1971 Datsun Z-Series

6 cylinder

4 speed

HLS23023522

Clear

Gasoline

This is a first series "Survivor" 240Z in very nice condition. This is a rust free California car that has never been taken apart, never "restored", never molested and retains 95% of it's original factory paint. This is a numbers matching car and retains it's original engine. All systems are in working order, the engine is very strong, does not smoke and revs freely to redline. It is a joy to drive and the power to weight ratio of these cars is legendary. It's fast. "They are only original once" best decribes this car. The car also retains it's original window sticker, owners manual, tool kit and jack. The lift up inspection panel over the master cylinders still has the date 4/10/71 visible in marker, a remnant of the car's original pre-delivery inspection. I cannot document the mileage and it's based on what the odometer shows (73,500) However; based on the condition of the car, I think it's correct. I purchased this car about 5 years ago from Robb Sass of Sports Car Market magazine. Robb was their "Affordable Classics" columnist for about five years. There are attached pictures of his comments on this car. I bought the car from Robb on Ebay when he decided to sell it in Feb. of 2007. I had the car shipped to my home in the mountains of Colorado after purchase and have enjoyed the ownership experience. I am listing the car to make room (and money) for a recently purchased classic porsche. I've only driven the car (both unregistered and registered) about 750 miles since I've owned it and mostly enjoyed tinkering with it and using it as a Sunday driver. I exercised it in the summer only and it was stored indoors in the winter. It has a clear Colorado title. The Rubber Seals on these cars do not hold up well over the years. Over the years, I have replaced the clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder, the brake master cylinder, the fuel pump, the 4 brake system flex hoses, one of the two rear hatch seals, the drivers side door seal and the tires. They are new Yokohama and they fit the car perfectly. The car still needs the secondary hatch seal, passenger door seal and the rubber seal in the engine compartment up next to the firewall. The window seals, windshield seal, rear window seal, quarter window seals and door to window seals are in very good shape, albeit a little brittle. The Engine is original to the car and retains it's original S.U.s. The choke works well on cold starts and it warms up slowly. A little "cold natured" but once warmed up, this engine is smooth as silk and pulls very strong from 4K to 6K with a great sound from a relatively new exhaust system that Robb installed. The Transmission is solid and shifts as designed. I rebuilt the front suspension with new period Koni shock inserts and new bushings. It made a world of difference in the way the car handled compared to my first drive. The rear suspension is OK, but could use new shocks and included with the car are 2 period adjustable Koni inserts. It tracks straight, no wandering and the steering is tight and responsive. The Clutch engages and disengages well with no issue. There is a slight shuttering when engaging reverse. I think there is some slop in the u-joints off the half axles The Paint buffs up nice and it shines very well for original paint. It does have some scratches, dings and touch ups. It's a "ten footer" or better. The top portion of the car has thin factory paint and "buff through" to primer and the original factory welds above the quarter windows are noticeable. The top portion also has some touch up areas that are more noticeable than others. I always felt that part of the significance of the car was the "originality" so I was reluctant to repaint the top. It doesn't look that bad and I wanted to keep it original. The new owner can of course can decide differently. As you aware if you are looking at this car, these cars rust if you spit on the ground beside. Part of Datsuns attempt to reach their power to weight ratio (i.e. lighten the car) involved very thin metal in the panels. This one is from California and about 95% or better rust free. The only areas that may need attention later are the very bottom section of the dog leg on the drivers side (the paint has a bit of roughness to it) and two very small areas in lower areas of the rear fender wells that I have painted with primer that show in the pictures. The rest of the car is impressive for it's lack of rust. No rust whatsoever in the floor boards, the rockers, the spare tire holder, the structural mounting areas and body panels. The stainless Trim on the car is in great shape. The areas around the windows, doors and windshield look great. The bumpers do not, but they look OK. They can look much better with new rubber inserts and I am including these with the car. The original plastic badges on the car are all challenged and all need attention (but they are all there). These can be "restored" to look much better with an artist brush, some chrome and black paint and some time while watching the ball game. There is an add on Bumper Bar for the rear bumper that comes with the car. I took it off because I didn't like the looks of it. The Interior is original and in pretty decent shape with a new dash cover that the prior owner installed. All the gauges and dash lights are in working order. The console area needs some repair around the ashtray and fuse cover area. The seats are just OK. The backs are in much better condition than the bottoms and a little black dye will really make it look better. The floor boards have mats only. the original padding and carpet is missing from these areas. The door panels are fair and can be made to look much better with some attention to the bottom fabric and attachement to the panel. The add on speakers at the front sections of the panels look like crap, but it's the norm. The original radio is missing and the add on stereo and CD player (although it does work) is crap. ALL of the diamond stamped vinyl that runs thorugh the car is in almost new condition and looks great. There is a picture of the parts and spares that come with the purchase of the car. The car cover in the picture is nice, but is for inside use only. The adjustable KONI shocks for the rear suspension are a rare find. There is a new glove compartment box because the original one is there but taped up in order to be sealed. I will of course include all the documentation on the car and the SCM magazine issue as wwll. Please reach me via Ebay if you need any pictures of specific areas of the car. I have tried to describe the car as best I can, but please ask questions. The car is located in Aspen, Colorado up in Snowmass Village.