This Datsun 240Z restomod is JDM heaven

JDM Legends proves that even the classics can be improved

2y ago
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The Datsun 240Z (or Nissan Fairlady Z) put Japanese manufacturers firmly onto the sports car map when it was released in late 1969. Its blend of respectable performance and gorgeous looks made it an instant classic.

It’s rare to find one in good condition these days, so they’re prime candidates for a comprehensive restoration – which is exactly what the guys at JDM Legends have done on their MotorTrend show. Subscribe to MotorTrend now to get your free trial.

JDM Legends follows the eponymous restoration shop, based near Salt Lake City, Utah. Shop owner Eric Bizek hosts the show and leads the team as they transform a bevy of worn-out Japanese motors into shining diamonds from the land of the rising sun.

The smiles say it all

The smiles say it all

Fair Fairlady

When the guys took this 240Z into the shop it was a part-finished project – a body in white with holes punched in it ready for wheel arch extensions. The engine hadn’t been started for a long time, and it was looking decidedly… stock. Over the course of a few weeks the guys gave it a high-end restoration with a few choice mods thrown into the mix.

A hallmark of the JDM Legends team is attention to detail – and it’s not long before the 240Z’s stock valve cover falls under Eric’s tools to be smoothed out. He TIG welds a slug of aluminium into the hole left by a smoothed-off lug to give it a flawless finish. “When I do these engine bays I treat them like a work of art,” he says.

The valve cover goes off to the powder coaters, leaving the guys time to work on the engine mods.

Eric hard at work

Eric hard at work

A new set of carbs is attached and tuned, and after hunting through the stacks of completed projects in the shop, the 240Z gets an ex-Skyline distributor cap to fire it into life for the first time. “When you’ve had your hands on the car for almost every part of the build, there’s always nerves on the first fire up,” says Eric.

As the build comes together Eric and Josh cram their tall frames into the 240Z’s tiny 70s Japanese footwells to finish off the electronics. The attention to detail lavished on the car is astonishing – a huge amount of time is spent ensuring the twin-tip single exhaust is perfectly aligned – and it ends up being one of the classiest JDM Legends builds ever.

Watch the rest of JDM Legends’ builds (oh, and Roadkill, Head 2 Head, Throttle Out, Wheeler Dealers and a whole lot more) by subscribing to MotorTrend. You can now get a 14-day free trial.

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Comments (4)

  • Well would you pick the color white for your JDM project Tim? What a little beast that is....

      2 years ago
    • Exactly - but on my opinion, being japanese is the only excuse for a sportscar wearing white

        2 years ago
  • Great show/great restorations

      2 years ago
  • The early Z's are great little sports cars light and nimble. A perfect place to start.

      2 years ago
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