Gavin J had been searching for a 240z for about a year and finally acquired this 1972 S30 from our friends at Bring a Trailer. We are big fans of this auction site and like many BaT enthusiasts, Gavin’s experience was an exciting one:
“Curse BaT. It has made hard-to-find, solid cars that much more available and I definitely have a problem (or a passion as I prefer to call it). My “virtual-garage” of must have cars, got one car smaller back in October 17 when I handed my phone to a friend in a London bar and showed them that I’d just been outbid on a 1972 Datsun 240z. 90 seconds later my phone was handed back to me and thanks to some ‘team’ orientated bidding, I was the proud winner of the auction. Lesson learned about bars and auction sites…”
Fast forward to March of 2019. Gavin is based in New York and the Z he had just won sight-unseen is stuck at a shop in Southern California. He reached out to us and Rob eased his pain. ZCG had the Z shipped to us for a full inspection:
“Rob rescued me from a nightmare. I really hadn’t done enough research when I shipped my purchased car to it’s initial location. I reached out to Rob having done a more thorough search and could not have been happier with the whole process. From receipt of the car at Rob’s garage, to the initial inspection, estimates, work and final result, it all exceeded expectations.”
The Z right after arriving at the shop:
The car was really nice with great bones but many items needed sorting if Gavin was to enjoy it on the open roads here or East Coast. We performed a full inspection and ran a compression test on the engine (it passed) followed by a steam clean to expose any leaks. All of the cooling hoses in the engine bay had to be replaced. The radiator was refreshed/boiled out and pressure tested:
All fuel hoses were replaced in engine bay and we performed a full tune-up using the existing SUs and exhaust system to ensure it ran as best as it could. Little things like a new battery hold-down were addressed.
The oil pan was seeping so we replaced the gasket:
The fuel tank was removed for refurbishment. It was boiled out and new tank straps installed. New vapor hoses were installed as well:
The chassis was addressed next. We sorted the clutch hydraulics to ensure smooth operation. The braking system was overhauled with a new brake master cylinder and booster:
New OEM front calipers were installed with Stoptech slotted rotors and pads. The rear drums had been serviced but none of the shoes/pieces that move during the braking process were lubed, so we sorted that as well.
Old vs New:
We asked Gavin what he liked about the S30:
“I think the car looks good from so many angles. It’s a car that looks great regardless of whether you walk up to it from the front or the rear, the design has aged so well and even though I like perusing some of the tuner results, I am a huge fan of a stock body but maybe with some nicer wheels and a touch lower. Mostly stock then…”
With that ethos in mind we suggested our favorite visual and functional upgrade…16×7 Panasports! These are wrapped in 225/50/16 Bridgestone s007a tires. Panasport wheels are available for purchase through Z Car Garage.
A few more upgrades included halogen headlights, a 280zx alternator (60amp) with MSA adapter:
The ignition was changed from standard points to Pertronix using a Blaster2 coil that we paint to look stock:
Enjoying the Ride
What better way to experience a Z car than the California coastline? Gavin flew from NY to SFO to take his ZCG-prepped 240z on a coastal trip:
We were happy to hear that he truly loved driving his Z!
“It’s a testament to the work Rob and his team did, that I drove the car 450 miles over 3 days having picked it up from Rob’s shop and it didn’t skip a beat. The car is now on it’s way to New York State where I will be it’s custodian for a few years and if I ever decide to go to the next level of restoration or modification, it’s heading back to ZCG where I know I can rely on the advice, the experience and the quality of the work.”
It was a pleasure working with Gavin and also great to see a new enthusiast in the Z family. His stable includes a ’75 Ferrari 308 GT4, ’67 Porsche 912, ’70 Porsche 911T Targa and 2017 Porsche 911 Targa4. So my fellow Datsun fans, if it’s not the P-car…it’s the Z-car!
Long Live The Z!
More pictures below!
