Picked up a Datsun 280Z

PseudoSport wrote: Also as of yesterday my car passed state inspection.

WOOT!

So last week I put about 30 miles on the Z then left for NY on Sunday for the BABE Rally. Up till today the car has been going great. About 100 miles into day 2 the radiator started leaking when we stopped for lunch. We tried calling around to 15 different places to find a new or used radiator but didn't have any luck. So we bought a bottle of stop leak and kept driving. It did stop the leak but 200 miles later the car started running hot. It looked like the thermostat was getting stuck because all of a sudden them would shoot back down to normal and sometimes run filler then normal.

Anyway we made it to the hotel then stopped at O'Reilly auto parts to pick up a thermostat and found they could actually get a radiator by 11 am tomorrow morning. So hopefully tomorrow we can get it install and continue on with the rally.

Some good new is the car is getting between 26-28 MPG and that's with the 4 speed manual.

fantastic man, excited to see this beast when you stop by on the way back.
What kind of revs/speed are you getting with the four speed?
I discovered today that I wasn't trying hard enough earlier because my 4 speed shifts fine with a screwdriver to move it lol, just need a shifter.

At 65 mph I'm turning around 3200 RPMs. I still can't believe I'm getting decent fuel economy. It would still be nice to have a 5 speed to keep the engine noise down.

WOW thats manageable for sure. that's barely better than my DD lol.
that is phenomenal fuel economy for a 4 speed

Quick update, we installed the new radiator on day 3 and made it down to New Orleans without any more issues. Now we are driving back to 1600 miles back to MA in 2 days. I really wish I got the A/C fixed because I'm tired and hot. I'll post up some more trip details and pictures once I'm home.

Stop leak can be nasty stuff. Sometimes, it also coats the t-stat and the heater control valve. I completely understand trying to stay in the rally, though.

I hate stop leak and would rather just fix something right the first time instead of gumming up the whole cooling system. Unfortunately I didn’t have much of a choice since I was 300 miles from the hotel.

On day 3 the radiator came in and we installed it and a new thermostat in the O'Reilly’s parking lot. The store’s staff was very nice and extremely helpful. A little over an hour later we finished up and were back on the road. Car was running cooler then ever and we didn’t have any more issues the rest of the trip. Here are a few pictures from the install.

A few more random Z pics.

Oh, on day 4 the heat was really getting to us. Since I wasn't set up to work on the A/C system we made do with a bag of ice. We shoveled ice into the evaporator and turned the blower on. When the ice melted the water went out through the evaporator drain. It wasn't the most efficient system but it was better then having the windows down.

Swamp cooler!

I still cannot believe that car made it all the way down there and back. You win at cars.

PseudoSport wrote: At 65 mph I'm turning around 3200 RPMs. I still can't believe I'm getting decent fuel economy. It would still be nice to have a 5 speed to keep the engine noise down.

LOL. Try a Spitfire!

PseudoSport wrote:

This is seriously one of my favoritest things ever.

Before I left I tried fixing the AC without much luck. I pulled a vacuum on the system and noticed it has a small leak. I added some refrigerant and dye and found the expansion valve o-ring was leaking. Also it looks like the screen in the line from the evaporator was clogged because it iced up. At this point I gave up and left for the rally a few hours later.

Not that I’ve had some free time I worked on tracking down an o-ring for the expansion valve. This was a pain because I tried several parts and home improvement stores with no luck. Datsun forums were no help either. Just a bunch of posts from people looking for the same o-ring. Finally I came across one that would work at Ace Hardware. The o-ring was a little thicker but it fit the valve and it installed ok. Since the vacuum pump was back at my parent’s house I got a little impatient and flushed the screen and lines, charged the system, and checked for leaks. So far it’s holding and the lines are not freezing up. I went for a quick drive and with a half charge on the system I’m getting 32 degrees out the vents. I still want to replace the drier, flush the rest of the system, and pull a vacuum on the system.

Next up is cleaning the interior. I’ve pulled all the plastic trim out, cleaned off the mold and other questionable stains, and started dying them black. I was trying to use up all my leftover dye from 2002 but apparently I didn’t have as much left as I hoped. I got three pieces done before running out. So far it’s coming out great so I’ll have to buy another can and finish up this weekend.

The vinyl around the shock towers is in poor shape but the cheapest thing for now might be to dry it black too just so it matches. Later on I might replace it with new vinyl or use carpet.

Small update, I finally got around to installing new poly rack bushings. The old ones were worn and the passenger side was soaked in oil from an old leak. When turning the wheel the rack would shift side to side by about an inch. So far they have made a huge improvement to steering feel.

New vs. old

This thing was an oil soaked marshmallow.

Finally got around to fixing the brakes. Rotors and pads were new back in 2004 but they rusted up from sitting. I sanded the rust off the rotors twice but I could never get all of it and they kept squealing. I thought about having them turned but getting new rotors was cheaper. I also picked up a set of StopTech performance pads that were listed as “used” on Amazon. I was hoping they were just a return with a trashed box but for $9 shipped I was willing to find out. Worse case I just return them. When they showed up the box had a small piece of tape on it and the pads were brand new and still shrink wrapped. So new brakes have been installed and they are nice and quiet. I can finally drive the car to work in stop and go traffic without wanting to stab myself in the ears.

Today I ordered up patch panels to fix some of the rust. Both lower fender patches, dog legs, and wheel arches cost about $135 shipped. I’m going to do rockers too but I’m still trying to find the cheapest ones I can. Now my rust doesn't look too bad but I’m just going to fix everything right the first time while I still have metal to weld to.

keep up the good work!

This one needs to be in the build thread section!

+1 to Javelin. Killer build, Greg!

Thanks guys!

If this could be moved to the build thread section that would be great. Call it “1976 Datsun 280Z Challenge Build”.

Hopefully once I get all the small issues worked out I can start the body work, rust repair, turbo install, and suspension stuff. Currently I’m still chasing that cluck noise and it’s driving me crazy. This weekend I’d like to climb back under the car and inspect everything from the transmission back. I really hope it’s just an axle u-joint or something simple and cheap.

While I was looking up other random parts I came across the part numbers for factory Nissan 280Z fenders. Google showed that some dealers can still get them along with Amazon. For fun I looked up the Amazon one and noticed they also showed one used passenger fender 63100-N4700 for under $200. Description said the packaging was damaged but the fender was fine. It also qualified for 2 day shipping with Prime so I bough it hoping to have the same luck I did with the brake pads. Problem is this is not very budget friendly but it would be really nice not to cut out rust, weld in a patch, remove 2 layers of paint, and fix a bunch of dents. If it shows up damaged I can always send it back.

Another thing I picked up last weekend was a transmission from a 1995 240sx for $130. It has about 147K on it and came with some kind of cheap short throw shifter. Kid I bought it from said it worked fine but removed it since he was swapping in a SR20. On the way back it shifted in the bed of my truck before I tied it down and spilled gear oil all over the place. Good news is that the oil looked clean and wasn’t full of metal or anything nasty.

Plan is to swap on the front case/belhousing from my 4 speed which is a bolt with some light machine work, find a 69-71 240z driveshaft or shorten my current one, and modify the transmission mount.

I seem to remember that the L-series and K-series engines were tilted at different angles. The bellhousing swap sounds like an interesting option if the machine work is indeed light.

I haven’t pulled my 4 speed yet so I’m not sure if there is a difference in angle. From what I’ve read and seen online the shifter comes straight thought the stock hole in the floor but only and inch or 2 farther back. If the angle is different then it doesn’t look like its going to be a big deal. I’ll find out soon enough.

After seeing how your Miata turned out "Pseudo" I'm looking forward to seeing this Datsun done right.

Good luck.

It’s been 2 months and I haven’t really done anything to the Z other then drive it to work a few times a week. So far it’s been pretty reliable with only a few small problems that I’ve just decided to over look. One issue is the interior light decided to stop working. The fuse looked ok so I went to take apart the light itself to check the bulb and the whole thing disintegrated in my hand. Next the voltage gauge stopped working unless I punch the dash. Not really a big deal since at some point I plan on installing aftermarket gauges.

One thing I did fix was the ignition cylinder. I finally had enough of dealing with it when I got stuck at work jiggling the key trying to get it to turn for 10 minutes. Nothing too hard about the install. Just had to unbolt the cylinder assembly, drill out the lock pin, and install the new cylinder.

I’d like to start working on the suspension soon but I’m undecided on what I want to go with. I’ve been thinking about cutting up the strut housings for shorter strut inserts and coilovers. My other thought is just getting an upgraded replacement strut insert and going with mild lowering springs plus swaybars. I’m open to suggestions too incase anyone has had a setup in a Z car they really liked.