Hi all!

I`m new to this forum, but I`ve been using it as a point of reference for intel on the 280ZX for months now. The high level of competence and experience of the ZX owners on this forum has convinced me to register to this forum, hopefully we will all get along! I`ll do my best not to step out of line..

I realize I could have written these questions separate, but I for one think it`s easier to have it all gathered in general. As theese questions are more or less pointed at the 280ZX in stock configuration.. Sorry if I made a bad move here. I stand corrected in every way, should anyone have trouble with this, then I am terribly sorry.

Without further ado..
I`ve been looking at the 82 280ZX 2+2 N/A as my only car of choice for YEARS now, they have always fascinated me, as the car that gave the impression of having less performance than the earlier Z`s, but in the end actually had greater potential (And cooler design imho.. It`s like a 70`s-80`s hybrid, and hopefully be twice as insane when I`m done tweaking it.)


The reason I am interested in the 82 ZX 2+2 in particular is because it`s, apart from the worlds coolest design, the most balanced of the 81, 82, 83, and the 81`s came with auto`s (I could be wrong.) and the 83`s are extremely digital thus harder and more expensive to tune.

Because some of you own a 82` 280ZX 2+2 N/A, I feel it would be a good opportunity to ask my questions here, if I may that is. Some of theese questions may be dumb, as I already have read ALOT about the car, but still I just want to make sure.. Because I was quite shocked when I read up on some of the things I thought was a given, and instead turns out to be quite the opposite...


1: Did the abovely mentioned model (You know which one it is now..) Come with a Borg Warner T-5 transmission? I know it has been said in the specifics sticky that it did not, I just wish to make completely sure.

2: Did it come with ABS or was this an alternative?

3: You can modify your Differential into a LSD, but some of the Nissan/Nismo/What-ever-brand LSD kits are prone to failure, or miss some important parts, or something like that, if I read correctly, and most of them are already sold out anyways. The 2+2 82 280ZX N/A supposedly came with an R200 differential, instead of the Turbo`s R180, One guy told me he put in, switched and modified his `71 240Z differential with those from a Skyline (As well as putting in a RB26DETT.. 574.5 HP on rear wheels..) So are there any other bases.. exept a 50000 dollar Skyline.. to salvage a good LSD that`ll take some HP without buying the ticket, or should I just weld the damn thing and hope it endures?

4: I`ve read somewhere on the comments page of some ZX video on youtube that the 81-83 L28 engine has more torque than some of the 80`s-90`s BMW models, which would be reasonable, most BMW`s comes with 1.6-2.5 engines, higher volume on same kind of engine (Inline Six.) Should at least provide greater torque, at least if it`s enhanced to a greater level than standard.. but theres a difference between reading it at a questionable site as opposed to hearing it from the guys that owns the car.. so I just thought I`d ask if theres really anything to it? (Would be cool to introduce my friend to a 7000 dollar, 27 year old car, with higher torque powerband than his 20000 dollar 6 year old car...)

5: The specific car that I am currently looking at has, exept for TRS stickers on both sides of the valve cover (TRS is a Nissan/Toyota specialized car tuning workshop.) on the engine, A pretty much stock configuration, as far as I can gather. Is there any way to make suspension alittle stiffer without actually cutting the springs or shortening the lifetime of any other parts of the car? (My driving aside...)
Don`t get me wrong, I will definitely modify it with performance parts over the years, but money don`t grow on trees and it`s starting to get pretty hard to find performance parts for 280`s these days.. zdrive is out of stock of anything that even remotely smells 280ZX.. And even then I`d need to pay increased shipping price, 25 percent tax (25 percent extra of the total value of the parts AND shipping.) So I`m afraid that, restoring car back to shape and keeping it functional will be my first priority for some time to come, I`ll be driving it pretty much stock/In the condition in which I bought it, for the first months..

6: I hear that the driver and passengers seat are uncomfortable.. Should I just bring my Recaro seat with me when I go look at/Buy the car? (Looking at 500 KM back to where I live so.. Better be prepared..)
Alot of people are saying they love driving the 280ZX because you sit with your feet stretched out.. Is there any danger of not being able to push the pedals all the way in even when adjusting seat for a 165cm tall (Short) guy? It would surprise me in any case.. it is, after all.. a japanese car...


That`s all the questions I can think about for more, but rest assured I`m happy to be able to be on the same (web) page (Litterarily....)
With people that might even have owned the car for as many years as its been out!

Sincerely Yours

RvH

That`s all I can think of at the moment

 

Welcome to ZDriver!

#1... Only the 280zx TURBO 5 speeds came w/ the Borg Warner T5. You also mentioned that 81's only came in auto... Only the 81 Turbo came w/ auto... the 5 speed was an option for all N/A's for all years of the 280zx.

#2... None of the 280zx's had an ABS option. Before the 90's VERY few cars had ABS.

#3... All 280zx Turbos have an R200, not an R180. You can buy an aftermarket LSD carrier from $500 - $2000. SEARCH the forum as this has been discussed many times.

#4... I don't understand your question / comment.

#5... Search. Suspension has been covered in great detail on this forum.

#6... "Uncomfortable" is relative. Some might hate the seats... some might love them. Once you physically sit in it, you should be able to make a decision.

 

Welcome to the forum, since Nismo covered your questions, I'll chime in a bit on a few just to add:

3) You can get a clutch LSD (CLSD) from a 300zx turbo after '87. Most probably need to be rebuilt since those diffs are 20 years old. Nismo diffs for our style of R200 are NLA as far as I know. Quaife makes a bolt in diff with a lifetime warranty. CLSD do not fail unless you don't break them in properly, it's sorta like when you break in a clutch for your transmission.

4) The L28e is a torque biased motor rather than a top end screamer. I don't know the specs of a BMW engine, but but your L28e will run out of breath after ~5200 rpm. However, it does have decent pull for around town driving from 2500-5200, so you have an ~ 2700 rpm "powerband."

5) Suspension is easy to get at zcarparts.com.

6) The seats are subjective. I think they are ok for cruising long distances since they have adjustable lumbar, but they suck for cornering since lateral support is non-existent.

 

generaly 30 year old seats tend to be toast unless the car was garaged all the time or they have been re upholstered, i havent sat in any 280 z seats that werent crap so i cant really say

 

Hi again!

Sorry for late reply, my pc had a downtime because of corrupt network drivers


Thx for all the answers! They more than covered what I needed to know (Gotta get professional help for LSD, need to put in a different drivers seat, will probably do some cornering.. etc etc.)

I`ll be sure to make good use of the forum search function from here on out!

Thx again for answering my questions!

RvH