Datsun 280Z Page!

A Bit of Background...

 In 2021, I accomplished a life-long goal of owning a vintage automobile. It was in rather poor condition, likely destined to be a parts car. However, I saw something in it and was super determined to make it work. Thankfully, It paid off.
I was lucky to have a grandfather who knew a thing or two about restoring cars. But as we set to the task of turning it from a scrapyard citizen to running the roads again, it became clear that we were a bit out of our depth. But bit by bit, day by day, we scraped together enough pieces and parts to get it running and stunning in exactly one year.
 At it's core, this is a 1977 Datsun 280Z coupe, the last revision to the S30 model of Z cars. It's USDM Federal Emmissions flavored, and came from the factory with A/C and an Automatic transmission: A veritable Southeastern US cruiser. The factory color set was Bright Blue Metallic with black interior, which we retained.
The specifics of the loadout, though, is not quite as straightforward. Whoever previously owned this can may have been having engine issues, or overheated it. The stock fuel injection was butchered, the valve cover was off and the cam sprocket disconnected, and there were signs that much of the car's wiring had been spliced and repaired and was no longer trustworthy.

Detailed Specs:

• Engine Block: 280Z L28E straight-six N42 block, .040" overbore with stock crank (87mm bore, 79mm stroke)
• Engine Head: 280ZX L28E P79 head, otherwise stock
• Camshaft: COMP CAMS 260S (214@.050") Street Performance Cam
• Distributor: 280ZX NA E12-80 two-wire distributor
• Intake: Triple Weber 40mm DCOE 151 carburettors on Canon intake manifold
• Exhaust: Stock Manifold, pipes, muffler
• Transmission: 3N71B 3-Speed Automatic Transmission
• Differential: Nissan R180 carrier w/ 115mm ring gear
• Brakes: Stock front disc / rear drum setup
• Wheels: Rota RB 15x7 4x114.3 wheels (+4 offset) & 195/65R15 tires

A lot had to be cleaned up from past work done to this car. The N42 block and it's associated heads were designed for dished pistons, but the P79 head was intended for the later F54 block and it's flat top pistons. The loadout as it was resulted in a very low compression ratio that wouldn't have helped performance. Additionally, the Bosch fuel injection harness and computer were in horrible shape, to say nothing of the seized throttle position sensor and airflow sensors. The valve cover had been left off, allowing rust to form all throughout the engine. The brakes were locked in place, there were signs of a driver-side impact that had been hastily repaired, the floors had rotted away... All in all, the poor thing couldn't have been very happy when it was last driven and then parked.

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But what about now?

When we got it put back on the road in March of 2022, it was like a dream come true. As I cruised around town it was such a relief to sit in the drivers seat and enjoy that moment. A year-long collaboration between my grandfather and I, being taught how to work around issues and missing parts, solve problems, and repair vehicles had paid off.
Reality kicked in a little harder not too long after. It would die once up to temperature, starting off the line could kill the motor, it seemed to struggle for power out of nowhere, the A/C leaked all the refridgerant, and the transmission was so eager to leave first gear that many times you would be starting in second. But even with those struggles, once it all came together, that straight-six would sing and the car would fly along, never failing to make me smile.

In Summer of 2023, after completing numerous fixes and part exchanges to include rewiring the entire car from scratch again, it was running steady enough for me to trust it on a trip. I drove the car for over 1,500 miles through South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennesse, and Virginia, even driving down US-126, the Tail of the Dragon! Finishing the excursion with the Blue Ridge Parkway, the car seemed to be running excellent in the higher altitude, which made me want to take another crack at tuning it to get that same response at my home at sea level.

But as fate would have it, the car had other plans as I started to lose traction on even lightly damp roads. To my horror, I discovered that the new tires we put on at the start of the project were almost completely smooth only 10k miles later. What on earth happened? I suspected the suspension and rubber bushings, and we put the car under the knife again only to find that every bit of the suspension was damaged, inoperable, or straight up missing.
Reasonably shaken that I had driven some rather dangerous mountain roads with no shocks, missing bolts, and over an inch of play in some bushings, the car is currently off the road while waiting for the requisite parts to arrive and be installed.

But the Z will return to once again run the roads soon enough. But even now, more plans are brewing to address some long standing issues with the car!

Stay tuned...