So just today my father-inlaw gifted my wife his original owner 280K mile '81 2+2 non-turbo (NA). The good news is that he was an adult when he got it (in his mid-'30s with kids, thus the reason for buying the 2+2), it was his daily driver since new, he was driving it semi-regularly until 6 months ago, and it's always been garage kept. Unfortunately, it's not currently running and there's something wrong with the clutch (fallen to the floor). And extra unfortunately, the car is about 240 miles away. The plan is to go tow it home soon-ish, but in the meantime, I had a few questions I hope folks here could help with...

1. Is the clutch hydraulic or cable operated?

2. What transmission does the car come with? Is a T5 or some other 5 speed?

3. Is there a basic "so you're buying a S130..." guide somewhere online? You know, the kinda thing that points out the usual problems, the stuff that's easily fixed, and the stuff that's gonna cost a bunch to fix...

4. Any tips/tricks to reviving these cars? I'll do the usual tune up kinda stuff (plugs, cap, rotor, wires, oil change, air filter, etc.), but is there anything else I should inspect and/or test prior to trying to get it back running?

Thanks in advance.

 

Welcome to ZDriver!

#1: Hydraulic... it probably has a leak & needs to be fixed / re-bled.

#2: A Nissan 5 speed manual (BW T5 came in the 280zx turbo only).

#3: Click: https://www.zdriver.com/forums/240z-280zxt-s30-s130-tech-tips-275/

#4: See #3.

 

Thanks! That's just what I needed. I guess I should buy a repair manual soon-ish.

 

Yes, you should. In the mean time: www.xenons130.com/reference

 

AWESOME! Thanks a ton for that.

 

Well, got it home... needs more work than I expected, but it's manageable and appears to be structurally sound generally. None of the rust appears to be so bad as to require panel replacement, which is good. Some pics, 'cause I know someone will ask:








At home in the garage:

 

what kind of car is the white one with the funny wing?

 

Looks like a Ford Sierra RS? The Wing looks like a Cosworth.


And the Z doesn't look too bad. A little work and it'll be sweet!

 

Cool. So what did you pay for her?

 

ah... come on kids. It's a Merkur XR4Ti... fun lil turbo cars.

 

Yep, it's a modified Merkur XR4TI... aka my "Ford XR4RS". The big wing is an '86 Sierra Cosworth RS replica piece. The car also has the Cosworth arch kit, RS500 lower, and a custom front bumper. Another angle:





As for...
If you're talking about the 280, the car was free as a gift from my father-inlaw. But it's easily the most expensive "free" car I've ever gotten. It cost us about $600 to get it home between putting a Class 3 hitch on my brother's '03 P71 Crown Vic ($320), renting the UHAUL trailer (one way) ($125), gas to and from Miami ($125), and some incidentals.

 

Figured since I posted the XR, I'd share the other car currently in my "stable":



It's a 1970 Mustang Mach 1... it's been in a state of restoration/modification for the last 10 years. I bought it when I was 15, 23 years ago, and proceeded to daily drive it into the ground for the next 8 years, and then it sat for several years until we started the resto in 2001.

 

Nice! If I were to ever own a Mustang (which isn't likely) it would have to be a Mach 1...

 

yeah right 65 fastback all day dude!!!

 

I posted a thread on the "wheel, brakes, suspension" section, but I thought I'd ask here too...

My brother has offered me the Kosei K1s off his old S13 240SX drift car for cheap ($200 for wheels with decent 225/50/15 tires). The wheels are 15x7 with a +35mm offset. From my research here, it sounds like I'll need a set of 1.5" wheel adaptors to make the wheels fit. Is that correct?