im out of my element

[stillachevyguy]

well,my buddy has finally convinced me to try out the old "j tin" as he calls it. i've been around cars for as long as i can remember,i've done it all(when it comes to chevys) and wanted to try somethin new. i've decided (okay i was convinced) to sell my baby and am lookin at a few old datsuns in the area,mostly z cars but some pick ups as well. i've been told y'all are a respectable crowd,and i would like some advice on what to look out for on this breed of cars. rust areas,wiring issues and such. i would appreciate it!

[FiveSeventyZee]

specific common rust areas are different on all datsuns but there are always easy places to check, battery tray, wheel wells, floorboards, door jams etc.

 

You want something as stock as possible. even if you don't intend on keeping it stock its always best to start with a clean canvas rather than trying to fix other peoples fuck ups. just go watch that show about cover up tattoos...lol. avoid anything with a lot of added wires. don't be scared off by mechanical issues, all the engines datsun used are very simple designs and are no harder to take apart and repair (head gaskets, timing chains, that sort of thing) than a chevy motor.

 

the J-tin is awesome and most people learn to love it. if youre a chevy guy (like you so clearly are) a z car might be a good datto for you. The chevy 1st gen v8 is a VERY documented swap in the s30 chassis (70-78) and you'll have a drivetrain you're used to/comfortable with. A lot of people on this sight arent fans of dropping chevy v8's in them but honestly, its hard to ignore the bang for buck when it comes to that swap. Mine is set back behind the front crossmember so the added weight from the v8 (only about 100lb gain usually) isn't ALL on the front so don't be fooled into thinking a V8 z car wont handle.

 

If youre looking at trucks don't expect to swap a v8 and have a beast of a 4x4....not that it can't be done, but datsun trucks have tiny engine bays and don't even need a V8 to be beasts.

 

 

just try to find something strait and rust free, you'll be happy

[Skib]

i've been told y'all are a respectable crowd

 

someone lied :rofl:

 

but we do know datsuns very very well :lol:

[stillachevyguy]

^this guy lol well im kinda lookin at a 280z on schindlers....i mean craigslist,says it needs a head gasket. but im wonderin about all this fuel injection since i usually try to avoid it. what kinda mess am i gettin myself into here?

[metalmonkey47]

well,my buddy has finally convinced me to try out the old "j tin" as he calls it.

 

 

Whale cum to Ratsun Clay :thumbup: :rofl:

 

Now about that Z car...

[stillachevyguy]

well thats a hell of a whale cum matt. what about this z car good sir?

[ArchetypeDatsun]

Once you been bitten by the Datsun bug it's hard to go back to anything else you'll have fun here. Z cars are very fun cars to drive and work on as it was said V8 swaps are well documented. Some people have some really well build stock engines that will stay if not beat a lot of V8 powered cars. If you wanna avoid fuel injection find a 70-73 240z or 74 (only year) 260z, 240z have 2.4L inline 6 & 260z has same engine just 2.6L.

[stillachevyguy]

im actually hopin to leave the 6 in there. they just have a sound i need to hear at 8 grand lol i want to try building one bottom to top and see what i get

[metalmonkey47]

well thats a hell of a whale cum matt. what about this z car good sir?

 

Well sir, it's about time we get you into one of them dang ol' Datsun Zed cars. Or as you rednecks call it, "the fuuck is dat thang there with those wide rymmsssss. Donna get me another beer!"

 

Once you been bitten by the Datsun bug it's hard to go back to anything else you'll have fun here. Z cars are very fun cars to drive and work on as it was said V8 swaps are well documented. Some people have some really well build stock engines that will stay if not beat a lot of V8 powered cars.

 

^ Yup, can't beat the sound and power of a well built L28 screaming.

[DISLEXICDIME]

^this guy lol well im kinda lookin at a 280z on schindlers....i mean craigslist,says it needs a head gasket. but im wonderin about all this fuel injection since i usually try to avoid it. what kinda mess am i gettin myself into here?

 

you could always throw a clifford intake and a holly 500 on the straight six . I have driven one that pulled pretty good

[ArchetypeDatsun]

You'll find all you need to know here so I would start researching as much as you can even before you get the Z that way you get an idea of what your getting into. Also a lot of Z guys from here will do some research over at HybridZ.org that's the best all Z car forum around all the builds you can think of have been done. I will say register yourself there and read up only those guys over there are super strict with new people so just use the search bar and read.

[stillachevyguy]

being an under hood anal person,how much of that wiring garbage can i trim out to clean it up? being fuel injected am i going to need a pressure regulator and return line because of the fuel pressure for injection?

[stillachevyguy]

You'll find all you need to know here so I would start researching as much as you can even before you get the Z that way you get an idea of what your getting into. Also a lot of Z guys from here will do some research over at HybridZ.org that's the best all Z car forum around all the builds you can think of have been done. I will say register yourself there and read up only those guys over there are super strict with new people so just use the search bar and read.

 

thats a big reason im here,trying not to get too far in over my head

[ggzilla]

being fuel injected am i going to need a pressure regulator and return line because of the fuel pressure for injection?

Datsun 280Z has all that stuff from the factory - EFI, pressure regulator and return line - in 1975! Much more sophisticated than a 1975 chevrolet.

[Skib]

being fuel injected am i going to need a pressure regulator and return line because of the fuel pressure for injection?

 

yes.

 

you can clean up the under hood stuff by deleting all the smog shit (if you dont have smog checks)

 

getting a billet fuel rail

(one I built)

 

and shaving the intake manifold

(move the few necessary non smog related vac ports to the bottom side of the mani)

 

[stillachevyguy]

Datsun 280Z has all that stuff from the factory - EFI, pressure regulator and return line - in 1975! Much more sophisticated than a 1975 chevrolet.

 

thats what im worried about lol but being a 75 in ca,thats a huge possibility for a project

[stillachevyguy]

yes.

 

you can clean up the under hood stuff by deleting all the smog shit (if you dont have smog checks)

 

getting a billet fuel rail

(one I built)

 

and shaving the intake manifold

(move the few necessary non smog related vac ports to the bottom side of the mani)

dear lord baby jesus,thats some fancy lookin hardware ya got there. probably a little too rich for my taste at this point in time

[stillachevyguy]

one question i have is what is the difference between the 2+2 and the regular 280z? the only difference i have seen is the quarter window. can y'all elaborate for me?

[Kramer1981]

A car that I found to be pretty cool was a friends 280zx, and with an auto, it was spankin Vortec 350 trucks. Of course he slung it in a ditch and tweaked the body, got a 280z replacement that never ran right, i swapped some stuff for the z, I couldnt even get it to run by itself and junked it(it was a foul pile of rust).

 

My pick of the cars would be a Z and not a ZX, I think they look waaay better, and I understand a small chevy fits quite well. Like everyone else said, find a car as un-rusted and un-butchered as possible. Completeness is good too.

[konig209]

http://modesto.craigslist.org/cto/3389241611.html

75 no smog lol

[ggzilla]

A 2+2, whether a Datsun or a Ferrari, means there is a little back seat for passengers. The generally have a longer wheelbase, as the 280Z 2+2 which changes the looks of the car considerably.

[konig209]

Says not 2+2

[ggzilla]

2+2=4, four-passenger

[stillachevyguy]

the one im going to look at is a 2+2,but im not really seeing alot more length or much difference. that looks like a nice car,but im lookin at one for $900 only an hour away. it looks like a good start to me. what do you guys think?

 

http://chico.craigslist.org/cto/3351437300.html

[Kramer1981]

conveniently no pic of the damage...