That is actually pretty close to what I am thinking! Although not quite so far... Planning on building a "wanna be racer"/Canyon carver - everything you need nothing you don't- but probably not quite as "race car" as the 510 is. Not interested in flares right now, really into the stock body lines, but planning on a roll bar and some sport seats.

Ill have an update on the Z posted shortly. Not a ton to update on, but a few steps forward... and backward...

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Devon

‘71 4Dr 510 -- '73 240z

Ok- Some updates on the Z

I was hoping for faster progress, but life gets in the way... especially with a toddler...

Ultimately I ended up taking a few steps backward with the car before I can move forward...

The car had quite a funky musty smell to it, and I ultimately decided that the vinyl was too far gone to be saved - moldy on top and underneath - so I ripped it all out! Little did I know there would be so much residue and sound deadener left behind...



With the funk I decided the seats had to go too.. I have been planning on putting some proper race seats in the 510, so I had the idea to steal the seats out of that car, drop them in the Z, and get race buckets for the 510...

Sounds simple... but its not... stole the passenger seat from the 510, but the WRX seats were just to big for the Z.




I have a set of sport seats on order now... but I fear they may be backordered... more to come later.

I mounted up a hatch spoiler. Initially I bought a 432 style fiberglass one but the quality on it was pretty poor... lucky for me a carbon BRE one popped up locally right at the same time so I snagged that - should have just paid the extra hundred bucks and bought a carbon one in the first place, but I was really after a flat black look initially so figured the fiberglass was worth the savings... oh well.



Also ordered up a Xenon Urethane air dam - quality on this was pretty poor (terrible) but I plan for this car to be quite low, so figured it was worth it over the chance of shattering carbon or fiberglass- It will definitely need some reinforcing, but Ill deal with that later...



Next up was dealing with the sound deadener - to see what was underneath... I tried briefly with a chisel, but that seemed like a terrible idea...

So I went the Dry Ice route-



It worked wonders! I almost couldn't believe it! Dump it on... let it sit... hear it crack... wack it with a dead blow hammer a couple times and pop it right off with a putty knife. Took about 40lbs of Dry Ice pellets (~$60) and a couple hours.





I was a bit afraid of what I might find... because she is definitely crusty....

But lucked out- only one small hole on the driver side and some rust - and a couple pin holes on the passenger side.




I will also admit a mistake here... I knew there was a rust hole near the battery tray from the photos I got, but in the moment I didn't even check it when I bought the car... Its TOAST... something I will have to deal with at some point. I don't think it would have changed the purchase... the seller was very straight forward and fair with his price - so if I did it again I would likely still buy it.



Got some new wheels on the way too!

Next steps---

Get some seats back in it, wire up a few things and get it to pass MA safety inspection.

I like the no front bumper look... but I think a pair of black bumpers would work nicely on the car.

Need to make some suspension decisions--- coilover for sure --- but do I do a home-brew budget build, spec big $$$ on T3 Evolved coil overs, or go BC racing. BC is definitely the best bang for your buck and where I am leaning, but need to pick up a spare set of strut housings as donors.

Also need to decide on carburation - The car has SUs on it (and I have 2 more sets) but its just not my cup of tea. With the value of the Yen being so low right now I can pick up a set of OERs with manifold, heat shield, and small parts for a really good price (ie sell off all my SUs to cover it). But I have a dream of running 6 Mikuni HSR Moto carbs... but that is not a simple thing, and will require some fab and figuring stuff out, only a handful of people running them and not much info... so leaning toward grabbing some OER sidedrafts for now.

Short term also need to decide what to coat the floors in...

More to come!

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Devon

‘71 4Dr 510 -- '73 240z

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1970 240Z

Well I have been very busy with this Z!

Since I last posted, I threw a coat of paint on the floors, installed new seat belts and seats, and got some new wheels and rubber. Then back in May I got it registered with hopes of driving it around, but shortly after I hit a snag... In MA we unfortunately have to go through a safety inspection every year... and after registering it I realized there were a few "issues" with the previous owners rewire - turn signal and hazard issues being a few of them. This then started the further snowball process.

After spending a weekend playing with the wires I decided it wasn't worth "hacking" a fix and ordered up a new re-wire kit (American AutoWire Highway 15 - same kit I used in the 510 and the 620) I also ordered some new gauges and a new repro dash from Vintage Dashes. The re-wire took a bit longer then I hoped, but I wanted to make it as clean as I could - overall I am very happy with the results.

I then hit stag after snag.... Including a very stubborn oil filter (took 3hrs to get it off... long story)...

Finally last Friday I went in to get it inspected - and it didn't happen... The mechanic couldn't get the car started (I even went to the local MG shop that does them hoping he might have the "touch"). In fairness the car did need a tune... So last weekend I tuned the carbs and checked the timing. It seems the stubbornness to start is likely a worn ignition switch, but I can get it started every time! Then went to get inspected on Monday and opened the garage to GAS! The whole garage stunk of gas... I guess when added a few gallons on my "outlaw" drive on Sunday it brought the fuel level high enough to leak from the sender unit gasket. Thankfully Nissan still has the o-ring and lock ring and the local dealer was able to get it for me the next day.

Today I made it out there, replaced the o-ring and made it to the inspection station before they closed. The guy at the register actually laughed at me when I asked for an inspection... "On that thing! Will it even pass?!?" The mechanic was more hopeful.

And we passed!!! So the Z is legal to drive!

If you're still with me... or skipped to the good part, here are some photos!











That's probably it for work on the car this year... unless some other small issues come up. Still planning on adding carpet and a center console (likely Skilled) and some other interior pieces. It definitely needs suspension work to drop it lower - most likely BC Racing coilovers. Eventually some Wilwood brakes to replace the Toyota ones on there... ie plenty more work to do, but for now I am going to drive it and enjoy.

Hoping to drive it out to Lime Rock for the vintage weekend, but need to get some miles in first.

I will say this car is FUN to drive! Very different then my 510, the Z is definitely a cruiser!

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Devon

‘71 4Dr 510 -- '73 240z

Great work Devon . I applaud you for your persistence and patience in saving this Z car. Any chance you can make it to Thompson Speedway on the 19th? It should be fun and we can see how she does on the track with us.

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John Kish
1971 240Z - original owner

It is tentatively on my schedule! It’s a pretty reasonable drive for me and would be a good test before making the trek out to Lime Rock.

Gonna try and get a few drives in before hand and make the final decision next week hopefully.

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Devon

‘71 4Dr 510 -- '73 240z

There was mention of a track event at Thompson. Is there information on this event somewhere?

Yes ~ see Upcoming Events

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1970 240Z