SacCyclone
Club Member
September 2019 I got a call from a friend asking if I was still looking for Datsun Z cars, he of course had many conversations with me about old Z cars and already knew the answer.
The story told was that a relative of the Z car owner was liquidating her uncle's cars and one of the last was this old Z car that had been parked for many years in the garage after an accident. The relative needed to clear the house so that it could be sold after her uncle's death. She asked if I could come and take a look.
A few days later I took a 3 hour drive and arrived in the San Jose area of Cali to view this car.
It had been sitting in the garage since 1992, the owner had parked the car after it was involved in an accident and was never moved again. After a good once over, I felt that there was little to no rust present, 10/71 build date, matching numbers engine with 4 speed transmission, a interior color change from white interior to black but otherwise mostly original, and 110 red paint. I made a deal with the relative and loaded the car on a trailer, locked rear wheels and all.
Due to other projects and of course Covid, the car sat until this week when I decided to give it a go and start the process of bringing her back to life.
Day 1: A battery was installed and I knew from my initial once over back in 2019 that the engine would turn over. It took about 15 minutes to go through my checklist of resurrection basics until fresh fuel was added to the mix and bada bing, she was a runner. A few lifters were a little noisy and in need of adjustment and a couple of fuel lines needed replacement but that was about it. Oil pressure was good, charging system was working, and radiator was open and flowing. The fuel tank was not involved in the initial startup as it will be dropped and replaced with a fresh unit. The brake system was torn down and the process of a complete brake rehab has begun. Clutch master and slave were replaced too. Tires and wheels replaced with fresh units. Waiting for more parts to arrive tomorrow and hope to get her moving and stopping on her own.
Eventually, I'll take this 72 Z car to a good friend who owns a professional body shop complete with 2 frame racks and have her straightened up. I already have excellent replacement panels on hand that I had collected for her over the last 2 years so not much to do there.
Stay tuned!!!!!
The story told was that a relative of the Z car owner was liquidating her uncle's cars and one of the last was this old Z car that had been parked for many years in the garage after an accident. The relative needed to clear the house so that it could be sold after her uncle's death. She asked if I could come and take a look.
A few days later I took a 3 hour drive and arrived in the San Jose area of Cali to view this car.
It had been sitting in the garage since 1992, the owner had parked the car after it was involved in an accident and was never moved again. After a good once over, I felt that there was little to no rust present, 10/71 build date, matching numbers engine with 4 speed transmission, a interior color change from white interior to black but otherwise mostly original, and 110 red paint. I made a deal with the relative and loaded the car on a trailer, locked rear wheels and all.
Due to other projects and of course Covid, the car sat until this week when I decided to give it a go and start the process of bringing her back to life.
Day 1: A battery was installed and I knew from my initial once over back in 2019 that the engine would turn over. It took about 15 minutes to go through my checklist of resurrection basics until fresh fuel was added to the mix and bada bing, she was a runner. A few lifters were a little noisy and in need of adjustment and a couple of fuel lines needed replacement but that was about it. Oil pressure was good, charging system was working, and radiator was open and flowing. The fuel tank was not involved in the initial startup as it will be dropped and replaced with a fresh unit. The brake system was torn down and the process of a complete brake rehab has begun. Clutch master and slave were replaced too. Tires and wheels replaced with fresh units. Waiting for more parts to arrive tomorrow and hope to get her moving and stopping on her own.
Eventually, I'll take this 72 Z car to a good friend who owns a professional body shop complete with 2 frame racks and have her straightened up. I already have excellent replacement panels on hand that I had collected for her over the last 2 years so not much to do there.
Stay tuned!!!!!