Hey guys.

I just recently purchased a Datsun 280 from an aquaintance of mine. The car is in good condition, and I am excited to get ready to fix up the little things wrong and get this great car on the road.

First off.. I've recently become confused about what actual type of car it is. He sold it to me as a 1979 Datsun 280zx. After a title search however, my title now says 1978. If I'm not mistaken, that would make it a 280z instead. What are some easy differences between these two cars that I could use to distinguish?

Also: On a turbo Datsun, where is the turbo located? Again, the car was sold to me as a non-turbo model. A friend of my fathers, who is very VERY well knowleged about cars, was taking a look at it while I was away. He told my dad that it was infact turbocharged. Since my friend said that it wasn't, I did not look thoroughly through the engine bay. I DID try to look for anything resembling a turbo last night, but it was very dark and my flashlight was weak. I did find a strange vent looking piece that came from somewhere low on the engine, which I thought COULD possibly be a blow off valve of sorts. Also, while driving the car, it does seem somewhat slugish from 1-2k rpms, and drastically picks up in oomph after that, somewhat charactaristic of a turbo.

I'm now in college, so I can't look any further at the car untill the weekend. Does anyone have any pictures of what a stock turbo engine looks like, or where the turbo is located on one of these engines?

Thank You :-]

 

First, Congratulations on your new Z

Now the questions:
The car may have been built in 1978 but that may be in november or december. But it was probably built as the new 280zx. It should say 280zx on the back.

Turbo models came out in 1981. If yours is turbocharged then its an engine swap. The turbo is on the drivers side of the engine underneath the intake manifold. It's bolted to the exhaust manifold. Also the Valve cover should say "TURBO."

 

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the '79 Z's have the first T-tops?

If your car has T-tops, that would be a dead giveaway that it's a '79.

There should be an information tag on the driver's side door jam. (Near where the driver's door latches to the car.) It might be dirty/rusty, but it provides a lot of info about manufacture dates, etc.

I just got a '78 280z too! Welcome!

 

A turbo would be located on the driver side of the engine under the intake manifold. The turbine is driven by exhaust gases etc.

The pick up you feel over 2000 rpm is a normal Z engine coming into the power band from 2500 - 6000 rpm. If it is a turbo the effect is even stronger but again will not happen in a big way until you get up on the rpm's

 

If it looks like the picture in this post it is a Z otherwise it is a ZX.