CWHammer

I was looking at a 300ZXT yesterday that a guy has setting at his shop. It has been setting for around 8 years. He said $500, u haul it away. The body looks rust free and incredibly straight from the quick inspection i gave it The interior is shot and the drivetrain looks intact. I have an '83 280 and love it, is the 300 as much fun?

skib

it might be $500 of fun lol but stock Z31 performance isnt to much to brag about

CWHammer

One fella says his will outrun an EVO. I just read that one tonight, find it hard to believe, but who am I to say?

Even on a turbo car? Are there alot of suspension and brake upgrades available? I know I can find performance tips/tricks, but what about parts?

skib

a stock Z31t will not outrun an EVO

the single cam VG30et is only pushing about 200 hp in a near 3,000lb car

CWHammer

I'm with ya on that one. It was probly one o'them Oz editions. They look like an EVO.

I bet a ZXT would spank my NA 280 like a new born baby though. I just worry about it sitting for 8 years or so.

skib

yup, sitting will wreak just as much havoc with the fuel system as with the 280zx

IMO put the $500 into your 280

NismoPick

uh... $500 for a Z31T is a pretty freaking good deal if there's nothing wrong w/ it. Especially if it's an 87+ (I didn't see anything about what year it is though...).

The VG30ET is a great power plant & has a lot of potential. The only issue will be the decay from sitting for 8 years. Tires, fuel, fuel lines, rust (body & motor), etc.

If it's crap, you could still part it out for more than $500.

fdc_guy

Buy it and sell me the transmission and all the other parts for 200 bucks

260zturbo

i paid 600 for my parts car z31. all i took out of it was the engine,tranny and diff (lsd) so it was well worth the money

CWHammer

I'm not sure of the year. I'm working on getting the seller to get a clear title for it and give me a price for the other two Z31s he has. I'm moving from MI to AR soon and will have a place to work on\store these soon.

Are there any common areas of trouble, other than the ones you already listed, to look for with the z31? I'm all too familiar with the S130 but not so much with these.

260zturbo

http://www.az-zbum.com/

bojo68

All I got to say is just be sure you have the intestinal fortitude to work on those things, it's nothing like the s130, simple. Yes, I realize I'm putting something in an s130 that many would say is worse, so I have no room to bitch. But I had one, and I sold it sooner than work on it. Maybe if I'd driven one I'd have more sympathy, but mine was a non runner, and never got fixed.
I will agree that they do look good though, I turned down a really nice one that would make my current s130 look like dog crap, of course it can pretty much do that by itself already...

CWHammer

Seems that there aren't too many fans of the z31.

bojo68

It's a judgment call. Everybody has varying ideals. A lot of the guys feel pretty much the same about the s130, I don't see it myself. I do think the z31 has a tendency to have a more constant stream of little bothersome crap hang ya up, but it's not the end of the world. I'm probably not a real neutral guy on it either, I've never really liked v6's. About the only exception I can think of is some of the Grand National Buicks, and their Pontiac outgrowth.
I just wanted you to know what your getting into, sounded like you'd kind of assumed you'd be as pleased with the z31 as you had with the s130, s30, and I'm not necessarily sure that's true.

skib

Theres just not that many around (IMO) and there pretty 80's dated lol

Theres some pretty badass Z31's out there tho, theres some good potential in em

260zturbo

http://www.88hybrid.com/forum/
http://z31performance.com/forum/

hoov100

lol, turbo z31's arent that hard to work on, just gotta know what your doing, redesign the driverside engine mount and be a good fabricator/thinker.

CWHammer

Sounds like a good challenge. I learned alot working on my 280 and I think I would enjoy the opportunity to learn more of the Z car line up. My biggest fear is having to dump 8-10k to make it a daily driver.

Those are some awesome pics! I really like the fender flares on that body.

NismoPick

$8k-$10k will give you a nuts track car.

kittyz

+1 on 88hybrid. good people and they know what they're talkin bout.

CWHammer

I have to move my 280 and all of my tools here. I can't take the down time anymore. I need a Z fix....

The z31t that I'm looking at is pre '87 I believe. It has the older style taillights. I'll be stopping by early next week to try and get more info\pics. From what I can see it's complete with nothing parted off of it.

The move is going to eat up a lot of cash so it may be a while before I can get much done with it but I can tinker and research until it hurts.

SloppyGoat

That was me that said that, and I swear it happened! It wasn't an STi (I'm pretty sure it was a 2004 WRX. It had the tail and hood scoop, but not an STi. It had to have been the 227HP one. It was a very cold day, so my turbo was feeling extra peppy. It was hard to hook up, because it was like 10°F, tires were cold, and the road was dry, but very cold. I launched with a little spin and lost traction for a sec when I hit 2nd, then pulled on him about half a car length. I don't think he spun at all, being AWD.
I was bone stock at the time. No, he wasn't just a bad driver. He was doing all he could, as far as I could tell. It sounded good anyway. I didn't hear any bad shifts or anything, and he wound the **** out of it. The look on his face said it all. I'd race another one any day. Hell, I've been looking for another opportunity. I'd love to surprise another one. He flashed me a peace sign at the next light as he drove by, like a little sign of respect for the old Z.

I would say the 300ZXT will be more fun than a 280. Don't get me wrong, I love 280's, too! I don't believe all the specs really match on the '87 models, since some mid year changes were made that were not really documented as closely. Some have the W motor, LSD, etc. It may just be my car. I don't know. Perhaps something was done to it before I bought it (But what? It looks stock.), but it's surprised quite a few people. I really wish I could put it on a dyno and see what it makes right now, before I do anything else to it. It's a bit of a mystery, I think. The damn thing has always gotten shitty gas mileage too, but shows no sign of running really rich. It just runs strong.

flatblack

Neither is the S30s haha

MBC, Nistune, bigger injectors, and an intercooler and you're making some decent power.

My Z31 is the DD and I love it.

BADASSTT

I think your Z31 looks kick ***. I believe you. But mayby your car is boosting 10psi and you dont even know about it.