pdw5000

Update: I installed the newly refurbished gas tank that turned out very nicely, replaced the master clutch and slave cylinder. Now the car runs and drives great! I was able to take my grandmother for a short little cruise and it brought back so many happy memories for us. Now that we have got it running and driving, my grandmother and I have decided it probably does not make any sense for us to hold onto it. She really isn’t capable of driving it and I really have no use for it. The only reason we even contemplated keeping it was for the emotional connection. After getting it running and taking a short drive, it gave us some closure. So now that we have decided to sell it, I was hoping to get your collective thoughts on what a fair price would be?

Thank you for the link siteunseen! That website is awesome :) Latest update: gas tank has been removed and is at the local radiator shop. There was a lot of rust inside so that was a good call! The shop is going to put it in the hot tank, red coat inside, and repaint exterior for $150. I thought that was a good deal vs trying to do myself and probably wouldn’t have been as good of a job as a hot tank. I also ordered slave and master clutch cylinders. I figured mind as well replace both for all the money they cost ($13 and $23 I believe from NAPA). I’m really having fun working on the car. It brings back a lot of good memories. I am also surprised how affordable parts are and how easy it is to work on. I thought being a foreign car it would have been neither of them. I am glad you reminded me to take some pictures. I get caught up in it and forget to take photos. Here are some photos of it in the garage now jacked up for the gas tank removal. Hopefully, when I get the tank back in (should have tank back end of this week) and clutch working, I can pull it out for a full detail. I also included some pics of interior, engine bay, underside, and worst spot of rust on rocker. Other than a quick wash job this is how I found it under the car cover.

How do you clean inside the tank?

Thank you everyone for the great advice! I replaced all the fuel lines, fuel filter, spark plugs, and air filter. I also flushed the fuel line before installing the fuel filter. I was able to get it running! It ran great for about 5 mins and then started to idle rough and then gave out. I think the filter clogged. When I was flushing the line I was able to get to fresh gas but kept getting small particles of what I believe to be rust from the fuel tank. I’m guessing that is what is clogging it now. Do you think I should keep flushing it and it should get all the flakes out or will I need to replace the tank? On another topic, the clutch had basically no resistance. The fluid was still topped off so I kept pumping it about hundred or so times. I was able to get it to start feeling normal. However, it wouldn’t engage the clutch. With the clutch pushed in I couldn’t get it in gear. If I shut the engine off and put it in gear with the clutch pushed in and tried to start it, the car would start moving like it was in gear with no clutch pushed in. Seems like the clutch is stuck. Thoughts on how to deal with this?

Hello everyone, I am new to the forum and seeking your expert advice on my late grandfather’s 280z that I inherited. My grandfather was the original owner of our 1978 Datsun 280z, 2+2, 5 speed manual, white exterior with brown leather. This car was my grandfather’s “baby.” He was a mechanic by trade and took excellent care of it. He used it as his daily driver for about ten years. Since the late 80s it has been garage kept. About once a year we use to get it out, clean it up, tune it and take it for a short weekend drive. For the past decade or so it has been sitting covered up in my grandmother’s garage. It currently has 84k miles. My grandmother and I haven’t had the heart to do anything with it since he passed away in 2004. We have been thinking it is time to either fix it up or sell it to someone who will enjoy it. We honestly aren’t sure which direction we want to go just yet. This past weekend I dug it out of the garage and clean it up. It actually cleaned up really nice. I drained the fuel (definitely old and discolored) and replaced it with fresh stabil gas, flushed the radiator (was actually pretty clean), changed the oil and filter (old oil looked clean with no signs of wear), replaced a single rotted/cracked fuel line about 3” long on the fuel injection rail, new battery and loosened up a stuck drivers side rear drum break. Overall the car is 100 percent original with no modifications other than the wheels. We still have the factory wheels in the barn. The interior is in remarkably great condition. The dash was clean with no cracks, carpet was clean, leather finished like new with armorall, etc. All the gauges seemed to work. The only issue with the interior is a small tear at the lower side of the drivers side seat from getting in and out. I really don’t think I would have to spend a dime on the interior unless I wanted to address that small tear in the leather. On the exterior it is original paint and body. The engine bay is very clean with no rust or anything out of the ordinary. There is some rust starting on the rocker panels below the doors, although I don’t think it is rusted through, more like paint bubbling. There is some light surface rust starting when you open the trunk lid, but again doesn’t appear to be rusted through. Underneath it looks very good. The floor pans, frame rails, etc. look nice and clean with no signs of rust. I did try to start it but it would just crank with no fire. I used starter fluid and it would fire but would quit as soon as the starter fluid burnt up. I’m assuming the fuel system is gummed up from sitting so long. Here are my questions: Is this car worth restoring? I’m not thinking a full show car restoration but more of a drivers restoration that you wouldn’t be embarrassed to show up to a cruise in with. How desirable of a car is this if we would decide to sell it? How much would it be worth as is? I was never a big z car fan growing up (actually restored a 68 mustang with my grandfather) but now that I’m getting older and researching this car I have to admit the bug is starting to bite me. I’m leaning towards at least trying to get it running and driving to see if I enjoy it enough to continue restoring it. With that being said, in its current state what steps do you recommend undertaking to get it running? Sorry for such a long post, just wanted you to have all the information so you could help me. Thank you in advance!