Documenting the journey, '69 240z & 71 240Z + others

Restores, Revamps and Repairs
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SR240Z
Posts: 190
Location: Auckland

Re: Documenting the journey, '69 240z & 71 240Z + others

Post by SR240Z » Thu Mar 14, 2019 9:08 pm

Cheers for that! Still few bug bears which I'll need to work through over winter, for some reason the front splitter is still a bit on the piss but we will sort that.

Very happy with how the cars handles

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SR240Z
Posts: 190
Location: Auckland

Post by SR240Z » Thu Mar 28, 2019 10:13 am

Sold and delivered my Formula Hayabusa today, with the masses amounts of spares gone from the shed i now have space to carry on with the suite of projects... Sad day the Hayabusa was an amazing wee car that packed a punch

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This winter will be abut completing the Gillespie Z to a reasonable standard, front splitter will be getting reworked, door panel beated and wrap. I'll also be starting on the Reynard 91D formula car to get her up and running and advertised for sale

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SR240Z
Posts: 190
Location: Auckland

Post by SR240Z » Tue Apr 02, 2019 5:42 pm

Dragged the ole gurl, the last of our cars in storage (its been a journey over the last 4 years!) home.

In time I'll assess the structure of the car and make a call if if invest any time or money into her. Great memories, we were put onto this car by Hugh Pepper and bought it race ready for $6500 and was a regular at Pukekohe up in to around 2009.

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SR240Z
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Location: Auckland

Post by SR240Z » Wed May 08, 2019 11:01 am

Been slow on the Z front of late a lot of travel and work has mean its all taken a back seat.

Nonetheless managed to finally pick up a really tidy FRP hatch (Thanks Andy!) for the white car, RHS front door is getting a massage and a flick of paint aswell. This along with the slight tweak on the front splitter will complete the car to a point where she will get wrapped for next season.

Acquiring the hatch means the steel hatch can go back onto the Red Z which will remain a steel bodied car and the intention for this is to be re-built back to racing standard to historic competition regs where it will be full steel, period wheels, bumpers, partial interior etc

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nustad
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Location: Auckland

Post by nustad » Thu May 09, 2019 8:14 pm

Wish there was a like function on this board........thanks for sharing the journey and the history. It’s cool to see. Great to have Z’s of different persuasions! Keep the updates coming!
72 240z plus bits

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SR240Z
Posts: 190
Location: Auckland

Post by SR240Z » Sat May 11, 2019 9:57 am

Ahh a comment is just as good if not better - thanks for that much appreciated!

I grew up around classic racing with that bloody red 240z, running around Pukekohe as a 13 year old taking picture of it and helping dad in the weekends, there is just so much history between us :lol: . I even stole it from the garage a took it for a Joy ride around West Auckland with no rego wof or licence at 14 (and picking up a good mate of mine along the way) only to be caught out weeks later by a friend of Dads asking if he had changed the exhaust because it she sounded so good.... woooppss! The result was a trip to Henderson Police station by Dad and I lost my competition licence for 12 months :lol: :lol: :lol:


It would be neat to rebuild her and leave the banged up panels on there as a bit of homage to its history, not sure I'd get away with that though! We used to joke about calling ourselves 40ft racing because from 40ft car looked outstanding! Car was quick considering but id say most of that was Dads driving ability, with 175HP, cut springs, tired Koni's, half cage, full exhaust, standard 5 spd, 1/2 interior, full steel bodywork, no lightening and on DOT 225/50/15 tyres she was doing 1m 9s at the old pukekohe track... then in the wet she would walk all over those V8's :D

First up I need to finish the white car, get my road Z back on the road (has a terrible miss at the moment) and sell one of the Formula Holdens to create some space to tidy her up, will be a longer term project thats for sure.

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SR240Z
Posts: 190
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Post by SR240Z » Mon May 20, 2019 8:21 pm

Finally got into the mood to replace the sump gasket this weekend which was weeping, actually turned into a pain in the bum really and was certainly not expecting to find this....

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Absolutely guttered.... looks like something going on there with #1 rocker, looks like a bit of alloy in the sump too (piston skirt??)... bit of soul searching this week thats for sure - was not expecting that at all.

On a more positive note I found a 4 year old missing bearing cap from the Reynard 91D, while aimless walking around the shed feeling sorry for myself so now I have everything I need to complete that car minus a few seals and a clutch

On another note, picked up new rocker cover from GT Refinishers for the FZ, dropped off the RHS door for the race Z for some panel/paint and ordered a birthday kit for the FZ from Ztherapy to give the SU's a bit of life

God I hate cars sometimes

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Andy
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Post by Andy » Fri May 24, 2019 9:03 pm

Keep us posted on the cause of the damage, someone else may have experienced similar. Try the good Church of course. Almost looks like something has got caught between cam and rocker, jammed the valve and smacked the piston?

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SR240Z
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Location: Auckland

Post by SR240Z » Mon May 27, 2019 7:07 am

Yes will do, just not even interested right now .... so I've booked her in at GER with a "just F-ing fix it brief" - they would have mentioned any damaged to me if it was historical so god only knows whats happened its like the rockers rolled off the cam wouldn't expect it to be valve float on a single valve?...

Well me being me I have lots of jobs to continue on with until she comes back from GER so I've started on the 91D which has been ageing in the corner for the last 10 years...

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time to get her gone (any takers??) The list is relatively small she was parked up after a leaking rear main seal and a very busy father so its going to be brake rebuild, rear main seal may as well do bearings while I am there and a general overhall and tidy up - spent a day cleaning bits and piecing together what I have and dont, I was worried about the 5/8 spark plugs so spent a few days with penetrating oil trying to loosen them up prior but unfortunately still had one snap on me

The joys of race cars

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nustad
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Post by nustad » Mon Jun 03, 2019 6:26 pm

Keep the faith - part of the charm of old school cars. Your road car rego is spookily similar to mine......
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72 240z plus bits

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SR240Z
Posts: 190
Location: Auckland

Post by SR240Z » Mon Jun 03, 2019 9:06 pm

Well bugger me that is scary! Car looks pretty neat, thanks for the pic its great to see other Z's like this, gives me hope :lol: :lol: Its actually great to see more Z's without flares, the older I get the more I am thankful I didnt cut mine up. Maybe I am as old as my son tells his friends I am (apparently i am 62 - actually half that!)

Had a busy weekend on Z's this long weekend, bit of a shift around with the Race Z back in the Shed and a play with FZ, It turns out I have accumulated (and not fitted) alot of parts over the years.. working my way through what I have and dont have to get her back on the road for summer.. Will finally bite the bullet and get rid of the terrible short cut pile carpet and go back to more original long loop pile and vynal, found and original Hitachi radio which I am stoaked about and "euro spoiler" which will get set aside for painting

SU parts arrive this week so looking forward to that.

Bit of work on my sisters Z aswell changing out some modified engine mounts (thanks dad!) so we can get a WOF on it for her. Got my fix and took her for a blat around the block, jezz its neat to drive.... it really hauls that thing for a L24 on SU's I would love to know what the old man has done to it other than the diff really fun to drive

Race Z is off to the Doc this week, fingers X'd its not a major - need to spend that $$ elsewhere to get the 91D completed and sold!

BRONZEE
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Post by BRONZEE » Tue Jun 04, 2019 7:07 pm

Keep up the posts, especially as it's motivational for others to get theirs back on the tarmac too!
Next - Z Club events:
= Check out events page here or our Z Club NZ Facebook page.

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SR240Z
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Location: Auckland

Post by SR240Z » Wed Jun 05, 2019 9:14 pm

Thanks Imogen :D

Dropped the Gillespie Z off at GER today, fingers x'd its not a major not really interested in the what/how or why just want it fixed so I can move on... I am desperate to complete a project the last 4.5 years have been an F-ing hell of a journey so just need SOMETHNIG, ANYTHING finished.

As mentioned before dads/sisters Z made the sunlight this weekend, such a neat colour on this one. Always been jealous of this car! Its so tight and responsive just absolutely makes you smile ear to ear when driving. I can just imagine some yank hopping in one of these back in the early 70's and seeing all of the pre-conceived ideas flying out the window!


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Bit of massaging to do to get the lip to fit on the passengers side of FZ - I am pleased with how it will look just need to decide on paint colours, match the body or go for a contrasting grey or black - tricky one as I am not flaring the guards but am leaning towards a matte gunmetal grey which would complement the same colour Wats in 15x8 :D


While I was overseas I had a reputable company do some WOF work on FZ and long story short the LHS front tyres clipped the guard while reversing and dragged her in / cracked the paint... nevertheless that can get tidied up up shortly as there is some paint defects on to sort on the door and headlight surrounds

Really please with how the wrinkle paint came out on the rocker cover, I had a red one done as aswell for the race car, not sure about the red just yet haha


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Going to invest in installing some Dynamat in FZ as well - any recommendations as to where I should stick it? I dont drive Z's much :lol:


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Found this neat pic of Mark Skaife in the Lola at Lakeside (from memory) just such a neat pic I thought I would share, this is what all the pain is working towards (beating some F5000 lap times!!)

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SR240Z
Posts: 190
Location: Auckland

Post by SR240Z » Mon Sep 16, 2019 9:04 pm

Well bugger me, she is back and alive. Count down to testing on the 27th with a bit of luck, it's now or Trademe 😂

http://imgur.com/a/NPO5NFV

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Grunzter
Posts: 541
Location: Epsom, Auckland

Post by Grunzter » Tue Sep 17, 2019 8:10 am

Whats on Trademe? your Z race car?
1981 280ZX #33 IMSA GTU Race Car
2012 Fairlady Z34 ST (For the son/wife...)
2007 Fairlady Z33 NISMO
(Sold) 1984 300ZX Z31 2+2 Turbo
(Sold) 1980 Datsun 280ZX 2+2

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