Story

My love for this car goes back a long way. The year was 1970 and I was 5. Dad had been following the news that Yoshihiko Matsuo and his team at Nissan, Japan were planning on a affordable sports car for the American market; the 240z. In October 1969 he joined the other 16,214 people who bought Z’s that year. His was blue with black on black interior. I remember the “Nissan 2400 OHC” valve cover. At my age, there was nothing cooler than cars and as far as I was concerned I had one of the
coolest in my garage.

Dad had this Z until just after he taught me to drive manual in it. He sold it to make room for a truck and family boat. After a few years of that nonsense, he bought the used green 1972 with butterscotch interior and black louvers. After 140,000 or so miles and a blown head gasket, this became my first car. The deal was; I come up with half of the funds for the engine rebuild. Sold! After reading how to remove an engine, armed with a Chilton’s guide I
was ready. After countless hours sitting in the engine bay cleaning/polishing and a new motor later, the car gave me 5 more years service before further repairs outstretched my budget. I remember telling myself it was ok, when I get older I can get one and rebuild it cherry.

Well, countless years later, I found myself wanting to relieve my tank (my all-time favorite car by the way) of city car duty. And the Z passion was reborn. Now, find the right car.

I couldn’t get one that needed too much work, I don’t have THAT much time. Instead I wanted to find a car that I could enjoy along the way from project to project. After months of searching the country via the web, I found my disco orange 73 240z in Scottsdale, AZ through craigslist. The previous owner had owned the car for 20 years. He had a ‘motor out’ paint job 8 years ago that is nothing short of awesome and seemed to stop driving it cause the paint still looks fresh.

At first, I wasn’t that into the color. ‘A bit loud’ is what I thought. But it didn’t take long to grow on me. Immediately, I swapped the automatic transmission for a fresh 5 spd from an 82 zx, a Jet Hot coated MSA 6 into 1 header and a fresh set of Koni struts and she’s ready to roll.

My date night car and my date...

Stats

1973 Datsun 240zOriginal L24 motor with 73,000 miles E88 head, planed, polished, valves/seats ground1972 round top Hitatchi SU carburatorsjet hot coated 6 into 1 headerOne piece 2 1/2” stainless exhaust Borla mufflerzx 5spd swapHigh flow dual core aluminum radiatorCustom build alternator for Mike’s Z shop 110 ampKoenig Imagine Opal 17x8 wheelsBridgestone Potenza g-Force Sport Comp2 255/45R17 tiresNew gas tankNew bumpers, holes filled & re-chromedNew door seals/window sealsNew carpetNew seat upholsteryNew CoilNew Koni struts

Pics

Best Datsun 240z 2nd - JCCS 2021
Best Nostalgic - JCCS 2020
Classic Preservation Award - JCCS 2019
Best Datsun 240z 2nd - JCCS 2019

Driver's Impression

Disco Station is well on its way to being completely restored/rebuilt.

The car already has some nice upgrades like the older performance minded SU’s which also have the added benefit of reliability. Or the 6 into 1 jet hot coated header free-breathing into the wider 2 1/2” exhaust. I think I will leave the L24 plant in the car, its running extremely well right now. However I would like to quicken the pace a bit. A new set of Z Therapy SU’s, new linkage and a new distributor with electronic ignition are in order. That should smooth out the idle and give it some snappier response. Additionally, tighten up the drive train by swapping to a limited slip differential, new mounts for it and the transmission. Urethane bushings throughout the suspension/ steering system, larger 1” sway bar in the front & 3/4” in the back, a set of shorter/stiffer race springs and clean tank and powder coat control arms/strut towers/steering components. That should get rid of the loose feeling and quiet those road noises. To round off the performance plan, a pair of 4 piston Wilwood calipers and slotted disc’s for the front for that added confidence in the canyons. If that doesn’t satisfy the need for speed, then I can always build a L28 f54 block with over sized pistons. The dash has to come out. There are 2 splits right between the 3 mounds of the center gauges (typical). Once the dash is out, I will freshen up the vents and fan, update the dash lights and replace the radio with three gauges-fuel pressure, air/fuel mixture and volt meter. A new amp under the seat for mp3’s, new 6x9’s and a custom fiberglass sub woofer/storage box in the spare tire well. That should keep me busy for a while. Like I said, driving from project to project.

- Teddy Yonenaka