Found a 1984 300zx

[red_dog007]

Well, my boss was talking to me today about cars. He has sum 15 vehicles of all sorts. When he was talking to me, he said that he has a 1984 300zx w/ T-Tops. All I can remember him saying is that it needs interior, fuel pump and maybe (?) a steering column (?). I am going to have to find out the rest of the details when I check the car out. His price was only $500 I believe. All of his rigs are going for CHEAP because he has to get rid of them by the end of February.

I am going Wednesday to go check out the car and I am going to take my camera to take some shots. If anyone is interested, just let me know. If you want certain shots I will try and get those.

Zip Code of 37363 if anyone around is interested in purchase/pick up. I can get it and even hold on to it if needed for a little while.

Though also don't forget, that I myself might pick up this sucker. Though something else might interest me also. Will have to see.

[red_dog007]

I am not sure if this 300zx is turbo or not, but I was wondering if the motors in the turbo model and the n/a model are exactly the same. No changes or anything. I am curious to know if this 300zx is an n/a if I could just strap on a turbo and not have to do a thing to the motor.

Also, how much psi does the stock turbo push in the earlier models and how much psi can the turbo/engine handle? If this 300zx is a turbo, I am going to try and buy this sucker if there isn't too much that it needs done.

[sblake01]

Turbo motors generally have lower compression heads, different electronics, exhaust, injectors, fuel pump, and differences in the oiling system. Not having much experience with the VG30E and the VG30ET, I would still say you can't just bolt on the turbo and expect the NA engine to work properly if at all.

[daddz]

Just some advice from a long time multiple Z31 owner. They can become a nice driving car in the same vein as the S130 or 280ZX. The only problem is that with a Z31 some of the parts have been drying up at an alarming rate, especially the interior parts.

Under the hood things can get worse from here. The vacuum lines are sure to have ocified by now. I have replaced them on both of my '86 hardtops and it is not a fun job. There are about 25 lines in different sizes. The intake pipe just aft of the air flow meter has a series of rubber bellows and one of them is no longer available from Nissan and must be sourced aftermarket and your best bet is the "hump hose" by boostcontroller.com which will run you about $30. Since it is a timing belt engine make sure the VG30 gets a new one before you start driving it everyday. Most people forget to change the cam seals and crank seal and when not looked after as in one of my cars the oil slick will visit your alternator and cause it to die an early death.

If you have to change the alternator it is not a fun job as you have to drop the front sway bar and remove it from the bottom. Also be sure to look at the valve covers as they like to have new valve cover gaskets evry so often. In my '86.2 this job has been deferred by the previous owner for about 100k now and it can no longer be avoided. This is a fairly big job as alot of junk has to be removed to do this job. Just look at the driver's side of the engine and you will know what I mean.

Be sure to check in the luggage area on both sides. Remove the toolkit and look at the panel underneath as rust likes to begin here. Also be sure to check the spare tire compartment and remove the temporary spare as this area can also begin to rust while no one is looking. Just like the 280ZX/S130 check to see where the semi-trailing arms attach to the unibody for rust and detoriated bushings as these usually don't last long either. My ex-Nissan mechanic custom made a tool which cuts alot of the labor time out of this job should you have to pay someone to do it the bushings can be expensive to replace.

In all it sounds like a car that should be left alone for that asking price. You can get lucky with an S30 as it is much more simple to work on. Keep in mind Nissan packed alot of technology into these cars and that technology is now 20+ years old. Again, I must admit to having enjoyed my time with my Z31's but they are an expensive car to maintain and upgrade and you might be better off with something else if you want a "daily beater".

If you are smitten by the Z31 be sure to jot down the VIN# and visit your local Nissan dealer and ask them for a printout of the Service Comm for that VIN#. The report will tell you the exact build date, retail date, in-service date, PDI date, and whether or not the injector campaign was carried out. If nothing shows up in the dealer's database call 1-800-NISSAN6 and have them "re-activate" the VIN# which takes about 24 hours.

Just some quick numbers on both of mine:

86.1: purchase price 5 years ago: $2100

since then for parts and labor: $9500

86.2 purchase price: $1800

since purchase: $2100 --and this has not fixed all of the issues yet but at least the body is rust free and accident free like the other one.

[daddz]

I just saw your post about the N/A to Turbo swap. It has been done and can be done to an N/A motor. If you get the car and are serious about this swap a friend of mine can give you a shopping list of parts that you will need. It includes things the front crossmember and so on. It is not a small job for the novice but it can be accomplished.

[veritech-z]

84 turbo should have had the little hood scoop and five lug wheels, shouldn't it? Also i've seen z31's with the "turbo 3000" plate on the intake, I don't know if that was all years or just some of them. Just trying to think of ways to ID quickly if it's turbo or not since the turbo can be hard to locate just by looking down into the engine bay. I don't think I'd be tempted to get into a derilict Z31 at any price unless I was seriously considering stripping it down to a shell for racing and only using basic wiring. I like the look of that car (I think I may be in the minority on this one, but as they say: there's no accounting for taste), I just don't have the patience to bring one back to life in an as new condition.

[Fun_in_my_z]

RedDog I have an 85 Z31 turbo with t tops and 5speed. Paid 300 for it put a $50.00 timing belt and $60. tensioner pulley on and it runs like a champ.

That with another $50. fener ans she was good to go. Needs a paint job, but its a good backup car.

[zbane]

If your boss has some 15 vehicles to sell, please note what they are-maybe someone here would like to find a deal, or just some parts.

Regarding the 300zx-Iv'e seen some that were kept really well, and while showing age, they are still attractive; however, I have also seen some that were beaten to hell. Take your time looking it over, and don't let emotion or unguarded optimism take control of your wallet.

[daddz]

Here are a few pics of my '86 hardtop twins:

this is number 2 and has 235k on her and is from SoCal:

and this is number 1 with 217k and is from Atlanta:

If you have the money and time and patience I would suggest finding the nicest one you can as these can become expensive pets!

As for the spotter's guide:

The "Turbo 3000" on the intake plenum cover is for all Z31's '84 to '89.

Usually the N/A '84 and '85 Z31's have four lug hubs but in the first couple of months of production in late '83 I have seen four lug turbo's.

From '86 to '89 all models have five lug hubs and use a 5 on 4.5 or 114.3mm bolt pattern which is common on 2nd gen RX-7's and MA70 Supras as well as Mustangs from the SN95 platform.

The four lug hub models use a 4 on 4.5 or 114.3mm bolt pattern which is just like the S30 and S130 models and I have swapped wheels from all three generations.

[red_dog007]

Man, looks so sexy.

Yeah I am going to look this thing up and down. All that I know for it to run so FAR is a fuel pump. Even at $500, if all I need is a fuel pump to get 20,000 miles out of it, I am game. I would love to have this as a project car a long with my 240z. I love the Z series cars and these 80's 300zx's do seem to be just as hard to come by as the 240 that I got.

Well will see though.

The boss also has trucks (S10's, duallys, big work V8 trucks,), 60's through 90's mustangs, v8 camero's, ummm... Porsche 928, damn I forgot all that he has. I can take pictures of all and then post up here if anyone is interested.

[Mr Camouflage]

I got an '86 300ZXT recently, and needed to change the alternator. It's a damn hard thing to change, but I eventually got it done.

I bought it with the alternator off the engine, but still in the bay, so I never heard it run before buying it, but it was cheap enough so I thought Id take a chance with it.

Got it running, but it sounded like the lifters were very noisy, so I took them out to clean them up, like is says on one of the Z31 sites, but couldn't get them apart - too much gunk in them - so I order a new set from Courtesy Nissan. Its alot cheaper to have a new set flown down under from the USA, than it is to drive 10 minutes to my local Nissan dealer and buy them over the counter. How much cheaper? I saved about $700 by doing it that way!

[BRE-240Z]

The boss also has trucks (S10's, duallys, big work V8 trucks,), 60's through 90's mustangs, v8 camero's, ummm... Porsche 928, damn I forgot all that he has. I can take pictures of all and then post up here if anyone is interested.

You never know. Some of us aren't too far from Chattanooga and could choo-choo right over there.....