S30Driver

Worked on rebuilding the 78 280z seats for local club member Scott M. on and off this winter. Finalized them today. Phew.... glad they are done. The leather covers are from Interior Innovations, new foams were from Classic Datsun. Ran into an issue with the closure of the seat backs... The material was about 1 1/2" too short to make it close properly over the tangs in the bottom of the seat backs. Either the manufacturer screwed up the length, or the 78 seat back frames grew and got longer. Tried every trick in the book to overcome the issue, finally had an upholstery shop sew in a extension to the leather at the seam where the reinforcement is. Worked out perfect, the fit is now tight without it trying to tear the seat material apart. This is the 2nd set of leather covers I have done from interior innovations. The first set that I did for my car 2 years ago was tight, but nothing like this. If I were to order any more covers, I would have them extent the problem area with the 1 1/2" of extra length. Overall, the leather covers are of great quality. The ones I did for my 77 z car are just coming up to 2 years and I will do a 2 year update on them very soon....

From the bigger bumpers, it is what is considered in north america to be a late 260. 5 of 74 is nearing the end of the 74 model year and they were gearing up for the introduction of the 280z for 75.

The great news is ... it has no sunroof. Looks like you got a good deal.

Impressive results for sure! The mikuni's look great. Include a pic of the valve cover after.

Congrats! Best of luck with the project. A lucky son! From the build date, it should be what is considered a late 260. Bigger bumpers, both mechanical & electric fuel pumps, and the carburetors were originally the flat top design although many have been retrofitted with the earlier round top version for various reasons. Search for some pictures of member Mike W's beautiful, gold cup winning 260 for some inspiration ....

You could source a new alternator pulley with a similar diameter to the original one to match the damper & then find a matching belt. I would not be comfortable with the current belt issue.

You could order it from Chester & Herrod (ask for Jim). They have the patterns and will make the 280 kit you need in the loop style carpet. The difference is with the tunnel & rear deck area, and under the seats. It would not be correct as the later cars had cut pile carpet.

It is all personal preference, your car, & your choices. The aftermarket sound deadening material really makes a difference in road noise, especially with the windows up. As far as the carpet, I have never considered the stock or aftermarket carpet exactly plush, especially the early cars loop style.

In that area, they sell frequently in the $600 - $800 range. He last was on this site over ... 8 years ago.

He has run that same ad for quite a while, (years) since he moved. I doubt he would be interested in a road trip with parts unless you guaranteed him big $ in sales.

280 oem rear strut insulators are NLA as far as I know. Have never seen an aftermarket version. However, if you have lowered the car, you can use the 240 insulator which is still available (around $80) or if it is stock height, a billet spacer is available from zcardepot to make up the difference in height for an additional $26.

Remember that the stock rims are 14" which has a big impact on tire selection. Also, you seem to be in weight reduction mode, alloys would be lighter.

Looks like a 220 series, possibly 320 as CaTechZ has noted. 1960 or so vintage.

Thanks Rich for taking the time to do the project breakdown. One question about the paint & body work, how was Miguel paid for his service? Was it in increments over the 5 months? What paint did he use? I too congratulate you and the customer on this great project resulting in a very beautiful car!

Congrats on your car purchase! Very Nice. Take good care of that only original once paint. When I lived in the Seattle area, I purchased some of the still available oem parts from Yonker Nissan. Always drew a crowd when I took my 280 there. FYI, later this year, there is a big Datsun event in Canby Oregon. Take that nice car there.

Nice looking car! The MSA body kit looks good with that color. A big plus for the car, is that it is not the GL option version. You have the much nicer analog gauge package (as opposed to the digital dash) and the manual hvac system vs the problematic automatic climate control. FYI, should you ever want to change it, the 79 zx speedo reads much higher speed than your 85 mph unit and is fairly easily changed. Good luck with it & welcome.

+1 on copper coat, have used it also for many years. Used it when I redid my in/ex gasket 5 years ago. Used a Nissan gasket.

BGM is correct, it is the aspirator fan for the automatic climate control system. A common failure. I think there is a little grill between the defroster vents for it to draw in the cabin air sample.

Thanks for the update Steve! I agree, the website looks great. One of the issues that came up in Austin last year, was trailer parking. The hotel did not set up a separate area for the trailers, they were just mixed in with the reserved Z car parking. Returning to the hotel and finding parking was a challenge some days. Hopefully, this is being set up with the Sonesta. I noticed on the registration there is a provision for trailers, so maybe this has already been factored in.

The 280 edge seal is, I believe your only choice.

You are right Charles, EDPM or ethylene propylene are the ones rated for brake fluid. All you need are the id sizes ... https://www.amazon.com/EPDM-O-Ring-70A-Durometer-Black/dp/B003SLE5L8

Ferg, each injector uses 2 seals, the ones you show look like only the bigger seal. The small one seals the injector to the intake port. Orielly has the correct kit, https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/bwd-3123/fuel---emissions-16775/fuel-injection-16471/diesel-fuel-injector-17271/fuel-injector-seal-o-ring-kit-12312/bwd-fuel-injector-seal-kit/274031/2583445/1977/nissan/280z?q=fuel+injector+seals Amazon has Beck Arnley which are good quality in sets of 4, order 2 kits and have 2 spare seals for the same price. https://www.amazon.com/Beck-Arnley-158-0022-Injection-Ring/dp/B000CB1V2S/ref=sr_1_12?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1516236313&vehicle=1977-67-874-20--7-8-7-5564-1068-1-4-1819--1-0&sr=1-12&ymm=1977%3Anissan%3A280z&keywords=fuel+injector+seal+kit

Great progress! I'm sure you know but in the spirit of site member Captain Obvious, be sure to replace with fuel injection rated lines. Also inspect the fuel lines in from the filter & the return for age/cracking.

@borini63 is very likely to have one ....

They are desirable, many people refurb them (especially in Texas ) with new plating and a lens. Hard to find in excellent condition. New are NLA. All years are very similar, except for the switch material.