Guest Potent68 Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 First off, I'm posting this here, because this is where I will be spending the majority of my time. What's up everybody? After a fellow member of LS1.com referred me to your site, I must say I am very impressed with what I have seen. You all seem very eager to help people, and very knowledgeable about your cars. A little on me.... I'm 24, in the Army, and currently in Baghdad. Home is Oregon, but I'm stationed in Arizona. My current toy is my 99 Camaro SS. She's quite fun. I went to Wyoming Tech, many years ago, and worked as a technician for Cadillac/Pontiac/GMC/Jeep/Eagle/Buick for several more years, so I know my way around an automobile, and have a great set of tools to "play" with now. I specialized myself in electrical and A/C while I was there. I have also built 2 different 10 second drag vehicles, so I have some experience with custom work as well. I have found a 240Z, unsure of the exact year, as the owner works with my father, and I haven't spoken to him personally. The car is an Arizona car, so I'm assuming minimal rust, if any. The car was given to him when the clutch went out, by a family member, and he has no desire to do anything with the car. I can have it for $900. Without knowing anything else about it, I'm thinking that, if it really is an Arizona car, that's a great deal! Plans for the Z are as follows. Replace the clutch and use it as a daily driver, fixing any of the problems it may currently have. While I'm driving it I will begin to collect the necessary parts to install a 4 bolt main, 350 into it. I'm going to use a stock 350 for now, so that I can have a great running everyday car, and then slowly begin to mod the motor, and tune at the same time. I definitely want to run a carbuerator, no doubt in my mind about that. I miss the sound of the secondaries with my SS. I already have a T-56 from a 97 Trans Am WS6. I am getting to ready to order the JTR book on the conversion, just trying to get over the shock after seeing the price. Once I have collected all of the parts I will need, then i will go ahead and begin the transition, turning the 240Z into a real 350Z. I'm thinking the mild fender flares may go on someday, but not immediately. I may also do any necessary bodywork, and paint it myself, depends on how it looks when I go see it. What kind of 1/4 mile times have you guys posted? It won't be a drag car, but it will go down the strip more than once! Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 Tom, Welcome to the forum! I'm retired Navy myself, born in LaGrande, Oregon and living in Texas. My first new car was a '70 340 'Cuda and I know what you mean about the secondaries. It is a sweet sound. I gave them up with my first Z and then I began to realize how reliable and efficient fuel injection is. Always in tune and mixture, timing, etc. much more precise. My current ride is an LS1/T56 '77 280Z. Interestingly enough the LS1 came out of a '99 Z28. Times for V-8 Z cars are all over, depending on how they are set up they can be from in the 9's to in the high 13's. I have not run my car yet but another LS1 driver, Cyrus, has posted a 12.0 with essentially a stock LS1. Again, welcome to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denny411 Posted June 17, 2003 Share Posted June 17, 2003 Tom. Welcome to the board. I`m not personally knowledgable on the LS1, but from your description the 240 sounds like a fair deal. P.S. on behalf of myself and my family, I would like to say thank you to you and all of your fellow service members for what you have done, and continue to do. Keep your chin up, and your head down. Denny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innerware Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 Ditto that. Stay safe so you can return home, enjoy some freedom and join the fellow Z fanatics out here. Good luck to you, and thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bang847 Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 Welcome. I believe you got the license plate that tim240z wants... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 Welcome to the forum! Good deal on the Z and hopefully it has little if any rust at all. Another good book about the Z and 'restification' is Wick Humble's How Restore Your Datsun Z-Car. The book is available through Classic Motorbooks or probably even Amazon.com. I post the above book since you don't know the exact condition it is in. The book shows where all the 'weaknesses' of these older cars are and how to fix most of them, except the power...and that's where the JTR book comes in Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPMS Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 I am getting to ready to order the JTR book on the conversion, just trying to get over the shock after seeing the price. Tom If it makes you feel any better, I think general consensus here on the forums is that the JTR book is most expensive when you DON'T have one. It's been an invaluable tool for planning out the swap, and for pointing out potential trouble spots that you'd waste LOTS of time finding yourself. So spend the money and don't look back. It was well worth the money I paid, and I don't say that about many things. And to answer your question about how fast my car does the 1/4 - well, it goes about as fast as a stock 240, since I ran out of money 7/8 of the way through the accumulation process. C'est la vie. Good luck on your conversion! Folks here are great and will help you out with just about anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest the_dj Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 Welcome aboard. I'm 280Z28 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Potent68 Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 Thanks for the the welcome and the well wishes everybody. I will go ahead and order the JTR book so that it's waiting for me when I return. I'll also look into that "How to Restore Your Datsun Z-Car" book as well. So how fast were the stock 240, 260, and 280Z's in the quarter? the_dj, thanks for referring me over here. I have a buddy who just picked up a 260, I think, for 1200, in good shape, running and driving. We are planning to tag team our cars, and have some fun. As it stands right now, I have a lead on 2 different Z's. One is the previously mentioned 240Z, and my dad just found a 260Z on blocks, around the corner from his house. After checking out the value on good clean Datsun Z-cars, I might have to restore one, and hybrid the other. These cars value seems to be climbing at an impressive rate! Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.