My Swiss 1972 S30 240Z rebuild project

[JDMjunkies.ch]

Progress may not be as fast as i hoped, but anyway i got a lot of things done yesterday and today. Usually i get stuck on some broken nuts or things don't working as i thought it may work, but overall i still have progress and it's great :)

 

Yesterday i did a lot of small things.

Got a set of jackstands and printed the jacking-section from the service manual, so i can jack it up soon:

 

I started with the steering wheel, and as i hadn't any nut who was big enough i took the wheel nut cross and it worked well :)

 

looked like this then:

 

After that i removed the accelerator pedal and link:

 

Next i wanted to remove the rear bumper who is bent by an accident from one of the previous owners, but sadly i wasn't able to get out the bolts in the side,

and o lot of nuts broke, so i decided to let it be for a while and only removed the rear number plate lighting:

 

Also got off the Tank Lid and the Lock surrounding (Still in place in this picture):

 

Also did some minor cleaning on the inside and removed a few screws here and there...

 

Today i decided to start with the steering Joint thing. worked out better than i thought :)

 

And that's the result:

 

then i started to remove the clutch and break pedals and got 'em loose, but i didn't get the pedal support bracket / Box out because it seems the clutch is mounted with some cind uf rubber on that, so i need to get rid of this first. As time got short i decided to get out that old panasonic Audio Amplifier that Was mounted under the firewall / Dashboard.

 

Well that's it for today, hope i'll be able to work on the lady soon again :)

[dennis]

I am impressed, you get a lot of work done. If I spent this much time in the garage my wife would be yelling at me all the time.

[sycloned916]

For some Odd reason I like that carpet,don't know why but I do.

[Braden]

I am impressed, you get a lot of work done. If I spent this much time in the garage my wife would be yelling at me all the time.

no kidding!!! my wife is crazy, i half to half ass my work and get done fast or i get bitched at!

car is coming along good man, its going fast now but the pace will slow down after you get it torn apart

[JDMjunkies.ch]

Thanks at all for your input :-)

 

@ Dennis & Braden: Yeah, i have actually Luck, because i work early and my wifle works later, so i have a couple of hours before she's back at home and of course im highly motivated as things work great now, i think progress will slow down a bit soon. specially then when i need to buy a lot of expensive parts and need to save some money all the time :)

 

@ Sycloned916: sadly i already threw it away, otherwise i'd shipped it to america :) But the carpet job was done horrible too. i think you can get this style of carpet in any carpet-shop :D

 

Next update coming on saturday i hope. I'd like to get some more things removed.. :)

[JDMjunkies.ch]

hmm. i was a bit curious about my taillights all the time, as well as some of you. So i made some research with help of the mighty internet and found out that the guy who restored the car once must have done some kind of Corvette taillight conversion or something because these taillight-mounts are not genuine. compare here:

Original Datsun (Ignore the lines in the picture :D)

 

and mine:

 

the good thing: I think they just welded in those new mounts into the original tail light panel, so if i cut them out again and maybe ad some sheet metal, i'll have the original taillight mounts back in place.

Great, but sad i'll need to do some xtra stuff again :D need to order some taillight covers and tail lights so i'll have a template to cut the holes out..

[JDMjunkies.ch]

Yeah, made some serious progress today, and even was able to do more than i planned - great :)

 

1) Took a closer look once again at my taillights and figured out that the new mounts just have been welded into the original bracket and that means i just can cutem

back out - great :D You still can see the old surrounding in the picture:

 

2) drained the window cleaning fluid and removed the cleaning fluid tank:

 

3) Removed the complete pedal box :)

 

4) jacked up the car, but i need a floor jack who can do more height the jackstands are now in t he lowest position and that seems to be to low to work underneath:

 

5) Removed the damaged headlight cover on the drivers side:

 

6) Removed the frontbumper and broke a mount on the passenger side:

 

7) removed the tray-locks on the inside. needed to make cuts with the dremels into the screws to catch 'em but worked fine:

 

8) and last but not least: another view from the inside, how she looks now:

[JDMjunkies.ch]

Well no work today, but a bit research :)

 

I was reading a bit about different Blocks and heads, because somewhere in my mind i try to put together some plans and dreams for the future of the build. It's far away, but its always good to have a plan, even if you might change it until it's getting real :)

Well, let's start with the engine now:

i'm a bit curious, but european versions might have had different configuration. refering to this site: http://datsunzgarage.com/heads/ i have a JDM Head from an L20 engine, because it's an E30 Head. but according to the car's history i don't t hink it's a JDM head. maybe anyone know's more about european configurations?

 

The block is a P30 Block and referring to this site: http://datsunzgarage.com/engine/index.htm it seems to be equal to qhat guys in america got during the 71-73 build years.. we'll see what im able to find out..

[Skib]

snap a pic of the the engine ID stamp on the oil filter side of the block by the last 2 plugs at the top of the block.

itl say - L20/L24/L26/L28 ( one of them )

 

P30 really dosent tell you anything

[Dirk Diggler]

Your car is most likely a 72. I believe 70-73(?), the storage boxes behind the seats open towards the seat backs.74 and up open towards the roof. I may be a little off with those years, but there is a Wikipedia page with tons of info on the 240 and will say the exact years.

 

This is an awesome thread. I'm restoring a 70 240z at the moment as well, but most of the time I find myself checking this thread to see if you've updated haha

[JDMjunkies.ch]

thanks @ all for your help and input. i really apreciate your love and help for my project. you're all great - guys :)

 

Yeah it's getting cold here in switzerland. snow started to fall and my water bottle in the garage was frozen today, but that doesn't stop me from working on the lady :)

 

1) To complete yesterdays post, i made a shot of the engine block tag and it's definitly a L24 block. regarding HS30-H's comment and what i know from the previous owner the engine definitly has had a rebuild once. s o we'll see whats inside once the engine is out. probably they've done some cool stuff allready :)

@ HS30-H probably i'll need one of your heads, but that's something i have to decide once the engine is apart - but thanks a lot for your help :)

 

2) Back to work :)

started with removing the sound / heat deadening mats in the storage trays:

 

Next i removed those fresh air vents. The one from the driver's side is stuck somehow and the valve does only work hard...

 

then i started to remove the door steps. but the screws where really unusable rusty:

 

so i took my dremel and cutted a new slot to get them out:

 

worked really well and they came out fine. as you can see almost no rust underneath:

 

there where some bubbles under the paint so i thought maybe there was some rust underneath. took a screwdriver and scratched of the paint. but it seams like they just

painted it badly, as under the paint there was another (seemms to be original) layer of standard white paint (no pearl as the car is sprayed now..)

 

well and then i started to remove the front valances. as you can see the right side is really damaged. if someone has a center piece please let me know.. it's hard to find those somehow..

 

and that's how the front end looks now:

 

really happy with today's progress and hope i can continue this "fast"

[JDMjunkies.ch]

wooohoow :) first parts arrived here today:

 

a set of really worn but repairable JDM fender mirrors. and the good thing - they're genuine long type fender mirrors, not those shorter chrome types from the 510's you see often on ebay :)

 

and a headlight surrounding that will replace the broken one..

 

Fits pretty well:

 

and will look great once mounted, but i'll have to refurbish them first..

 

now back to work, started with some parts in the engine bay today:

removed the clutch cylinder first:

 

and then continued with the window washer pump and hoses:

 

next was the brake master Vac with cylinders and the brakeline distributer thing:

 

looks pretty empty now :)

 

then i jacked up the car to a higher level, to have better access underneath. as you can see i used some high-tech tools :)

 

somehow every car looks like a proffessional build when it's jacked up and wheels are removed :)

 

contiuned with removing the damaged rear bumper:

 

and that's how it looks underneath. really sad they broke so much things after they've restored it once. but ok. gives me the opportunity to do it better :)

 

that's it for today. not sure when im able to do the next update, as im off this weekend ...

[WAGON JON]

Don't you just love scraping the tar from the car!

[JDMjunkies.ch]

sorry, don't understand what you mean. my english isn't the best :unsure:

[JDMjunkies.ch]

As most people around the world im really busy now getting all the christmas gift and doin' all the christmas stuff, so at the moment i really don't get too much things done. anyway, the postal-guy brought another pre-christmas present to me and it was a used drivers side front lower valance i bought a few days ago. looks good. needs some sanding and repeainting but looks good and even the mounts were with it :)

 

There are some other packages on the way to me with more important parts for to continue the build and i have plans to get my other car into another home during winter so i have more space in my garage. it's getting really tight and as it is now i don't think i would have nough space to store all the bodypanels, doors, windows, etc.. of course i have a lot of other stuff to do and hopefully i'll find some time tomorrow. we'll see..

[JDMjunkies.ch]

I decided to take an evening off from all that christmas-things and work on the lady a littlebit..

started with some rubber-stuff that was used as some damping material for the tool-trays behind the seats:

 

Then i started to remove the wiper arms:

 

and the wiper motor cover:

 

Next i removed the Exhaust mainfold:

 

Looks pretty empty around the block now :)

 

Then i contiued with the rest of the exhaust system. was quite easy because the whole exhaust is only mounted with two mounts at the rear muffler and three screws at the header :)

 

i contiued with some miscanellous pieces in the engine bay and some wiring stuff in the front end, as well as the horn:

 

next will hopefully be the fuel tank as well as some other small parts. as soon as i have my other car out from the garage and more space i can start with the body panels, Doors, windows, etc..

[JDMjunkies.ch]

just a short update, as the postal guy just came in with another package from Japan.

 

this one included a new set of taillight gaskets i will use as a template to drill and cut holes for going back to OEM taillights

 

and a genuine japanese kameari catalogue.. maybe i'll find some nice parts for the build :D

[JDMjunkies.ch]

As days come and go, parts roll in :D

 

these are the last parts from my orders i made recently so now i can continue with a lot of stuff:

 

1) Front turn signal gaskets (new)

 

2) Taillight panels (used, and with some dents who need to be straightened..)

 

that's it for today, hopefully i'll get some work done tomorrow...

[dennis]

Haven't really followed this in a week, you are truckin right along. Very cool work so far.

[JDMjunkies.ch]

@ dennis: thanks a lot :)

 

okok, i found some time for the project again, so let's see what i've done today:

 

1) Started with drilling the original holes from the taillights again, but after one hole on each side i decided to continue with other things..

 

2) so i continued with the plan to remove the fuel tank, but wasn't too successfull, as i wasn't able to remove the two small hoses (/"&&"%/!£è:£àèà!!!!) so i let that be for a while too...

 

3) and went back to the taillights. checked the fit of the "new" panels i got and it seems like the guys who did work previously on this car cutted the top panel. but i already found those as repair panels,

seems i will need one of these too...

 

4) Then after about 30minutes and some huge pain i got out the rear wire harness.. was really horrible, because they wrapped the whole harness in several layers of

electrical tape that got stuck every few mm's.. argh! but finally it's out and without cutting it :)

 

5) then i checked some rust in the front co-driver wheel housing. and seems like the previously done repair really is bad. because as you can see big pieces of painted bondo

came off quite easy and underneath there seems to bee some surface rust, in some points it even might be some bigger rust. hope it's not rusted too far. but we'll see.. i've seen alot of

projects in here whith a lot more rust. but as i can't repair rust myself i'll have to pay someone for that job so every little piece of rust hurts :D

 

hopefully i'll be able to continue work tomorrow. we'll see..

[JDMjunkies.ch]

First: Got this new datsun Z-car restoration book, seems to be a pretty cool thing, but have to read it first :)

 

not too much work done today, but i decided to spend some 30 minutes with the car today and complete the fuel tank..

I hate every line / Hose who is connected to the fuel tank because they just won't come off. after i managed to gett of the two fuel lines i removed the tank and realized i forgot to take off the venturi hose.. argh!

 

somehow i got it of too and the tank finally was out - yipeey :)

 

not sure how it looks inside yet, but it seems like it needs some rework..

 

and that's how the rear end looks underneath now. looking good i think :)

 

now next big issue is definitly to get my other car out of the garage so i have enough space to remove all the bodypanels and things and maybe get some storage system to keep the parts off the floor :)

we'll see..

[deltapeco]

very cool thread.will be watching

[JDMjunkies.ch]

@ Deltapeco: Thanks :)

 

little update:

When i bought the car i asked the previous owner about the documents but he sadly didn't have any documents at all, but he told me to ask at the national car registration center for some information about the car.

Well and after about two months of waiting today i have the documents including the approval-stamp from the registration-center in my hands. lucky me :D

 

It says the car has been registrated in switzerland first time on 10. May 1972 Here in switzerland. Even the name of the name and adress of the first owner is included, maybe i'll try to contact him if he's still alive :)

also it tells me that the car has changed ownership at 4. March 1985. I think the car then wen't to the guy who restored it and kept it in the warehouse before the previous owner got it, stored it a few years under a roof outsied and then sold it to me.. but not sure.. and i think it's not too important as i tear down the whole car anyway and hopefully will be able to find all the weak points :D

 

EDIT: The document also tells me the car was originally painted white - great :)

 

Enough talking now. here you get the documents:

 

and a detailed shot on the first registration information:

 

that's it for today. hope i will be able to get some work done soon again..

[JDMjunkies.ch]

As i mentioned before things slowed down a bit. first because of all the christmas stuff and second because of the lack of space for parts in my garage.. so i had to change things to get more space for the project and the only solition is to get the other car sleeping in there out. and now i've sourced a warehouse to store it and just wait for the weather to get better so i can roll my summer car into it's new winter-home :)

 

then i got another book and i think i have now all information ever needed to dis-and assamble the whole car :D

 

now back to the garage: I have to get parts stored seriously and need some space for working, storing books, plans and thinking so i decided to give my garage a complete workover :)

i will spend it some shelves and get an old desk in there i think t his well be great then in there.. and work well be able to contine at high speed :D rendered a little 3d-room-planner image here how it will look.

The bed ofcourse represents the car :D but im pretty sure it will look much better on the real shots then. good i have some christmas-vacations now and hopefully will be able to do this within the next week :)

[skunk]

damn, keep up the work.

going to be a nice ride when your done