Cupcake: 1981 280ZX

[d__T]

Hi!

 

I just bought a looks-great-from-10-feet 280ZX and I'm excited for my new life of "sorry, you want parts for a what?" and getting confused when people call it a Nissan and also posting project updates here!

 

Things that are good:

- exterior in remarkably good condition although there are repaired dings and a full second coat of paint over that

- the guy I bought it from says it's all original except for the carpet in the back and so far that checks out

- Haynes manual came with it :okay hand:

- interior also in remarkably good condition

- I thought it would be louder than my daily but I'm pretty sure it's quieter

 

Things that are less good:

- got some rot on the right side behind the front wheel that I'm gonna have to keep a close eye on

- that second coat of paint is peeling up under the tail lights and there's a missing badge that's left damage behind

- driver's side doesn't lock from the outside but like, a motivated two year old could break into this car

- the air cleaner/intake assembly doesn't like to stay together but the fault is before the air cleaner so it's probably Fine For Now

- Suspicious Spatters around some fittings in the engine bay but nothing very fresh looking

- back hatch leaks like a sieve and it's somehow accumulating inside the hatch

 

The plan right now

- simple green the heck out of the engine bay and see what splatters/congeals

- fix the leaky hatch asap

- take the door card off and have a look at the lock and see if it's a broken plastic bit that I can fix

- see if I can beer can that exhaust leak into passing emissions the first time (unlikely on both accounts)

 

The long term plan

- restomod probably, I like the way it looks but some future tech might do it some good

- snowflake wheels, but only after I have a plan for the suspension because right now it slouches around like my old minivan and I think we can do better than that

- rust prevention on the underside

- ???? it's too clean on the inside, I almost feel bad putting my filthy little hands on it

- keep an eye on Noll's build and roadkill2525's GT ideas

 

...and I'm still getting hearts in my eyes any time I look at it.

 

No pictures for now because I don't have any sexy ones and also I'm still doing the song and dance for the inspection people and it's been in their lot collecting pollen since the day after I brought it home. 

 

And uh, since I'm new here. Hi, I'm Dylan, I live in Maryland, my daily is an 2005 Acura RSX named Milkshake, and this is gonna be my first whole car project.

[datzenmike]

Haynes are better than nothing, just barely. They cover all Z car years so are skimpy on your exact year and model. You want to step it up a few notches??? Get the Nissan produced factory service manual (FSM) FOR YOUR YEAR.... try e-Bay maybe $25-$50 and pays for itself the first time you don't understand something and use it to fix it. Leave it in the bathroom and read it when sitting down. Shit goes out, information has room and goes in.

[tr8er]

The hatch leak is first.  Those rust so bad. Check the t-top drainage duct.  I believe it goes down that way.  I presume this is a t-top?  

[tr8er]

I had this year 280zx from age 16-24.  I loved that car.  After minimal mods that engine can scream!   But heads warp, so don’t ever push the temp.  If you are overheating, cool it down.  Have fun.  

[d__T]

I return, with pictures!

 

 

datzenmike: Just ordered a 'rough' condition FSM. Planning on taking it apart, feeding it to a copier and digitizing it, then printing a new one and stuffing it into a binder to minimize grease hands extraordinaire.

 

tr8er: I'm not cool enough for a T-top or a passenger side mirror.

 

Hatch update:

When I open the hatch, it leaks out of the gasket(?) on the upper left and because of the way the tube there is crimped from being stuck in the seal for 20 years, it dumps all of that water between the strut tower and the back of the drivers seat. I have deployed a remedial towel for the moment.

It also seems to leak out through the cable? tube? hose? on the upper right side as well and travel down through the inside of the car and pour out about halfway down the wedge window. That explains the interior panel damage over there, at least.

 

It's also coming down inside the lower right side but note that some of that water is on the panel above where it would be if it came through the seal between the hatch and the body.

 

Which leaves me with the idea that water is somehow getting <em>inside</em> the hatch via the glass and that I should probably take it to have the glass glued down again.

 

In the meantime, I'm gonna start pulling off interior panels to hopefully get eyes on the problem.

 

Hose integrity problems are starting to manifest- coolant leak from the top hose of the radiator, a hose from the AC has ejected the hose clip from one end and detached itself. Gonna wait for the service manual to arrive and then do All of the hoses.

 

Edit: my manual is in purgatory, what's UP with the reverse pin windshield wiper situation?

[d__T]

FSM arrived, contains black mold. It's in quarantine until I can copy it.

 

Seal kit ordered, should arrive this week.

 

Reverse pin windshield wiper situation solved with a bolt of the right size and a dremel to make a conversion pin.

 

I've been adopted by the Wednesday night cruise meet which is mostly big old american cars but hey, close enough for shade tree advice.