Just bought our first Z (240Z)

SacCyclone

Club Member
I am running the T3 top hats on my street / track car but it is a harsh ride on the street with no rubber insulator. Lowering springs and Koni adjustable shocks with T3 LCA. Drops the car a good 3 inches and nice and tight on the track but as I said it is a harsh ride on the street.

Might want to go with GAZ as John already recommends them.
 

Woody928

Events Officer
Staff member
Club Member
I have run GAZ fully ad able setup on my blue car and the quality of the ride is superb. I wind the damping down for road use and it absorbs bump really well. Even at high speed when your on uneven roads or hit a bump in the road there is no drama and the car stays fully planted with no stearing adjustment needed. For ultimate handling on the track you turn the damping up and it performs like a track car should. I e owned quite a few 240's recently and driven them all a fair bit. The black car had standard US suspension and mostly rubber bushes and would ride very smooth and comfortable but not as stable/planted if you hit a big hump in the road. The green car had updated/lowered springs and full Urophane bush kit. It handled better than the black car and felt a bit more stable but ride was a bit harsh. I would choose GAZ every time for comfort and handling. My blue car also has fully rose jointed suspension and solid top mounts and still feels comfortable to me.

Thanks for the recommendation and review, very useful to have someone who has experienced various different setup's. From your three experiences above they seem like the optimum choice, I just want to avoid being shaken to death on the UK roads with a setup that's too harsh. While I appreciate good handling, I already have a vehicle which is on the verge of being very firm and am keen to have something more comfortable, particularly considering it will be doing some touring.

It seems I may have been hasty with making judgement's of coilover setups. I take it that the GAZ coil overs are literally plug and play? I've had a bit of look at them and they're about £1200, does that sound about right? I won't be rushing to do this immediately as I want to see what package the car has first and then save up some budget, while making a list of priorities of what to sort first.

On another note I see that your in Essex, you couldn't be persuaded to take me out in the blue car to see what its like if I made the trip over to Essex could you? (no rush at all, however it would be great to experience the setup first hand).

Also I've been meaning to ask someone in the know, what's the stock US four speed gearbox like to live with? I take it that the gearing is too short for motorway cruising?

I am running the T3 top hats on my street / track car but it is a harsh ride on the street with no rubber insulator. Lowering springs and Koni adjustable shocks with T3 LCA. Drops the car a good 3 inches and nice and tight on the track but as I said it is a harsh ride on the street.

Might want to go with GAZ as John already recommends them.

Thanks for the input Mike, sounds like it handles like a dream but wouldn't be appropriate for my needs on the street. I will need to do the research when the time comes, however the GAZ coilover setup sounds like a very good option :thumbs:
 

Woody928

Events Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Well time for a few updates, a few weeks ago my Blem repro JDM tail lights turned up from the US. Safe to say I'm very pleased with the quality of these and they are being stored ready for fitting in due course.



In other news the boat docked on Tuesday night and I've been awaiting confirmation of collection and unloading in order that I can collect. Assuming the shipping company decides to pull its finger out the car will be collected on Monday morning and transported to Fourways Engineering where I will finally get to see it for the first time!

I'm still intending to try and get the car registered and on the road for the Goodwood Revival however I'm dubious as to the time scales at the moment, especially having been told that the DVLA can take some time to issue a registration. With that in mind if anyone has any info/advice on the paperwork side I'm all ears :)

More news and hopefully photos to follow very shortly.
 

chrisvega

Well-Known Forum User
If all your paperwork is in order, it is currently taking two weeks for DVLA to process V55 applications. Make sure you have the original US title which shows the year of first registration and this will be used as dating evidence to allocate period correct reg.
Send all docs by recorded delivery as if anything gets lost at DVLA ( happens ) they must then accept photocopies on re-application.
 

johnymd

Club Member
Your quite welcome to pop over for a drive in my car. Or just come over to chat zeds. The black car had a 2.8 and a 4 speed and felt really nice. Geared for low revs at 80-90mph but torquey enough to pull well in any gear from low revs. It would pull better with a 5 speed/3.9 diff if your after out and out performance but most don't want to tear around the streets.
 

johnymd

Club Member
Not sure at what stage your at with paperwork/duty but is what should happen and how mines going.

Boat arrived today but I got an email from Kingstone shipping yesterday with the U.K. Fees to pay and the 2 forms to fill in. I filled the forms in and paid the fees. I'm now wait for a bill for duty, which I'll pay immediately and pick the car up that day or the next. Then it's not and registration form and that's about it.

Have you filled the 2 forms in and paid the handling fees yet?
 

Woody928

Events Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Thank you for the advice Gents, I've got the paperwork I just need to complete it. Sounds like get it sent over to the DVLA asap and hope for the best really...

Your quite welcome to pop over for a drive in my car. Or just come over to chat zeds. The black car had a 2.8 and a 4 speed and felt really nice. Geared for low revs at 80-90mph but torquey enough to pull well in any gear from low revs. It would pull better with a 5 speed/3.9 diff if your after out and out performance but most don't want to tear around the streets.

Thanks John, much appreciated. I will certainly be taking you up on that. Once I've got my car on the road I'll drop you a PM and come round and make a road trip of it. Would be great to chat zeds, with someone with lots of knowledge and see and experience and few cars. Thanks for the info, I'll see how I get on with the four speed, however I think in the long run I'll go with the five. Wait and see...

Not sure at what stage your at with paperwork/duty but is what should happen and how mines going.

Boat arrived today but I got an email from Kingstone shipping yesterday with the U.K. Fees to pay and the 2 forms to fill in. I filled the forms in and paid the fees. I'm now wait for a bill for duty, which I'll pay immediately and pick the car up that day or the next. Then it's not and registration form and that's about it.

Have you filled the 2 forms in and paid the handling fees yet?

I paid both handing and bill of duty fees last thing on Friday evening, just need them to confirm safe receipt and then in theory the car should be available for collection on Monday. I just need them to confirm when they open so that I can send my driver on his way to collect. Fingers crossed i'll be seeing it tomorrow! :D
 

uk66fastback

Club Member
Get some pics up Woody when you can please ...

I am sure johnymd did a thread a long while ago showing what to complete and what you put where on the forms, but I am damned if I can find it - any ideas?
 

Woody928

Events Officer
Staff member
Club Member
I'll see if I can find the copy I made if anyone's interested.

Would be great thanks.

Well I can now announce that the car has finally arrived, and I've seen it for the first time!
:party:

I went down to Fourways Engineering this afternoon to await the cars arrival, after a nice tour around the treasure trove of a workshop, and a small wait it arrived. On first sight being backed down the driveway, it looked stunning in 918 orange. Within seconds it had several of us crawling all over it to have a look at what I had bought with my dad based on photos several thousand miles away. Unfortunately to all of our disappointment the car has clearly sustained damaged in transit from the US. the front end had been impacted denting the bonnet, chipping the paint, and most frustratingly left a dent in a fairly immaculate original looking chrome bumper. Damage also extended to the chin spoiler which had numerous cracks across it. There were also chips of paint missing from the door where it had clearly been knocked, potentially following been driven into the container. To top things off the head liner was hanging down with very sticky glue having failed to do its job. Safe to say, there's a fair bit of work that needs to be done to right these issues, and an email has been fired off to the shipping company to make an insurance claim.

With that out of the way, the car was taken off of the trailer to have a look around and see what I'd got. Safe to say first impressions were very good, the respray looks really good, the interior is in very nice shape and looks to be very complete (minus the head lining issue). The car appears to even have its original spare wheel along with a lot of correct features for a car of its age. Next to try and start it up, absolutely nothing.... Some investigation later the battery looking very suspect and its out and a temporary replacement found. Still nothing, after coercing the starter motor, still no luck. Next job, rolled into the work shop and time for further investigation, up she goes to reveal whats underneath.

A very clean looking engine, which had been tarted up, along with lots of shot rubber bushes and some interesting brake lines. Safe to say those are all on the to do list. The arches appear to have had a few plates welded in, however look very solid and clean with no rust visible. Further discovery however unfortunately lead to some investigation of a suspect looking chassis rail on the passenger side. With permission to get digging given, and the reasonably solid looking chassis rail begins coming off in chunks, revealing the rusty remains of the original rails. Safe to say more digging will need to be done, however some serious welding will be required to make the area solid again. Once I'd composed myself again and we'd looked around some more generally speaking it was good news via a few details here and there.

Car was dropped back down again to see if the guys could get her heart beating again, a temporary starter motor was magic'd up and after some quick testing was installed in the car. The moment of truth came again and the started motor started clicking over, and over. A bit of fettling later, some gas and more perseverance and finally she roared into life! :D Relief does not come close to describing how good it felt to hear that car scream into life, safe to say I was grinning like a four year old child on Christmas day. Via a slight rattle that will need some investigation and she was sounding glorious, at that moment I knew this project was going somewhere and after months of emails, phone calls, sleepless nights and concerns vanished.

There are going to be numerous bits of work to be done, and the above doesn't really come close to describing my rather Roller Coaster afternoon. However we have on the face of it a very good car, it needs some TLC in areas, some damage repaired and then it should be an extremely good fairly rust fee (I'm sure there's some lurking somewhere! lol) example that can have its wheels driven off and enjoyed for years to come.

This brings me on to giving a big shout of to Fourways Engineering who have been extremely welcoming, knowledgeable and helpful this afternoon :bow: The whole team was on hand to check the car over for me to see what we've got, it was very clear that there is a team of people who are all Zed lovers, and complete Petrolheads. They were determined not to let me leave before hearing her roar into life, finally making the project very real :thumbs: Which after some disappointing discoveries, meant I left on a high note.

The car unfortunately won't be making it to Goodwood Revival this year given that there is lots to do, and I don't want anything rushed for the sake of making one event. Hopefully over the next few weeks it will slowly have its niggles sorted so that we can get it onto the road and enjoy it, before the winter hits home hard. I have attached a few photos below, albeit I'm sorry to say it was so focused on taking photos of the damage (for insurance claim) I only took one very poor photo of it on the ramps. I promise once its out and about I will get some good photos of the whole car and share on here.

Its safe to say, after getting home I felt completely drained however I'm looking forward as to how the next few weeks progress and will share as and when things develop. A few pics for you all below as I know you love them. More to follow shortly.

Before I neglect to mention it, I also want to say a big thanks to Craig at 'Streeks transport and recovery Ltd' who collected the car for me. Both him and Geoff have been a pleasure to deal with, and very understanding of my time scales and expectations. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone!









The Dreaded Damage



What Was lurking underneath


A souvenir from the underside
 
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Jake RAH

Well-Known Forum User
Looks great :thumbs: I hope the transit damage hasn't damped the event to much for you. Wack a claim in, get it sorted and zzzzzzzzzzzzzoom off into the sunset :driving: :D
 

uk66fastback

Club Member
That's such a shame, that front knock. It looks next to nothing but will cost a fair bit to put right. Get that claim in. When you consider these cars are 40+ years old and have already lived one life, it's not in too bad a shape. Not surprised some of the rubbers are shot underneath - they don't seem to bother about stuff like that over there ...

Doesn't sound like there is any really serious stuff wrong with it anyway which is good - always a bit heart-in-mouth if you don't get to see the car in the flesh before wiring the readies.

Looking forward to getting it finished I bet ... keep us informed,.
 

SacCyclone

Club Member
Damn shame about the chassis rail and not being disclosed by the seller in the original e-bay ad.

His disclosure of the front wings being replaced and outer rear wheel arches being replaced only add to the fact that the East Coast States are very hard on Zeds with their harsh winters.

In the end, you will have the Zed you want with some work along the way which is part of the Zed experience.

Have fun with it.
 

johnymd

Club Member
You never really know what your getting unless you buy through someone like Mike (SacCyclone) who sold me a superb green 240. Some sellers just don't tell the truth. Anyway, as I've always said, "never look back always look forward" and you will end up with the best car you could have: a 240z. Shame about the damage. One of the reasons I buy the cheaper car I guess.
 

Albrecht

Well-Known Forum User
Further discovery however unfortunately lead to some investigation of a suspect looking chassis rail on the passenger side. With permission to get digging given, and the reasonably solid looking chassis rail begins coming off in chunks, revealing the rusty remains of the original rails.


What you are describing as the 'Chassis Rail' is in fact the rearward extension of the main chassis rail section, which forms a floor support.

It's a simple press-formed 'U' channel that was spot-welded to the floor panels, and can be susceptible to rust on its own - especially after minor damage from jacking and floor impacts. On its own it's perhaps not too much of a problem to remove and make good, but it can indicate problems in other areas.

The main 'chassis rails' are the ones that run from the radiator support panel to the tension rod mounts, and hopefully they are in better condition than the floor supports? In any case, I'd be checking the whole car very carefully for evidence of rust repair in all the usual areas. This car was clearly quite rusty before it was patched and painted...

You are in good hands at Fourways. Good luck!
 

Woody928

Events Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Looks great :thumbs: I hope the transit damage hasn't damped the event to much for you. Wack a claim in, get it sorted and zzzzzzzzzzzzzoom off into the sunset :driving: :D

Cheers dude, it was very frustrating to discover however I've just taken it as part of the expirience. Claim already in progress, lets just hope there's no dispute... :unsure: Can't wait for that first drive.

That's such a shame, that front knock. It looks next to nothing but will cost a fair bit to put right. Get that claim in. When you consider these cars are 40+ years old and have already lived one life, it's not in too bad a shape. Not surprised some of the rubbers are shot underneath - they don't seem to bother about stuff like that over there ...

Doesn't sound like there is any really serious stuff wrong with it anyway which is good - always a bit heart-in-mouth if you don't get to see the car in the flesh before wiring the readies.

Looking forward to getting it finished I bet ... keep us informed,.

Indeed, the chrome alone sounds to be a very pricey job let along all the bodywork. Claims been issued, so fingers crossed. This particular one is 45 years old, so I was well aware perfection was hardly on the cards. It's interesting, from everything I've been told and now seen, in the US on the whole it always seems to be a budget fix, or about making things look nice rather than sorting the important consumables such as suspension etc.

Most definitely was heart in mouth yesterday! It could have been a lot worse, so hopefully these issues will be resolved and I'll be left with a solid base. Definitely will do.

Damn shame about the chassis rail and not being disclosed by the seller in the original e-bay ad.

His disclosure of the front wings being replaced and outer rear wheel arches being replaced only add to the fact that the East Coast States are very hard on Zeds with their harsh winters.

In the end, you will have the Zed you want with some work along the way which is part of the Zed experience.

Have fun with it.

Yes rather unfortunate to sat the least, that being said I'm not sure the seller even knew about the decay and bodge. He had the car for 4-5 years however he didn't restore it, that was done by the owner before. Its possible (and I like to think) that he never knew about the the chassis rail, that being said we'll never know. I can't change it, I can only have it properly repaired and move on wards.

Given some of the stories I had heard about rust being discovered I've come away fairly lightly if that's my only real concern. Just need to wait and see how much more is lurking underneath.

I hope so man, really looking forward to when everything is resolved, fixed and I can just drive it.

You never really know what your getting unless you buy through someone like Mike (SacCyclone) who sold me a superb green 240. Some sellers just don't tell the truth. Anyway, as I've always said, "never look back always look forward" and you will end up with the best car you could have: a 240z. Shame about the damage. One of the reasons I buy the cheaper car I guess.

Great outlook, I couldn't agree more :thumbs: At least this way I can know its been done properly and move forward in the knowledge that its a solid car when it's finished. Nothing to do or say on that font really other than I hope the shipping company doesn't kick up a fuss and assuming they cough up, then its a good job we took out the cover.

What you are describing as the 'Chassis Rail' is in fact the rearward extension of the main chassis rail section, which forms a floor support.

It's a simple press-formed 'U' channel that was spot-welded to the floor panels, and can be susceptible to rust on its own - especially after minor damage from jacking and floor impacts. On its own it's perhaps not too much of a problem to remove and make good, but it can indicate problems in other areas.

The main 'chassis rails' are the ones that run from the radiator support panel to the tension rod mounts, and hopefully they are in better condition than the floor supports? In any case, I'd be checking the whole car very carefully for evidence of rust repair in all the usual areas. This car was clearly quite rusty before it was patched and painted...

You are in good hands at Fourways. Good luck!

Thanks for the info Alan, useful to know. The guys are going to take all of the under seal, oil and gunk off the bottom and see what's really lurking underneath. Fingers crossed there's nothing fatal. The passenger chassis rail at the front looks slightly deformed, again not sure how or why, however it doesn't appear to be structural so less concerned at the moment. When we looked over the rest of the car yesterday all of the arches looked very tidy, albeit with signs of plates being welded in. Let's wait and see what they come up with in due course.

Good to know, and thank you.

Hopefully more updates to follow in due course, and then onto the main event in the not to distant future :driving:
 

Woody928

Events Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Well I thought it was about time that I should put another update on here.

There's been various delays here and there waiting for parts etc to get the car ready to be MOT'd meaning its been just over a month since my last post. Awaiting a new chassis rail to be delivered to get the car ready for the MOT stalled the process until we thought the car ready for its MOT last Tuesday, unfortunately the test drive the day before revealed the brakes were far from up to standard with a brake booster/servo having seen better days. After some research and calling round there was nothing in the UK or Europe really suitable as a long term fix so after some calls and messages to a few people I need to say a big thanks to Sean (on here) and Ryan at Zcardepot in the US, who managed to get me a brand new replacement item shipped to the UK within 3 days of ordering the part.

Fourways cracked on and had this installed on Monday afternoon as soon as it arrived, meaning that after some shake down runs yesterday the car was taken for MOT this afternoon, passing first time! :D Only comments were an exhaust hangar which is being fixed and slight play in the steering rack which I understand to be very normal for cars of this vintage so smiles all around. Paperwork went to the DVLA this afternoon so now eagerly awaiting the registration to be issued. I'm lead to believe the lead time is around 10 days... Not sure if this is working days or not? anyone got any recent experience on this?

Also on another positive note we finally had confirmation that the shipping company are accepting liability for the damage and the insurance company are paying for the repair work to the car, which has now been started in anger. Just need to sort out the minor detail of getting them to agree to paying the deductible. Another stress/headache finally being resolved.

All things being equal, and with some luck on my side, I'm really hopeful the car will be ready for collection on around 13-14th October. I will finally get to drive the car for the first time :driving:with the plan being to get it to an open day at Rawles Motorsport on the 15th. Very exciting to see that there's light at the end of the tunnel. The car will have a slightly different look as I've acquired a replica European spec chin spoiler to replace the damaged one which is slightly more to my taste and will be contrasted in black.

Unfortunately the Raydot mirrors I purchased will have almost no visibility capabilities so I see now point it fitting them, so back to the drawing board in that regard. I'm tempted to just make do with the original one for the time being while I try to find a suitable more period correct replacement that can be installed as a pair (any suggestions welcomed). I'm very hopeful to have a detailed report to follow once I have the chance to put some miles on the car, and sink my teeth into my first proper classic. Very exciting times to come :cheers:

As a final note if a mod is reading this, is it possible to move this thread to the restorations or projects section (unsure of its exact name), as I would like to keep this thread rolling if possible. Thanks in advance.
 

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
....................
As a final note if a mod is reading this, is it possible to move this thread to the restorations or projects section (unsure of its exact name), as I would like to keep this thread rolling if possible. Thanks in advance.

:thumbs:
 
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