Buyer’s Brief: 240Z How to bag yourself the very best Datsun 240 or 260Z.
A blend of sex- and six-cylinder appeal, but beware of that body...
Why you want one
If you were to create your perfect classic, the chances are you’d want something that looked great, was a hoot to drive, came with plenty of power and offered a decent amount of practicality. The 240Z offers all this, with a smooth, tough and torquey straight six – it’s suitable for touring, historic racing or rallying or just occasional classic use. There really is plenty to love about the ’Z…
What are the Achilles’ Heels?
The majority of ’Zs have been killed off by corrosion due to poor rustproofing and the numerous rust traps in the bodyshell.
Proper restorations are tricky, so there are lots of poorly-rebuilt ’Zs around which are harder to fix properly than an original, tatty car – and poor panel availability compounds the problem. Scrutinise the panel gaps carefully and see if the swage lines meet up, because they probably won’t.
Analyse all of the bodywork closely, but start with the floorpans; you must get the car on a ramp to check it properly. As well as the longitudinal crossmembers that run beneath the seats, you must inspect the chassis legs that run the length of the engine bay. These areas are structural, so corrosion is bad news – the same goes for the ‘airtubes’ which are visible from underneath the front wheelarches. The outer bodywork isn’t structural – but because not many repair panels are available, you need to be skilled at fabricating your own repair panels to take on a ’Z with rotten door bottoms, a crusty tailgate or a holed windscreen base.
The overhead-cam straight six isn’t highly tuned, so it’ll happily notch up 250,000 miles if it’s given an oil and filter change every 6000 miles; semi-synthetic 20W-50 is ideal. You can’t buy an exchange rebuilt engine, but the parts are available to do a DIY overhaul – they’ll set you back £900, so budget at least double this for a professional job. Some owners just slot in a later straight-six from a 280ZX instead; you can source one from £500.
The original quilted interior trim wasn’t durable and many cars now sport something completely different, such as carpet. The nicest ’Zs are trimmed to original spec, but the good news is that you can buy repro parts including door cards and seat trim kits. The bad news is the dash surround cracks and RHD replacements can’t be sourced, although LHD parts are available from MJP Auto.
Which one is best for you?
The 240Z was unveiled in Japan in 1969, but it didn’t reach the UK until October 1970 – and few arrived until 1971. The 260Z replaced the 240Z in August 1973, with a 2.6-litre engine and two-seater or 2+2 options. The two-seater was axed within a year, but returned in 1977 with a stronger bodyshell, an improved interior and revised suspension. By August 1978 the 260Z was dead, replaced by the 280ZX which came in two-seater and 2+2 forms.
The 240Z has always been considered the most collectable ’Z, but the rarer 260Z two-seater is now recognised as a very desirable car. The 2+2 version has also become much more sought after, especially as it’s the rarest survivor of all. If you’ve decided you need to buy a ’Z, the biggest problem will be finding one. According to the DVLA, there are around 400 240Zs and 250 260Zs registered in the UK. Cars in good condition are now very scarce and rarely come up for sale, which is why many buyers go for a US left-hand drive car as these are usually less rusty than European ’Zs.
Can you make it better?
The 240Z’s SU carburettors were built under licence by Hitachi; they’re metric, so nothing is interchangeable with the British carbs. The 240Z items work well, but the 260Z’s don’t, so fitting SU HS2S is worthwhile. It’s possible to fit triple Webers or Dell’ortos, but this over-fuels the engine if you don’t also invest in bigger valves, a hotter camshaft and a bigger-bore exhaust.
The steering rack’s rubber mounting bushes go soft over time, so fitting poly bushes and a plastic steering coupler will really sharpen up the handling at £30 for a set. If buying a US import, fit Euro-spec suspension as federal ’Zs got a softer set-up at the expense of handling. US cars also got no rear anti-roll bar; an uprated set of anti-roll bars costs £278 and will transform the dynamics. Even a Uk-spec ’Z should benefit from fresh suspension if it hasn’t been replaced for years; budget £540 to replace it all (it’s Macpherson struts at each corner).
Electronic ignition works wonders and makes the engine even smoother. Mike Feeney recommends and sells a Lumenition set-up for £193.
Specialist advice
Mike Feeney runs MJP Auto; he’s been around ’Zs since the late Seventies and has owned at least one example of each ’Z car. He told us: ‘These first ’Z cars are known as the S30 and there’s been a steady increase of the amount in the UK, largely fuelled by imports of LHD cars from the US.
‘Buying the best ’Z you can find is key, as the cost of restoring a cheap car will easily outstrip the cost of buying something nice. Restoring one of these cars is also a very specialist exercise due poor panel availability; you need to be very skilled to repanel a ’Z, as there are lots of subtle curves that are very hard to get right. Be especially wary of taking on someone else’s bodged or failed restoration. Buy a ’Z from a hot country and it’ll have better bodywork than a UK car, but the heat will have taken its toll on the interior, especially the dashboard surround.
‘Unrestored cars are very rare and many restored ’Zs have been upgraded. Originality has never been important to British Z buyers and owners. These cars were developed for rallying and modifications have been popular since they were new – many ’Zs now have non-standard wheels, suspension, valances and spoilers. Engine swaps have become increasingly popular, including Lexus straight-six and V8, Chevrolet V8 and later Nissan straight-six units. They’re usually done to a high standard, but get an engineer’s report on such cars before buying, to ensure the work really has been done properly.’