I found a 1974 260z with 78k miles. It was restored 5 years ago with new carpets and floor pans. Not sure about the rest of restoration. Spoke to the mans friend about the car, the ad did not give much info. It is a 5 speed and has a "lopey cam" Has alot of aftermarket parts. Looks to have a bre type front lip. Stock body other than that. It also has the rear tails that look like they have a silver outline. He is asking $6300. Anyone think thats a good deal? Or a bit much? Im going to check it out today.

Personally, I wouldn't have any problem with that price for that car, if it was in pristine original condition. The aftermarked add-ons and engine modifications tell me someone wanted more out of the car than Datsun originally intended.

I would guess (guess) the value of the car would depend upon what condition the 'end result' was in, and whether the owner is selling it due to some major problem which he doesn't want to fix.

I might recommend taking the car to a mechanic (maybe a Nissan dealer) and have them jack it up and do a safety check on it before plunking down that kind of cash.

Of course, at the end of the day the decision will be completely yours and when you close your eyes tonight, you'll probably already know whether that car should come home with you or not.

But you could buy an awfully nice S-2 240Z for that amount of coin.

I am planning on only offering around 4500. I have a lead on a different type of car for a good deal though this car is very local to me. I have wanted one of these Z's for so long I may change my mind once seeing it. The problem is I cant find one in running condition for a decent price around here that catchs my eye! I really wanted an l28et swap but most if not all of them I am finding are not very good jobs. Theres one in the south for sale right now runs and drives for only 3500. It looks like it was put together by the honda tuner down the street with the misfitting bodykit and coffee can exhaust. I would rather buy a good condition Z with the stock motor and swap it out over the winter or do a 3.1 stroker or something. The guy has to sell because he got a harley and the wife wants him to clear out some space. I asked and he is flexible on the price. Il post up once I check it out.

He stated his ASKING PRICE.
He did not specify FIRM.
Therefore I conclude that he has factored in some wiggle room.

Maybe I'm being a little nit-picky here, but I notice it is described
as a 1974 (not a 1974-1/2) 260Z, whereupon it would look more
like a 1973 240Z than a 1975 280Z. Being the stereotypical
Series 1 guy that I am, that would appeal to me.

I agree with everything Frank said/asked, but would be concerned
primarily with rust (the floor pans were replaced; what else rusted
enough to need attention)? I hope that the 5-speed (a replacement
trans), the "lopey cam", and the "lot of aftermarket parts" aren't a
signal that the car has been raced and/or beaten on at some point.

Frank's idea of having an expert check it out for you is excellent.
But at a NISSAN dealer, you could be assigned anyone from a kid
just out of trade school who never even saw a Z, to an experienced
veteran who used to work on an occasional Z back in the day, but
hasn't seen one for 20 years or more. A generalist who has more
experience with Altimas, Maximas, XTerras, and Pathfinders.

I would rely more on a Vinny Bedini or a Bryan Little or a Paul Mackin
type, who has spent more time under a Z car than the average owner
has spent in the driver's seat. Even if you spiff him $100 for his
efforts, it would be money well spent since you will be assured of not
being in for any $3000 surprises.

I would gladly spare the $100 to find out that the car was worthwhile.
I would be more than irked if I had to shell out an unexpected $3000,
on top of the purchase price, because I didn't.

FWIW, ~Rick~

_________________
All Z Best,.......Kathy & Rick

1969 Z.CAR (#00013 10/69) 8/30/76
1969 ITSA.Z (#00171 11/69) 8/24/73
1970 OLD.Z (#06289 6/70) original owner
1971 510 2dr since 12/31/75
1969 1600 rdstr (our 160-Z)
1971 (#19851 1/71) sold
1975 75.Z (#01343 1/75)

Ok just got back from checking it out. Odometer says 68k and he said that is the original mileage. I checked it out and dont see any rust anywhere. I even checked in the spare tire area. I pulled the carpet back there and other areas and did not see anything. Looked like grey metal. Looks like the engine bay is sprayed black....i didnt ask but might be por15? or some other rust proofing is my guess. It has a schneider cam. The friend who spoke to me did not know anything. He said it isnt a race cam or anything he didnt want something crazy just something to drive on the street. All of the carpet is practically new. The vinyl on sides are now carpet. There is new weather stripping that is thick (have to close door hard to get it to shut perfectly. It has triple webers if i remember correctly and what looked like k&n filters on the top? He said the radiator will need to be replaced soon. The last long trip he took it on the radiator was hissing...said it was getting soft? When he was having the car restored someone told him to watch out with the radiator and make sure its ok. So now 5 years later its turning to a problem. It looks great body wise there seems to be a small crack here and there on the rear fenders near the tirewell. The engine bay looks clean, has alot of nice aftermarket -AN fittings it seems. When we first fired it up....he said he hadnt turned it over in a few weeks. HE turned key to ignition to get fuel to the pump and get fuel pumping then tryed to turn it over and it didnt want to for like 4 seconds. Then he let go and tryed a second time and it fired right up. No knocking...idled very smooth. HE siad he put on the webers but hasnt really tuned them. So when its cold it has some rough spots but once it warms up it is perfect and smooth. It drove well. Its on lowering springs. The motor had new rings and other small parts and was bored .30 over when it was being restored about 5-7 years ago. I am planning on actually picking this car up this week I believe. He came down to $4,800. What do you guys think? Good deal?

I even think the clock worked also....haha

Sound reasonable, go for it.

Pat

_________________
Pat & Regina
Current Inventory
73 240Z Gray (in fostercare)
74 260Z White project car (back on the road)
74 260Z Brown triple webers
75 280 Z stroker
82 280ZX
91 300ZXTT
12 370Z Black

YES! Sounds really good for that price!

I had no clue it already had that much work done to it. The Webers are a bear to tune properly the first time, but once they're set, you've tripled your air intake and boosted your horsepower probably by 30-40 hp. You won't be able to do them yrslf ~ don't even try. Take them to Vinny Bedini (after AirJockie gets his done) and let him tune them correctly for you.

The price you guys agreed to suddenly sounds much more reasonable.

Would you guys say that the car would be reliable enough to drive a somewhat far distance? Such as to the corners of Ct after I replace that radiator? Or to work on a consistent basis because its summer? I dont have much experience with the reliability of the stock motors. Im guessing since its non turbo and straight forward design it cant be too bad.

The L2x motors are very reliable as long as they are properly maintained. The engines are easy to work on with plenty of available parts. The key issue with these cars is rust and it sounds like you may have found a Z that does not suffer from this issue.

_________________
Phil
1981 280zxt - Now in the care my son!
2014 370Z Sports Touring Roadster

As with any car, the higher the power output, the lower the reliability. But Phil's absolutely correct (again); the L-series engines earned a reputation for being very, very tough and reliable. Just about the only thing that ever sidelined my Z were electrical or ignition problems, and those were easily fixed (once I learned what a Fuseable Link was ).

Drive the car in ever-widening circles around your neighborhood, then around your town, then your county, etc. That way, if you discover something bad about your 'new' car, you won't be far from home. Have a friend follow you just in case. You'll like the car a lot better once those Webers are tuned correctly. It will probably buck, spit and stall a few times until they are.

What type of ignition does the car have now, do you know?

I saw an ACCEL box that seemed to be connected to something ignition related if that rings a bell with you. It drove perfect when I test drove it. Not much sputtering. He said its only rough until it warms up when cold. My only gripe is the power. I come from a 91 mr2 with about 300hp. Im more about having a rare car and something fun to drive. But man....the car didnt feel like it was too quick. I think the webers do need a good tuning to get that power you guys speak of. Ive done tuning with a piggyback computer....and im used to that sort of format. This carb thing is new to me. Is that guy who tunes the webers expensive? Im not sure of what I plan to do long term so far. Or else Id get a nice ITB setup

"That guy" who tunes Webers is THE Vinny Bedini, our Club member who used to race Datsuns and became the famous engine builder and tuner for many of the most-successful Datsun race drivers in the 70s and 80s, including our Executive Advisor, Bob Sharp.

Vinny should charge more than he does. But for our Club members he usually works a deal which is far less money than we could ever find elsewhere. Considering what you get from his experience, he's very cheap.

Im certainly NOT a Weber expert, but from what you described I would guess (guess) the problem was with the choke, rather than with the tuning. That makes it even cheaper to fix.

In order to get 300hp from an L-series engine, it would have to be a high-compression full-race setup or at least well turbocharged. A full-race engine is really not much fun to drive on the street. It idles high, has temperature control issues, is not happy in slow traffic, and usually feels as if it's either 'all on' or 'all off'. It eats a lot of fuel and doesn't feel very flexible in varying traffic conditions. Yet there are plenty of Z owners who strive to set their engines up for that magical 300hp number.

Our member Bryan Little (author of the famous DATSUNZGARAGE website), recommends btwn 200-220bhp for a reliable, streetable, flexible L-series engine. That gives really sharp performance in the Z chassis, without sacrificing practicality. I have driven his 240Z which he built with that philosophy, and it is a rocket. It drives like a 200hp gokart. You would have to be a pretty sharp driver to handle more than that, and you wouldn't be allowed to use the car's potential on the street, anyway.

Your 260 (with the rebuilt 2.6 liter L26 engine) is probably pushing close to 180hp if it's running right. If not, a little tweaking could put it very close to that. The electronic Excell ignition system is very popular on the Z, and replaced the old breaker-point distributor with greater performance AND reliability. Sounds like someone has put a lot of time and money into this car already ~ wonder why he's selling it?

As goes with most men's sale of their sports cars...sadly the wife wants the "stable" cleared after his new harley purchase cluttered the garage. To me he has plenty of room in front of the car to fit the bike. But I wont argue that point as I like the car. He says he lost interest in the car when i spoke to him. His friend told me about the wife. Im sure its a combination of the two.

Oh and my 300hp+ plan was going to be either:
1. l28et with nice turbo
2. 3.1 stroker
3.VQ 350z motor swap

The l28et is the most likely option because it seems the cheapest. But if a deal came on either of the other 2....thatd be great also.

Frank is right. The stock 151 HP in our 70 is way more than we could
ever use in the Northeast, what with the crowded roads and narrow
lanes. (Well, maybe 160 HP with the few things done to it; maybe
140 HP with the wear of 125,000 miles).

One fine day, years ago, I found that the car could do at least 110.
Since the speed limit was 55 at the time, and I was doubling that, that
was all I needed to know. If I were back in Texas, however............

All Z Best,................................Rick (and Kathy, of course)

_________________
All Z Best,.......Kathy & Rick

1969 Z.CAR (#00013 10/69) 8/30/76
1969 ITSA.Z (#00171 11/69) 8/24/73
1970 OLD.Z (#06289 6/70) original owner
1971 510 2dr since 12/31/75
1969 1600 rdstr (our 160-Z)
1971 (#19851 1/71) sold
1975 75.Z (#01343 1/75)