Daemione

Hi everyone - long time casual Z enthusiast, short time voracious Z forum reader, and soon to be a first time Z owner. I'm gonna apologize in advance for what will probably be a lengthy first post, but I'm split between two cars, and it helps me to write it all out. And if some more experienced Z owners want to weigh in & let me know their thoughts on what are difficult fixes, inexpensive fixes, etc., all the better!

Anyway, I've been looking at a LOT of 280zx's in the northeast lately, have a max budget of $3500 (ideally less, as I'm unemployed at the moment). This car will eventually be my only one - I have a loaner from my Dad short-term.

Here are the top two contenders I've found within 3 or 4 hours of me:

Car 1: 1979 280zx GL. 100k miles. Price $3000.
Pros:

• AZ car, and never driven in the rain while up here - so no rot, and 99.8% rust-free. All the usual trouble spots are impeccable - the only spots are half a dozen paint chips that have tiny superficial rust.
• History - car has been owned & maintained for the last 7 years by an avid Z-enthusiast (only bought NOS parts for it, etc.)
• Original working radio & power antenna.
• K&N air filter.
• Cruise control & A/C work.
• Willing to be "creative" on the bill of sale to save me some sales tax.
• Willing to drive the car up to me should I need it, as long as I cover expenses. Then I'd drive him home - about a 2-hour drive.
• Included with the sale are many items that need to be replaced in the interior - door panels, rear hatch trim, steering wheel column garnish, etc.

Cons:

• Other than the carpet, headliner, & aforementioned new parts he has on hand, the interior is pretty bad. LOTS of broken clips, dash is of course cracked everywhere, passenger seat is shredded & driver's isn't much better. It's functional, but pretty rough in there.
• Passenger side window doesn't work - he says he's got a replacement switch for it, but I have to double-check that with him.
• Power mirrors don't work - passenger side is missing the glass.
• HVAC vents aren't working properly - defrost & floor ones blow out some air, but the front vents are completely blocked somewhere.
• The "pre-flight" check thingy doesn't work.
• Front under-spoiler area - metal is dented from scraping, and plastic is cracked as well. Invisible unless you get down to look under the front bumper.
• Stock iron cross wheels are pretty trashed, and would need complete stripping & painting to look good again.
• Here's the big one: the clutch is starting to go. You can feel it juddering when it should be slipping on 1st gear starts. I'm guessing clutch disc springs.

Other:

• He's got on deep-tread all-season tires that are biiig - 205/75-14's. Needs them to get enough clearance to get out of his driveway. This isn't terrible for me, since they'll be handy in the upcoming winter. But obviously, gearing & speedo are affected.

Car 2: 1981 280zx GL. 94k miles. Price $2700.
Pros:

• Interior is in great shape. Perfect dash. One small cigarette burn in the driver's seat. Only thing missing is all the carpet, which he got rid of for being in bad shape.
• 95% rust-free on the body panels - although nowhere near as clean as good as the '79. Some rust starting to show up on the underside of the car - but otherwise quite good.
• Has a new clutch.
• Has the nice 6-spoke wheels, which are in fair/good condition.
• Comes with a bra (meh), car cover, & factory service manual.

Cons:

• Has a badly repaired rear fender - obviously rusted out behind the tire, and is all sloppy bondo that's been painted over. Area is about 8"x5". Might be indicative of other half-assed work? Although I didn't see anything else obvious.
• Softer springs in the '81 model.
• Muffler has a hole in it.
• Cruise control & A/C don't work.
• Dozens of scratches, chips, & faded areas in the paint. He called it a '100 foot' car . . . (i.e. looks great from 100 feet away).
• Differential was leaking oil after a short test drive.

Other:

• Has an aftermarket cd player - which while good that he's got it wired up & installed in a nice console trim, it's a little tacky looking. I'd like a head-unit to match the rest of the dash better. And the power antenna is no longer functioning, so little to no radio function. But very tacky is the large speaker box he's got in the back. Some big 10" woofers & a couple smaller ones, installed in an unpainted wooden box. Not necessarily a con, since I might be able to sell it for a few bucks.

If I didn't list something particular (e.g. ignition, suspension, gauges), then assume both cars are in the same condition. Also, prices listed are after negotiating - so this is as low as I'm going to get them.

My gut feeling right now is leaning towards the '79 . . . but I'm worried that that's just because it's the one I've seen most recently. What do you all think? Thanks in advance everyone!

Daemione

Oh - and a quick question re: Z forum etiquette . . . How much overlap is there in member base between various forums? Would it be bad form to post this same thread in a couple others? I've been reading a lot on hybridz & zcar recently as well as here.

KHCreason

Well, on the first car, I bought mine thinking that the clutch needed replaced. In reality, the bearings were bad and i had to scrap the transmission. Were there any weird noises at all besides a shuddering? Do all 5 gears work without squealing? anything else of note while driving, pretty much?

You may want to check to see if there's good gear in the transmission as well.

FricFrac

To me rust is the number one consideration with any Datsun but I live in the Pacific Northwest so some of the Arizona guys may say different.

Interior bits are plentyful, bent metal under the bumper is trivial as are wheels, clutch, etc especially if you are doing anything away from stock.

Personally I'd see if Bleach's car is still for sale and save up for that. You would save thousands of dollars on mods, etc.

If you really want an S130 hold out until you can find a really good one - the extra money really is well spent (but you've got to own a rusty Datsun before you fully realize that).

Other forums are worth checking out but this is the most active S130 of all the other mentioned (and not mentioned) sites.

Daemione

Nope, didn't notice any odd noises. Both cars really drive very comparably - disregarding differences in tires & exhaust.

Ah, I should clarify - I live in CT. Cars this old without major rust problems in New England are pretty rare. Long term, the '79 (car 1) is the obvious choice. The only thing holding me back is the fact that the clutch is iffy (again, it'll be my daily driver), and that the interior is so trashed.

How much of a chore is it to find interior pieces & trim outside of a junkyard find? I haven't seen a whole lot available on blackdragonauto or even MSA . . . Is there a better source for the zx's? Oh, and the forward vent blocked thing - is that an easy fix or something seriously wrong with the HVAC?

I looked it up . . . Seattle is a LONG ways away from me, and not a realistic place for me to buy a car. That said, is his car still available?

But as for as holding out or saving up for a better one - this is money I've got, and now is when I need a car. Maybe it's a little silly to be shopping 30 year old cars . . . but hey, you only live once. And even with "only" 3 grand to spend, I see Z(x)'s that are in far better shape than other cars less than half their age. Anyone taken a look at what's available in the CRX market lately? :shudder:

duckyz

Between the 2 the '79 sounds like the best bet. I'm about ready to do my clutch. It's tedious, but not a really hard job to tackle. Found an entire clutch kit for $109..$118 out the door at a local parts shop.

Speaking of local parts shops, sometimes you can find a Haynes Guide on the shelf for the ZX. If you can, scoop it up. If not, order one. Not the Chilton's... Haynes. I don't know how much of a mechanic you are, but this is a great guide for anyone of any skill level. Besides, the people on here are the best. I've been bailed out by them more times than I can count.

WildmaN

I would say the '79, although I think the price is quite steep. A 280zx would never sell for that much here in Arizona. They are still quite plentiful around here. Anyway, if you can't get a better deal than that. The '79 sounds like the best choice. But if you can hold out a little bit longer. I am sure you can score on a better deal. It is up to you, good luck.

As for the interior, if I was closer to you. I would be happy to help you fix it up. I have already restored an interior, with some custom touches. Click my cardomain in my signature, although it has been a while since I updated my page. But it will give you an idea. Eventually I will update all my Z pages again. Just have a lot going on right now.

Daemione

Pretty tidy interior restoration - although your color scheme isn't my cup of tea.

Anyone have any thoughts on the problem with the HVAC vents? I'm worried that taking apart the dash to deal with that will be a giant headache.

Daemione

I did the clutch on my Prelude a few years back - that was a bear of a job. I have no doubt that doing it on a rwd car will be a cakewalk in comparison . . . it's just a matter of logistics, as I don't have a garage anymore and the weather is starting to get colder.

Is dropping a tranny without a lift (by yourself) a realistic proposal on these cars? On the H22 engine the tranny was (barely) light enough for me to bench press up into place, hold it steady, and get bolted in without any help. How much does an L28 transmission weigh? I haven't had any luck searching for that little nugget of info.

KHCreason

Well, if you have 4 jackstands + tranny jack = easy-ish. I did mine that way. Take the front passenger tire off and you'll have room to pull it out, as well. Its really simple, just a bit time consuming. Couple hours at least, probably more if its your first time. And if you want to try and balance the transmission more, you could use a regular low-profile jack. Either way, you'll need the transmission out of the way to change the clutch. But the transmission isn't that heavy, just a bit unwieldy and under a car there is no leverage, so its alot heavier. Not chest-crushingly heavy, but heavy.

Daemione

Awesome, thanks for the response.

In case anyone's curious, I found an old post by NISMO where he mentioned that the front vents not working while defrost & bottom ones do is caused by a leaky vacuum tube, so that's encouraging.

And yeah, I just pulled the trigger on the '79! Seller is going to throw in a spare clutch he has, and that sealed the deal for me. I'm not sure what kind of clutch - he mentioned it's an uprated competition one of some sort . . . I'm not wild about an uber-stiff pedal, so hopefully it's not too aggressive. Regardless, "free" clutch!

WildmaN

If it is a competition clutch. It could be a Centerforce, or another brand. And actually it would make the clutch smoother, and easier with less slip. Compared to stock, not a uber major difference. But you can tell a little. If you need some other instructions on changing a clutch. There is a thread about it. And quite recent.
https://www.zdriver.com/forums/280zx-s130-forums-77/clutch-time-31326/

As for the interior. Thanks... blue and silver are my two favorite colors. Also those were the original 2 tone interior color in my '82 T-top. I just enhanced, and made it pop more. Still not the end result of it. I will do more later to it. When I start my turbo conversion.

Daemione

Yeah, been following that thread. And it's encouraging to hear that the clutch may be more streetable that I first thought. Now I'm just trying to see if I can squeeze a lightened flywheel into my budget.

Heh, the paint on the car I didn't buy is the blue/silver color combo - I definitely like it more than the bronze of the one I am getting. oh well - both need a paint job anyway.

FricFrac

Congrats on the car - the '79 was the one to go with. Welcome to the club!

Daemione

Some teaser pics - these are just the ones that he had on his craigslist ad:






Anyone happen to know where to buy the **** that's missing on the radio? Haven't had any luck finding one on parts websites or ebay . . .

KHCreason

i think that texas z guy might have some?

In any case, order yourself the black dragon auto catalog and see what its got that youll want or need

Daemione

Ha hah, I ordered a BDA catalog before I even decided which car to get - hopefully gets here soon. The website is a little cumbersome.

Thanks for the tip on texasz's sale - didn't see it on there, though. But www.nissanpartszone.com has them, and it's pretty cheap. Anyone order from them before? I searched but couldn't find any mention of the site. Regardless, I'm gonna wait till I pick up the car next weekend so I know if I need the little nut & mounting pieces as well.

And on a slight tangent, I'd forgotten how ridiculously affordable harbor freight's shipping is. $9 to ship a tranny jack? How the hell do they do it? I have to bring my lube any time I try and ship anything heavier than a bran muffin.

thxone

Congrats on the '79... it's the one I would have chosen... I also had a '79 and it was cool.

Daemione

Random updates . . . bought a few misc. pieces already (rear view mirror, hatch struts, front lower bumper piece, wipers). No luck finding a plastic radiator grille yet, but I was lucky & won a FSM on eBay for $14 shipped. Also picked up a Haynes, but I'm pretty underwhelmed by it. I guess I'm spoiled by the Honda manuals you can get from Helms.

Anyway, I'm picking the car up tomorrow. It's shake-down run will be the 2.5 hour drive back home - I'll be honest, I'm a little nervous!

evandubya

hey, I'm missing the left **** on my radio. PM me your address an I'll ship you the **** your missing!!

Daemione

A few pictures:





And the interior . . . yikes:




Looks like someone set off a hand grenade inside, and then microwaved it for a couple decades.

FricFrac

Wow that's crazy. It's like plastic rust....

Body looks great!

Daemione

So the car's outside in the rain for the first time . . . ever? Dunno. It'll be interesting to inspect tomorrow morning and find out if my doors leak.

lww

The body and engine compartment look like they're in AWESOME shape.

And those seats are in WAY better shape than I expected from your description!

At least it doesn't have any TTops to leak!

Good luck!

1980zx

You say it brother. I live in magic city too and picked up one for 1500, runs perfect decent condition. 3000 is a dream around here.[QUOTE=WildmaN;285801]I would say the '79, although I think the price is quite steep. A 280zx would never sell for that much here in Arizona. They are still quite plentiful around here.