Hi all, I've been hanging around this thread for a few weeks now and I finally have something to share. I just bought a 1981 280ZX 2x2 in pretty nice shape for $650. This is what I know about the car. It was purchased about 3 years ago from someone in Seattle, Wa and driven to Hillsboro, Or where it has sat since then. The only thing done to it after that was a new paint job. We went to go see it a few days ago and it wouldn't start until we sprayed starter fluid into the intake but it wouldn't stay on. I'm sure it has bad gas in it and the battery was dead. Also the battery looks almost like a golf cart battery or something. But it did start with a jump and the starter fluid, and I'm pretty sure with a little bit of work it will run great. The interior is in pretty good shape except for the leather seats up front, there's a couple rips in it. The back looks almost like it was never sat in. The carpet is all intact and in good shape, Door panels are good. glass and chrome is all there. Emblems are there but had been removed for the paint job. The wheels have some curb rash but I'm going to refinish them myself. The first thing to do is give the car a bath and clean up the interior. Anyway, thought I might ask your opinion on this car and what are some common problems when a car has sat for that long? The odometer says 124,000 and I think it might be original miles due to the condition of the car. Whoever had it took really good care of it. Here are some pics:

 

Welcome to ZDriver!

Awesome find... looks like it's in good shape!

 

Nice find! First thing would be to dump all the fluids, and put fresh in. Then check all your sensors, change your air and fuel filters. Also it would be a good idea to do a compression test. And see where the cylinders stand. If the car was taken care of well, and maintained. You shouldn't have a lot of problems with it. Good luck.

 

Thanks for the replies. I will definitely check all the fluids and sensors, etc. Might have to wait a couple weeks to do anything major because I just had to have the brakes done on my daily driver. That set me back almost $500. They were really bad, both front and rear

 

Also, I will post picks of the engine compartment soon so you can see the wierd battery I mentioned

 

Grats!

 

very nice find, I dont know whats wrong with that little coin holder on the shifter plate, but every single one I have seen is scratched to shreads (including mine lol) I have never actually seen a none scratched one lol

 

Sun fade... I replaced mine w/ a new OEM one, and my car stays parked in the garage 24/7 now... no more sun fade.

 

I figured that yea, Is there like a little plastic chrome ring that goes around it or something?

 

Ok, so I've been waiting for some nice days and money to get to work on the 280z. I bought a new battery and after my roommate put that in it fired right up. He's pretty sure it has an exhaust leak somewhere (it was loud). So, he let it run for a minute or so and shut it off. When he tried to start it back up it wouldn't start. He replaced the fuel filter and he said the gas tank smelled fine. Not sure what might cause it to start and then not start. Any suggestions? Also, it has new plugs, wires, cap, rotor, and air filter. We even sprayed Thrust starter fluid into the intake. I also have a can of "Seafoam", I was told to put 1/3 into the gas tank, 1/3 into the oil and 1/3 into the intake. Is this correct? Thanks

 

Sea foam is awesome stuff. Just put it in about everything. Vaccum lines to the intake, fuel tank, in the oil etc... You get the picture. And congrats on getting it fired up. That is a good start. You are on your way to having a good running Z.

 

did you try to fire it up again after it cooled off?

 

Congrats on the Z, always nice to have another good person keeping them alive.

In my experience, bad gas is not the only culprit of a clogged fuel system (if you indeed have a blockage somewhere) but instead rust from the gas tank and fuel line portions which get exposed to air while the vehicle sits. I once dropped a gas tank and found rocks/sand inside from a previous "rinse".

 

So, Toxic?... Are you saying that The next thing I should do is drop the gas tank and clean it? It had about 1/4 tank of old gas and my roommate put 2-3 gallons of fresh gas plus 1/3 can of sea foam. We just tried to start it again and it won't start. I'm thinking maybe when he started it after putting the new battery in, a chunk of debris or rust got sucked up somewhere in the lines and it's clogged now. I think I will have it towed to my mechanic because if it's clogged fuel injectors or something, we don't have the know how for that. Oh, something else I almost forgot... when he checked the oil he said it smelled like gas and was thin. He wanted to change the oil but he hasn't yet. So we didn't put sea foam in the oil yet because it needs to be running for that, right? Thanks guys

 

Hey, I was checking out craigslist and found this...

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/pts/2470702075.html

I need new tires but This is for 2 tires and 4 wheels and the wheels are white! I think it would look awesome on my Z. Do you guys think they will fit? I e-mailed the person so hopefully they will respond

 

Couple of things here.

Before you do anything, change the oil and filter.

Then, before you put 1/3 a can of seafoam in your gas you should fill the tank. That will dilute the old gas as much as possible with good gas. Once you've run through the whole tank of gas and refilled you'll know for sure you're running on clean gas.

Before buying a new set of wheels that won't work on your ZX (the offset is wrong) you should save your pennies for the maintenance you're going to need to make the car run right and be safe.

From the pic's it looks like that thing was last registered in 2005... That doesn't bode well for the maintenance schedule. The good news is these engines are pretty indestructible when naturally aspirated.

Good luck and keep us updated on your progress!

Cheers,
LWW

 

Ok, so rather than mess with getting this thing running I took it to my mechanic. He flushed out the gas tank, put in a fuel pump, changed the oil and oil filter and did some other stuff that I can't recall. Then we took it to Les Schwab for 4 new tires. It drove pretty rough for a couple days but the more we drive it the better it sounds. In a couple weeks we'll take it for transmission service just to make sure its functioning good. Also, it might need brakes because when we first started driving it the brakes did a lot of squealing but now they are pretty quiet. Anyway, I'm happy it's running good. Today we took the crappy window tint off... phew! what a job!

So, there are some parts I need to find and I was hoping someone could help out .

The first pic is of the missing black cover I need to go over the license plate light. Also, how do I patch up the bumper where we took the license plate from?

The second picture shows where the black grill goes below the windshield wipers. I have the grill but I need the 4 clips that hold it on.

The 3rd picture is a hole that is in the dashboard and I'm not sure what went there. Does anyone know?

Thanks evryone for all the responses

 

The plate you are referring to is an aftermarket part that didn't come with the Z.

I'd pour over eBay for those parts for the ventilation grill. I've never seen any, but they must be out there. I actually think those attach with small screws.

That hole is a sensor for the "Automatic Climate Control". Don't pop it out, but make sure it's free of any dust and debris.

 

I think the OP is refering to the light assembly that goes over top of the lock and holds the two licence plate light bulbs