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born under a bad sign: 1972 240Z street/track rat


ol doc gully

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had a good friend passing through with an empty trailer pick her up from a barn outside buffalo on a nasty cold & icy day

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8098/8600995672_0051b473bb_b.jpg

 

 

worked on her for about a year before finally coming out of the garage for the first drive on Friday the 13th, just past midnight under a full moon

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/P1fin_awakening_ed_zps7f92aa74.jpg

 

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and here I'll keep updated pictures of where she's currently at:

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/sixesinbloom/riverside_lights_zpsc8923269.jpg

 

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/sixesinbloom/orangebrick_BNW_zpse9dece78.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/sixesinbloom/orangebrick_profile_zpsd2c0ad2f.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/sixesinbloom/backlot_back_zps340e8de9.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/sixesinbloom/backlot_gridnlights_zps18a31aa8.jpg

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The Journey

 

I wanted something rwd, irs, light, and simple for motorsports fun. Raw, challenging, that would force me to learn. and I love vintage styling (and V8s). After some time (considering a factory five 33 hot rod, E30 or E36 bmw, CTS-V) I came back to the 240Z and it was undoubtedly exactly what I was looking for.

 

It's a 1972 240z that came with an L28, weber 45s, and pretty much everything else completely original (even the spare). I fell in love with the patina’d maroon.

 

Really I spent the first 6+ months just figuring out what I had, where I wanted to go, how I was going to get there. Im a self “taught” garage mechanic, and also didn't know diddly about carburetors or distributors when I started this. Literally I had never even touched one. On top of that, the carbs and electrical were exactly what was f*^ked on this car. Spent what felt like an eternity chasing electrical gremlins and the carbs appeared to have been assembled by a blind drunk man.

 

Anyway, in parallel I was working on giving the suspension a full and proper overhaul. Central piece being techno toy tuning coilovers (koni 8610 race, 250/275 lb-in springs) with DP racing camber plates

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/build_coilsDPtops_zps6723d26d.jpg

 

 

may be the sexiest car part ive ever purchased

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/build_coilseyecandy_zpsd46c7e16.jpg

 

 

 

made what friends have dubbed the creepiest basement in the world into a paint booth. and then realized i basically made a murder chamber, even creepier.

 

painted all suspension parts front/rear with zinc phosphate (95% zinc) and then POR-15

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/build_paintbooth_zps0332cc91.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/build_frontsuspencoated_zps2ae7836e.jpg

 

 

new wheel bearings all around

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/build_rearsusp_picnic_zps19d50389.jpg

 

 

devised a perfect rear wheel bearing press for these, 1 1/4 steel pipe and hammer

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/build_bearingpress_zps99a5857e.jpg

 

 

 

new OEM balljoints, tie rods ends, polyurethane bushings everywhere

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/build_frontsuspension-bare_zps72954bf5.jpg

 

 

rear spindle pins were a pain in the ass.. as expected, beefy special little tool helped a lot, but even it mushroomed before second one broke off, i ended up just grinding it apart

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/build_spindlepintoolmushroom_zps2e0fd018.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/build_gullyhandlinspindlepins_zps3ec65b0b.jpg

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The Journey (continued)

 

front brakes, Toyota pickup 4x4 calipers (bolt on), stock (non vented) rotors, Porterfield R4s pads

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/build_frontsuspension_zpsa63eeed2.jpg

 

 

Rear

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/build_rearsusp_zpsb6c4fba8.jpg

 

 

rear brakes, brakes, 280ZX rotors, Nissan maxima calipers, hawk hps pads

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/rearbrakesIMG_20140618_191058958_zps89738be0.jpg

 

chopped up a yoga mat to make fender covers hahaha :lol:

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/build_yogafendercovers_zpse1533e3d.jpg

 

 

ended up ditching the webers... they just werent going to be right, especially being 45s, for what the car was aimed at. was going to need to rejet, and would have choked down which would have just required more investment and time than was worth putting into something that was gonig to be ALL top end.

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/build_webersout_zps98f339d5.jpg

 

 

i traded them for some race prepped SU carbs in very good order, rebuilt by a long time 240z master around here Bob Smith, with all superfluous emissions junk removed

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/build_SUScominghome_zpscb86d7ce.jpg

 

 

 

 

SU carbs actually came off of this gem, #13 SVRA racecar, owned by Andy Doll, who has become a good friend and been unendingly helpful in all of this, huge thanks to him. this is also where the webers went.. right where they belong. First run was at this past SVRA grand prix at mid ohio,

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/doll_num13frontangle_zps3cad2efe.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/doll_num13_ingarage_zpsd9a81b51.jpg

 

 

the mrs even had a hand :D :D good woman. shes probably as excited as i am.

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/build_tinawrenchin_zpsd4999968.jpg

Edited by ol doc gully
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(Re)Birth of the Beast: Friday the 13th under a full moon

 

and then finally, the dirty little beast finally came to life last month. and no joke, that first time i drove it under its own power, was just after midnight under a full moon on friday the 13th (that wont happen again until 2049)

 

turned on the stereo for the first time since its even been in this state - radio was tuned right to station playing ozzy - crazy train

 

video of the even

 

 

tooks some full moon pics after first drive

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/P1fin_awakening_ed_zps7f92aa74.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/phase1_interior_zpsd3a1c2d3.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/P1FIN_street_rearquarterlight_zps33658102.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/P1fin_street_frontanglewtaco_zpsa2b6b4eb.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/P1fin_street_rearquartdarkside_zps7efeeab4.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/P1fin_engine_zps8513484b.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/P1fin_enginebayangle_zps0da75036.jpg

 

 

parked back in the garage

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/P1fin_backingarage_zps034dcbd1.jpg

Edited by ol doc gully
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it was coughing past 2500 rpms, turned out distributor mechanical advance was fubard. got a 280zx dizzy in. took for another drive, oil pressure was reading way low and had a mysterious tiny coolant leak that needed tracking down. finally got those taken care of and yesterday got to take it for the first real no reservations drive.

 

handles GREAT. i couldnt be happier. and im glad i didnt change the brake master cylinder as i thought i would need to as pedal feel is good and position is just right for heel toe.

 

however, we are still down on power. sounds like its misfiring at high rpms so im going to double check timing and valves.

 

but i got a real drive in it, and even started pushing pretty hard down the fun part of riverside. i can die happy now. even took some pictures..

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/sixesinbloom/riverside_lights_zpsc8923269.jpg

 

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/sixesinbloom/orangebrick_BNW_zpse9dece78.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/sixesinbloom/orangebrick_profile_zpsd2c0ad2f.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/sixesinbloom/backlot_back_zps340e8de9.jpg

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/sixesinbloom/backlot_gridnlights_zps18a31aa8.jpg

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LOVE the car, the work, and the pics! :thumbup::thumbup: If that is in German Village, creepy basements are pretty much to be expected. :lol:

 

Where'd you get those RWL Goodyear tires? Great job yanking off the front bumper; amazing how much better these things look with a streamlined snout.

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LOVE the car, the work, and the pics! :thumbup::thumbup: If that is in German Village, creepy basements are pretty much to be expected. :lol:

 

Where'd you get those RWL Goodyear tires? Great job yanking off the front bumper; amazing how much better these things look with a streamlined snout.

 

thanks! and yes german village so not too surprising haha BUT that room actually has (in addition to the coal shoot from street) another access portal / hole with a slide cover that nobody can explain the purpose of besides feediing a captive human :lol:

 

i actually painted the letters on these tires cause it was just the look i wsa going for - theyre actually crappy used (though barely) all season commuter tires. should be good for burniing up once i get the LSD in! i have a new wheel setup in mind (and will be keeping with the white/yellow letter tire style) but am currently at the budget limits, maybe for the year

 

and i couldnt agree more about the bumper. its actually kind of funny. when i was figuring out what project car i wanted to build i had all but dismissed z-cars. a 510 was high on my list but when i thought of a Z i always thought of the boxy 80s ones that im not a big fan of. but i was digging hard for an old car with IRS and then 'rediscovered' the S30, was enchanted with the rendition of muscle car proportions and then saw one with that 'big mouth' front bumper setup and i think i literally bought one 2 weeks later hahaha (after about a year+ of deliberation)

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Very nice. The body looks good. For a Buffalo car I didn't see any rust.

 

it was actually a Cali car up to a few years ago when that owner moved to west virginia, so is indeed surprisingly solid. pretty sure the guy i bought it from in NY just picked it up and had some idiot friend of his slap a L28 and webers on but never actually got it running so it just sat in his barn

 

rocker panels and floor boards are teh only really bad spots that will have to be removed/repaired, and theres a few surface spots id like to touch up, but will likely redo the entire underbody at some point. also passenger door is pretty bad. but i plan to keep the paint and just do touch ups as necessary, i feel like its very much a part of the character/charm of a 40 year old car

 

 

Love this body style

thanks, ditto! haha

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up next

 

currently have in a temporary seat

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/intereiroKIRKEY_zps3de90bc8.jpg

 

I picked up these corbeaus cheap since theyre in kinda rough shape. Think im going to try to have the misses sew up some new covers with a bit of vintage flair this winter

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/corbeau_forza_blue_zpsf12aff33.jpg

 

confirmed my nismo/power brute clutch LSD can use sti inner axles (thanks to ohio subaru guru jay Storm!), now just need to save up the $$

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/build_powerbrute_zps63bef589.jpg

 

 

old school momo race wheel, going to get wrapped in alcantara

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/build_momomomontage_zps5f7e305f.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...
I was going to call you to see this thing in person since I was right down the street this weekend helping my sis pack up her place. Seeing this is making me want to get one of my projects started! It's looking good man!
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haha you should have man - although there was a lot of widespread drunkenness so who knows where I was at the time. SO damn close to ready for an autox/track day, got a lot of travel coming up but got a lot of parts (ad stuff figured out) so next week should be a good one - then you can see it in full effect!

 

also I'm bringing the truck in for service weds AM if you'll be around - wanted to get it checked out before towing the Subaru to Texas so my buddy can use it in his rally school haha

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well I had the blue RS that sold and I have the black outback wagon that I got cheap and was going to use for rallyx but its just been too much of a distraction and I'd rather focus on the Datsun so its getting sold

 

I think my appointments at like 840 hahaerrr

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  • 2 weeks later...

got it running much better, turned out it just wanted more advance (could use some more but dizzy is maxed out)

 

so time to drive! anybody got any roads they could recommend me? only ones I know of require first getting out to hocking hills area

 

next event I'm in town for is the OVR SOLO at Columbus fair auto auction sept 21. kind of funny as my friend works there and neither of us had any idea they do that kind of thing

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The best ones all take a little bit of a drive to get to. I stay away from Hocking due to its popularity. There is a quicker drive I take occasionally but it's not one of my "good" drives. Depending on where you live, you can jump on 257 north, cross 42 onto Klondike. Eventually, you have to hop over some roads and occasionally jog left or right a bit to continue on River Rd following the river along it's east bank. I generally turn around in Prospect, cutting thru town and heading back south on 257 on the west side of the river. Occasionally, I'll take old 315 almost to Delaware then to 42, etc. Just so as not to repeat the same section of 257. Depends on time of day, etc.

 

Every so often, I'll spend the day on a drive killing a tank of gas out in SE Ohio. You can close your eyes and point to a good road on a map out there. Very little traffic and little to no police presence. Shoot me a pm and perhaps we can figure out a drive soon or I can point you in the right direction. I may have some time soon. BTW, during the week is the best if you can do it. No traffic or anything generally.

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The best ones all take a little bit of a drive to get to. I stay away from Hocking due to its popularity. There is a quicker drive I take occasionally but it's not one of my "good" drives. Depending on where you live, you can jump on 257 north, cross 42 onto Klondike. Eventually, you have to hop over some roads and occasionally jog left or right a bit to continue on River Rd following the river along it's east bank. I generally turn around in Prospect, cutting thru town and heading back south on 257 on the west side of the river. Occasionally, I'll take old 315 almost to Delaware then to 42, etc. Just so as not to repeat the same section of 257. Depends on time of day, etc.

 

Every so often, I'll spend the day on a drive killing a tank of gas out in SE Ohio. You can close your eyes and point to a good road on a map out there. Very little traffic and little to no police presence. Shoot me a pm and perhaps we can figure out a drive soon or I can point you in the right direction. I may have some time soon. BTW, during the week is the best if you can do it. No traffic or anything generally.

 

holy crap, i basically ended up doing almost just that trip unknowingly haha. my office is in dublin so i headed up 257 after work after i posted that. i meant to turn around on Home and come back down 315 at the suggestion of some other internet posting, but missed it (or was having too much fun) and ended up down klondike to 36, haha - that was definitely the best part of the drive. then over to 315 and back down.. GREAT drive. and perfect that i can just stay in the office a bit late, let traffic die and hit the road.

 

going on that drive, heel-toeing through those quick little roads right along the river, in this car that i built and that was just loving every minute of it, seriously checked off a huge portion of my bucket list. next stop, race track.

 

 

Cool project! The color accidentally came out pretty cool, I like the flat maroon :lol:

thanks a lot! the color is actually about half the reason i got this car, you cant buy patina ;)

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holy crap, i basically ended up doing almost just that trip unknowingly haha. my office is in dublin so i headed up 257 after work after i posted that. i meant to turn around on Home and come back down 315 at the suggestion of some other internet posting, but missed it (or was having too much fun) and ended up down klondike to 36, haha - that was definitely the best part of the drive. then over to 315 and back down.. GREAT drive. and perfect that i can just stay in the office a bit late, let traffic die and hit the road.

 

going on that drive, heel-toeing through those quick little roads right along the river, in this car that i built and that was just loving every minute of it, seriously checked off a huge portion of my bucket list. next stop, race track.

 

 

 

thanks a lot! the color is actually about half the reason i got this car, you cant buy patina ;)

It's a nice little drive there. Just keep heading north until at least Prospect next time.

 

:masturboy: However, if you enjoyed that drive, you haven't seen anything, yet. ;)

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  • 3 months later...

took a full day of driving around getting lost on westward country roads and took this pic - prob my favorite to date, and last of the year as shes on jackstands and under the knife for the winter

 

swapping the engine this weekend (getting a fresh L28 with much better compression and a holley carb, all the accessories and the trans with new clutch), should be super solid for 2015. and got a slew of race car goodies to go in before spring time too, should be a good one!

 

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202/misplacedape/datsun_ohcruise_edit_sm_zps8a405cf0.jpg

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