Datsun 240Z Restoration:
Inspiration (Sort Of)
Well, I had good intentions.
Last night, I brought my good camera to my second monthly Triad Z Club meet, and even arrived a bit early, hoping to snap some nice pictures of Z-cars for inclusion here, but…on the way to the meet, the sky decided to fall down.
Absolutely torrential spring rains pelted my car on the highway, and cleared up abruptly a few miles before my exit, only to start again once I reached the meet location. Several brave souls had actually driven their Zs, but I had to rush inside when I arrvied, and it was dark and still drizzling when we left. So none of the pictures I did take are of display quality, to say the least.
In their place, then, I present a few photos of previous year Triad Z Club meets, generously forwarded to me by the club’s president. There are many more; I just picked out several of the better ones. Hopefully they convey a sense of how significant membership in a local group can be when it comes to maintaining motivation during a long restoration project. I attend the meetings as much for the camaraderie as for the chance to see “my car, done” in the flesh at least once a month.
The silver lining to the whole rainy evening (besides the conversation) was the fact that I’m tentatively slated to take over some, if not all, of the club website-related responsibilities, including putting together an e-mail list or online forum. I’m excited to be able to contribute to the group in such a way.
Editor’s note: This post is Part 11 of an ongoing series chronicling my efforts toward the restoration of my 1972 Datsun 240Z, originally my father’s. Read the other installments here:
- Part 23: Gutting the Interior
- Part 22: The Teardown Begins
- Part 21: …And the Engine Comes Out
- Part 20: Treasure Hunting
- Part 19: Beginnings
- Part 18: VIN Discoveries
- Part 17: The Bad News
- Part 16: On The Road
- Part 15: Getting It Back On The Road
- Part 14: It Lives!
- Part 13: Restoring the Fuel System, Part I
- Part 12: Meat on the Wheels
- Part 10: Carbs’ Return
- Part 9: First Triad Z Club Meet
- Part 8: Wheel Work
- Part 7: Tactical Changes
- Part 6: Little Things
- Part 5: Coming Home
- Part 4: The Rollout
- Part 3: Confessions of a Poor Car Enthusiast
- Part 2: Opening the Tomb
- Part 1: Projecting Forward
Ah yes. The generally most eisnepxve/tedious/visible part of the restoration the body work. I don’t envy you having to fix all of that. I know it’s difficult, but if I were you I would have it fixed to good enough to drive’, address all the rust issues, etc, but do a functional’ restoration. Anything else will take you so long you’ll start to forget what driving the car felt like and feel like it’ll never be finished. So how much of this are you going to try and replace and how much are you going to try and patch/repair?