Cronicus

so hi.
place looks like a pretty good z car forum but uh to make a long story short.
im in the market for an old z-car and i found a nice 1 relativly cheap not even a mile away.
its a white 76 280z non tuerbo "im pretty shure" and a I6 4 speed
but its not the current configuration im interested.
its the limitles motor swaps everone keeps telling me you can do.

anyhow dude wants $1400 kuz he just put in a brand new brake system end to end via brake masters, and payed $1450 for it. i thinkb he just wants that money back kuz now he drives a camary, ow well, maybe i can talk him down to $1200 maybe 1100 but stil ive got almost noting to go off, to talk him down, the motor dosent leak, theres no rust the engine bay is clean and hes got like 300 "change engine oil" stickers on his weindshield stuck to one another, stacked up. he took car of this thing but the interior is a lil trashy, and its the oem stero.

so is it worth it? btw he says the odomiter says 60k but hes shure its over...mm..m at least once. im gona tery a car fax on it, later, does any1 here have a carfax?



part two of my question is what are the potientials of this car, the 1/8th to quater tops being it wil be majorily a street car. i needa know everything, all the motor swaps, within and out of nissan/ datsun motors i mean bestow it all upon me i need the info!!!!

next up what are the possibilitys of the 2.8l "i think" thats in there, maybe sum perdections of the bone stock "with new clutch and brakes,-lol" lol et bone stock runs, hp/torque. perdections on how much $ to hit say 200hp 300hp and the easiest ways to do it. i gues i just need to learn it all if i can, so if you generous z car owners out there can bestow it all upon me, id so be completly thrilled sooo
learn me the z specs
thanks
-dave

z-hag

the price for a 280 that runs????? sounds ok----there are many folks here who are smart in 280s--the interiors are almost always trashed--there are ways to repair them--to get parts and such---and lots and lots of junkyards, ripe with parts to pick out.......if you do not know z cars at all, stick with bone stock for a while......you may be most surprised. ......is it a zx or a 280z????? 2 seats or 2+2????POST SOME PIX, PLEASE--WE WILL BE ABLE TO TELL YOU SO MuCH MOREoops........welcome, by the way.......

Cronicus

im not shure much more about the car, but the guy said it ran like a monster, and faster than hell.
but im gona go down the street and get sum pics, just as soon as i finish this quiznos sub.

Cronicus

well it is a 2+2 and i need to corect my self, hes asking 16 not 1400 i duno how that come to be but uh ya, i got sum pics, here they are.
for note i just uploaded em on my putfile, juz i didnt wnana crop and drop pixels, so ya guys can get a better view of the car.
all the pics are here, and i deleted the phone# lol cant have any1 underbuying the z from me
http://www.putfile.com/kronicus/images/100796

now if you can laydown specs, worth, possibilitys, **** everything, i will foreever be in your gratitude.
-dave

p.s. i now see i found rust that i didnt see before so the price is going down maybe, im pretty shure i can talk him to 13 maybe 12, espicaly if its rusted all over, and was spray painted over, what it looks like....

snwbrderphat540

thats it.... school is in session. no one will answer many questions becuase they can be searched. BUT.... for a lightly trashy interior of a non rusted perfectly running 280Z (s30 body style) the price he is asking is A STEAL!!! theres almost no point in even talking him down from what you described. but to be sure we could use some pictures. second off, the stock 2.8L cna do some impressive things but not with out ALOT of work. thats why most people do a turbo swap and on the 280Z it should be a little easier than mine in a 260Z.... yes it is a 2.8L and they only came in 4 speed's until 79 i do believe. you can do a straight unbolt and rebolt swap though for a ZX (79-83) 5-speed tranny. so dont sound so dissipointed by a 70's car there werent that many 5spd cars around.


ok but for this car... it looks like there could be rusting under the carpeting.... so take a look and in the spare tire well... also its a 2+2 and the interior got rapped by a bear. his price is fair.... however i wouldnt buy it cuase 2+2's are fugly bastards. and some people would kill for an oem stereo so you could always sell it for like 50 dollars or so.

Cronicus

a steal huh, what if i can shake $1300 maybe 12....... im so good at this **** but enuf about me.
the 2+2 it is a looked down upon because it can hold 4 people, uncomftorability lol, but is there any real dis-advantage like extra weight?
hell im gona gut the car, paint it black and dark tint. i need a street machine!
but uh until staurday 'our apoinment" i cant get any pics of the motor kuz the cars al locked up, or does the hood pop old school style? i didnt look!

btw lets say i wanted to see sheetmetal everywhare but the carpet, but the padding was taken out first then the carpet was laid back down, and i 100% reoved the ac system "if there is 1???" and the heating system and any other weight i can get rid of without taking anything visualy apealing from the front of the cabin, just the back/trunk underhood and underbody.
how much weight can i loose, and what does this car weight/pump as far as hp goes.

AND I AM READING THROUGH the forum here i just cant seem to find what i really need to know fast enuf.
again thanks my grattitude
-dave

snwbrderphat540

yes it does weigh more... they are significantly longer and you notice it, makes an ugly flat spot on the roof. and it would be a steal if the interior was just less ripped and wasnt a 2+2... but in its condition i say its a fair price. you can try to talk a few hundred out of him. i wouldnt eliminate heat.. a/c you can do without though.

and many of your questions have truly been answered.. use the search button on the top of the page and be specific... or find the advanced search if we got one. lol

ZedZilla

Hey, If I were you I'd forget about that white 2+2...loads of work and I'm talking about the appearance alone...seems that car was not treated very respectfully at all. If the outside looks like that, I wonder what the insides (engine etc) are like... Lets face it no one took care of that car enough to keep it clean so why bother with anything else, nothwithstanding the oil change stickers you saw on the windshield.

check out this link posted on our marketplace and get yourself a worthy car...

https://www.zdriver.com/forums/fs-240z-260z-280z-280zx-70-83-242/sale-1971-datsun-240z-22284/


For lots and lots of Z info see the below link...

http://www.msu.edu/~levesqu6/links.htm

Good luck.

Cronicus

thanks- BIG TIME

Bleach

yes, the 2+2's are generally less desirable due to their appearance. Nothing else really. If they stuffed a small back seat in the body of a 2-seater then it wouldn't have been a big deal.

A white 2+2.... ever see the movie Bruce Almighty?

If you're looking for a first Z to mess with, then talk him down and buy that one. If you want to paint it and do a motor swap, try harder to find a 2-seater Z.

200hp is generally all you can ever get out of a non-turbo L28. (that's the engine they came with)
The turbo engine will get there much easier. They start out with 180hp on a very poor fuel management and exhaust system. You can upgrade a turbo engine and get good results.

Check your local Craigslist online. A lot of used cars go for sale there.

BoulderZ

just a minor note/correction:
4 and 5 speed manuals were available in the S30's. I've owned 3 '78s, and they were all stock 5 speed. I even have an extra '78 5 speed tranny sitting around right now. Apparently, there was even a Euro 240Z 5 speed option (I didn't know this 'til I went searching to see when they first introduced 5 speeds). According to this guy, anyway: http://datsunzgarage.com/trans/
Seems like '77 is when 5 speeds got pretty common in the U.S. Anyway, snow's right about upgrading to the later (81-83) ZX NA 5 speed. They're much stronger, durability-wise.
Hope you find the right Z for you!
Dave

GTR

These guys are like soooooooo cool with knowledge and really nice, really they are. I'm a girl so I know absolutely nothing of course :P, anyhoo, i just wanted to say hello and hi and welcome to ZDRIVER, if you get a Z they are like totally awesome, especially turboed.

Thomo

Good deal, If you don't wanna put the +2 seats in the back, get a sub and some major tunes, you'll be bumpin'

BUT, that is if you want to put a lotta work into it. Other than tunes, I wouldn't get that Z. Like bleach said, try to find a 2 seater Z.

Bleach

5-speeds were first an option starting in 1977.
Same thing goes for other US market Datsuns. Trucks and cars all started having 5-speed options in 1977+

By about 1980 they did away with 4-speed manual transmissions.

snwbrderphat540

i thought they started it in the last year of S30's but wasnt for sure, thats why i just out i think 79. lol, my knowledge on years and options isnt perfect yet, but than again, i dont think i did any damage either.

Cronicus

you guys are like a z-car manual car manual on crack. but uh i done quite a bit of looking today and i cant find a z 2 seater for under$2k in my area, i dun looked autotrader craigslist, called a few lots, and forund 1 that was a 78 i think he said but he wanted $2800 hyping bout the brand new suspension and rear end.
anyhow for my first z i think this would be cool, and i really havent become as of an established z enthusiast as i would like to be <-if that made any sence, so i think the 4 seater is gona work for me besides, that back seat is so tiny, no fat bit**** allowed. lol
for what im planing on doing i think a longer heaver z might be even better.
im gona reasearch it though now that i have time, i wana swap either this 357 built motor turning 390hp and over 400lbs-torque into the z, i can get this motor $800 plus shiping through a freind.
if not that 1 i can get a str8 up 350 hopefully pushing 300-350hp with a cheap performance re-build kit for a lil cheaper.

i know i should be keeping it all orignal but i want a 12 second street car, im tired of bottom feeding the streets! many have advised me to get either a 70's z or a rx7 and do this for the cheapest shot at low nubers. anyhow enuf about that.
tomorow im goign to take it for a lil test drive, cant wait.
cheers-
dave-

entropy31

really man, look a while before you choose. took me nearly 2 years before i finally decided on the right z32. on the other hand..... i chose my z31 in under 12 hours .

snwbrderphat540

hyping about new suspension and rear end.... ummm... assuming its stock teh rear end probably isnt NEW.... and new suspension for stock is cheap as ****..... tell him to stuff it, unless its in really good condition, dont buy for over 1800. lol. and dont search just locally, its not hard to drive out 75 to 100 miles for the car you want, keep an open mine, i had to trailer mine with a mini van for almost 75 miles.

GTR

Yup yup, you just never know what you can find a little outside your comfort zone, like that little blue one in my sig, i picked that up on the side of the road with four flat tires for $300 after i took a wrong turn trying to get home from college and i was stuck on z's ever since. I've owned like 10, but she's my first and only ^.^, though i had to get a little dirty with her, then again,what do you expect from a 26yo car, right?

Cronicus

ya i hear ya guys.
well i stil havent decied if im gona buy it and lol i cant buy it today unles i can talk him to $1000 1100 pushing flat broke.
had to pay sum bills
but next week il be clear for up to $1200 "even if it takes 2 weeks o hagling" im not gona buy it for any higher.
maybe $1350 if it really moves and is clean under the hood.
im stil looking though kinda budget shoping but i actualy though about saving up like $2500 and going after a realy nice z car, maybe slightly newer.
however i think this guy who owns the car in reference her, is in need of sum cache, and the car has been parked at that lot for ever now. i gota leave here in about 45 to go check out the car, and get a drive.
il get an underhood pic, if he dont mind and a better look at the floorpans.

Cronicus

and if he dosent shake, ill threaten him with a carfax.

Cronicus

well i went to look at the car, he caled me at the last second and said he had to go take his son to an apointment for sumthing but he unlocked the car for me and said hel be back at 1 or so to go for a test drive.
i noticed a few things though, the cars engine plate said max hp 170 at 5600rpm. he also had the battery instaled a lil funny, the subframe on the drivers side is rusted and actually pealing away from the floorpans/subframe it wil need the last 2 feet or so re-done/welded if the pan isint all rusted out and cant be welded, the car dosent have a radio, and theres a bucket full of these in the back seat, do these belong to the car or......wtf are they....


anyhow i threw up even more pics i took of it, and confirmed that there is no oil leaks. but not much else.
the pics are here
http://www.putfile.com/kronicus/images/101169

so now im think like $500-700 tops, geting him down that far might be tricky.
what do you guys think?

Cronicus

well after a full day of haggleing, severial calls back and fourth, i can get hom lower than $1000 after emphazing on his rust problems.
do u guys still think its worth it, ive scoured every resource possible to find a z for sale and so far i found 1 240 that needs a new motor and 2 80's z's that were way to expensive

Cronicus

well its my birthday and uh ya im gona get the car. proly this wekend.
cant wait. thanks again guys for the advice! now i can finaly put this slow p.o.s. in the garage and drive sumthing better. after the rust gets fixed

fdc_guy

Congrats!! I found my Z and it was a steal, interior perfect, dash has no cracks...steering wheel perfect, all the emblems are in a baggy, it started till my injectors went bad, body had all the rust cut out....everything works on this car...i got it for 750 with fiberglass front and rear bumpers.


my car would sell easy for 1400-1700 in its condition.

Welcome to the Z world and prepare yourself, once you own a Z you will never own anything quite like them.