There is a 1979 Fairlady 280Z 2+2 automatic for sale that I am interested in purchasing. I've owned three other 280ZX's in the past and miss not having one around. Anyhow, this Fairlady is in decent shape. The body is straight, only a lil rust around the bottom part of the windshield. It definitely needs a new paint job. The dash is cracked pretty badly and the interior is in poor shape, which is what stopped me from buying it today for more. A/C works good, and the power windows and mirrors still work. It has under 90K miles. It runs excellent! Was imported from Japan back in 1994. Has all the fairlady badges, factory "Z" mudflaps, and special bumpers, in fact it says it's a special anniversary edition plaque inside? I offered $1000 - he wants $1200 ... do I need to hurry back and buy it before someone else makes out like a bandit?? Please give me your input!!! Thanks

 

If it were me, I would, simply for the rhd factor, restore over the months, it'll be sex, especially if it runs ok

 

I wish it were a 2 seater with a 5spd! My all time favorite car to drive was a 1982 Turbo 280zx turbo with a 5spd. Ebay'd that one a few years back! Anyhow, I really need to make a decision on this Fairlady before it's gone! Leave some comments ....

Thanks.

 

Totally up to you! Were here if you need parts or support. Take the back seat out, put in sound system if you don't like =D

 

Don't take out the back seats!! there awesome I went out of my way to get a 2+2 because I like having the most seating capacity, although its does have a noticeable speed effect when the cars fully loaded lol, you can still get an awesome sound system by putting bigger speakers in the original speaker positions, and putting an amp under the driver seat, maybe the passenger if you don't have cruise control.

 

Good thing about 2+2s is that your wife won't make you sell it if she's expecting.

I've seen many an Rx7/Datsun go for sale because "The wife has me by the *****, since they put her in this situation"

My mom had a very VERY nice 240Z that she sold because I didn't fit, I told her (after I found out) to have just stuck me in the hatch, as I would not have cared.

If you think you can restore it, go for it. I paid 1,500 for my datsun, talked him down from 2k, if you think, that to you, with time, that 1,000/1,200 is a good price, go for it

My mothers legacy (Mothers day )
Zee.jpg?t=1304902960

 

If you don't buy it, tell that guy I'll give him $700 for it.

 

I don't know what side the driver is on in japan but if its the right side, your probably gonna be hard pressed to find side specific parts, like an uncracked dash, I think some guy was asking recently about side specific parts, so just be aware that if you order something for a specific side, make sure it will fit there.
I dont know why it would say anniversary on a 79, if its in english its prob an aftermarket thing.
EDIT:haha I just put 2 and 2 together on what RHD meant after I made this post lol

 

Here is another one like this:
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2369720098.html

Although it is perhaps too expensive.

 

It is in tons better shape. Auto tho, eh, can be changed.

However, what is going on with all the RHD cars in everyone elses state but mine? I want some mad tyte JDM

 

I don't know: auto, no AC, no carpet, rusted out floor.
If this wasn't JDM I doubt he could charge 2 grand for it.

If you really want it, you can always come visit. ....or couch surf. Ha ha.

 

Way too far from me! It does look decent though. I just thought the one over here on the west coast was maybe more rare because it was a 1979 and had those special edition plaques on it? I was kinda thrown though, because the speedo looks like it is an American one, being in mph - and kilometers as well. It has the 130mph guage. I guess I was expecting something in Japanese like all of the writing in the rest of the car!

Phil

 

I did it! I decided to be "unique" and purchased the Fairlady that started this thread with. It's in pretty good shape overall. Body is straight, very minimal rust under windshield. I can't wait to get it home so I can start tearing apart the interior! It's all red now, but I am going to paint all the vinyl black. The only thing that will stay red will be the seats and carpet which are still in great shape. Everything else will be black. This dash though really sucks, where can I find a right hand drive dash anyway, even if it is just a cover for now?

As soon as the interior is done, I will start on the paint work. I was debating on whether or not to keep it the stock colors or to go with my favorite color, 2003 Corvette Sunburst Orange which is what I used on my FIrebird and it came out great!

Phil

 

Pictures of every angle of this car!

 

Dang it, I want that car! ...but only for $700

 

Find a different way to fix the interior... Some moron painted all the interior black in my car too, and it looks like complete crap now. I'm sure when it was fresh it looked good, even looked fine when I first bought it, but now it's starting to chip and peel and wear and it looks HORRIBLE. I can't exactly just paint over it because it will just look like another thick coat of spraypaint on top of chipped spraypaint. I can't strip it either because anything abrasive enough to rub/ sand the paint off will damage the panels/ console, and any chemical harsh enough to strip paint will eat up the old plastic for sure. I'm stuck with a crappy interior and am thinking of replacing it alltogether. Only bad part is the only clean interior I have found to date is a light tan color yuck. Even the factory blue color mine was would be fine, better than this painted stuff. I miss the all red interior my 1st 81 had with the red leather seats, it was sweet.


Congrats on the fairlady though man, that is pretty rare and definitely cool! Nice find




.

 

That's funny about the red interior, I hate the red interior and you love it! I had tan leather suede in my 83 which I liked the best, and gray velour in my 82 Turbo which was OK.

I really need any kind of dash cover for my fairlady which I am finding is going to be very difficult to find. I would really like to get a full dash cap for it, but I would settle for even a carpeted dash cover.

Also, never realized how difficult it's going to be to find some nice and inexpensive aftermarket 16"-17" wheels. I thought I was going to just go to the Tirerack.com and find a nice cheap set. Or even find some used ones off of someones old Honda Civic. The ones I am finding are the $400 each rims which are nice, just pricey!

Any ideas on where to get any of the things I just listed. I will be browsing around these boards and Craigslist to see if I get lucky for now.

Phil

 

There are more options for wheels than ever before. XXS, Rotas, Konigs, etc..

 

As far as getting aftermarket rims for my Z, where would I go to find them? I know I can find the $400-$500 variety at many of the "Z" stores online. Those are a little out of my price range for now. Where can I find the $125 each variety. There are a ton of nice inexpensive rims for Hondas, Toyotas, and newer Nissans out there in the classifieds or even on Tirerack and Discount Tire. I think it is because of the offset. I believe the early Z cars are 4X 114mm, and most of the 4 lugs I find are 4 X 100mm. I have seen some adapters out there, but was hoping I would not have to go that route.

I really do like the Turbo rims when they're polished up nice which is what I may settle for as I stumble upon them at in the classifieds or even the junk yard once in a while, but I really wanted something more like a ten spoke anthracite with the chrome rings.

Can anyone out there give me links to cheap aftermarket wheels for my Fairlady? Also, links for dash caps or covers for RHD?

 

You have 'some' options for bolt-on that are fairly cheap. For larger wheels, the Rota RB-R is your best bet.

http://18racing.com/wheel_grid_v.html

http://18racing.com/wheel_rb.html

For absolutely cheap the 002 is your only option new.
http://www.nlmotoring.com/XXR-Wheels-002-s/37.htm

Be prepared to wait 2-3 months for your order to ship from Next Level Motoring...

 

I'm a little biased towards the Rotas myself....

 

^^^^ Sex.

 

Thanks a lot for the links to the wheels! The website claims that the wheels I want are in stock and Fedex shipping to my door is only about $56!! Now I am debating on if I should go with 16" or 17" wheel :-D

Phil

 

Beware of NL Motoring... good company, but "in stock" means they might be in stock or you might be waiting 3 months because they are really on backorder. FYI

I have ordered from 18racing and I did a special order Rota. They said 6 months and they came in exactly that time. They kept me up on the status of my order too.
also ordered from NL but had to cancel my order because I just wasn't prepared to wait over 2 months for wheels that I originally expected to ship within a couple days.