Oppo, I have news

"AM3R" (AM3R) 11/05/2014 at 22:51 • Filed to: 240z

7

42

In an attempt to improve my mechanical prowess, I'm looking at picking up a weekend/project car. Learning how to work on an engine can be expensive when you only have a BMW at your disposal, and you need to drive it to work the next day.

Enter the S30 240z. The L24 engine is regarded as a reliable workhorse that is simple and cheap to fix. I also really like the look of the 240z, especially with a few mods (see above). They can be had fairly cheap, and they'll eventually start rising in value.

I've been itching to start wrenching for a while now, and picking up a car that isn't too hard to work on is a great way for me to learn. I've always felt like I wasn't a great enthusiast because I (embarrassingly) can't work my way under the hood all that great. Now I can practice, and the S30 seems like a great canvas to begin with. I'm thinking about picking one up as a birthday present for myself in December, because I'll probably have to travel. The market for clean Z's in the DC area isn't very high, especially around this time of the year.

I'm excited to hopefully have a manual car again, and I'm even more excited knowing that I'm gonna be maintaining the car myself. Wish me luck Oppo!

Brian Silvestro > AM3R 11/05/2014 at 22:55

0

When in December is your birthday?!

lone_liberal > AM3R 11/05/2014 at 22:56

0

Nice choice! Getting something with little to no emission controls or electronics will make it a lot simpler to get a basic understanding of things. Then again, there are the carbs...

Dsscats > AM3R 11/05/2014 at 22:58

0

Try to get a 72 or earlier if you can.

AM3R > Brian Silvestro 11/05/2014 at 23:01

0

16th, is yours close?

AM3R > lone_liberal 11/05/2014 at 23:02

1

yeah the carbs are really the only thing I'm not 100% ready for haha.

AM3R > Dsscats 11/05/2014 at 23:03

0

Noted, seems to be the consensus from most owners.

GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > AM3R 11/05/2014 at 23:03

0

In the immortal words of one Jeremy Clarkson " How hard can it be?" (my thought process when buying my M3)

AM3R > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 11/05/2014 at 23:05

0

Haha, an E36 M3 was in the runnings for "project" but I'd end up pouring waaay too much money into it.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > AM3R 11/05/2014 at 23:08

0

Wow! 17th for me!

AM3R > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) 11/05/2014 at 23:10

1

I'll be sure to remember!

funny, my sister's is the 15th

Steve in Manhattan > AM3R 11/05/2014 at 23:12

2

I am old enough to recall when you could open the hood (bonnet) of a car and point to everything and name it. 240Z it is.

AM3R > Steve in Manhattan 11/05/2014 at 23:13

0

I sure hope the 240z is as simple as that!

BoulderZ > AM3R 11/05/2014 at 23:23

1

Rebuilding mine was a piece of cake. S30 Z's are great for learning, and a lot of fun to drive and track. Get the FSM, a copy of "How To Restore Your Datsun Z-Car" by Wick Humble, and maybe the Tom Monroe book "How To Rebuild Your Nissan/Datsun OHC Engine". Read 'em all the way through, then make your plan and patiently follow instructions. There's great support/info from suppliers and forums as well. You'll do great! Have fun, and good luck!

GhostZ > AM3R 11/05/2014 at 23:25

0

The 240Z has already started going up in value, and in some places, the 260Z. The 280Z is still dirt cheap.

Try for a 280Z, the body is almost exactly the same except for some changes in the bumpers and hood. You get a stronger differential, more displacement, more power, fuel injection (depending on how good you are with side-draft weber carbs, the carbs can be the most unreliable part of the Z engine) and more displacement. Plus, you can use a lot of 280ZX engine parts (pistons, conrods, crank, block) too. Also, available 5 speed.

The 280Z weighs a little more, but with a bumper swap and some other little things, is cosmetically indistinguishable from a 240Z.

Also, headlight covers.

Since you're modifying it, try to avoid early 240Zs because they generally are best for restoration and resale, not for modifying, and you'll ruin its resale value by doing engine or chassis mods.

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > AM3R 11/05/2014 at 23:38

0

http://theshadetree.kinja.com/the-sho-time-c…

One was supposed to be the donor for the other, but now I have 2 nearly worthless piles of crap to spend all my money one. And I love both of them. I don't have a picture of the Capri, but there's this.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > AM3R 11/06/2014 at 00:15

0

The Hitachi SU clone carbs on the 240z are easy to work with. The car's drivetrain is remarkably British.

bhardoin > AM3R 11/06/2014 at 00:32

0

Yeee! They're taking oppo by storm.
Early 240s have the easiest carbs to work on. Fuel injected 280s are also pretty simple, but (here in CA at least) they might be late enough to require smog stuff. You can always swap better carbs onto a 260, and 260s are way cheaper (lower redline though, but better power). The only big chassis differences on these things is that the 280s got a beefier diff, and they get bigger bumpers as they get newer (You can always fix that by tearing them off). Minor stuff is that the interior gets a bit more civilized and doors get a bit heavier as the years go on.
Look for rust! Its the #1 killer of these things.

SVTyler > TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts 11/06/2014 at 01:47

0

Saturday's at 6 is just a suggestion, but I would like to move it to Saturday so people with school and work and stuff can race.

http://svtyler.kinja.com/the-opposite-l…

Steve in Manhattan > AM3R 11/06/2014 at 01:58

0

It probably is - take a 53 year old guy with you to inspect it. If he can point to the alternator and generator (if there is one) then you have a guy qualified to make an initial judgment. If he tastes the tranmission fluid and analyzes the oil, keep him.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > AM3R 11/06/2014 at 05:57

1

SU carbs are bog simple. Nothing really to them. Webers are a little more complex, but you can still wrap your head around them.

SUs are no problem at all though :)

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 11/06/2014 at 07:04

0

Just so you know, the grammatically correct version of your screen name would be "GTRZILLAR32-Now drives an M3"

Brian Silvestro > AM3R 11/06/2014 at 07:17

0

8th

GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready 11/06/2014 at 07:24

0

Cool story bro

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 11/06/2014 at 07:50

0

I didn't mean to be a dick, I just wanted to let you know.

AM3R > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/06/2014 at 18:04

0

Good to hear, thanks!

AM3R > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/06/2014 at 18:04

0

I know triple webers are a common performance upgrade. Good to hear the SU's aren't too bad.

AM3R > Steve in Manhattan 11/06/2014 at 18:06

0

Haha, I need to find a guy like that. If he has an Italian accent he's a keeper!

AM3R > TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts 11/06/2014 at 18:07

0

That's awesome, you're making me even more anxious to pick up a project!

AM3R > GhostZ 11/06/2014 at 18:11

0

How much more difficult is it to work on the 280z? Cosmetically, the 240z takes the cake IMO. I'd definitely swap the bumpers and hood. I have noticed that the 280z's tend to go for a little cheaper.

Would it be unwise to buy an already modded 240z? (Brakes, a few cosmetic pieces)

Steve in Manhattan > AM3R 11/06/2014 at 18:23

0

And if he can read Japanese, give him a room in your house.

AM3R > Steve in Manhattan 11/06/2014 at 18:30

0

if he can cook he's living for free.

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > AM3R 11/06/2014 at 19:35

0

Capris are supprisingly good projects. Get a solid shell, unleas you are a fan of fab work, because there are no cheap repro panels. The power train is easy, they either came with a Pinto 2 litre or a Cologne V6 of some sort. Samr basic engine that you can find in a late eighties Ranger or Aerostar.

Or go the route my father did, and stuff a fuel injected 302 in there with a T5 and a 200 shot of nitrous.

GhostZ > AM3R 11/06/2014 at 20:11

0

The 280Z is pretty much identical when it comes to working on them. Arguably easier if you don't want to fiddle with carbs. You can find a clean, mostly rust free 280Z for $4000-$6000.

As for the modded 240, all depends on the price and the modifications. A 240Z in similar condition to a 280Z is going to run you much more than $4000.

With a bumper and hood swap, it's almost impossible to tell a 280Z from a 240Z if you don't know what to look for.

AM3R > GhostZ 11/06/2014 at 20:44

0

Hm. Now I may end up looking for a 280z. Carbs are the one thing I wasn't so confident about.

I can't think of any more specific questions, but anything else I should know about the S30?

GhostZ > AM3R 11/06/2014 at 21:34

0

Rust in the battery tray, rear wheel wells, and floor pans. Be scared of that. A non-rusty body is worth more than a running, rusted example.

AM3R > GhostZ 11/06/2014 at 21:58

0

take a look at the NPCP I posted, here's the car https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/cto/474700…

It's got an L24.

GhostZ > AM3R 11/06/2014 at 23:06

0

Definite NP on that. The L24 isn't that great, just a higher-revving motor. However, the 280ZX 5-speed is a GREAT mod along with the rear disc brake conversion and the wilwood calipers (ask if it's an Arizona Z Car kit). Plus, I think Rotas/watanabes are the best rims for these cars.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > AM3R 11/07/2014 at 06:34

1

Yeah Webers are the way to go if you want carb performance. You can get pretty much the same power out of Webers as you can with fuel injection, but economy suffers compared to injection.

Webers are more flexible when it comes to changing performance levels. You basically just unscrew a set of jets and screw in bigger ones. Hey-presto more fuel more power :)

SUs are slightly trickier as you have to replace a tapered needle that slots into a hole. Far from impossible, but there aren't nearly as many firms selling needles as there are Weber jets...

AM3R > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/08/2014 at 16:43

0

Which do you think would give me more reliable power? Let's say I wanted to go up to roughly 200hp, which would be better, carbs or FI?

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > AM3R 11/09/2014 at 16:23

0

Hmmmm, webers and fi are pretty similar when it comes to power output, but you'll get better economy with that power with fi (closed-circuit efi anyway). Personally i prefer injection as it's slightly more fit-and-forget than carbs, but carbs are reliable enough. You just need to sync them up every now and again (not sure of the intervals, but i think it should be a long time between fettlings)

AM3R > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/09/2014 at 17:20

1

Hm. Now FI is looking much more attractive.

The Magic Rev Matching 4Runner > AM3R 11/12/2014 at 23:31

0

DO IT!!!!!!

Just buy one. Year, specs and condition (other than rust) dont matter when you're gonna be changing it up anyways. At least that's what I did, then again I did end up with a 73 with an autotragic... But I got works to do to its ass!