okay i'm about to buy a 1978 280z from my co-worker... he told me that the car has been sitting for 1 1/2 years now. hasn't started it since... the paint is good/ body, etc. but my main concern is the motor. what things should i look out for b4 i give him the money..

will the oil still be okay?
will the gas still be good?
nething else should i do b4 i start it up.. ?

i have been a nissan fan for awhile and this would be my 3rd nissan.. but i never delt with ne car that's been sitting.. ohh ya he's selling the car to me at $1000.00

let me know asap because i'll be hoping to get the car friday..

 

As always, even if the paint and body look good, check the little hidden rust gremlin spots in the hatch surround, batt tray area, lower front fenders behind the wheels, inner/outer rocker panels, frame dog-leg, floor pans, etc. Can't tell from your profile (maybe you're in a nice rust-free region like Arizona or something), but it's a quick and easy check. If some does turn up, maybe you can get a couple hundred off of the price. Get the tires aired up.

$1000 for a car that is in pretty solid body shape and was running before it sat is a pretty decent deal (assuming the interior isn't really horrible or missing), so even if you have some work to do, it's probably a good deal.

If you can work on it a bit at the seller's place, great. Otherwise, it would really be best to tow/trailer it home. The things you'll most likely notice are you'll have some electrical and fuel system work to do. Do not, under any circumstances, just try to fire it right up. The gas is definitely no good by this point. It's very, very easy to clog the injectors, and they're a real pain in the butt to clean.

Drain the tank (easy to do), unhook the line coming from the tank right before the fuel filter in the engine bay. Get a container (use a mower gas can, borrow from the neighbor with the promise of free gas), and put a few gallons of good gas in the car. Run the pump (wire it up with a 12V source), flushing some new gas through the line into the tank. It should flow quite a good volume.

Now put in a new fuel filter. Pull the plugs. If they don't look in pretty good shape, replace them. While they're out, put about a teaspoon or less of some kind of lubricant in there. Most people just use a dash of light motor oil. This is just insurance against the unlikely, but bad if it happens, event that a piston/ring is stuck.

Clean out the air filter element and box, replacing as necessary (I'd just get a new one, they're cheap). If you're in an area prone to it, have a can of wasp spray around for this task. Don't be surprised by mouse nests, either.

Oil's probably okay, but do at least check to make sure there's enough of it, and make sure the belts are present and at least okay-ish. Check the coolant and make sure it's topped up. Disconnect the coil (don't let anything ground), and crank the motor a little bit. This will help get some oil up into the passages, cam, bearings, etc. Now you'll find out if you need a new battery or not. If it's cranking, you're probably okay battery-wise for the moment. Stop cranking and reconnect the coil. Now try and start the car. Use a can of starting fluid if you have to. If things are okay, it should start.

While it's getting it's feet back under it, be checking everywhere for leaks or problems. Make sure there are no bursting or leaking coolant hoses, make sure the injector lines aren't shooting out gasoline, no disintegrating belts, etc. If anything looks bad, shut it down, and start planning on how you want to fix it.

If it's running well, then very carefully get it into gear and slowly try to move it forward. Tires are likely flat spotted. If it just won't move, the e-brake might be frozen. Move it into open pavement and check the engine bay again, and look at the tires, make sure they're not splitting on sidewalls, etc.

If all systems still seem "go", then try to get the car going a little bit (like 15 or 20 mph maybe), and carefully test the brakes. Make sure the calipers aren't frozen or anything. Might take a stop or two. If they feel normal, take a trip around the block, then stop and re-check everything again.

If it's all still looking good, you can probably drive it home. Just to be safe, you'll ideally want someone following you, or have a cell phone with the number of a friend or a tow truck company.

Once you're home, start checking out the car, and comparing against the catalogs and websites of all the vendors (like MSA, Black Dragon, Z Car Source, and tons of others, there's a post around here about it somewhere...), and draw up your wish list. Be sure to get "How To Restore Your Datsun Z", and a factory service manual, and maybe a Chilton's or other supplemental manual.

I'm sure I've missed some stuff, but hopefully others here will help fill in the blanks. Hope it turns out to be a great purchase for you! You won't regret owning an S30 Z! Post some pictures, updates, or any questions!

good luck,
Dave

 

Dave's right. Ask yourself why anyone would park a good running car and leave it sit for 1 1/2 years? If it's got a straight rust free body it's worth it. Be prepared to spend a lot of money and time just to get it running. If you aren't experienced then don't buy it. I wouldn't spend more than $300 to $500 for a "parked" car.

 

well i've known my co-worker for 2 years now.. he told me that he had to stop using the car since he has 2 kids now. since its a 2 seater its not practical having it with 2 young kids. and he put the car on stands so that its off the floor. also he has a car cover while it sits inside his garage. he had installed a new clutch b4 he stoped using his car. the interior is in okay condition. no cracks on the dash, seats are okay.. so now it sits.

 

That's more like it, buy it!

 

but i'm really scared of getting the car.. how reliable is the engine? is it easy to get a used engine? or will i have to rebuild it? it has 98k miles.the reason i'm asking this is bc, its not like a 240sx or 300zx that you can buy a used engine for $500-$1000..

so what you guys think? get the car? good investment?

 

You sound like you've never driven a car before... Go start the car & take it for a drive.

 

and dont let the apearance of no rust fool you, pull off some of that rubber coating on the floor to make sure.

 

If the car really has been taken care of as well as all that, a good in-person and inspection will confirm it's in great shape (and it'll be obvious if it's not in good shape). Take it for a drive and see. Check the plugs, is there oil in the coolant, all the usuals. And again, do check for rust. Even if it looks awesome at first, these cars had a bad relationship with the tin worm, and hoov is right about how/where it can hide.

If you're really concerned about the motor, do a compression test after the test drive, and check the numbers against spec. These motors are just unbelievably strong and durable. They're internally balanced straight sixes, so you're already ahead of other motors in terms of smoothness or potential wear. Moreover, Datsun was crazy about how well they put them together. Finally, they went for overkill on all the parts. The rings are chrome, it has 7 main bearings, the '78 has hardened valve seats (so no needed-leaded issue), etc., etc.

It takes a world-class mistake to mess up these motors (not that some people haven't managed to do just that). My motor had a string of less-than-careful owners (e.g., butchered wiring, ran it under the back of a Ford Expedition...), and 250k miles on it. The compression was right in the middle of the acceptable range. I rebuilt it because I was doing a bunch of mods and a full restoration (there was no paint or finish left on the motor or components). When I mic'd out the motor, the bore taper was still in the as-new range in the How To Rebuild Your Datsun engine book and the maximum wear on the crank was 0.0002" from new. That's right, a quarter million miles and the worst wear was 2 ten-thousandths of an inch. Now that's a well-built machine. For the upgrades and modifications I did, I'm still glad I rebuilt the motor, but it was completely unnecessary from a durability or maintenance standpoint.

If the car was well maintained, and in some cases even if it wasn't, it should be able to give you a lot of service with little if any trouble. And the basic checks and a test drive will tell you if that's the case. At a thousand dollars for a garage-kept car, I'd say your odds are pretty good.

go check it out, and let us know how it goes!
Dave

 

On the z cars, I check out the body first. The mechanicals are secondary. The parts are out there and they are very easy to work on.

If you're looking for a daily driver they are great, when their maintenance is up to par. If it isn't then keep it as a toy to work on when you have time.

Get a small sheet magnet that you might have on your icebox and go over the entire car. Most times you can find suspect areas for bondo repair.


a car being a good investment???? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! They're money pits. But the z is a fun money pit.

 

Well, it might be a good investment if it runs well and then he got a set of ZX swastika wheels for it...