Need advice on selling 1970 240z

A forum for owners of S30 and S130 Datsun Z's... 240Z, 260Z, 280Z and 280ZX!
orangecounty240z
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2020 6:10 pm
Car: Nissan 240Z

Post

Hi!
To my surprise, my dad has decided to sell his baby, a series 1 240z. I know the value of these is pretty high and need your advice on how to sell it.

He is the only owner, and it has under 90k miles, which he has documentation for. It is all original except: radiator (oem replacement), brake pads, oil filter, headlights (generic), spark plug wires and plugs (generic), distributor rotor and points (generic), engine hoses (oem replacement), some hose clamps (non oem replacements), aftermarket shocks and struts, wheels (mom bought him a set of mags for Christmas 1970 - he kept the covers but not the steel wheels), tires, hatch strut, battery, and antenna (oem replacement). He says he may have changed the pedal pads but can't remember. It runs great. All original rubber trim still looks good.

Known flaws: rear bumper was rechromed around 1980 due to a ding, radio (AM only) does not work, exhaust is rusty, tachometer does not work, heater does not work, antenna does not extend, several door dings (some of which show surface rust) and a few shallow door dents from parking, paint is peeling a bit on the inside of the hood (about 7 square inches of metal are exposed, no rust yet), a few spots of surface rust. Inside of the hood, where the fan is, has 2 square feet of surface rust looking paint - not sure what's going on there, but dad thinks the fan splashed water there when it was wet. Paint is all original but oxidized and faded. The chrome bits show some surface oxidation, not pitted and I think can be polished out. Clock doesn’t work. The spare well is perfect, but the flat area under the hatch carpet has cracked paint - don’t see rust there either.

I have done extensive reading on this and other forums. I checked all the common rust spots and they're great. I have not yet gotten it on a lift to check the underside but what I can see looks fine, including inside the wheel wells.

Questions:
1. where should we sell it? Bring a trailer, conventional auctions, private/forum sale?

2. what should we fix? I can try to find a set of 1970 wheels, and mount those instead of the mags (the mags don’t even have any curb rash but the center caps are rusty). I can try to find original wires and plugs, headlights, etc. The dash has never been out, so he didn’t replace the tach; we don’t think we have the skill to do so without damaging something. I can have the dents pushed out, and the rust spots cleaned and put on touch up paint (impossible to match maybe?). I will definitely have it deep detailed to restore the luster of the paint. Or should I do it myself? Been reading about it, the paint is so thin I am worried about a detailer using the wrong products on it and damaging it. I’m happy to put in the time to waterless wash and buff it by hand.

3. any recommendations on detailers in SoCal? We're in Orange County but can drive/trailer it anywhere from LA to SD. Also need recommendation on a photography studio. And if you think we should sell through an agent or dealer, any recommendations would be appreciated.

4. If you think we should have the non OEM parts and broken parts and paint problems professionally replaced, which shops do you recommend? I’m willing to pay to ship it somewhere if the right shop is not in the LA area.

Thanks for any advice!


Return to “Datsun Z Forum”