the_tool_man

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.

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.

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.

I want to start by saying thank you to everyone who helped. The suggestion of checking the AFM was spot on. There's a long story that belongs in its own thread. But basically, I evaluated the car enough to convince myself of its condition, and that the engine was likely in good condition (i.e. test starting, verifying oil pressure, etc.). I didn't attempt to further diagnose the issue. Instead, I bought the car at a low price, since it wasn't running, and trailered it home. When I got it home, we removed the air cleaner, and pushed open the AFM flap with a piece of wire. The engine started and idled smoothly. I was able to get it to run well enough to back it off the trailer and into my workshop. I'll get to work cleaning the AFM and go from there. I'm excited to finally be a Z owner (see pic), and glad to have found you guys. Thanks again.

In the US the same type of valve, when used on car and some bicycle tires, is universally called a Schrader valve. Because the ones on fuel lines and a/c lines work exactly the same way, I call them the same thing. I can't say whether the term, when used outside of tire valves, is standard or not. I'm belying my US bias here. Apologies if my use of the term confused the issue.

Yep. See photo. My fuel pressure gauge is fitted with a female socket to thread onto a Schrader valve. Glad to know that won't work in time to get a different one.

BTW, I take it from the photos there isn't a Schrader valve for the fuel pressure gauge? What diameter fuel hose should I take? Thanks.

Thanks for the help, guys! That gives me a few things to check. For the record, I'm used to late model cars. So it'll take time for me to figure out a car that doesn't use a MAF, IAC valve and OBDII trouble codes, lol. I have a lot of reading to do. Thanks again. Regards, John.

Hi all: First post, so go easy on me. I don't own a Z yet. But I'm going to look at one (a '77 280) that may become available for sale. Current owner says he let the car sit for a couple of years, and the fuel went bad. He drained the tank and refilled with good gas. The car will start, but won't run for long before shutting off. He says it starts right back up and then dies again. He and I discussed, and theorize that there is crud (probably rust) in the tank getting sucked into the tank outlet screen and clogging it. If that theory is right, I assume the tank needs to be cleaned out, and maybe coated to prevent rust. I'm only beginning to learn about these cars. So I don't know what else to look for. It seems that the fuel pump works, and the engine otherwise has spark, or it wouldn't start at all. I'm going to look at the car on Saturday. I plan to take a fuel pressure gauge, starting fluid and a spare fuel filter. What else could be wrong that can be tested without too much trouble? I'm hoping for an easy fix if he decides to sell it to me. Thanks in advance, John.