Total transplant : 280 migrate into a 260 shell?

[TheNeedForZ]

Greetings, all

I have a rusty 280Z(76) that I was restoring. Most of the car is in pretty good condition. However, all the rust spots are very, very bad. Basically there are regions on the car that are almost "minty", yet inches away, there will be areas where you can put a fist through. So as I am taking it apart, it always got me frustrated if I stare at the rust holes for too long. Because I know it will take a lot of time, a lot of money, while in reality, college work will only make me busier and busier in years to come.

But there might be a chance! I just found a guy who is selling a restored 260Z. I went to his house and looked at the car. The body shell was restored by professionals, painted in white and it is about 97% rust free. He got the car in a divorce settlement, his ex-wife(car belonged to her) lost interest in the car, so restoration stopped before the car can be assembled. The current situation is that the clean 260Z shell is stored in his garage, with parts from the car loosely stuffed into whatever storage spaces nearby(also inside garage)

I am quite interested in buying the shell, but wonders :

---Will there be difficulty transplanting all my 280Z parts into a 260Z shell?

---Is there any 260Z parts that I absolutely need? Because I was thinking to use the shell only. Mounting brackets and so on can be taken from 280Z?

Thanks in advance

Keng-Pei Chiang

[Ed]

Greetings to you too! Sounds like a pretty sweet find. Is the 260 ready to re-assemble?

Most parts from the 70-78 are interchangeable. There are a few differences here and there. To keep it a 260 you will have to retain some of the original parts. Other wise you will have a 280 stuffed into a 260.

If you don't have one yet get a parts catalog from MSA or Victoria British you could look up a part in question and see if there is a different part for that year. Take all the parts from the 260 even if you don't expect to use it. Better to have and not need than to need and not have. Good luck on your project and don't get discouraged if it takes longer than you think.

[sblake01]

Remember, a 260 is carbureated and a 280 is fuel injected. Fuel lines, fuel tank, wiring harness, ecu, relays & brackets, etc. must be transferred over to the 260 body if you are going to retain the 280 f.i.