My new 280Z

[trwebb26]

Hey everybody... my first thread!

I just purchased a rust free 280Z out of Texas for $1500. The body is in phenominal shape, but the car has been sitting in a garage for a number of years. I plan on the every popular 280ZX built turbo motor swap, but would like to get the existing 280 FI motor running in the mean time. Here are the things I'm considering doing to the car to try and get it going:

- Drain all the old gas flush all the lines (where can I take old gas???). Check for rust in the tank and have it worked over by a radiator shop if it is rusty. Replace the fuel filter and fill with new gas.

- Check spray pattern for injectors (is there a "how to" on this somewhere?)

- Check fuel pressure at the fuel rail.

- Replace the cap, rotor, and plugs.

- Check and adjust timing.

- Charge the battery

Is there anything else I'm missing to try and get this beast fired up?

One other question I had was that the positive battery post is VERY close to the body of the car. There is VERY little clearance. I found this extremely weird. Is this common with the Z?

Thanks!

Tim

[zman525]

sounds like you got quite a deal for a rust free Z. Anyways let me be the first to say congratulations and welcome to the site! Ur starting plan seems to be good, but is this goin to be a daily driver or a weekend driver? If its a weekend driver and ur looking for top quality i would recomend stripping it down a little. this means seeing if the unibody under the front fenders is still sturdy, the floor pans are strong and sturdy, frame rails are strong, floor supports and so on. If you do a search im sure there is many threads on inspecting your z. Once again congrats and i hope to see some pics! Also invest in rust proofing the Z too.. in the long run its more than just worth it.

EDIT: for the battery terminal thing try flipping it 180* so the terminals are further away from the firewall.. Also make sure you dont connect them wrong... heard some bad stories bout that. If you need any help along the way im sure everyone here will be glad to help you. Enjoy!

[trwebb26]

There is NO rust on the frame, doglegs, hatch, below radiator, spare tire area, floor pans, under battery tray, etc. The thing is in great shape! I plan on posting pics this weekend.

What do you mean by rust proofing?

Actually - the positive post is very close to the diagonal brace in the rear of the engine bay (close to the firewall). I'll try flipping it around.

Any other pointers to try and get the engine fired up?

[sblake01]

The battery terminals should be on the side that is away from the firewall. If they are not, you have the wrong style battery. The pos terminal is still close to the body. You just have to make sure that it is properly held down.

[zman525]

i went through the same procedures as u listed before i fired up my 280. Plugs, rotor, blew some compressed air through the gas lines incase it was clogged, new dist. cap, plug wires, new gas, ( gas tank was nice and clean so i just put some of that heet water removal stuff in it, id reccomend seafoam... stuff works wonders), charged battery, terminal cleaning ( by the starter and starter slonoid), After that i turned the key and she fired right up. Make sure to check fluid levels ( tranny, engine oil, coolant etc..) Pretty much just perform a basic engine overhaul pefore you fire it up just to keep things clean. I did this on mt 240z and 280z and it worked out fine. Good luck and keep us posted!

EDIT: sorry forgot about the rust proofing part. Rust eats away at Z's rapidly and theres ways to treat it. Stuff called POR-15 is usually the best way to go.. Just apply to arreas that are prone to rusting (floor pans, front end of the unibody, etc) do a forum search on it and ull find plenty of information. There youl find the process of applying it and what materials u need and where you can purchase them. In the long run it is really worth it.

[DatsunZsRule]

Watch out for "Rust proofing" A.K.A. Undercoating which is where they spray the under carriage with like a rubber/tar like coating. If you do this, make damn sure that your car really is "Rust free" and that the entire under carriage is spotless and when I say spotless I mean show quality. If not, then don't bother doing this otherwise the undercoating can actually act as a moisture trap and cause problems. Just a pointer

From what you said in your thread, it sounds like your off to a good start. I'd also go through and clean every electrical contact with a good electric cleaner. CAIG Deoxit is what I highly recommend. Do a search on this site about it and you'll see why. Also flush out the cooling system including the block and refill with new clean coolant, drop all fluids and change with new like engine oil and filter (Obviously) Transmission, differential gear oil, and I'd do an inspection of the suspension and front end components like ball joints, tie rods, brakes, ect. If all looks good, then go ahead and lube everything really well. It will probably need it bad being it's sat for a number of years.

Where can you take old gas? Look in your phone book. I know where I live the city has a place where you can dump stuff like used oil, gas, ect. Otherwise maybe some auto shop will dump it for you. Don't hurt to ask.

Best of luck and welcome aboard.

[Spdloader]

Welcome!

I can add one thing, if the car has been sitting a while, unplug and clean all the connectors under the hood in the wiring harness. Including the grounds and everything. For brass connectors, brush them clean and use some electrical contact cleaner, for plated connectors, use just the contact cleaner and wipe. Don't forget the fuel injector connectors, and the connectors under the thermostat housing, and, they have some bullet connectors 8 to 10 inches into the harness from them that will need cleaning too.

Sounds like a lot of work, but it took me around 2 hours to do it right, and probably saved me hours and hours of headaches later. My car had been sitting for about 8 years.

Spdloader

1976 280Z

[agemeansnothing]

How many people on this site besides me own a 280z datsun?

[sblake01]

Quite a few, including myself.

[agemeansnothing]

Cool because I wasn't finding anything but 240's mostly.

[sblake01]

Well, I've got a lot of info on them if you ever need any help. I've had my 280 since 1997 and my 810 (very similar drivetrain) since 2003 so I've probably come across most anything that can happen with them. What year is your 280? I'm a little better with 77-78 but have worked a little with 75-76.

[bemmerguy714]

welcome. U might want to change ur fuel filter and fuel pump while ur at it.