Hey everybody, just thought I would introduce myself to all of you. The name's Walter and I'm a Los Angeles, CA native. Been a fan all my life pretty much and just decided to do some research on them because my i6 rwd itch came back. Never owned one myself, but hopefully I will in the future. I never liked the 280zx to be honest, but looking at some 280zx's from here really changed that perspective.

Anyway in closing I would like to ask a somewhat obvious question which I probably already have the answer to but would like confirmation on.. While searching through this place I've read about alot of swapping parts from different cars, which I'm pretty sure would need some light to heavy modification to work. My question is, do these cars have any real aftermarket support? Or is 98% of all modifications for these cars custom made one off parts?

 

Motorsportauto.com
Datsunpartsllc.com
Many more sites/shops offer other parts. I just got an old Z myself and figured out that theyre very much still alive

 

Welcome to the forum Walter! You came to the right place for information. Is it the 280ZX you are only interested in?

 

I'm interested in a s30 or a s130. I somewhat prefer a '75 and under model, but I'm open to any good working with minimal to no rust newer models.

 

So I finally found one. haha

Back Story:

Scowering(?) through CL for a couple of months and researching different types of sporty vehicles in hopes of one day getting my hands on one but yet had no idea on what car specifically I ended up with a list. I was to get either a 240sx, a Cressida, a RX-7, a Celica Supra, a Miata, a S30Z, a S130Z, or an early model Z31.

For those of you still wondering what won...


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The Car:

1976 Datsun 280z (1 year shy of being SMOG Exempt!! :'( )

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The Purchase:

I saw it last week on CL for a pretty small chunk of change and thought it wouldn't hurt to check it out. So I did.. and this is what I saw. ETA: 9am





Pretty good looking car for less than I paid for my GS right!? (Forgot to take pics of it without the car cover hgeez

The catch?



Now... the regular joe schmoe would've ran far, far away from it as soon as he laid his eyes upon that. But being the optimistic SOB that I am I went ahead and jacked up the car to scope out the damage underneath so I could kill all doubts I had about it. This is what I saw...

Driver's side.. looks ok..


That is NOT a lamp you're looking at hgeez:


Let there be light!


Hmm...


Let's look at the other side shall we..

Ehh... that's normal right?




Gnarly sway bar bolt bend..


Strut rod tried to make a emergency U-turn, lower arm definitely took a crap..


So at this point I am looking all up and down the car for body damage. To my utter shock, everything else is A-OK!

- Full black interior [Check]
- Engine runs (Without hesitation!) [Check]
- Leaks (Minimal)
- Manual transmission [Check]

 

Crappy picture, but nonetheless.. 4 TO THE FLOOR!


So I gamble my way to from his $400 to $325, and he bit the hook. So off I go to U-haul.. ETA: 10:30am

I spend 2-3 hours driving to countless U-hauls trying to find a damn car dolly so I can get this over with, and I finally do! ETA: 1:30pm

I get back to PO's house and pay the guy immediately and in return I received..

Few of the service records.. I wonder what's in the torn brown envelope.


And..


Along with the pink slip of course!

And then the question dawned upon me, HOW IN THE WORLD AM I GOING TO GET IT UP ON THE DOLLY!? hgeez:

After COUNTLESS hours (which seemed like days), countless curse words and ALOT of ingenuity, I managed to get 'er up there. ETA: 6:30pm

So after all of that, the PO forgot to sign the the pinkslip! So I waited 15 minutes for him to come back home (he had left), which turned to 20... which turned to 30... at this point I'm freezing my *** off, and filled with grease/dirt. He finally arrives an hour later gets it signed and off I go! ETA: 8:30pm

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Her New Home:

The next day she is introduced to her fellow companion, a face to face introduction was in order...


Part of the damage.. (I liked the wheels too!! )


As she sits as of last week..



That'll buff right out right? ...RIGHT?!


Fun picture


Does anyone know who makes these wheels btw? Model?



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The Plan? To fix the damage and get her back on the road! After that, who knows.. :fut:

 

First things first, get it on a frame rack at a body shop. With a whack like that, and a fairly weak frame, it's probably been tweaked. If you don't get the frame straight, you will be chasing body and suspension problems forever (I've been there, done that). It's best to get it checked for hopefully around $50, and $200-$500 if they need to pull it.

Then just grab all the suspension parts and put it back together.

As for the wheels, they look like Enkei's or knockoffs. Should have stamped id / info on the backside.

(Courtesy of PurePontiacKid's FB):

 

I think they might be knock offs since there's no sort of stamping on the back.

And yea.. I might need to get the frame checked once I get some cash flow in. Hopefully it won't be that expensive.. *crosses fingers*

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So I finally had the time to work on it..





Top view..




Ehh...


Strut rod got it good!


Half way done


Look ma', no shock tower damage!


Tie rod end being a bitch to take out..


Done.. (crappy cell pic)


Is it just me.. or is this supposed to be straight(er)?


Damage, FAST & FURIOUS STYLE yO!


Not bad eh?


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Next up..

I'll try to make a jy run tomorrow and see if I can find a good rack tomorrow since there is no inner tie rods on these.

 

Is that rocker panel a removable part btw? As in no cutting required.

 

Great update! Looks like you have a nice project ahead of you. How is the condition of the interior?

 

Few cracks in the dash and a pair of rips between the bulges of the driver's seat, other than that it's all there.

 

Normal wear and tear for a vehicle of that age.

 

Nice find. Just need a turbo L28 to throw in there after you get the suspension fixed ;P

Welcome to the club!

 

Exactly.

Thanks! Would be nice to throw one or two in there, but with Smog and all.. I doubt it'll make it pass inspection.

 

Here.. we.. GO!

So I finally bring you some updates.

Got my hands on the last piece of the puzzle I needed, I think..

Thumbs up for a straight Inner tie rod! Woot! Woot!

Notice the gnarly purple (black?) bumps on my dumb from when I smashed just the tip of the finger with the BFH!


Gloves? AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FO DAT!
Purrty good I'd say...





MUCH better..



What's left to do..



And I have to install the front sway bar I brought from the JY along with the rear one I disconnected among some other misc. stuff..

Now that I had the whole car uncovered I remember to take some pics of the interior! Finally..

Durrty beast..







Not sure if I should install this or not..



Aaand I'm not sure I like this.. I hate that it's screwed in!



And that's it for today folks!
It looks like tomorrow is the day the front wheels hit the ground finally.

 

Interior looks very clean. Is that a roll bar I see?

 

That is indeed a roll bar.

 

Excellent, keep up the good work and the updates.

 

So... car is still not on the ground!

I managed to install the "new" front sway bar.. it was actually more difficult that it seemed, weird.

So I was trying to remove the tie rod end so I can screw on to the inner tie rod easier and whacked it a few times. Would not come out. So I said screw it and do it the slower way, wrench it in slowy but surely. After that I tightened the castle nut up nice and snugly, when installing the cotter pin I noticed that it wouldn't go through all the way! The castle nut was kinda smashed and wouldn't let it go through. So I thought to myself, "Ok, I'll just replace it with the old, good looking one and call it a day." Boy was I wrong.. Once I removed the beat up and crummy castle nut, the good castle nut wouldn't catch on the threads!

So after fiddling with it and nothing was happening, I decided re-thread it.. only to find out that I don't have a die big enough for that damn stud. So I had to buy a new tie rod after all... so I pretty much said "fukitol" and whipped out the MBFH and finally got it out. I called a couple of places to see where I can get it by today (part must be ordered hgeez, and finally found a place. I get my *** over there and order it. Headed back home, waited an hour and a half and went back to pick up the part. At this time it's already 5:30pm. So I get there only to find out the guy didn't order the right one! When he found the right part it the price changed, instead of being $14 it was now $40! FOR A TIE ROD END?! Long story short I took my refund.. hgeez:

So now I'll have to wait until the weekend comes so I can lay my hands on the car again.. and I still have to order the part from somewhere else.. sigh*

Smashed castle nut



Left- JY tie rod
Right- Old bent tie rod



How it sits now.. SO CLOSE!



So.. until the weekend it is..

 

That was not the news I wanted to hear. I am sure you can find that part a bit cheaper somewhere online, perhaps rockauto. Good luck

 

I'm trying to get it down during this weekend. It'll take atleast a week if I order it online..

 

ARGH! So I finally got to ordering a new outer tie rod end from a local auto parts store. It'll be here on TUESDAY! My gawd.. seems like forever.

 

Yikes, that is quite a wait. Well at least it provides time to reflect on the project and plan for the next job to tackle.

 

Yea, perfect time for my dd to break down... and break down it did.

 

Bummer! What is wrong with it? What kind of car?