AlbatrossCafe

Can a turbo benefit from having 2 pipes? Seems like you could get more exhaust flow that way (e.g. two 2" pipes instead of a single 3" pipe)>

Sounds like you need to start off with a lot more research. The "Z" cars used the first generation body style that many find to be more desirable. The ZX was made from 79-83 and uses a slightly updated version. The ZX in it's later years also had a turbo thrown into some of its engines. Lots of people like to swap this turbo into their earlier Z cars to kind of get the best of both worlds (looks of first generation + more powerful engine from second generation). ZX's had a bit more of a "touring" feel than the earlier Z's.

Why do you hate them? I too have been mulling over this subject for my 280z since I am replacing everything in the suspension. The previous owner threw in the Toyota front discs and I can still lock up all 4 tires if I hammer on the brake pedal. So I don't see how adding bigger brakes + discs would benefit me unless I am at the track since right now I seem to get enough braking power.

haha yup... After getting a good look around the engine bay during this install, I'm beginning to realize how simple these engines actually are. Other than some parts being hard to reach, there is not much you can mess up.

I've put off the "investigating oil leak task" in favor of something more fun... I added a boost gauge! I need to start doing research on what intercooler to get so I can increase boost levels. I plan to add that and a new exhaust system soon to get some easy/cheap HP. I got an Autometer gauge for about $65 and put it in a generic mounting pod that I mounted to my A-pillar with 2 sided tape. I can't imagine needing (at this point, at least) anymore gauges and I didn't want to drill anymore holes than I needed, so this was a simple and effective solution. It reads right at 7 PSI boost under hard acceleration exactly as it should. Here's a demo: Finished location on A-pillar: I drilled a 3/8" hole through the firewall next to the existing wiring harness hole to route the vacuum line (rubber grommet not shown): y Vacuum line cable was not super "clean"... I just ran it up the side of the dash and wrapped it in electrical tape so it was less noticeable. This is looking at the left side of the driver dash: Vacuum line from outside (this part still need some electrical tape to help hide it): Assortment of new vacuum stuff: Mounted t-fitting at capped vacuum ports on the intake manifold (perfect fit/location): Stock 7 PSI success:

Do these have any value? Seems like it would almost be easier to start from scratch...

Selling two pairs of 1" / 25mm wheel spacers: https://zcardepot.com/wheel-spacer-set-pair-1.html I was gonna put these on my 280z but decided to go a different direction with wheels. They are 4x114.3 bolt pattern. As I found, they fit the rears fine, but the center bore is not large enough to fit the fronts. You will have to machine that out if you want to use them on the fronts. These are brand new with 0 miles on them. If you want, I can include hubcentric ring adapters (73.1mm center bore to 66.1mm) with them. Save yourself $20-$40 vs. buying online. $50 OBO shipped per pair or $90 OBO shipped for both pairs

Changed fluids today. I got everything except the diff. I couldn't loosen my differential fill plug I was stripping the bolt and had no leverage to break it free, so I'll leave that for another day. The coolant reservoir I'm pretty sure had never been cleaned. There was seaweed like gunk in there... gross! I found a problem while flushing the coolant. I let the car idle in the garage for about 7 minutes with the heat on and more than an "slow drip" of engine oil was deposited on the floor during that time: There is definitely a leak. What's even more curious is that I drained/changed the oil and then let it sit overnight without turning it on and I come out in the morning to some more (but not as much) spillage. WTF? So could there be a leak at the bottom of the oil pan or something? Was hoping with this car that I wouldn't have to mess with the engine much.

For some reason I thought those were the same as the Megan coilovers (similar colors & price point) but I guess not. Added!

Tried to mount my new wheels today (15x7 with +15mm offset) and the 25mm wheel I bought won't fit on the fronts. The center bore doesn't clear the hub: See this thread for more pics: http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/128078-wheel-spacer-doesnt-fit-280z-front/ I'm thinking of getting the center bore diameter drilled out a bit at a machine shop so that I don't have to deal with swapping out a brand new set of wheels/tires that are already mounted.......

"The seller reports that the gauges, lights, and switches work with exception of the power antenna." My antenna works... can I sell my Z for 40k? Edit: wtf, the AC isn't even hooked up. With that and the plastic dash cap, how did this sell for so much? This sounds like what a lot of us do to our cars. Nothing special...

I just went through this. I literally spent around 12-15 hours looking for 15x7 wheels to go with my 205/60/R15 tires in the OEM 280z 4x114.3 bolt pattern with 0 offset. There is NOTHING! The options are limited if you don't want to spend $4,000 for something custom or some re-manufactured old classics. There are 3 easy to find choices - konig/enkei/rota - but they all look pretty similar to me and I didn't like any of them. There are also plain 'ole steelie wheels which are "ok" but a little boring for me. I like the XXR 557 wheels (they make 15x8 with 0 offset) but an 8" wheel is too wide for me with 205mm tires. What I ended up doing was ordering XXR 557's in 15x7 with +15mm offset and getting a 25mm (1") wheel spacer to make them fit. This should have the tires stick out 10mm more than normal, which is not enough to need flares and IMHO fits the car a little better since the wheels at 0 offset are really sucked in/narrow to me. So you could go this route and look for a wheel with some positive offset and then use a wheel spacer to make that positive offset go back to 0 (or close to it) so that it will fit. This will open up your choices a bit. A lot of wheels are made with 38mm positive offset, but they make 38mm wheel spacers as well. Of course, you have to be open to the idea of wheel spacers... I can give a pic this weekend. I just got the tires mounted this week so this is all I have for now:

Added (with limited information)... I can't seem to find a price on their site or anywhere else.

At the risk of sounding redundant, I wanted to put together a coilover list. There are a few of these threads/topics around the internet already, but lots of them are from years towards 2006 (I didn't even have my driver's license yet) and have old, outdated links, or are not very comprehensive and easy to read. I am looking at coilover sets for my '78 280z so these links will be specific to that (mainly so I can reference it later). Assume that all are ride-height adjustable. I didn't look super hard for lowest price, so the options may be cheaper somewhere else. Order: Expensive --> Least Expensive Format: Name | Cost | Colors/Special Notes | Link TechnoToyTuning Coilovers | $2040 | Maroon/gold, NO-WELD (send in your cores) | https://technotoytuning.com/nissan/280z/front-coilover-conversion-datsun-240z-260z-and-280z + https://technotoytuning.com/nissan/280z/rear-coilover-conversion-datsun-240z-260z-and-280z Arizona Z Car Coilover Set | $1600 | Red\Silver, camber plates | http://arizonazcar.com/coil.html Stance USA Coilover kit | $1295 | Black/Bronze, Camber Plates and Swift Springs @ +$300 each | http://sakuragarage.com/products/datsun-suspension/ BC Racing Coilovers - BR Series | $1200 | Black/Gold, camber plates | https://coiloverdepot.com/products/74-5-78-nissan-260z-s30-bc-coilover-br-type?variant=16741482757 KSport Control Pro Fully Adjustable Coilover Kit | $1080 | Black/Orange, Pillowtop Camber Adjustability | https://www.andysautosport.com/products/ksport__cns361-kp.html D2 Coilovers - RS Series | $1000 | Black/Purple, camber plates | http://www.sparktecmotorsports.com/d2-d-ni-01.html Megan Racing Coilovers | $900 | Black/Red, Pillowtop Camber Adjustablity | https://www.andysautosport.com/products/megan_racing__mr-cdk-280z.html CX Racing | $869 | Black/Red, Pillowball mount & Camber plate adjustable | https://www.cxracing.com/coilover/coilover-nissan-infinity/CO-B-280Z-0405-PB Ground Control Coilover Kit | $429 | Maroon\Yellow, No adjustability | https://www.andysautosport.com/products/ground_control__6020.01.html Other Evolved Front Coilovers (FRONT ONLY) | $1290 | Maroon/Gold, camber plates, NO-WELD (send in your cores) - Don't seem to list a matching rear set | https://technotoytuning.com/nissan/280z/evolved-front-coilover-conversion-datsun-240z-260z-and-280z Intrax | $??? | There are 4 options on their site. Can't find any pricing. Made in Holland. | http://en.intraxracing.nl/merken/datsun/ If I missed any, let me know and I can add them.

haha ugh... that does help but it seems to be a little bit more involved than I was hoping for. That answers question #3. Anyone have an idea on cost to weld/where I can take it? Should I take to a Z-specialty shop or can any custom-fab shop do it?

Hey guys, I need new coilovers at all 4 corners. Regardless of the fact that I have no idea yet which ones to get, I need a few questions answered: Where did you take your coilovers + strut tube to have them welded together? (do I need a specialty shop or what?) How much did it cost to weld all 4 coilovers? (I plan on taking them the new coilovers + disassembled part) What do I need to provide to the shop to have the job done? (which OEM parts, what kind of info do I need to provide in terms of ride height, etc.)

Fixed my weird noise and clunk!! One of the u-joints in a rear half-shaft was bad, so I replaced it (and the other 3 while I was at it) yesterday. Took me about 9 hours to replace all and reinstall the half-shafts cus it was my first time ever doing u-joints. Not too bad of a install though, and definitely worth saving $300-$400 vs. a shop install It 100% fixed the noise that I was getting in my rear diff (see this video) and it appeared to also fix the "clunk" I got when the clutch was let out. I'm really happy about this cus I thought it was the diff clunk, but it turns out it was just play in that bad u-joint. It reduced some vibration as well. One thing I dislike about this car so far - how the f are you supposed to easily access the bolts to remove/replace those half-shafts? I barely have any room for a 14mm wrench, let alone a socket. It takes me an hour just to take them out or put them in cus of no clearance to turn it. Cracked end cap - the bad u-joint had a cracked cap with no bearings left. No wonder it sucked Pressing out old joint and cleaning up interior surface: New u-joints installed! Pic of car for good measure

Had some awesome stuff come in over the week Tires, wheels, control arms, tension rods, wheel spacers (to fit wheels), tie rods, sway bar bushings, steering coupler, and new u-joints for half shafts. Getting tires mounted this week. I want to hold off on the suspension swap until I figure out coilovers.

Yeah, that's what I ultimately decided. I hate the 3 popular konig/enkei/rota wheels available for our cars in the stock offset/bolt pattern with 15" diameter. I decided to buy some wheels I actually liked with +15mm offset and I'll use a 25mm spacer giving about -10mm offset when done. The spacer and the wheel will be hub-centric at least. I can't afford custom wheels (especially when I'm not sure what my end color is) if I want to do ANYTHING else to my car. Btw your car is awesome! It looks so funny with the stock offset wheels in those big fenders though

Looks like this dude on HybridZ has 38mm offset wheels and is running 38mm spacers. So I guess my theory is correct as his wheels look to be at the "stock" track.

I run 2" spacers on the rear of my Nissan Xterra and have put them through a lot of off-road abuse without any issue. My concern is not the integrity of using spacers but moreso if I can achieve clearance from the suspension components that I want.

Hey ya'll, I have 14" stock rims and just ordered 205/60/R15 tires, so I need a new set of 15" wheels. I'm looking for 7" in diameter. I don't like the 2 or 3 options there are for 15x7's with 0 offset, and I'm trying to keep the tire track pretty close to stock. So it got me wondering..... If I bought a wheel with 25mm (about 1") POSITIVE offset, but then combined it with a 25mm wheel spacer, wouldn't that simulate "0mm offset" in terms of clearance with calipers, brakes, spindle, etc.? If yes, then this would be nice as it would give me more wheel options by using an 1" thick adapter to change bolt pattern, or picking a wheel with positive offset in 4x114.3 pattern.

Definitely not. I did that exact wheel check. The wheels tend to spin in opposite directions AKA open diff.

Cool, thanks for advice. Why don't they like poly? Is it too stiff? The engine came from an '82 ZX with auto tranny, so he kept the original 5-speed manual (and I would imagine the diff) from the 280z... I didn't notice anything odd about the acceleration/pull but I've only driven it 60 miles or so.

REAR DIFF/HALF SHAFTS: I have an awful clunk when I let out the shifter and a weird noise when putting on the gas. I took out the half shafts and the left side one definitely has a bad U-joint (see the video!). The right side is OK. I think I will order a rebuilt pair and send these 2 in to get my "core charge" refunded. Not sure about the diff mount yet. I can't really see under there. I need a full vehicle lift. That diff front is pretty tucked up into the car. I guess I'll fix the half-shafts and see how it sounds. Not sure how the mustache bar/bushings work either. I think I have the R200 diff? (1978 5-speed manual).