1972 DATSUN 240Z LHD USA IMPORT SOLID UK REG TAXED TESTED USABLE CAR 140 PHOTOS

1972 Datsun 240Z left hand drive. automatic.

Imported from USA in 2009 and recently re-commissioned. Now UK registered. taxed (free historic) and MOT tested to January 2015. A solid. well driving car that could be used as is but is well worth taking to the next level. Alternatively it could make a good basis for a historic competition car (obviously after converting to manual). The detailed description following is backed up with 140 photos by using the link at the base of the text.

The car in detail:

Body/paint.

It appears the original colour was metallic bronze. Please note in many of the pictures of the car what may appear to be rust exposed where paint is missing or chipped and flaked off this is in fact the original bronze paint! Due to its life in a dry climate it has a very sound original body shell which up to preparation for its recent MOT has never had any welding. It required small local repairs to each front foot well and about a 3 inch section to the rear of the nearside chassis rail. The reason it had corroded in these areas is that it appears the car had been grounded some years ago and the floor was scraped and dented in the front foot well areas. This had been left untreated. Engine/gearbox and cross members etc show no evidence of this incident.  The rest of the structure. bulkheads. sills. floor. inner wings. wheel arches etc are exceptionally sound for one of these and only require cleaning and rust proofing  to keep them that way. Suspension struts. links. cross members etc are very clean. Fixed brake and petrol pipes are original and clean. Fuel tank and straps are sound.

Cosmetically the paintwork is poor and there are various dents and scrapes all around the car. Where paint has flaked off some of it has been touched in by hand. However there is very little corrosion or previous body filler. It has had filler at the base of the rear quarters in front of the rear wheels where it meets the sill. It has had some crude patches on the panel above each rear light unit. seen when lifting the rear hatch. The front lower panel is distorted/damaged but is solid and will repair. Probably at the same time as the front panel was damaged. the bottom of the right front wing/wheel arch is also damaged. this has been roughly pulled out and brush painted in to cover the flaked off paint. but again is solid and will repair. The windscreen has a number chips. and couple of short cracks. These were not in the area of vision for the MOT so OK to use as is but it would not survive removal for a proper re-spray.

Mechanical.

The engine sounds superb. It has had carbs cleaned. new plugs. tappets checked. new oil and filter. points/timing set. One of the pictures shows the cam/followers in good clean condition and showing signs of regular oil changes. It has good oil pressure and runs at normal temperature. No signs of smoke on hard acceleration. The gearbox performs as it should and the fluid is clean and fresh. On the road the car performs and handles well. Wheel bearings and diff are quiet. It has just had new front brake pads and rear shoes. The reverse lights have been adapted as the rear indicators (with orange bulbs fitted). The headlamps are still dip to the right spec and were fitted with beam masks for the MOT. The wheels are in very good condition. tyres are matching and have good tread.

Other than the screen the only advisories on the MOT where headlamps masks fitted and rear indicators slightly discoloured.

Interior.

Best judged by viewing the photos. The front seats appear to be the same frame but are trimmed different. Both have some damage. Carpets are all there and reasonable. could certainly be used as templates for new ones. Most of the quilted style trim (around rear arches/inner sills) is quite good. Headlining is OK. Importantly the dash top/instrument surround is very good and free of damage and cracks. Speedo. ammeter. oil pressure and water temp are working. rev counter and fuel gauge aren't. Speedo shows a recorded mileage of 01079. There are no keys for the car. When the car was bought in the States it had them. when it landed in the UK it didn't. Presumably to move the car at the docks the column lock has been forced and the passenger's door barrel removed. The column cover is with the car but damaged. It starts with a dummy key fixed into the ignition switch.

In summary.

I've enjoyed bringing the car back to life but don't have the time or space to take the project any further. It's taxed. tested and could be used and improved as is but the way values are going for these rare cars it's worth at least a professional re-spray and detailed cosmetic improvement. As well as V5 registration document and MOT I also have a copy of the USA certificate of title and paid import duty declaration. The car is located near Durham City. For appointment to view or questions either email or call 07931 294227.

Interest from overseas is welcome and I can assist in getting the car to a shipping port.

Please use the link for 140 photos:

http://s1302. photobucket. com/user/924721/media/VP1300/aa0165_zps8c5f5358. jpg. html?sort=3&o=32

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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