape on driveways.  Shifter is STIFF.  Never driven a Muncie before so I can't tell you if it's normal.   I didn't actually drive the car.

 

He has already changed out the clutch master/slave unit, and thrown $$ at it to make it run.  

 

If it were sold cheap, I'd LOVE to see it completely overhauled and built into something fantastic.. but at 9k..  I'd pay a couple more grand and get something better sorted.

Edited February 7, 2017 by saki302

[Greeko]

When you add up all the costs if you were to do it from scratch and purchase all the components.... You're looking at a lot of money.

If you can find a decent project with a good chunk of the parts there,  you can redo some of the work.. It will be a bit frustrating but I find a lot less expensive that buying it all from scratch.