Virto

Hard to say, but not likely. That car is a bit more rare than the average Z, and there's a whole muscle car world backing that one to high numbers. The Z following, while committed and dedicated, just isn't as big, and while more and more people are finding these cars and loving them, I have a feeling we'll be little more than a niche market. If it gets to the point that you can pick up a Jeg's catalog and order ANY part for your classic Z, and shops are starting to produce parts that are NLA, rather than just hunting for the occassional spare and charging a fortune, then maybe I'll change my thinking.

Some 1st gen Zs also had vinyl tops. Maybe that's what he's referring to. It wasn't very common, and really helped the rust take hold, but at least in my 78 owners manual, it has a section on caring for the vinyl top.

You'll have to drain everything, and probably have to boil or replace your gas tank and radiator, as they've both probably rusted way inside. Good chance you may have to replace all the brake lines, fuel filter, seals, gaskets and such. The carbs will undoubtedly need some cleanup and adjustment...Z Therepy can help you with that, either buy the do it yourself video or have them reconditioned. Also, take a peek under the car or under the carpet and see if the floor pans have rusted out. If they have rusted badly, the car might not be safe to sit in and you'll have to deal with that as well. You'll need a battery, new tires, and the lot with this one, but if she's in solid shape body and frame wise, it's another Z that's worth the time, effort and cash. Love to see some pics, and get an occassional update. I'm sure some others will post after me and offer more in-depth details. Welcome aboard.

Looks like it but I don't see fuel lines...do the FI cars have that same throttle linkage? Why am I asking instead of walking to the garage...:lick:

Like Gary said, a shop manual will be very helpful. You might also want to grab "How to Rebuild your Nissan/Datsun Engine." It's 20 bucks and has a great walkthru and lots of pictures.

Plenty. Plus this car doesn't have any VIN tags, so it's basically parts.

Well now we have to wonder if it either worked and he didn't tell us, or if there's some legs sticking out the front of a Z right now.

This thing AGAIN!? I'd bid 10 bucks, but I'd be afraid I'd win!

Jeebus! I just got my dash cover and engine rebuild book last week and it felt like christmas, even though I only spent 50 bucks! Sigh...the horror of buying "as much" house as you can afford.

$500 sounds reasonable. It's bound to need replacements of most major systems to run, and after 25 years, I can only imagine the frame rot...depending on where you are of course. Not a great end for a Z, but it's better that it might live on in parts than to just melt away in a backyard.

I don't really think it's a load of crap. It's pretty widely accepted that you shouldn't run a 10:1 compression, and the book "How to rebuild your Nissan/Datsun Engine" covers it. From the few things I've read, 10:1 or over is a potential timebomb on L6 engines. Sure it can be done, but it depends on if you're looking for everyday reliability or track day performance, when you have a trailer handy to get it home should it blow.

Take a gander over at: http://www.zcarparts.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=7AD1 MSA has a few that look pretty nice. Certainly good to have options when you're looking for something like this.

Yhea, if you pulled the high tension wires, you might have them mixed up now. That would certainly cause a problem.

They look alright til you see the one with that big old bite out of it. Maybe he should shine them up, or at least dust them and post those pics instead. You'd think you'd want to show something at it's best to sell it.

Give this a read. http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/efisystem/280zfuelinjectionbook.pdf

No, I suppose it didn't....

The (older) book Z-Car: Legend in it's own time has a Scarab based on a 260Z that MIGHT be the missing purple color. I'll bring the book home from the office and see if I can figure out my scanner.

I actually just had this happen in an Infiniti G20...cooked the fuseable and the radio and the anti-theft and the defroster. Fortunately, fusables for Zs are a bit cheaper. You can get them from MSA if you need them. Once you get the car powered again, check all the electrics, lights, wipers, and so on. You might have just taken out the links...which is what they're for.

Honda NV750 Custom style cruiser based on the Shadow, made in the early to late 80s. Popular in the UK and Russia, of all places. Not worth a whole lot, probably why your friend got it free. There's quite a bit of info available thru Google, but you might have to sift through a variety of UK-based sites to get to it. Looks like it'd be a fun bike though. Good luck with it.

Stock mirror looks a lot more sturdy...probably doesn't flop around like mine. Might have to pick one up.

Looks a lot like the mirrors on my car...but mine are only one screw...I think MSA sells them as "racing mirrors." I know they're in the catalog. Here's a pic from MSA... They might not be identical to mine...but mine vibrate badly and basically spin on thier pivots. Now that I'm thinking about it...what do the stock 280Z mirrors look like...oh well, that's a question for another thread.

There's a reason this site is the start page on my browser, and a reason why I'm here pretty much whenever I'm online. This is one of, if not the best car-based discussion forum I've ever seen. As such, I'd like to keep it that way and I hope that anyone that might ever have a problem with me or something I say, be willing to take that up with me and not make a flame war. That said, I don't PLAN to be a pain in the rear, but we all have our moments. THIS PLACE RULES! 'Nuff said.