datsun 280z 1976
 

I have a stock 280 z that I want to restore, modify and turn it into a car that will put other sports cars in las vegas to shame. I love the engine on this thing, the L28, but I want to add on as much power on it as I can, without having to change engines. I know the engine's got potential, but I wonder exactly how much stronger you can actually make it. I can tell it's gettin old and in need of major tuning, as it was stressing to go over 100mph in it's final 4th gear. The rpm's were at 6000, and it made a noise like sparks were comin out somewhere. I would like to to take it up to par with all the new sports cars coming out nowadays, like the new 350z or the mazda rx-8. Please give me some suggestions on what I could do to be able to beat all sorts of cars on the road. It looks so awesome, and I just wanna wow people standing still, as it zips down the road.

I have a 78Z and I have put in the K&N cold air induction with a 21/2 ehaust running a flowmaster with no cat. Also you need a 5 speed to get more top end. The T-5 is suppose to be one of the best. As for the motor itself you can bore and stroke it port and polish the heads you should be able to squeese about 230 to 270BHP according to my mechanic. You will have to register your car in Pahrump or someplace where they dont have smog.
Now if you wnt to bag the L28 the 350 swap is most ideal. I know where you can get a donor motor for 600 complete with a car. the whole car is drivable. it is my friends daily driver. The 350 conversion is one of the easiest as long as you stay carberated. You can go to hybridz.com to get more data on this. If you know what you are doing the change over is very easy from what I have heard. You can also email Dr.buddha at zextremenv@yahoo.com. He has done a few of theses and is the president of Zextreme car club, I am the Idaho chapter president.
You might also want to post this on the 240,260,280 page instead of the Z32 page.
Well i hope I was helpful.
Shane

There's a lot that you could do. Like Allmyz said, you could do head work on it. Also, have you considered the turbo motor. You wouldn't be abandoning the L-28, you'd just have a lot more power and a lot more potential. Also, I appreciate your traffic here, but I think you'll find a lot more info in the 280zx forum. most of us here are more knowledgeable about your dad's car and its VG. Good luck with the car!

Re: datsun 280z 1976
 

[ it was stressing to go over 100mph in it's final 4th gear. The rpm's were at 6000
IF THATS TRUE THEN THE FIRST THING YOU WANT TO DO IS HAVE YOUR CLUTCH CHECKED OUT .3RD GEAR SHOULD PUT YOU AROUND 100.ONCE YOU HAVE YOUR CLUTH RIGHT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT YOUR MOTOR IS TRUELY CAPABLE OF IN ITS PRESSENT STATE.THOES MOTORS ARE KNOWN TO RUN STRONG PAST A QUARTER OF A MILLION MILES.GOOD LUCK

thanks
 

Hey
Thanks for all your input people. It helps out a lot.

I can vouch for the longevity of the motor my 78Z has 346K on her right now. She burns about 1 qt. of oil evry 3k miles. But she is plenty strong. She doesnt smoke at all. The only work I have done to the drive train is a new clutch. The mods I did to the motor are all external. K&N Intake and 21/2 exhaust. I dont plan on doing the motor until next winter.

(moved to 240z,260z,280z)

It is feasable to beat a 350Z in a quarter mile race with an n/a L28. You'll want to do a bit of weight reduction on your 280Z. Put on 240Z bumpers or just run with no bumpers and maybe add some fiberglass parts front and rear...

Do some porting on the intake ports in the head, port your intake manifold, put in larger injectors and tune your AFM. raise the compression when you rebuild your engine by putting in flat top pistons. run a longer duration cam and put a lower geared rearend in the car. You can get close to 200hp at the wheels with a setup like that. The weight will be significantly lower than a 350Z so you'll have about the same acceleration. Your goal will be a 13.9 second 1/4 mile or less. :D

The hardest part will be getting just the right fuel mixture. With the proper work your engine will need more fuel but too much won't help you. If you can make or buy a programable computer that will work well.

my opinion:

if you want to put new sports cars such as the 350z to shame, you'll need to have matching power/handling/braking. If we're talking power alone, you'll need to port/polish the head, rebuild your block anyway, and put a stroker kit, such as a Rebello one, in. Expect to spend about 3-4k on this setup, and on pump gas you'll be limited to about 250hp max.

For that cost, I'd just recommend putting in a smallblock chevy, which will come out even cheaper and has tons more potential, as well as daily drivability.

My car
 

My z looks almost like AllmyZ's 280z, except it's in silver. I'm gonna hold on to the L28, and tune it up to the best of it's ability. I'm thinking about replacing the 4 speed transmission with a T-5, but I'd like to hear what you guys think. Do you really think I need more top-end? I'm only mainly racing on the streets, and if I can still achieve a good 1/4 mi time with just 4 gears, I don't really need to go blazing fast, do I? And I'd like to keep everything as original as possible.
For anyone who had worked on their own cars, in their own garages, how do you have things set up? I'm gonna start rebuilding and modifying the engine soon, and just would like some advice.
Ok, some people prefer carburated engines, but I'm going to stick with fuel injection for my z. What are some advantages/disadvantages of fuel injection and carburation?
And the car has no power steering. I can carve corners pretty well on the freeway, but it does get aggravating when I'm in the grocery parking lot. Do you think adding power steering would give me better handling, or would it sacrifice handling because of it?

Well you have seen my Z. She has a K&N intake with a 21/2 exhaust with no cat. She has a 5 speed. I love the manual steering, I have an 81ZX with power and you dont have the feel when handling that you do with the manual. Although I have heard that some of the Z,s that came out after my 81 ( go to the post on power steering) have varible assist.
As for fuel injection or carb. I prefer injection, I have had it both ways, I have owned evey year Z from 70-81. I think personnally that the fuel injection is less maintanance. With injection you can increase the intake and throtole body, bigger injectors, and a rising rate fuel pressure regulator. With a carb Z you can run triple webers and you can get more air in than with injection. But dollar for dollar injection is cheaper.
Hope this helps some.

thanks
 

awesome, this helps quite a bit. I appreciate the help. Yeah, this z gets so much attention whenever I drive it around the city. I don't see much other first gen z's in vegas, and I have to admit that the attention I get makes me smile. I can't wait to fix this baby up.

Something else I am doing next month is lowering my Z down 11/2 - 2 inches. My car is sitting to high and the ground effects are not functioning properly.

lowering
 

I plan on buying eibach progressive rate springs from motorsport, as well as the tokico illumina shocks and struts to lower my z also. My z doesn't have a spoiler though, and I think it looks better without one anyway.

The Z does look great without a spoiler that is true. but if you want to get any top end over 100 you need down force. To get down force you will need a front spoiler. It makes all the difference. Even as high as my Z sits I can still hit 120 without much issue.

to AllmyZs
 

Did you get your aero kit from motorsport? My z looks just like yours, except I installed headlight covers as well. Just the other day, I got my z up to 120 mph on the freeway. But it did start getting scary in there, and slowed it down.

Yea i bought the whole kit there. It ws around 600.00 for the front 2 sides and the rear.

I want to get the msa bodykit 2 that "modernizes" the z and move the turn signals into the grill. how does it do for down force? My nehibor has it and he said he hit 180 at atlanta motor speedway (he has the 350 v8) so I want to know how it will do on my 74' 260z. thanx

It makes a huge difference. When I took mine up to 120 I was only pushing 4500 rpm. The motor wasnt working very hard and I had plenty of throttle left. And remember my car is sitting about 5 inches off the bround right now. I am lowering it in Jan so I ma 21/2 - 3 inches. On the way home from Reno I am gonna see what she will do. I will let you know.

ok what spoiler do you like best (I have the regular fiberglass one that is broken) I might get the "bre" style one to replace it. what kind of muffler do you recomend (currently 2.5 in pipe w/ 4in tailpipe ) I will keep the tube but I want a new muffler because mine is bent up.

how much will it cost to lower your z. I may want to do an inch or two but not too much to be a stiff ride.

I bought the 15-409 in the MSA catalog. I have a 21/2 exhaust with a flow master muffler with a 4 inch tip. I love the sound of the setup. I havent bought my headers yet but am gonna get the 6-1 steup from MSA.
It is winter time and we I have lmost 2 feet of snow outside. This means it is time to tear apart the Z and get her ready for spring. The one thing I look for is good power but also good gas mileage. It is hard to balance but I am trying.

I am taking my Z to Budhas and we are gonna cut the springs to find the right height then I am gonna have a set emad locally.

my z sounds awesome but the muffler is rusted and the exhaust tip is useless. I will look at that, thanx.

You can see in the picture of my car that my tip isnt very long and my muffler doesnt hang down. It is a mini turbo and fits nice and snug under the car. I hate those dam coffee cans people put on those sick Hondas. I like things to look nice not cluttered.