looking for a datsun 240z

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
Harvinder, be careful not to see advice against rusty cars as negative. Most of us giving that advice are passing on our experiences to help you make an informed decision. If you and your brother buy a rusty car you need to understand the challenges ahead.
 

R32singh

Active Forum User
As i said numerous times i'm very aware on the issues and challenges ahead... my concern is that the body shops don't like big jobs and charge a lot of money as today's garages like quick and simple jobs which is understandable...

please can we move on....
 

datsfun

Club Member
. my concern is that the body shops don't like big jobs and charge a lot of money as today's garages like quick and simple jobs which is understandable...

please can we move on....

Agreed. Most of the bodyshops you allude to ^ are the type which rely on fast turnaround of cars and super inflated prices as they are principally dealing b2b rather than direct with customer. The type who would be willing to "restore\fabricate\do metalwork" on project cars are either heavily booked (in some cases for 2+ years) or charge chunky hourly rates for their services and a quick adding of the numbers highlights that costs will far > "worth". Good luck in your search.
 

R32singh

Active Forum User
Agreed. Most of the bodyshops you allude to ^ are the type which rely on fast turnaround of cars and super inflated prices as they are principally dealing b2b rather than direct with customer. The type who would be willing to "restore\fabricate\do metalwork" on project cars are either heavily booked (in some cases for 2+ years) or charge chunky hourly rates for their services and a quick adding of the numbers highlights that costs will far > "worth". Good luck in your search.

i totally agree with you datsfun! i have been quoted nearly 35k to restore a shell! which i can understand the time and effort that these guys put in but the shell i wanted to restore in my honest opinion wouldn't have cost near that much to get it clean and fabricated

The chap who did my ae86 did a lovely job on my car.. not as much as a restoration job as the car has zero rust but they did some customization to suit my specs and did a fantastic job! however when i spoke to him about getting a datsun to do a full on restoration he couldnt take any on as he only does one car at a time! and hes flat out on some really nice classic cars for at least a few years! unfortunately my lock up is full with cars as well as my mates drive and i wouldnt mind storing the car until hes free but thats a no no.. just waiting on another body shop who ive dealt with in the past and man hes a good panel beater... hes going to let me know after the new years as ive seen two that i might look into but need professional advice before i make my move... again as ive mentioned me and my bro are good at welding but this one ive seen needs the inner flitch done and when it comes to the inner flitch and roof i dont like to touch as i dont want to warp the panel... just rather get someone who has years more experience than me to do the tricky parts whilst we can do the rest
 

R32singh

Active Forum User
So this :

http://zclub.net/forum/showthread.php?t=26507

might be an ideal project for you both ?

what a lovely car! love the colour! would ideally like to buy a full running car like that but i want to go a different route with my car! as much as i love them standard i would like to make mine look more like a retro stanced car with wider wheels (sorry just my taste) therefore most of the standard parts will be replaced

thanks buddy
 

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
Sorry for the apparent 'nit-picking' but this :

.....he ones I've seen need mahout surgery! But once restored in its glory it will be worth more than a fortune!

This is why I respect the Americans... They love and will fabricate any time of vehicle Yh again it's expensive but not as much as what they quote here....

does not equate with this imho :

...... as much as i love them standard i would like to make mine look more like a retro stanced car with wider wheels (sorry just my taste) therefore most of the standard parts will be replaced

Your restored original RHD 240Z will not be worth a fortune....even if it was restored to an OEM condition.

I take your point re the 'ricains will restore anything but don't mix things up here, you weren't quoted £35k because it wasn't an MG or 'vette - THAT is what it costs for almost any car.

And I've seen too many bodge-up repairs on USA imports to respect them - sorry, just my opinion.

Moving on - have you and your brother advanced anywhere with this project since coming on here or is it still a no-brainer like the previous 'lost' years ?:confused:
 

R32singh

Active Forum User
there will always be people all around the world who will cut corners... but again the cars you have seen might have bumped into the garages who will only cater for the customers needs.. you pay for what u get.. but there are really good body shops in america who do restoration work in fact many classic vehicles are in concourse condition restored so i don't know how you can say the Americans are not good with their work.. again all countries have their bodge up repair shops im sure you have plenty in France... again the yanks never liked imports only a small amount of people like them there... at the end of the day its a datsun to them so where u can buy them for dirt cheap out there im not surprised

you will find the RHD UK car will be worth more than the LHD firstly its getting rare secondly theres alot more LHD out there so i do disagree with you on that but thats my opinion also the amount of money its shot up in japan the cheapest ive seen a decent one go for is 4 million yen

on the other hand i love my jap cars and i love them RHD that again is my preference

again i agree with you my friend but we all have our pros and cons

me and my brother have seen two cars both need restoring but again just trying to find someone to do the body work one has a really good cabin where the floors has been replaced and the underneath is really good plus the car has been sand blasted which was an advantage as we can see what needed work done however the inner flitch (fender) needs the most work done on as its suffers from rust.... again can be put back to normal but my guy is busy with 3 cars booked for restoration... just waiting on another chap who does restoration work so hopefully all goes well... the other car is a complete car but god there was rust all over.... the car itself had good bits but structurally it needed alot of work... was a complete car but i know for a fact that this would not be the best choice for us

i have managed to track a few more cars down but will view over the new years but so far its been positive just have to play the waiting game until we find one that we can take on... when it comes to inner flitch i personally will not touch as i dont own a jig and will only get it done by a professional who does this day in day out... call me a wimp but as soon as you mess the front end then the car will never be right,,, again personal experience and again i believe all cars are different i know the skyline in and out and know how to fabricate and work on the car without punching holes... but as the datsun was made in the 70s i wouldnt dare to touch the inner wing without previous experience welding them... sorry just my opinion really... not here to just weld it and hope for the best.. this is something me and my brother want to enjoy for as many years as possible

ideally i would love to own the 1972 datsun KGC10 skyline but we cant have everything can we... but again 240z has been a dream car and is something ive been looking for a long while

cheers bud
 

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
there will always be people all around the world who will cut corners... but again the cars you have seen might have bumped into the garages who will only cater for the customers needs.. you pay for what u get........again the yanks never liked imports only a small amount of people like them there........at the end of the day its a datsun to them so where u can buy them for dirt cheap out there im not surprised

you will find the RHD UK car will be worth more than the LHD firstly its getting rare secondly theres alot more LHD out there so i do disagree with you on that but thats my opinion also the amount of money its shot up in japan the cheapest ive seen a decent one go for is 4 million yen

Points taken....and Datsuns were never worth much so people wanted them fixed cheap.....and it's those cars that are coming over - rarely the very good ones and I judge from what I see....and I see +20 rivets drilled into an otherwise ok wing so as to hold on 2ltres of sploshed patty rather than beat/push out the dent in the wing.....

I can't accept when you say the Yanks never liked imports - VW, BMC, Fiat and then Nissan, Toyota all fell over over themselves to sell and it changed the Yanks perception :

"In 2006, the sales of vehicles made in NAFTA states totaled 5.5 million, while the sale of imported vehicles totaled 2.2 million. 923,000 vehicles were imported from Japan."

40% of all sales were imports !

It's an old argument but too easy in my view to say that a UK RHD will be worth more because of the reasons you quote - and you're obviously only considering the tiny island market.;)
We can agree to differ.:thumbs:
 

datsfun

Club Member
It's an old argument but too easy in my view to say that a UK RHD will be worth more because of the reasons you quote - and you're obviously only considering the tiny island market.;)
We can agree to differ.:thumbs:

Here we go again...:unsure::eek:. Obviously the OP and majority forum users who reside on this tiny island will have rose tinted glasses when it comes to the RHD Vs LHD preference and valuation. And rightly so, after all that's the normhere. BTW the slightly larger islands of Aus, NZ an even the motherland all value RHD >LHD (like for like). Just accept it and let's move on.

We all know and accept that if the side of the steering doesn't bother you, then US cars represent value for money and are structurally a better proposition.
 

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
We all know and accept that if the side of the steering doesn't bother you, then US cars represent value for money and are structurally a better proposition.
But the man mentioned end value (not bargain buy)...and UK RHD car, not an import from other 'islands'.;)
 

R32singh

Active Forum User
Here we go again...:unsure::eek:. Obviously the OP and majority forum users who reside on this tiny island will have rose tinted glasses when it comes to the RHD Vs LHD preference and valuation. And rightly so, after all that's the normhere. BTW the slightly larger islands of Aus, NZ an even the motherland all value RHD >LHD (like for like). Just accept it and let's move on.

We all know and accept that if the side of the steering doesn't bother you, then US cars represent value for money and are structurally a better proposition.

Agreed I couldn't have word it any better..... I just prefer my cars to be RHD and as I own 6 jap cars and am a massive jap fan I just prefer to have my 240 RHD original Datsun jap sports car! Never knew this would be a massive dispute! Lol... Thanks for understanding mate and thanks for pointing that out I'm sure guys on this forum can understand it more clear..

Again congrats with your recent purchase and please do keep us updated!

And to all who found me being disrespectful towards LHD cars please forgive me as I love 240z period... I just want mine to be RHD! Is that too much to ask?? Lol
 

R32singh

Active Forum User
But the man mentioned end value (not bargain buy)...and UK RHD car, not an import from other 'islands'.;)

My friend to buy a Datsun from Japan, Australia or New Zealand which all the cars are RHD are ridiculously expensive.... My source in Japan who I've used to import my previous cars and parts has been keeping me up to date with the prices and as I said before the cheapest he's come across that will need minor work is about 4 million yen... That's equivalent to 22 thousand pounds and that's just to buy the car! Add the shipping insurance import duties tax registering I'm sure you can do the math.... If I really want a Datsun I can source one from California for less than 7k! Which is the same condition as the cars I've been keeping an eye out in Japan/ Australia.... So yes I'm still going to keep to what I say... RHD Datsun 240z will be worth more than a LHD... The rare the car the more the value of the call will be... I'm sure you are aware of that... Now the reason why I say I'm looking for a UK RHD car is firstly the car was sold in the UK market secondly it will be cheaper for me to source a car from here... I'm so sorry if I'm in a tight budget my friend I really am... I've worked very hard to keep the collection I've got.... Regardless if I buy one from the states or here these cars will need restoring period... As we live in a wet climate these cars will rust...

But again I agree with you... You have made a very clear and valid point and I respect that... I just really want to focus on getting my dream car... This thread was made for me to reach out to people who have or may know someone selling their car... If I had 20k to buy a Datsun then I wouldn't have come on here... But I'm sorry the only way for me to get one is to find something that I can do over the years.... I have a 1994 Nissan skyline Gtr r32 v-spec 2 and have owner it for 7 years... In that 7 years the car is still a shell... Yes I've been working on and off with my brother when we get time and yes it's still incomplete....

Please can we move on... I'm just going to be formal now I prefer RHD if that bothers people then please ignor my thread.... I'm not on here to get pointed out facts I already know or if people just want to digg into the new guy I'm just here to find a car that I can enjoy restore and build a car the way I like it...

Again thanks for the comments I'm sure there's a general discussion page somewhere on this forum please by all means discus this matter on there.... Going through this thread has made me realise how stressful and time consuming it is just to point something simple out...

Please can we stick to topic which is looking for a Datsun 240z... Many thanks hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year :)
 

johnymd

Club Member
Were the UK RHD 240's made in this country? or were they all imported from Japan then sold in this country?
 

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
Oh ffs - tongue in cheek.....John's humour today is as dry as a Vodka-Martini shaken not stirred.

R32 - I'm going to butt out here and wish you a happy Z ending and as Merry Christmas - we're not disputing and this isn't a private conversation on a public forum - others will read this and I merely wish to present a balanced view. You have yours, I have mine, others have theirs and normally we share our opinions.

Cheers mate.
 

richiep

Club Member
Of course he's not.

I can't be bothered to read back through the thread, but did the topic of RHD converting a Cali import get covered off (and poo-pooed)? Because that puts one in a lot better position than trying to source a reasonable project level UK car. I'd argue it's simpler to do a swap on a solid base car than try to reconstruct a very frilly UK vehicle.
 

R32singh

Active Forum User
Of course he's not.

I can't be bothered to read back through the thread, but did the topic of RHD converting a Cali import get covered off (and poo-pooed)? Because that puts one in a lot better position than trying to source a reasonable project level UK car. I'd argue it's simpler to do a swap on a solid base car than try to reconstruct a very frilly UK vehicle.

Hi mate I don't blame you... Was looking to go that route as well by finding a nicer example and just changing the bulk head... But there's a chap up in Yorkshire if I can remember correctly who had one but wanted good amount of money for it... Since then I haven't seen or heard any bulk heads being sold... If I'm honest I don't know where to find a good condition bulk head.
 

R32singh

Active Forum User
Oh ffs - tongue in cheek.....John's humour today is as dry as a Vodka-Martini shaken not stirred.

R32 - I'm going to butt out here and wish you a happy Z ending and as Merry Christmas - we're not disputing and this isn't a private conversation on a public forum - others will read this and I merely wish to present a balanced view. You have yours, I have mine, others have theirs and normally we share our opinions.

Cheers mate.

Thanks mate hope you have a lovely Christmas and a happy new year
 
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