IAM NEW just got my first 1980 280zx coupe

[Nightrider86]

HI, I just got a 280zx handed down to me from my uncle. The car has 209000 miles on it but still runs like a champ. I always wanted a car where i can fix up and make into a classic. I dont know if this is much to get the car how i want it to be but maybe a start. I want to spend $4000 dollars on the car to fix it up make it new again. A new paint job for sure either (red or blue) exhaust,headers and if intake. but other then that dont know if that will run me more then 4000 or if i will have left overs for the interior. any ideas u guys have in what i should do with 4000 grand to fix this car up. thanks for reading

[mazingerz1976]

Welcome to the club, i own a 1980 ZX too, do a search to find some of the answers to your questions, and if you want pay a visit to Hybridz.org there is more information about the zx.

Cheers from Colombia

[zbane]

Welcome to the club!

I have a 79 ZX and I do really enjoy it. One of the most appealing aspects of our cars (and the earlier Z cars) is the relative ease in fixing them. They are not like the Z31 and later models with extremely tight engine bays and all sorts of sensors to wrangle with.

You need to figure out what is "wrong" with the car before you start to "fix" anything.

Installing a new exhaust and exhaust manifold my get you a few additional horses, but do you really need them?

Is the interior absolutely shot, or does it just need a good thorough cleaning?

Before you start digging into things that may actually be in good running order, my advice to you would be to do a good thorough tune up: plugs, oil, filters (oil and fuel), coolant, new fuel lines/vacuum lines (if needed), etc. Check the brakes and brake lines. Inspect the gas tank. General stuff like that will help immensely.

Check for rust and fix appropriately.

Drive the car for a while and find what it is that you would like to improve upon.

Is the car fast enough, but not handle as you would like? If so, we can talk about new suspension components.

Does the car handle great, but not have enough verve for you? If that's the case, we can talk about modest upgrades in overall performance.

The more specific your questions, the more specific the answers. With specific goals in mind, we can help steer you hard earned cash in the right direction.

[sblake01]

Not sure I'd want to do any performance mods to an engine w/200K+ miles without rebuilding it first. Most likely, all that will do is hasten the need for a rebuild. The only thing I would add to what David said is to check your electrical connections especially the ones that have to do with engine operation. Clean and/or replace as necessary.

[zbane]

Agreed, Stephen-that one slipped my mind.

If your injector connectors are anything like mine, they are brittle and should be replaced. Search the site here for injector connector upgrades and you should come up with several threads detailing this.

[Nightrider86]

Okay, that makes perfect sense. The outside paint is brown paint job i dont really like that to much but your also right the car is 200k miles maybe a performance job is not the best idea. but the interior is dirty. would like to change the cloth on the roof and seats. i have seen a few z car with really nice looking clean interior's

[Mike]

A $4k bill isn't much when you're talking about all of the items on your list. You could easily spend that much on the paint and bodywork itself. If you plan correctly however, you could make some great improvements if you split it in half.

[full house]

congrats! I'm looking to have that car! BTW, welcome in this forum!