WildVisions

Hey everyone! I became a Z owner in November of 2013 when I was able to purchase a 1976 Datsun 280Z 2+2 after searching long and hard for a S30 Z. I had already acquired a S130 earlier that year (1982 280ZX 2+2) which I was planning on restoring as a gift for someone special, but I had my heart set on a S30 for myself. Soon after purchasing my 280Z, life and a myriad of health complications popped up, so my poor car sat parked in my car port while I tended to other matters. Furthermore, life's roller coaster ended up with me also keeping the S130 for myself, bringing my Datsun Z car count up to 2! Recently, however, I was able to get back to work on it and have decided to set up a build thread here so chronicle it's journey. As a rather busy college student studying pre-veterinary medicine and working multiple jobs, this will be a bit of a slow build thread at times since work and school come first, but I do have big plans for this car and will steadily work on it until it reaches that level! For now I am keeping it modest and working on the body, interior, and the basics, so that I may use this car as my daily driver since my current daily has a major drinking problem when it comes to gas. Eventually I want to look into a SR20DET swap for this car, but that will be much later down the line. Anyhow, enough talking, let's get on to the photos (because that's what everyone loves to see in build threads anyhow!) My 280Z the day after I bought it! Some mild rust on the body, but nothing too bad. Over all it's in good condition! I wasn't originally looking to purchase a 280Z with a burnt orange interior (I wanted black) but I ended up falling in love with this color! The interior has some rough spots but is over all in decent condition. As can be expected, the leather is ripped up (so is the carpet) and the dash is cracked. Everything functions though! I decided to start pulling parts and cleaning them. The air filter housing and air flow meter were first in line. The air filter housing was rusted and the color didn't match anything else on the car, so that was going to change! The 'new' air filter housing after I cleaned it up and re-painted it in a metallic copper color. The AFM was filthy, so I took it apart and cleaned it up. It, too, received the metallic copper treatment. Both parts were then installed back in the car. The car then sat neglected for a long while, sadly, but recently I was able to revisit it. The next series of photos are iPhone pics, but I'll try to get some proper dSLR pics later on! The car received a much needed bath + polish. For original paint and a simple hand buffing/polishing, it's not too shabby. I don't care too much about restoring it to a full shine because I am planning on re-painting it and doing a color change later on anyway, but I at least wanted it to look a bit nicer than before. I didn't like the grey color of the rear panel, plus it was scratched/gouged so I decided to rip it out and refinish it. I filled in the scratches, gave it a coat of primer, and then finished it in a satin black color. I also smoked the tail lights and then reassembled everything and installed it back on the car. The 'new' rear end. It looks MUCH better now and I love the dark/smokey look. The center console arm rest was stained with some white paint that simply wouldn't come off, and the hinge was rather miserable looking, so I refinished both. The arm rest was given a coat of SEM "Landau Black" which looks amazing. It really looks like a brand new part and has held up quite well so far. I will be posting more photos as I get more work done. Sorry for the massively image-intensive thread; I guess that's what happens when the owner of the Z is also a photographer.