Old Gear Head - New to 280zx

[SoCal-280zx]

Hello everyone,

I bought a 1981 280zx almost 2 years ago. It runs reasonably well. It burns a lot of oil, 1 qt per 260 miles, and none of the cylinders test above 100 psi (79 - 100). I've been a bit of a gear head my entire adult life with domestic cars and trucks and I look forward to learning about my 280zx.

Obviously, it's time for me to rebuild the motor. A semi-local Z shop knows this car well and states (rather emphatically) that this car has at least 475,000 original miles on the motor. Is this even possible? 5 speed trans shifts too nice to be original, but the rear end makes a constant wrrring sound, so it needs to be gone through as well.

I have a ton of Q's... I don't even know where to start. Not hear in this introduction area, for sure.

Anyway, I've been looking and reading around on this site and you guys look like a great group of people, and I look forward to meeting those that are interested.

Thanx...

SoCal-280zx

[madkaw]

Welcome old gear head. Not sure how much you know about these engines, but if you are a gear head- you are going to like them. Don't hear much about these engines burning oil, but possible 500k miles will do it. We definetly want to see pics of the inside of that engine.

Ask away your questions because you are right, right about this site and it's members are a great group

[olzed]

Hey Old Head.

It may be worth spending a few dollars on a set of valve stem seals before you rebuild the old mill. You don't even need to remove the head. It would be interesting to see how many more miles she can do.

Link below.

Valve Seals

Edited April 12, 2014 by olzed