I’ve been fond of Z cars ever since I can remember, from riding in the hatchback to and from preschool to eyeballing the forbidden car when my Dad was gone when I was 16.  Starting in 2001, I finally got my hands on one (in fact, for about a year it was my primary means of transportation). 

This particular Datsun 240Z (above) has been in the family since 1972.  From then until around 2001, when my Dad handed me the keys and said “take care of her,” this car has rounded the odometer 3 times (that’s 300,000 miles) and is still in pretty good shape.  The car has always had a garage to sleep in, and has been well taken care of: rust is a minimum (which can be a huge problem for these cars) and most everything on it is still stock and working (almost) as advertised.”Almost as advertised” slips further and further into disrepair with each passing year.  For the past 4 years, I’ve flirted with the idea of somehow bringing the car back to its full glory.  I’ve eventually come up with a plan on how I’m going to do this, which this website will document.  In fact, I go into a more detailed account of how I hatched this idea here.

The Goal:“Restore” a 1972 Datsun 240Z.  Restore is in quotes, because the real goal is to make the car slightly better than it was in 1972, without it being too obvious from looking at it.  While most of the car I intend on bringing back to original specs, the following I plan on straying from 1972-factory specs: the speakers & stereo, the interior upholstry, the paint scheme (which veered from factory a decade or two ago), an air conditioning unit, and performance parts here and there (mainly in the suspension).

The Plan:Since I’m catching rust starting to form here or there with a bubble or two and the wires in the electric system are starting to rot away, I think the best way to go about this is to tear the car down to its shell, carefully taking notes and documenting along the way (so I can put it all back together again!).  The easier work I plan on doing in-house myself (to include the electrical system, suspension, etc).  The bigger pieces (such as painting/rust-proofing the shell and getting a leather interior) will probably be out-sources when the time comes.

Planned Cost in Time and Money:Starting now (2007) I’m giving myself until 2013 to complete this project, mainly taking into account my job sucking up most of my time.  During the first 3 years or so, progress will be slow and deliberate.  I think, if all goes according to plan, the last 2 years should show a major increase in activity to have it complete by 2013.  So, with 6 years to get it done, I also have 6 years-worth of monthly savings going into this, which I plan on costing about $15k-$20k all said and done.  Hopefully my estimations are on the conservative side.