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Amazingly for a genuine UK car, the Z’s original orange paint didn’t hide any hair-raising rusty horror stories.

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The big ResToRaTion Practical Classics Restorer of the Year

Paul Henley’s determination has paid off – after two decades, his restored 1974 Datsun 240Z is

back on the road again, in stunning style

Paul Henley always admired the svelte Datsun 240Z coupé, although he had to wait many years before getting his hands on one. ‘I owned various “cooking” Datsuns as a teenager in the Eighties but insurance rates, running costs and the

limitations of an apprentice’s salary meant the 240 was out of my reach.’ By the mid-Nineties things had changed: ‘My eldest son Martyn was at an age where he no longer needed dad to support his hobbies and interests, while my younger son Luke was too young to have hobbies that required a lot of time to support, so I thought I’d try to find a 240Z.’

Paul joined the Z Club of Great Britain to find out

more about the cars and look for potential purchases, although his first one was a bit of a disaster. ‘I drove down from Cumbria to Hampshire and towed back what I thought was going to be my first restoration project,’ he explains. ‘Unfortunately, once I got the car home and began the dismantling process, it was clear that rust and previous welding/filler repairs meant it was beyond economical restoration – and my ability.’

Undeterred, Paul carried on with his search and sometime later was contacted by a fellow Z Club member who was planning a long trip from Reading to a village near Aberdeen to view a 240Z that was for sale.

‘We met up at my home in Cumbria, hired a

as founD

Words Matt GeorGe Photos Jonathan Jacob

POWERstaying

THE RESTORERPaul henley, 56, lives in

Whitehaven. he is a time-served instrument mechanic and now

works in engineering planning. ‘I’d never done any restoration work on

cars before – the 240 was a first. I have no plans to do another and

certainly not to the extent of this one, but if the right car

comes along, then who knows…’

Paul with the finished Z, repainted after its bare-metal resto.

sePT 1998

➽

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The big ResToRaTion Practical Classics Restorer of the Year

panels were fitted at that stage, as Paul explains: ‘That was my choice as I was fearful that rebuilding the car in the constraints of my garage would mean I would inevitably damage the freshly-applied paint. Incidentally this turned out to be a wise decision as minor scratches were indeed inflicted that would require repairs later.’

Taking no chances with corrosionOnce the shell had been blasted it exposed areas that did need further work such an area at the bottom of an A-pillar, a sill, an area around the fuel filler pipe and lower rear quarters. Paul also decided to have both the rear inner and outer wheelarches replaced. ‘Although not significantly rusted on the outside I preferred not to take any chances and have them removed… the replacement panels sourced were of such a high standard that the quality of repair ensured a very pleasing result.’ Once completed with paint and a coat of underseal, the shell was ready to return to Paul’s home to allow the refit to commence.

While the body was away, progress had been made elsewhere: ‘The strip and reassembly of the engine ➽

trailer and headed north.’ On initial inspection the car was very promising. Although the exterior panels such as the front wings, doors and tailgate had suffered corrosion, the majority of the shell was in extremely good condition. ‘The usual areas that are prone to corrosion were relatively rust-free and free of signs of previous repairs – extremely rare for an original UK car,’ says Paul. ‘So the car was bought and we returned to Cumbria, where my friend would rest for the night before continuing on in the morning. The following morning, I managed to persuade my friend to allow me to be the new owner and the car became mine.’ That was back in September 1998.

Paul immediately began to strip the car with a view to carrying out a bare metal, nut-and-bolt restoration. ‘Reassuringly, I found no major nasty surprises lurking under the trim or panels. I did find some minor areas requiring attention but nothing scary. I’d managed to secure a rotisserie that had last been used to hold a Triumph Stag and I soon had the shell suspended. I stripped it to bare metal, primarily with a blow torch and scraper to remove the original underseal from the floors followed by a grinder and sanding discs.’

Paul then transported the shell to a local body shop to begin the body prep and paint. However, the following 15 years saw little progress to the shell. ‘I’d sent it to a local body shop with agreement that it would progress as ‘fall-back work’, however as in most busy businesses time to spend on such work rarely materialises. In addition, my youngest son grew and developed hobbies and interests of his own that I would support. Like his brother, once he had ‘come of age’ my time became more readily available and thoughts returned to progressing my Z.’

Then the original body shop confirmed that the time to progress the Z would never be available, so the shell returned home. ‘I engaged Greta Bodyworks of Keswick to complete the bodywork and paint. We agreed this would be completed in two phases,’ adds Paul. 

Phase one involved the bodyshell being media blasted. Any corrosion was cut out and replaced with fresh metal, before the shell was painted to a finished standard underneath and internally, with an initial coat applied to the roof and the rear quarter panel areas. No exterior

Engine 2393cc/6-cyl/ohcPower 161bhp@5600rpmTorque 146lb ft@4400rpmGearbox 4-speed manual0-60mph 8.3secTop speed 125mph Fuel economy 24mpgWeight 2260lb/1025kgPrice new £2288Value now £38,000

Tech sPec

‘getting the car moveable under its own steam was a major milestone’

ocTobeR 2016 careful, careful…With help from his sons Martyn and Luke, Paul fitted the engine and gearbox as one unit. the tubular exhaust manifold meant they had to be very careful to avoid scratches!

augusT 2017 not far to

go nowWith the 240’s body finished and looking great after a second visit to the bodyshop, it was then time to head back to Paul’s place and begin the final fit-up process… the excitement was really building.

4

ocTobeR 2015 Making progressLooking good! the carburettors

and manifold returned from the US in better-than-new condition.

noveMbeR 2015 under the archesWith the suspension

components powdercoated, Paul was able to put the front end together.

2 3

here’s how Paul did it

MaY 2013 bodywork repairs finally gather pacethe front inner wheelarches were repaired but

both rear inner and outer arches were replaced – the new panels were made to a good standard and fitted well.

1

5

Wooden wheel and gearknob contrast against black interior.

Six-cylinder engine had a full rebuild.

Even the luggage bay looks great.

LEFT Original wheels are pure Seventies cool.RIGHT The first Z car is the purest of the breed.BOTTOM Yes, it’s an engine bay inspection lamp.

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The big ResToRaTion

WhaT’s iT like To DRive

The 240’s straight-six is smooth and quiet at low revs. The controls are heavy, but the steering is direct, with plenty of feedback – and kickback – via its slim, wooden rim. Open it up and the straight-six sound is impossible to ignore,

while the reclined driving position makes you feel you’re almost sitting on the back axle. The steering lightens up with speed, so the best way to push a 240Z along is to steer smoothly and feed it into the bends. There is some body roll, but the

transition into lean is well controlled, while the 2.4-litre engine offers plenty of punch. All in all, Paul’s pretty car is a thoroughly well-sorted example – I’m disappointed to have to give the keys back!

garage while reading the back of a bottle of glass cleaner!’ Then it was MoT time. ‘It passed first time with no advisories, so after nearly 20 years its restoration was finally complete.’

Paul always intended to restore the car to its original specification and it largely is that, with a few minor alterations. ‘I changed the colour from its original orange to a metallic shade (BMW Space Grey). My view was that, as it was a total bare metal respray, I would take the opportunity to paint it a colour of my choice. Of the few remaining original right-hand drive 240Zs, many are either red or orange so I preferred a change, and besides I was doing the car for me to enjoy and not someone else. I also fitted a stainless manifold and exhaust for preventative maintenance reasons, plus electronic ignition to maintain reliability. Where possible everything else has remained completely standard.’

With the car finished at last, Paul can reflect with pride on what has been achieved. ‘I’m not sure that there’s a specific part that I’m particularly proud of – simply driving the car with either my wife or one of my sons in the passenger seat is a really great feeling. The car has been a large part of all of our lives for the past 20 years and it’s wonderful for them to see it finally reach completion.’ n

block was carried out by an experienced motor mechanic friend, with the actual engine rebuild carried out by a local engine rebuilding specialist.’ The Hitachi side-draught carburettors were packed off to be restored by ZTherapy Inc,in Salem, Oregon, USA. ‘I did the remainder of the strip, restoration and refit, helped by my sons with the heavier stuff such as the engine/gearbox removal/refit, along with the other jobs where two hands just weren’t enough.’

Phase two was undertaken once the car could be driven onto a transporter and returned to the bodyshop once more. Paul smiles: ‘Getting the car moveable and transportable under its own steam to enable it to go back for the second phase of paint was a major milestone. The engine, carburettors and gearbox all had to work together. The electrics were required as were the brakes and suspension. All had to come together to enable the work to continue; it was an extremely enjoyable period.’

Once the body was back at Greta, all the external panels were trial-fitted, modified for best fit, repainted and final fitted. The car then went back to Paul for the final phase: fitting the interior, external electrics, chromework, badges, wheels and trims. The final build didn’t all go smoothly though, as Paul recounts with a grimace: ‘I managed to break the windscreen by standing on it as I walked into the

There’s lots of punch from the 2.4-litre

six-cylinder engine.

Straight-six breathing through a stainless manifold sounds great.

this car is entered into the restorer of the Year competition. See the winner at the Practical Classics classic car & restoration Show – visit necrestoration show.com for tickets.

Pc ResToReR of The YeaR