Hey guys:

JUST REDUCED ASKING PRICE TO $18,000.

With the exception of Joe Plescia, none of you guys know me or my car (my fault as I've been to busy to attend club events). I've decided to sell my "baby". I just don't have the time to drive her and my oldest is heading off the college in the fall and we all know what that means ($$$). She's a 1972, MATCHING NUMBERS, with a later edition 5-speed. I had a '72 back in the late '70's that was the best car I ever owned. It was stolen in 1980; if not for that, I would still own it today. It was silver, with a red interior, black racing stripes, Ansa exhaust and American Racing wheels. Man, I loved that car.

In 2004 I was tooling around on Ebay and started to see 240's for sale. Sort of got my juices going. In 2005, I took the initial plunge and bought this car from a woman in Southern MD, who had purchased the car from its original owner who had the car in New Mexico for almost its entire life. It was orange, with black interior and had the 280Z Nazi style wheels. Her intention was to restore. She managed to have the seats redone (new cushions and seat covers) and replaced the headliner, had the tranny replaced and the hatch window and basic mechanical stuff like the shocks and then lost her job. She was in desparate need of $, but I really wanted a silver car. Nonetheless, I bought the car from her and had it shipped to CT.

The first year I had basic stuff done on the car. Removed a leaky set of headers, put on a new exhaust, had it tuned, replaced the wheels and tires with American Racing slotted wheels and Yokohama tires, replaced the clutch slave cylinder. I really didn't have any intention to spend any more on the car as I really wanted a silver one. In fact, I continued to seek out a silver car on Ebay and other websites (didn't know about the CT Z-car club at that time).

A funny thing happened, however. The more that I test drove other Zs, the more I realized how exceptional the ride was of this car. Smooth running engine, easy shifting, hallmark handling, etc. No exhaust leaks into cabin, etc.

So, in the summer of 2006, I decided to take the plunge and "remake" this car into my silver bullet dream. A friend owns a local body shop that does classic car restoration work and he agreed to take on the job, but only after he conducted a thorough inspection of the car. What did he find? Not surprisingly, a little rust in the lip over both rear wheels, minor floor rot in front on both sides, a tiny bit of rust in the hatch area and in one of the front dog legs. He was surprised there wasn't more.

The car was nearly completely disassembled. Anything that could come off or out did. The interior was stripped of all except the headliner, tunnel and dash. All glass was removed. The doors were disassembled. All fenders came off, etc., etc.

The interior was thoroughly checked to ensure there was no further rust. None was found. The minor rust spots on the floor pans was cut out and replaced with new steel. Then the interior was primed with 3 coats of primer and finally finished in a slightly brighter shade of silver than the standard color. All vinyl and plastic was then carefully replaced. By the way, key items such as the gas tank hose vents in the rear were also replaced.

The same process was then applied to the exterior. All removable parts were separately sanded, primed and painted individually and then the car was carefully re-assembled piece by piece. That way, there was no paint build up in any of the gaps. All (and I mean ALL) rubber weatherstripping was replaced, including the inner fender gaskets. Brand new OEM front windshield. New COMPLETE headlight assemblies. New light lenses all around (except rear tail lamps). New OEM front bumper. New door handles, all new lock latches, new side view mirror, rear bumper overrider, etc.

Guys, I have receipts for everything, and it's too much to list here!! All in, I have well over $30,000 invested in this baby. I know I won't get it back, but that's what happens when you spend with your heart and not your mind.

Here's some of the basics - MATCHING Numbers, 5-speed, R200 rear end. Everything is basically stock except exhaust, stereo (Pioneer radio and CD player), air filters and wheels (by the way, the spare is like new and I have the jack set and chocks, etc.). The odometer states 73,xxx miles and the previous owner said this was corect (condition of car also leads me to believe this is the original mileage). I've only put 2,000 miles on it since I purchased it and only 500 miles since the restoration. IT HAS NEVER BEEN OUT IN THE RAIN since restored. It has never been on a road with sand or salt since restoration. Heck, I've only washed it once in the last 2 years!!!

Come take a look for yourself! Asking price is now reduced to $18,000. I am only listing on CTZCC site for now, wanting to see if I can keep the car in the local area. If no takers, I'll list nationally in a couple of weeks.

Message me here or at lauricella02@earthlink.net. Full set of pictures is available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/datsunz

Bill