Lookin at buying a 78 280Z. I'm not hofay with the 280's and my MSA manual is somewhere in the garage...different story there.

It is a fuel injected, 5speed, R200, 14" and a set of 15"s, electric mirrors. How rare are these?

How many of the 280 panels fit onto a 240?

Is the wheel base longer?

Is the FI a better option that to run carbs? What is the availability of FI components?

If you change the cam to a stage 1, will a injector upgrade be necessary?

The car also comes with a L20 engine and as many bits as I need from the old car. What heads were on the L20's historically.

Sorry for all the questions but the car is in the North Island which is some 600 miles away and a 3 hour ferry journey....I'd rather find some info out before going to view it.

Cheers guys and Gals.

Hi 240znz,

I presume that's me you are asking?

Trouble is, I don't know too much about the 280Z model either. We never had them in the UK, and my experience with the Japanese models does not help either as they never had a 280Z model as such over there either.............

But hang on, what exactly IS this beast? You said its a 280Z but you also said it came with an L20 engine. Does this mean it was not originally a 280Z at all - but more probably a Japanese-market S31? Have you got info on the VIN / Chassis number? That might help to identify it.

I didn't think that the 280Z model was officially imported to NZ, in which case I would have thought this was something else. It sounds to me like a late Fairlady Z-L ( 1S31 ) with an L28 engine fitted. Does that sound possible?

Lots of heads were fitted to the L20 engine over the years - so its hard to say what it would have had on it without knowing what it came from.

Alan T.

Cheers Alan,

It was advertised as a FairladyZ. The engine is an original L28 with FI.

He has another car with there which is has a L20 FI in Auto. What I'm thinking of doing is the take as much off the L20 engine as I need for parts. Of course that will need to know if the FI gear fitted to the L20 is the same as the L28. I guess the injectors will be different and the AFM might be also......I need some help in finding this out...anyone else know where a good place to start is????

I haven't the VIN yet but I'll ask the chap today and let you know.

Thanks for your help.

James

Originally posted by 240znz

It was advertised as a FairladyZ. The engine is an original L28 with FI.

James,

The Fairlady Z was never sold with an L28 in Japan.

My guess is that its a fairly late S31, and that it would have come from the Factory with an L20E ( injected ). The L28 was probably either installed in Japan as a tuning mod, or was fitted in NZ when it arrived there as a private import?

Try and get that VIN / Chassis number and it will help to pin down what the car is actually based on.

Good luck,

Alan T.

Sounds like it will be a 280ZX, the model no is S130 or something like that. No body panels are interchangeable with the earlierZs.

I think they changed to that model in 1978, so there is a small chance that it could be an HS30 280Z (without the X) but these were never sold new in NZ. My Z is a 1975 280Z from California. The front valance panels are different from the 240Z. If by chance it is the early model you're looking at I need a few parts, I'm in the NI. If you're keen to onsell some bits let me know.

yes its confusing when people refer to 280ZXs as 280Zs, but it happens all the time - I know, because I also own one of the few HLS30 cars in NZ.

If thats what it is, (doubtful, for reasons others have just given) stick with the injection - a couple of 240s have had the ZX engines including injection dumped in them, and they are an improvement on those wimpy SUs of the 240 (sorry purists)

- btw I saw a Zed on this site with throttle-body injection - instant lust!!!

- and hey lets see if we can round up a few more kiwis and give those ockers a run for their money on this site!

All,

The vendor was to send pic's via email last week and the model number so I could post it here. Called him yesterday and it is sold.

So thankyou for your help guys, but this time the car was not meant to be. It was probably a 280ZX anyway as you described above.

Cheers for your help and let me know if any 240's in good nic come up in NZ.

James.

Hi James,

Bad luck, but I'm sure you'll get a good car in the end.

Thanks for closing the thread. It makes things nice and neat.

All the best,

Alan T.

hey 240znz, where was this 280 with the L20 being sold? the guy down the road has just bought two 280's wanting to do an L28 swap but the first one he bought had an L20 in it?

Gidday Ivan,

The cars where in Danniverke (sp?). The 280 woth L28 was black and the 280 with L20...don't know. From memory it was a parts car. He wanted $1500 for the L28 and the L20 was free.

My thoughts also where that it was a ZX not a Z.

Any news on the Aussie move? Hows that beast?

James

If it had electric mirrors it was a ZX. That is based on my knowlege of Z cars in the USA. I am still learning when it comes to the other markets. This site is the most informative one when it comes to that. We didn't get any 2 litre Z cars over here. Or Fairlady Z's for that matter although you see many here retrofitted with that badge. The 78 280Z was the last of the first generation. Many of its major body parts are interchangeable with the early cars.

Ok i got a question for you guys while you are on Model identification

I got a Fairlady 280z ! (Z not ZX) that has the 280zx body L28 EFI. So its virtually a 280zx, though they where never called a 280z fairlady ? my car is very very jspec so what is it ? a 280z Fairlady or a 280zx Fairlady ?

it is a 1979.

I was talking to a mate who knows a fair bit about the Z's he said it could be a Pre Production 280zx the old engine from the 280z but with the newer body 280zx ?

thanks.