OK, maybe it is a silver ghost but this 1972 Datsun 240Z is only bid to $4,050 with 3 days left in the auction. The car can be seen here on eBay and is located in Brownsboro, Alabama. The car has had some work done on it over the past few years and was said to run when it was parked earlier this year. The bumpers have been removed and the hood was primered to stop rust in several places.
For those of you who are experts, please tell us about the induction modifications that are done to this engine. I have never seen a Holley carburetor on a 240Z. The manual transmission is said to shift fine and the clutch and brakes are rebuilt. The seller says the body is nice but the floor pans appear to rusted out. The interior is missing parts and the seats are dirty but not torn.
The seller admits the car needs paints and list a myriad of parts from 260Z and 280Z cars that come with the sale. The car needs electrical work because the turn signals, lights and wiper motor do not work. The steering column appears to be a mess. The driver and passenger door do not latch properly and the seller states that there are obvious problems and recommends coming to look at the car before purchasing it.
The car is being sold on Bill of Sale only and the title is signed over to the seller but he states that the State of Alabama does not issue titles for a car this old. The car has late model wheels and looks striking from a distance. This 240Z is definitely a project. So, who has the time and skill to get this beauty back on the road?
“a Holley carburetor on a 240Z” … there were a lot of adapter plates for Datsuns available — allowing one to mount a Holly (usually the smaller 390 carb) … but, there was a price to pay … imagine putting a funnel in between the carb and the manifold … not quite the high flow that one wanted.
Have seen a similar manifold on a 20B 210 4 cylinder car. Can’t tell if this one is one of many offered by the aftermarket folks. Either way, the original Hitachi SU clones were plenty efficient and easy to keep in tune so this setup doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.
The modification to the induction system is certainly interesting, there were kits for that, especially when folks were modifying Datsun 510 sedans, with 1600 cc engines. Dual side draft Hatachi carbs were standard and they were reliable, as long as you didn’t mess around with them.
A friend of mine put one on his 6-cylinder Gremlin at one time. Took it off a couple of days later
Doors both sag. A sign of worn hinges, or whole body out of whack? A cheap fix, or, death knell?
Reading the story makes me understand why the bids are so low. Good luck to the new owner.
Last one of these we worked on had sagging doors that was the result of sagging (rusty) A pillars.
There could be a lot more hidden rust then what’s stated in the ad!! I wouldn’t bid a dime without looking at this car personally!! You could just be throwing money away!!!
Three words… triple sidedraft webers!
The original SU carbs, if restored, were every bit as good as a Holly or a Weber on this engine. Don’t buy without confirming rust on strut housings- rust there is a kiss of death
Sounds more like a car used for parts on a better project.