240z restoration take 2

[DarbyshireZ]

Hi All
I’ve been a member for a while but was reluctant to post much given a very expensive, long and distressing experience with DP at the Z farm. However we are now on track for a decent 240Z the second time around so it’s time to share some progress pictures.
Plan B involved buying a basically sound 1972 ex California auto 240Z from Will Galliers (nice chap) and using what we could salvage from the Z farm shell to convert it to manual and RHD.
Hopefully attached are some pictures to the show car as bought from Will (painted white but originally Lime Green) and how it looks today after the shell has been rebuilt, converted to RHD and various coats of primer applied. I’m totally indebted to my brother in law Dave who is the mechanic and who is working on this in his spare time and without whom I’d have had to abandon the Z project and buy an MX5 or the like. I’d also like to thank PMAC and MF for their advice so far, top gents.
The plan is to paint the car the original Datsun light blue and keep close to original spec but with some sensible upgrades e.g. brakes and maybe exhausts etc. Progress will be quite slow as we have limited time and Zs are new to the aforementioned brother in law. Hopefully we will be on the road next summer.
Over the coming weeks we will probably find we are missing some bits so we may well be on here asking for sources and if anyone is in the Manchester area and fancies offering some advice on the rebuild that would be brilliant.
Hoping to get to the NEC in November so hope to bump into some of you there
Cheers
Tim
PS if pictures don't show up please give me a tip

 

[richiep]

Nice - looks like it's come a long way. I've sat in your car - went to look at it and others at Will's late last year. It was a potential project option for me (along with the brown one IbanezDan51 bought) until family health issues killed my motivation/motivated me to shelve my plans at the time. Looks like its come a lot further so far than it would've done had I actually bought it though!

And edit: I'm in Macclesfield, which isn't a million miles away, so just ask if you need any input. There's quite a few Zeddies lurking around the NW.

 

[IbanezDan51]

Looking great !

 

[DarbyshireZ]

Thanks gents and Richie if you don't mind a trip to Manchester in a month or so that would be brilliant as we try to remember what goes where.

cheers

 

[uk66fastback]

Absolutely tip top work there Tim & Dave. Car looks superb. Going to be painted in the original colour I hope.

Was there no rust on this car when it was stripped? What was the interior like - I ask not only with a genuine interest, but also cos I'm after an old original seat cover! Would have been black then I presume. Was the dash okay. I've built cars where most things were available off the shelf as repro but not sure I could do a Z as there are so many bits that you have to restore yourself ...

That engine sitting there waiting to go back in looks the dogs as well. Standard?

 

[Alphabettispaghetti]

What happened with DP?

 

[SacCyclone]

Looks to be a nice job your doing there, I do like the engine too...beautiful.

Those look like Toyota 4 piston calipers too...nice.

 

[DarbyshireZ]

Follow up answers

Thanks all for encouraging words, its taken a while to get this far, in answer to your questions above.

• re colour I love the original lime green but not universally loved in the family so going to go with an original 240 blue to keep the peace. Safer bet for value maybe as well?
• The USA car was pretty solid when we got it, there were various rust spots e.g. rear hatch under the spoiler, wings weren't the best, and the floor and one chassis leg needed some work. We did have the shell from the Z farm which did have some new/ better condition items so for example we swapped the wings onto the California car. Anyway Dave and his mate Carl have totally fettled it and the shell is now immaculate.
• The engine at the minute is very standard. It fired up sweetly when we got it so it's just had a spruce up and we will save any upgrades for later in case problems crop up.
• I've bought a load of replacement black vinyl seat covers etc. from MSA which are in the garage. I think we still have the very worn original seat covers if anyone wants them.
• Overall plan is to get exterior/interior as standard as possible but gradually upgrade the mechanicals over the years to come with exhausts, triples, or injection.
• The front callipers also came from MSA so not sure if they are Toyota 4s.
• Re DP and the Z farm that's a 2 year painful saga which deserves it's own thread. I'm happy to detail the facts if people feel that is needed but the damage is done.

cheers

Tim

PS The US dash had a couple of cracks but we are not using it as now converted to RHD. Interior all black.

 

[uk66fastback]

Tim, good to hear about the car. The Lime is one of those things which I think make cars like a bit of a Marmite choice. Keep it original, or what you like? If keeping forever (conceivably) then resale value doesn't matter. Go with what you want (which you are!)

Someone on here was after a LHD dash from memory ... maybe in the classifieds?

When you say the seat covers are worn, how worn? Be interested to see if possible ... I'm after an old cover just to try something out. Let me know if you could please.

Looking forward to more updates as work progresses. Any intended on-the-road date in the diary?

 

[IbanezDan51]

It was me after a dash. Ideally uncracked though but what you have might be better than mine? Could you send pictures?
Car is looking great
Thanks,
Dan

 

[DarbyshireZ]

Ok thanks, will try and get pictures of covers next time I'm at Dave's workshop. We'll have various general spares to sell in due course as there are a few things we have two of (unfortunately there a few things we have none of). Hope to be on the road next June/July.

cheers

 

[richiep]

I remember the chassis rail was the one black mark against this car when looking at it. How did it look from underneath? From when I saw it from above in torrential rain (!) it looked like it had hit something on the road and the mounting pocket for the compression rod had been ripped off, with a subsequent rather "functional" repair shall we say!... was that what it was or something else?

Rust was fairly localised. Are you going to refit the Amco luggage riser bar btw? Nice little piece of dealer accessorisation IMO!

 

[uk66fastback]

Good thread on there about the luggage bar ... and a few other Amco accessories from back in the day. I fancy carrying my skis on the roof rack ... !

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/topic/42275-amco-parts/

 

[DarbyshireZ]

Hi Richie

Yes it looked like it had something hard underneath but we were "lucky" to have an as new replacement from the Z farm shell to so we replaced the whole right chassis leg as that was best way to properly sort it out.

Not sure the luggage riser will be making a comeback though.

cheers

 

[Ped]

Wow, love the engine. Great work so far, this will be a nice car when it is done.

I wouldn't be in too much of a hurry to upgrade the engine. Just see how you get on with it, you may feel it is fast enough. Depends if you want to track it in future, I guess.

 

[DarbyshireZ]

Dash pictures and paint colour

Hi

A few people have asked about the spare LHD dash we will have so here are a few pictures. It has the usual sun cracks which I think can be filled but not sure. We're weren't looking to sell the dash for a while as it may help us rebuild the RHD one but I guess we can strip it down if anyone has an urgent need for a cracked LHD one.

Also attached is a picture of the chosen colour test panel blue115 which is not the original lime green but which I prefer and the roof which is nearly finished it's final guide coat/flatting and is as smooth as anything.

Holidays will slow things down for a week or two now but more pictures to follow in a while

cheers

Tim

 

[uk66fastback]

Colour will look great with the chrome ...

Look forward to more updates.

 

[IbanezDan51]

PMd

 

[SacCyclone]

Ah yes, 115 Blue.

 

[DarbyshireZ]

Wheels with blue?

Nice picture sir, now what wheels to go for?
Nice new chrome or restore the slots it came with (see first 2 pictures on thread)