New owner of '77 280z from Upstate SC

[the_tool_man]

Hi all:

Like the title says, I just bought a Z!  From the time I was in high school (early '80s), I've wanted one.  At the time, I drove a hand-me-down '77 Celica (not a bad car, either).  But I really wanted a Z.  I bought a Sunbeam Tiger project back in the early '90s, and had been slowly restoring it.  But I finally got tired of sinking the time and money into the car.  I never did finish it.  I sold it in December, and started looking around for something else, determined to buy something that was already drivable, and not in need of bodywork.  My wife was adamant that I not buy another car that would sit in the shop for 20+ years like the Sunbeam did!

While searching, I came across a few Zs on Ebay, that rekindled my long-dormant desire for one.  So I watched and waited for the right one.  There always seemed to be something wrong: rust, swapped engine, ugly body kit, ugly color, too far away, too expensive, etc.  I wasn't looking for a perfect car.  But most were trashed pretty badly.  Then I came across a Craigslist ad for a '77 about an hour away from me that looked appealing.  It appeared to be in good shape.  The price was a little high, I thought.  But I decided to call the seller anyway.  He described the car as complete and original with no rust, factory AC that worked, etc.  After a long talk, he revealed that he couldn't get the car started, and he'd knock $3500 off the price if I'd just come get it.

I knew I couldn't go see it until the following weekend, so I offered to send him a deposit if he'd hold it.  He said he'd hold it for free.  That was the longest week of my life.  I spent that time researching what could have kept it from running, including seeking help on this forum.  The seller had convinced himself that the fuel system needed to be restored, which is why he dropped the price so much.  I hoped for something far easier.  But first, I had to see if the overall condition of the car was good enough.

Finally, Saturday came.  I rented a car trailer, and took a friend.  I took a bunch of tools and diagnostic stuff, thinking I'd try to figure out the problem with the car.  But on the way, I realized that if I fixed the car, the price might go back up.  So when I arrived, I decided to evaluate the car, and take a chance if it looked promising.  Boy was I nervous!  The car was in a metal barn, behind a dead golf cart and a big air compressor.  The seller restored old tractors, and had quite a collection.  Finally, I got my first look at the car.

As soon as I saw it in person, I was impressed by the overall condition.  The light blue paint looked nearly new.  The seller (second owner) said it had been painted.  But the only way I could tell was from a small amount of overspray on the underbody coating beneath the floor.  There were a couple of pea-sized bubbles in the paint.  But otherwise, no significant rust that I could find.  The interior appeared to be completely original and intact.  The dash (probably cracked) had a cover on it.  The power antenna and clock were broken.  But everything else worked.  The seats looked new.  The carpet was pretty good, except for a little fading in the back.  The car was essentially a time capsule, complete with spare, toolkit, everything.  Probably the biggest negative for me was the aftermarket sunroof someone had installed (as was common in that time period).  But everything else about the car was so good!

I tried starting it.  It started immediately.  But it would die a few seconds later.  Still, it built oil pressure and sounded good.  It was so hard to contain my excitement at this point.  We talked about how much work it would be to clear a path to push the car out of the barn.  We also talked about how much trouble it would be to get the title work done, due to the notary he knew being 15 miles away.  I must have looked annoyed, because he dropped the price some more.  Then I decided to buy it, and we shook hands.

After getting the paperwork done and loading the car up, I could see the seller was pretty sad.  I think he had seller's remorse.  I promised to keep in touch with him, and let him know what happened with the car.  He offered to buy it back from me if I ever wanted to sell it.

We stopped on the way home and put a dose of Star Tron in the tank, along with a fill-up of premium fuel.  While at the gas station, several bystanders commented on the car.  That was fun.

When we pulled up at my house, my friend talked me into trying to get it running, so I could drive it off the trailer.  After posting here, I'd learned that the likely culprit was a dirty AFM.  So we removed the air cleaner and used a piece of wire to push the AFM flap up a little.  I started the car, and it ran, and it kept running!  I brought the engine up to temp; no smoke, no odd noises, no leaks, just the smooth burble of that lovely straight six.  With a little fiddling, we could get the wire to stay put well enough to drive the car off the trailer and into my shop.  I felt like the luckiest guy on the planet.

So I've ordered various manuals and books already.  I've got a set of tires ordered.  And I'm about to start cleaning the AFM.  I've started my "must do", "should do" and "want to do" lists.  I'll update this as I go.  And I'm sure I'll run into issues.  But I'm pretty happy with my decision.  I can't wait to drive it.  Here are some photos.

Edited February 8, 2016 by the_tool_man

[Mark Maras]

 Your patience was rewarded. That's a VERY nice Z. And the bonus of thousands of dollars discounted. Congratulations.

[Pmg]

Hey, another '77 owner! Welcome and nice Z. Search out Blue's tech tips on the Atlantic Z site. He's got a 77 as well and has a lot of great info and how to's on his site. Congrats!

PMG

[siteunseen]

Yes, great looking '77! It has some shine to it. I gambled on a none running car and bought it for less than half asking price, it is nerve racking and tough to keep your poker face. This was a bad distributor and cruddy fuel tank. $200 in parts and some elbow grease and now it's my favorite car, EVER. 

Congratulations. Lots of help here, lots of '77 owners.

Cliff

[gwri8]

Very nice indeed! I kinda wished mine looked that good when I bought it. Welcome!

psst…. you will never finish this car either . nobody does.

[the_tool_man]

I forgot to mention that until I brought the car home, I had no idea that my neighbor is a Z enthusiast and ex-owner.  He knows local guys with spares, and has offered to put me in touch with them in case I need anything.  One thing I have to say about this is the much larger community this car has over the Sunbeam.

Me: "I have a Sunbeam Tiger." Them: "A what? Didn't they make toasters?"

Me: "I have a Datsun 280z." Them: "Cool! I (insert story about owning one, driving one, a friend who had one, always wanting one, etc.)"  This is going to be fun.

Edited February 8, 2016 by the_tool_man

[the_tool_man]

15 minutes ago, gwri8 said:

Very nice indeed! I kinda wished mine looked that good when I bought it. Welcome!

psst…. you will never finish this car either . nobody does.

True.  It'll never be finished.  My '98 Cobra was never finished up until the day it got hit in 2012.  But to get this running and drivable will be a piece of cake compared to the Sunbeam.

[siteunseen]

Very easy and inexpensive parts-a-plenty. You're going to surprised at what your local dealership can get overnight. I've got a file full of part numbers for my '77. Just ask.

That motor was used until '84 Maxima.

[rcb280z]

Definitely a sweet find! That's how mine looked before I made some changes. Wish I left it alone. Looks like it was well taken care of. Whats the vin#? Mine is HLS30401587 production date 05/77.

Welcome to the club!

Edited February 9, 2016 by rcb280z

[S30Driver]

Wow!  A great looking unmolested 77 John.  Even the alloy wheels look to be in great shape.  I love the original radio. 

If the front carpet is still acceptable to you, you can purchase just the rear deck piece separately or possibly dye it if it has not deteriorated badly.

Welcome!

[Patcon]

Congrats. The car looks good. PM me if you need anything. I am local and have lots of sources

[Hardway]

Congrats Tool Man!  That is a great looking Z and you certainly picked it up for the right price.  Your patience definitely paid off and I think many of us have been down the same road of being impatient, buying a project, and never seeing it to the end before selling it.  Now you have something you can drive and enjoy while doing small jobs here and there to make it better.  We look forward to your updates and more pictures.