Project 240K

Project 240K GT-R started with the idea of restoring an old Datsun to be used as a charity rally. As an avid Skyline fan (and owner of an R33 Series 3 GT-R), i wanted to rebuild an old car as i had always had modern cars (with the exception of a green Datsun Stanza while learning to drive), and wanted to learn more about the nuts and bolts side of things. I looked a little into the history of the skyline in Australia past the more common R31, R32 and R33 models.

After a quick search on a couple of Australian online car trading website, i discovered the early 1980′s Nissan Skyline (c210), it seemed a good choice, and met much of the criteria i was looking for.. it was old (olde enough to rally), available in a coupe (my favourite shape),  relatively cheap to buy and was of course a Skyline (The first time the name appeared on a Datsun/Nissan in Australia).

After doing a bit more research into the C210, i discovered that it’s predecessor the C110 had also been sold in Australia. Named the Datsun 240K in Australia (making reference to the naturally aspirated 2.4 litre L series engine, shared with many datsuns of the time). after a little more research i discovered the fact that the C110 had actually rolled out of the factory in GT-R guise, named the Nissan KPGC110 2000GT-R.. at that point, my choice was clear!

Nissan KPGC110 2000GT-R from the Nissan Museum in Japan, and the model car for my project

The C110 sounded perfect, it again was relatively cheap, came in a coupe and of course had the GT-R heratige.. i was sold on the model and the search for a Datsun 240K began. There were a few sedans being sold online, and the only coupe advirtised had already been sold. Again i turned to the internet where i discovered a very small sub community on the Datsun Z car forum ClassicZcars completely dedicated to the 240K, best of all the majority of posts were Australian!

Days later i had started reading up on the tonnes of information on the car’s history and peoples experiences within the site, then i stumbled across an old post from one of the members, offering up an unfinished project, a 1974 Datsun 240K coupe (original post here), as the post was over 6 months old, i sent a message to the seller but didn’t expect anything else. Much to my surprise, a few hours alter i got a message back saying the car was still available. After a request for more information about it’s condition and specifications, and a few small pictures later, i organised to travel the 80km’s to have a look at the car.

The car looked good.. for a shell.. the majority of the car had been stripped to prepare the car for paint, and the body was still in primer, with the engine bay already painted in Nissan’s metallic Silver from the S15 200SX. Some upgrades had already been performed on the car such as front height adjustable coil over struts and upgraded front brakes along with a power steering box from a C210. The piles of interior parts looked to be in good condition, so a small deposit later.. i was the pending owner of a 240K!

Update – After 6 years of working on the original chassis, I managed to pick up an almost immaculate 240K.. i quickly decided to swap over all my work into this car and continue on with the project.  Read all about it here!.

The Project Continues