Welcome!


Hi,

I'm Ben and welcome to my restoration blog for my good friend, and former flatmate, Chris' 1973 Datsun 240Z.  Please join me as I work to resurrect a legendary car for a legendary friend.  

Our Z was discovered on autotrader.com and purchased in November 2020 out of Regina, Saskatchewan and trailered to my home shop in Okotoks, Alberta where it will be fully restored.  

Welcome home! Chris' Datsun arrives in my shop

The history of this particular "Zed" is fairly undocumented.  We purchased the car from the estate of the late owner who'd parked it some time in the late 1980's with (as yet) unknown mechanical issues.  It sat outside for a significant period of time as it shows the rust characteristic of Datsuns. While the car sat outside, the hood, hatch and hub logos went for a walk but otherwise the car is remarkably complete, down to the vintage cigarette butts in the ashtray.  

The previous owner purchased the car prior to 1980 as far as I can gather from old maintenance receipts discovered in the glove box.  The black/orange paint scheme was also something the previous owner had done in the 1980's.  

This particular Z car originally featured a spectacular and less-common Green Metallic/Avocado/Leaf Green paint. Datsun Paint code 113.  Some remnants of this paint can be seen within the engine bay and beneath the carpets and door cards. 

https://zcarguide.com/datsun-240z-stock-paint-and-interior-colors-us-and-canada

The executors of the estate were unable to locate any keys for the car but thankfully the steering column was unlocked, allowing us to easily load and unload the car during transport.  I set out to locate a qualified locksmith in Calgary to cut a fresh set of keys.  Heads Lock and Key Works Ltd. really came through for me with a turn around time of less than a day and only charged $45!  The new keys work perfectly but unfortunately the passenger side and rear hatch locks had been forced some time in the past and are beyond repair.   

Authentic (plain) Datsun coded key blanks

We will almost certainly be ordering a set of these


       

Location: Okotoks, AB, Canada

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