I Bought a Datsun 280Z that Sat for a Decade
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- Опубліковано 13 січ 2023
- This is the story of how we first picked up and brought back to life this 1977 Datsun 280Z.
I give a general overview of what it took to get the car back up and running, overall cost of the project so far, and if I think it is still worth buying today.
Obviously in a timely manner I cannot go over every single detail of what has gone into it but if there are any details that you would like to see then please leave a comment so I can answer or make a future video.
Can't wait to see more videos! Love the Z
Thanks! Definitely more to come as I have some plans for the Z
I have a 77 280z. I've had it for over 40 years. I am a Nissan master tech. I have built some bad ass Zs but elected to keep mine stock. That seems to be rare.
Everyone asks when I'm going to take the bumpers off because they are so ugly, but I always say it's part of the charm, and if I took them off, I'd look like everyone else.
Excellent video, that’s a good lookin car too
Thanks, glad you enjoyed
Nice. It's taking me forever to find a Z.
It is certainly getting more difficult to find clean examples. The only advice besides being lucky is to make sure that you have the cash on hand to pounce on a deal. In this game it pays to be first in line with cash in hand.
With everything stock, how is it as a practical daily driver so far for you? I am hoping of getting one someday because I think it’s the best looking car out there, but I’m only primarily concerned about the L engine reliability as a daily. How easy is it to get replacement parts for such an old engine?
I personally enjoy how the L28 engine sounds, and would hope that I wouldn’t have to resort to replacing the engine entirely or often be stuck on the side of the road if I do manage to get an S30 someday.
It's not exactly a "daily driver" as I work from home but I do drive it very often. The largest issue with any s30 chassis will simply be age related issues and any deferred maintenance.
So far the L series itself has been very reliable. I have ~195k miles on mine with no rebuild. Issues with the L series would be related to accessories such as when my alternator failed, fuel injector died, dead ECU, and a faulty fuel pump. All of which I was able to find from normal parts distributors like RockAuto, specialty Z part sites, eBay...etc.
There are a number of swaps available today to upgrade and bring the accessories into the 21st century such as the EasyEFI system to replace the whole EFI system. As far as engine rebuild parts there is such a large following for these cars that there are rebuild kits and gasket sets available.
I would say that mine has been reliable but I would not recommend it as a daily if you need consistent and reliable transportation. Of course it also matters what car you buy, mine sat for 10 years and a lot was wrong but it was still all there. Buying the best you can afford is the best advice I could give and limit headaches and pain down the road.
You may need a computer. I had a 75 that would stall after shifting to 2nd at 6,000 rpm. One day it would not start. I swapped computers and it ran. A few days later. I notice it didn't stall anymore @ 6,000 rpm.
The current issue is cold starts when it's actually cold outside such as when this was filmed at 40°F. I believe the thermotime switch is bad and not sending power to the cold start injector. This is actually the second computer I've put into it as the previous only fired injectors for 3 cylinders. If I need a new computer again, everything is getting ripped out and I'm swapping in a modern ECU, such as megasquirt or the EasyEFI system, with modern injectors and sensors.
@@Dan_And_Daves_Garage We had a few problem with 280z ecu around 1989. 280zx were really bad. I still would love to have another 75 280z.
Did I see you shift to 5th gear? Your 77 has the optional 5th gear. I don't think I ever seen one with it.
Yes, this one has the optional 5 speed which is nice to have. I do wonder how rare they are because I'm not sure if I've seen any other 5spd 280Z's around
@@Dan_And_Daves_Garage I did drive at least one 78 280z 5 speed. I've driven every z from 240 up to 1983 280zx turbo 5 speed.
Nice. My first car was actually the Z31 300ZX in the background. I'm currently doing a ton of maintenance on it and will have a video coming out showing all the work done and end result.