280z1975

I could have sworn it was a 280ZX, but then again I just stopped by to give it a VERY quick look. There was no sense doing anything more than a quick look when I was knee deep in my 280z's restoration :classic: )

Go to Clay Road and Hwy 6, about 350 feet on the left hand side if you are traveling north there is a white 280zx for sale (well about a month ago there was), it was 3000 bucks. Looked ok, but should be only 1750 to 2250 for a car like that in good shape. They are more available than you think. You can find them all the time. If you want a good mechanic to check it out, go just south from the used car dealer on HWY 6 about half a mile and on the right and turn into the shopping center with a Rim and Tire shop. There you will find P and B Auto Repair, talk to either Bryan or Phil and they will give you a good mechanical vaulation of the car (both of them worked for a Nissan dealer for years). They have been my mechanics for the past 6 years and are as nice as they come. Tell them Gregg with the black 280z sent you.

Virto has some good answers, but I will add a few things ... My Z is a 280z and is a native of Texas till just last month. 2) The stock stereo sucks, you can upgrade them with a decent stereo (bulid a box for the rear tail light area for rear speakers). I put in a 100amp alternator in mine to handle a 5 way 800 watt amplifier. 4) The ride can be stiff. You might need to replace the old 35+ year old rubber bushings with polyurethane and then replace the shocks and struts. This will improve the ride quite a bit. On the other hand they handle quite well. It's always a sliding scale, the more you have a smooth ride, the less handleing, the more handleing (race corner cutting style) the less smooth of a ride. 7) The cars are 'fairly' easy to fix. If you have the ability to build a computer you can learn to work and repair a car. 8) I know the front end can get light at top speed, but you can replace the stock front valance with an airdam that will allow you to gain more downforce. This is what I did. 9) You can do whatever you want with color. My car was a light blue before (I didn't want it that color) so I painted it the 1978 Metallic Black Pearl Color. It was a BIG project to do this the right way (remove so many things and MANY body parts). Keeping the car the same color is MUCH easier and will help the car retain it's value (something the 240z's are good for) 10) They can be anything from a money pit to a nice daily driver. Mine is a money pit at the moment (but mine set for about 4 years). So I am sorting out all the problems that caused. If the car you are looking at has been non-running for a while, be prepared for some work to get things, but this can vary from car to car. 11) You need to upgrade the alternator and run the amplifier wires direct to the battery with a fuse in line. 13) This was not an option on the 240z, but some had them put on, along with sunroofs. This can decrease the value of the car. 14) In a minor wreck you will have some serious damage to the car because the bumpers are just decor on the 240z (be it nice looking decore, much nicer looking than my 280z bumpers) I hope these help. Be sure to check the car well. It may be a Texas car, but they still get rust, but not like the z's from the North. Mine had one body rail rusted out and some light surface rust.

Is it just me or is 5,000 a little far to anything in North America, I mean from Los Angels to St. John's, Newfoundland is only 4,500 miles away. You can find a MUCH better and nicer Z car in Cali or Arizona that anywere else. I suggest you keep looking on the classifieds as really well kept and done up cars go for much less than were put into them for various reasons on this and other websites.

Does this happen on hot days? When it is warm there is a vapor lock issue with the car. (I had this problem the other day, but it has since stopped). Do searches for vapor lock and thermotime switch. You should get some of the information you need. Others who know the EFI system well please feel free to chime in ... Can someone post the link to the EFI system manual? I can't seem to find it at the moment (I lost all my book marks the other day )

The MC is full of fluid. I can push almost all the way down.

At least the car is rusted out and not in great shape .... if the bumpers are in good shape I would pay 50 bucks for the car, but then paint it orange like the General Lee and just have fun in a muddy field one day till it dies. Then strip it off all usable parts, Ebay them, and call it a day.

I have finally sorted out my brake situation (at least I think I have) ... First question ... how long is the normal brake travel for a 75' 280z? Mine only seems to engage after about half way down. Secondly ... when I push all the way down on the brakes should the brake light in the console light up? Mine does this when I push hard on the brakes. Is this normal or is it a warning that the brakes aren't working right. I have replaced the Brake Master Cylinder, replaced all the brake fluid and then bleed the system (I am 95% sure I did it right, it was my first time, but I did it twice to be sure). I just took the car for a test drive in a parking lot near my house and it stops well. I know it doesn't have ABS or anything so it feels about what I would expect for a 30 year old car. Thanks for all the help...

This website is full of great information, but for the best conversion information you should try HybridZ.org, http://forums.hybridz.org/, as the site is more dedicated to modifying your Z car.

jackboxxx, Thanks for the great comments on Maaco. Like you said, each one is independently owned and you will get different service from store to store. The local Maaco in Houston quoted me a good price, but I wasn't happy with the vibe the guy was giving me in regards to how well he would look after my car. Plus I had the doors, hood, rear hatch and other parts off and he didn't seem to like having to deal with it in that state (I thought it would be a plus, but I was wrong). In the end i painted it myself for the same cost and it turned out ok, but not perfect (I have to repaint two panels I screwed up), but it's was still a great experince.

I learned this one the hard way! My Master Cylinder had a little air leak and I got about two brake stops then NOTHING. I nearly shited myself when that happened. I was smart enough to be in a mostly empty parking lot near my house and not go nuts. I would do with a fresh gas tank to a fresh gas container. My tank, which was boiled then one year later sat for 4 years had a boat load of rust, so I wouldn't want to know what the one that has been sitting for 15 years has!

I was watching Speed the other day and saw an add for Dupli-Color Car Art http://duplicolor.com/products/carart.html The stuff is supposed to be a temporary spray paint for making designs on your car. It would be a great way for people to test out how a pattern or strip will look on thier car without the problems of having it be final. I have never used this stuff, so I don't know how it works, but I plan on trying it out when I test a hood accent and then a small side stripe design I have for my car. Anyone else have experince (good or bad) with this stuff?

Bonzi, Good post ... I went with the Por-15 fuel tank liner becuase I was already buying a lot of stuff from them. I let mine cure for a good 4 days (all of them outside when possiable in the warm Texas sun) just to make sure everything was cured as I had a small pool of the stuff that didn't come out of the tank. The car runs great and it is holding up nicely. One interesting note. My uncle had the car's tank boiled about 5 years ago (then one year of use before it was garaged again) in those 4 years of just sitting in the garage it accumulated a TON of rust (about two hand fulls). These Z cars at the very least need to be run at least once a month, and if possiable driven to keep them from going bad. I also had a wire from my coil to my Ignition Module rust out in those 4 years. That was a 500 dollar nightmare to find! I'm still trying to sort out the brake problem at the moment ...

I know this is a little late, but I did the rear hatch, passanger door and front windshields first, and taped from the inside. THen for the drivers door I all the taping from the inside (I used old newspaper) but the last little bit in one corner had to be taped from the outside. I just used plenty of tape and made sure it was sealed tight ...

I posted a similar question earlier in the year and the response was baiscly, "It can be done, but there aren't any write-ups on doing it". I have gone back and forth on doing the swap, but I am going to stick with my 280z bumpers for the moment as my car will be a semi-daily driver and I want the extra protection from stupid people. Later when I make the car less daily driven I will get it re-painted and do the bumper swap. My best 'guess' at how the swap will be done is having to modify the mounting brackets of the 240z bumpers (which are bent flat metal) to the holes for the 280z hydralic bumper mounts. Other than that I belive they fit 'fairly' well to the body, but I don't think it's a perfect fit. The thread I proposed: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20613

The roof on my Z was VERY warped and had enough waves in it to make a surfer be envious. I ended up going the 'skim coat' method on the top to make it smooth. Much cheaper than going the route of paying to have the roof cut off and replaced. Even modern body parts that come brand new to the body shop have 'skim coats' on them to get them to be perfectly shaped right. It's the problem with sheet metal or even plastics, the temperture changes and so does it's shape.

I had a similar experince ... I was stripping down the paint off my car with aircraft paint remover and then my rear drivers side all of a sudden wasn't separating like the rest of the car and instead was bubbling. There was a lot of Bondo. When I asked my uncle (who had owned the car for the last 29 years) he had to think for a second and remebered when he had a fender bender some years ago (like the first year he had the car) when some guy hit him at an intersection. It was a suprise, but just added to the bondo work I needed to do.

I can't speak for my Z as I haven't driven it enought at night to say, but in my 96' Sentra, the only time i have gone over 110 MPH was back in high school when I was going toe to toe with my buddies Mustang down a long straight highway. It was 3am, 40F and a stiff tailwind. The car has never seemed to be able to go that fast ever again, but then again once I saw the needle approach 120 I backed off (I was afraid my engine would explode). I think the cool temps and air density can help a whole lot in the power of a car. I have never and will never bring the car to those speeds again, it's just to old now. But that one 'race' got every speed jones out of my teenage body and I never had the need to 'go really fast' ever again in high school. As for my Z, I will leave the speed demon stuff to the track days.

The only place in the US that I can think of that has a mass transit system that works is New York, but then again, I have never used it so I can say it's 100% true. On the other hand, I have used the mass transit system in Belgium while living there and can say it DOES work ... why there and not in the US ... well, it's smaller and the culture and livestyle of people are built around it. When I lived there I could WALK to the grocery store, butcher and baker. Other ammenities, I rode a crappy 20 dollar beater bike. Wanted to go to another city? Road the crappy beater bike to the train station (or took a bus if it was bad weather) and took the train system that worked from 4:30am to 1am ish. There it works, but in the US the society and infastructure is set up to where if we want simple things like a hair cut, groceries, and just about ANYTHING you need a car to get there and it's going to take you at least 15 minutes each way. At least that was how it worked where I lived in Houston. Where I am living now it's a 'little' better, I can walk to some things, but still need a car. I guess that is one of the main appeals me and my wife have about going back to Belgium to live. A life style that is more centraly based around your home and you then the US can provide. But don't worry, when I make the move the Z goes with me .

As a 280z owner and the user of Dave's headlight harness I can say it's a good match. The headlights are much brighter and it works out great. You can also borrow the headlight plug from a parts car or junker so you don't need to cut your own plugs ...

Like the others before me, I have used POR and love it. It's super tough stuff and my car is pretty much COATED inside and out with this stuff and I don't have to worry about rust if it wasn't treated. Some photos of the POR 15 being used .... http://gregggermer.com/photos/280z/album/During/slides/during_repairs_12%20025.html http://gregggermer.com/photos/280z/album/During/slides/during_repairs_02_26_2006%20008.html

At the moment it's mechanical work, the body work has all been done. I need some brake work done that would be MUCH, MUCH easier if it was done on a lift.

I do a lot of stuff myself, but somethings I just don't have the knowledge, time or tools to do them right. Also, I don't have a garage, much less a driveway here in Hamilton (went from a regular house with garage to a condo and street parking). I would like my own garge and full tool assortment, but after just getting married money is tight and for the next couple of years it's a condo.

I have searched the archives and looked around but can't find any information on what is the best way to wet sand and buff/polish a car after it's been painted. I painted my car in the garage, so there are some sections of orange peel and some small bugs stuck in the clear coat and need to finish off the painting process to make my car really shine. I have a nice heavy duty professional buffer to help with the whole process. Any good links out there?

Well I have moved to Hamilton, Ontario and my Z is in need of some work. I am looking for a good mechanic in the area around here. There are a few to the north of Toranto, but that is kinda far and I would like someone closer. Any body in the area have a suggestion. I had a such a nice mechanic in Houston. The kind of guy who would let you borrow the lift or a tool when needed and when he wrote up the bill you never felt like you were getting ripped off. I would like to find someone else with whom I can build a similar relationship with.