apexbuddha

Hey everyone, consider this a bit of an introduction thread. I'm coming from a long history of old VWs, but I'm making a change this year. I've been on the hunt for a 70s or 80s Japanese classic that'll be both a hobby car and one I expect to commute in.

Right now I'm waiting for the owner of an '87 manual, non-turbo 300ZX 2+2 to get back into town so I can take a look at his car. It's got about 156K miles on it, has been garaged most of its life, and appears that the worst of it is that a little clear coat is peeling on the hood, the stereo is disconnected (but not removed yet), and the driver's seat has some tears in it.

It's at what appears to be a really good price and, if it drives as well as it looks, I'm probably going to buy it.

That said, is there anything I should watch out for or pay extra attention to when I go look at this? Is there also anything I should be aware of if I'm putting a couple hundred miles a week on it?

Thanks, guys!

JSM

Timing belt history is very important. If it hasn't been done, do it.

I do miss my 88 Turbo. Plugs are not the easiest to change either.

Also Digital dash can have electrical issues.

rogerz

some of that depends on what you consider a good price. figure on having the seats redone probably 600 bucks there. Timing belt unless you are a good wrench another 6-7 hundred. look under the car and see how many parking lot bumps it has been run over.

look at the vacuum hoses under the hood lots of z31 issues are dependent on them. shocks may well be shot another hundred or so in cost. bushings probably gone another hundred or more. mileage not too bad for a z31 BUT remember it is old enough to drink without a fake ID.

Electrical issues happen often because of a battery older than my son and cables that are corroded. z31 and Z's in general do not like low voltage. Z31 easier than a Z32 to work on. pretty tough little cars but you said you are looking at a project which that one might be depending on your level of expertise and how finicky you are about everything working correctly. My 86T is pretty much where I want it to be as to the drive ability of the girl. Takes a while and parts getting harder to acquire,

apexbuddha

Yeah, I've heard the timing belt comment more than once, so I'll be sure to check that over. I'm coming from 50 year old VWs, so I'm not afraid to wrench a bit. But all the comments really help me have a better idea of what to look at and what to look for. I really appreciate them!

rogerz

I used to pull 1600 engine out of my VW van. rebuild everything but the lower end and have it running in 6-7 hours. The Z31 is a little more sophisticated than that. if you do buy it here is some advice:
Get your battery load tested. Be sure you have clean, tight corrosion free terminals on both ends of your battery cables. Be sure the ground (negative) cable goes to a bolt into the frame before going to the starter. grounding through the starter is not a reliable connection. Z's don't like low voltage. causes the electronics to act funny. it is possible to have enough amps to crank but not enough voltage to run the electronics. If you have one size fit all cheapo clamp on terminals they are a problem waiting to happen. Usually on a rainy night around Oh Dark Thirty.

Clean the connectors for the maf or afm, ecu and tps. Deoxit by CAIG is probably the best connector cleaner on the market. spray with CorrosionX after cleaning and before putting together this will help prevent any further corrosion. DON'T USE DIELECTRIC GREASE.

Replace outer tie rod ends, and ball joints. replace the bushings with poly (don't forget to lube them as directed unless you like squeaky things). New shocks. Get new boots for power steering. all those things will make you think you are driving a different car. doing them piece meal is a waste you won't see a great improvement until you do the complete job. You need to get the car realigned after messing with the front. Have your tires in good shape and rebalance. Rear bushings nice too but more work and you won't notice as great an improvement. Rear shocks also because if the fronts are gone so are the rears. if car squats when you jump on the gas the rears are gone. If you have the electro adjustable shocks they are DEFINITELY GONE.

apexbuddha

Well, I went and looked at it yesterday...drove it...looked over service records...meditated on it...and bought it!

I went solo, so we're going up tomorrow afternoon to pick it up and bring it home.

Initial observations:
Windshield will need replacing, it's cracked.
Hood and hatch supports need replacing (appear to be about $35 a set on Amazon).
One fog lamp glass is cracked and discolored. Are those available?
One headlight needs adjustment (easy).
Timing belt was done about 30k miles ago.

Is there maybe a way to find out the production date and stuff through Nissan itself? Carfax shows it might have been 6/8/87 (or that's when it landed in the States, hard to tell) but that a title wasn't issued until April 1990. Could it have sat on a lot that long? I dunno, all a little rhetorical at this point.

apexbuddha

I feel like I need to update the title of this thread now that I have one...but anyway! Got the car inspected by AAA yesterday and while they said I can still drive the car, I definitely will need to replace the steering rack (torn boots and severe leakage), tie rod ends, and lower control arms before too long. Also, valve cover gaskets are leaking, but that's an easy job.

From what I've studied up on, it seems like that job can be done at home with enough tools and time. Anyone have any experience or tips on that?

For now I am keeping tabs on things and making sure I have enough fluid in the power steering reservoir...and apparently that's Auto-Trans Fluid anyway!

xenonxiii

If you haven't already, Go take a look over at my site XenonZcar.com. It has a ton of information on the Z31 models as well as all the Factory service manuals and owners manuals.
The rack can be changed easily in a day. Just remember to count the turns of the tie-rod ends when removing them so you can put them back close to where they are still in alignment so you don't eat tires on the way to the alignment shop. Welcome to the Z game.

apexbuddha

I might have come across your site because I have a nice PDF version of the Service Manual on my computer that provides quick reference when the hard copy is at home, but I'll definitely come check it out.

I've managed to locate (and will be picking up this weekend) all the parts I need to replace in the front end from a gently used 87 turbo model with 81k on it. Even if they're not perfect, they're going to be better than mine. And yes, I'll inspect them before handing over the cash.

Dan300

Your primary concern with owning a Z31 is that parts are becoming very scarce especially since Nissan has stopped producing many of the interior and exterior parts. They have also stopped producing critical engine components like the water pump and thermostat.

I picked up an 84 Turbo in March, and I got the car back about two weeks ago after having the t belt done. I hand selected most of the parts from nissanpartsdeal.com. The water pump and thermostat were discontinued so I got from Rock Auto. However, they are limited in availability with no guarantee of restock.

I also needed a new auxiliary air control (A.A.C) valve but this part is no longer produced either. I checked all over the web from every parts site I could think of, but they've all been discontinued. The only place you'll find one is out of a junkyard. Fortunately, the service writer was able to get the gaskets for it and rebuild it. Funny how Nissan doesn't produce the part anymore, but they have the gaskets for it.

Another thing is, some parts guys make a living selling used parts for these cars. These low-lives sit and wait for someone to come along asking for parts, then charge you exorbitant prices for parts hoping you don't know any better or are desperate to get the part for that 30 year old car. One of them you can steer clear of is that guy Alan Pointdexter from Vintage Z. Wanted over $200 for a 300ZX FIPK which costs 175 new. You could make your own FIPK buy selecting your own filter from K&N for 50-60 bucks and getting the clamps from Harbor Freight or similar tool store.

Xenon's website is very informative. I even used it as a guide to get most of the parts I needed for the timing belt.

apexbuddha

Dude, I'm coming from the vintage VW crowd. You want to see some wacky exorbitant prices? Go check that out. But thanks for the tips and I'm impressed with Xenon's site so far!

apexbuddha

So I'm deciding what route I should go when I change the oil. The previous owner put in 10w-30 and on an engine that will have about 160k miles when I do the change (and in Northern California summer/early fall), I have to wonder if maybe that's a little thin.

The manual says the pressure gauge should read between 30 and 60psi. Assuming it's even reading correctly, it's typically maxxed at 30psi when it's cold first thing in the morning (and has never gone below what I'd estimate is 15psi). Plenty of oil in the engine, etc. Just wonder if maybe I ought to go with a 20w-40 or 20w-50. Thoughts without stirring up a firestorm?

z31Qong

new to the site, how do i start a thread?

apexbuddha

Well, not by adding onto someone else's thread. That's for sure. But welcome!

ken99

10w-30 should work just fine for the environment you in. I would only use a thicker viscosity if the car was driven under harsher conditions like crossing Death Valley every day or persistently getting jamb up on the LA freeway. If I remember right, northern CA is fairly temperate.

If you are truly concerned about oil pump pressure, the only sure way to test the situation is to remove the oil pressure sending unit on the passenger side of the engine and plumb in a temporary mechanical gauge. The attached file contains the oil pump discharge pressures at specific RPMs on a warm engine from the FSM. At 153K on my car, the actual values were damn close to the published one. If I remember right, at idle the spec calls for only 11 or so psi. Again, I see no reason to switch from 10W-30 oil.