A project car can either motivate you to keep working towards the finish line or become a millstone around your neck. I have lived this life, many times, and the decision to keep pushing on is one of the more challenging moral dilemmas I’ve faced. You can see how great the car will become when finished, but you’re also cognisant of what else you’d be able to do with that time and money if it wasn’t in your life. The seller of this Datsun 240Z listed here on eBay has made considerable progress in eliminating the rust that can plague these fine sports cars, but he has a long way to go and a complicated title issue to sort out. A parts car is included and he’s asking $7,800 or best offer for both.
The trouble is, the road to completion can tempt you to keep going with each milestone achieved. Once the bodywork is done, why not move onto paint? Once it’s painted and looking resplendent, maybe we should get that engine rebuild finished. And hell, the motor sounds good, let’s upgrade the suspension, wheels, and tires! You see where I’m going. The seller of this 240Z has gotten the heavy lifting of rust correction completed, but he’s drawing a line in the sand before going further with the bodywork. The yellow paint looks like it could be original, especially with the inner sections of the door cavities matching. It’s a great OEM color.
Look at this beautiful cabin floor. No rust to be seen! In addition to the front floor pans, the seller notes that he also installed “… Bad Dog upgrade frame rails, new Bad Dog seat brackets, new rocker panels installed, and restored engine bay.” The work looks tidy, even if it’s likely to have a few rough spots in places. Numerous additional new parts are included, such as “…right and left lower fender panels, e-brake cable, headlight bucket rubber insulators, gas filler rubber flap, tail light trim bezels, hood latch mount,” and more, along with a whole host of polyurethane bits. There’s just one problem: the VIN on the title he thought went with this car doesn’t match what’s found on the body tags.
My guess is that realization is what caused the project to stop in its tracks. The seller is including this parts car, which apparently does have a good title that matches the VIN. The car that has been under restoration does come with a disassembled L24 engine and transmission that he believes is all there in terms of completeness. The donor car honestly looks better than most project Z cars we see, so we’re curious why this one was designated for that role in the seller’s project plan. Regardless, there’s likely a way to swap parts or body tags to make the paper trail work, but that’s not my wheelhouse. What do you think is the best path forward with this Z car project bundle?
This looks like two parts cars.
As much as I want another Z, I’d have to agree with you Howie. Too many other options out there that can cut out years of work, stress and frustration.
Put the 2 together there still won’t be a complete car.
A labor of love, turns into a ton of labor, and money, sometimes. At times you can luck out and get something that needs a little work and money, other times you go down the rabbit hole of no return. I’m sure we’ve all learned its better to pay more for something close to complete, then a project like this.
Where is the line at when these projects start becoming parts for better projects?
looks like this guy bit off more than he could chew.
if the title is NC then swap the tags and go for it. If it’s not NC then NCDMV theft bureau will have to inspect the car regardless. They will inspect the car running or not, record the numbers and issue a title..unless it’s stolen. It is possible to research the vin online and look for a previous owner.