I have 1980 280zx nt and was wondering whats the typical cost of a rebuild? I just want a nice running stock engine because i have a 30~ mile round trip commute. Im not to savy with mechanical work so i was gonna take it to a shop, and that leads me to my next question. Does anyone know any good shops in the so cal area, 562?

 

Welcome to Zdriver...
I have the same car and i guess i would ask what is your mileage on the car and how is it running now. or is it?

 

Its roughly around 270xxx and it runs suprisingly good for how many miles. Staying about 30 hrs of overtime a check to get things going

 

If you are taking it to a shop to have them pull the motor, do the rebuild, & reinstall, expect a bill of $2500-$3500. Maybe more since California is more expensive for everything.

 

Vildini Motorsports in Mission Viejo. They do awesome work, and they have excellent customer service. There's another Z garage somewhere in either Torrance or Gardena that a few people mentioned to me a couple years ago, but I can't remember.

 

Would i be better off swapping a low mile engine in? Or should i just stick with the rebuild?

 

Depends on the condition of the motor you are swapping in...

 

Yea of course. What would be the less expensive route? If i can find a strong engine and put money into for a while and then swap it? Or do the rebuild?

 

Just rebuild the top 1/2 of the engine. The lower 1/2 is probably fine, unless there's some deep clunking going on.... The lower 1/2 is friggin' crazy strong and lasts forever.