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CRAracer 76' 280z project


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 I acquired my 1976 280z just before winter of 2014 in non-running condition. Car was formerly a road course car with a certified cage and fuel cell. I was told that the battery shorted on the fire wall and it never ran since then. Upon going through the fuel injector bible I discovered the battery was poorly grounded to the chassis and the resulting short fried the ECU. Just swapping out the ECU and fuel in the cell resulted in the car starting immediately to my great surprise. I was told the engine was recently done before it stopped running two years ago. I was told the engine was refreshed, blue-printed and balanced and some minor head work done. The car does need some attention as everyone knows these things are so prone to rust. I have started the tear down process and plan to do a majority of the body work over the winter.

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Here are some pictures of the tear down from this week.

 

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My goal for the car is for it to look similar to this but with Summit  single stage Plum Pearl Metallic paint.

 

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I plan on keeping the car an L28 based car for the time being and just aim for about 200rwhp with proper modifications.

 

Things I'm set on for now:

MSA 3-2 coated header

MSA twice pipes exhaust for 3-2 headers

intake to replace my non-existent factory air box

Lightweight flywheel and new clutch

electric fan setup (have from a previous project and never used)

 

Things I'm up in the air on and need to research further:

Upgraded cam from MSA

Flat tops pistons (on my N42 block & head)

Further headwork depending on what is done already

5-speed or diff swap if funds allow

 

For chassis/body mods I'm planning on the following:

ZG flares

BRE spoiler

Rota RB wheels (staggered setup)

 

Still researching brakes and suspension setups.

 

If any one has any good advice feel free to leave a comment as pointers are welcome.

Edited by CRAracer05
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Really cool car to start with and with those mods would be awesome.Do you plan on keeping the EFI? Personally I would go with A tricarb setup but there's certainly many factors to consider.Also keep in mind that things won't always go as fast as you'd think...these cars tend to have some hidden secrets!

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Well, I'm undecided on what to do with the fuel setup as the factory EFI is working good right now.  I know the EFI will be limiting to my setup (or at least tricky to tune), but the added cost of Webers and a new fuel pump is going to be pretty high given everything else I need to purchase. I was looking at the MSA Stage 3 fuel injected cam, as I was reading it would be the best way to avoid detonation with flat tops and the stock EFI system. If anyone has experience with this setup please chime in.

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Nice project starter, have pics of the interior with the certified cage and cell? I'm completing my setup, need ideas on where to put switches, etc. 

 

As for brakes, if you're planning to track, I'd just go with the entire AZC Wilwood conversion, plenty of stopping power and integrated with the proportioning valve. These things are very adjustable on rear bias. Brakes are top priority.

 

..and if that's your Javelin, sweet classic.  

Edited by aongch
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My ultimate goal will be to hopefully get some track time and I am definately looking at upgrading the brakes. The AMC is my father in-laws Javelin AMX 401 4-speed project he has been working on. He is actually giving me his 76 280z as a parts car very soon. We lifted it up the other day and it needs full frame rails, floor pans, innner and outer rockers, quarters and hatch. The body is pretty much history besides the hood which I need for my car. He made the decision that it is far too much work to repair now. I'll have the entire spare drivetrain n42/n42 all original OEM plus 4-speed and rear diff.

 

I don't have any really good interior pictures, I'll try to get loaded up by the weekend.

 

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Edited by CRAracer05
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Worked on the car some last night mainly took the exhaust and intake manifolds off to investigate the motor a little bit. The intake manifold and intake ports are slightly gasket matched but there doesn't appear to be any real port work done on the head. A look down the spark plug holes with a small LED light revealed a super fresh hone job but original dished pistons. Looking the oil fill cap the head looks brand new like it was just rebuilt. Appears to a stock cam based on wear pattern. I also got the transmission pulled and my wife pulled the seat and harnesses out. I also got some pictures of the fuel cell and cage.

 

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Edited by CRAracer05
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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Worked on the car some more last night. I got the fuel cell and fuel pump removed. I also dropped the rear differential and suspension.

 

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I also started shaving the engine bay by removing now unused brackets.

 

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Here are some pictures of the dis-assembly progress so far.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Little more progress over the holidays but nothing major yet.

 

Rear end out and disassembled.

 

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Started replacing metal, my first attempt and I don't think its too bad. I under sized the patch to allow for minimal filler/blending.

 

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My wife started removing undercoating on the front of the car.

 

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Edited by CRAracer05
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  • 2 weeks later...

Anyway here is a semi-update to my build plans so far:

 

Body:

MSA ZG Flares

MSA  Fairlady 432 spoiler

Rear window louvers

Headlight covers

 

Suspension:

Ground control coilovers

Unsure on struts right now if any one has recommendations

Camber plates (undecided on bolt-in or weld in)

Car has an upgraded front sway bar already I will be reusing

 

Wheels & Brakes:

Silvermine Motors Stage 3 or 4 front brakes (still not sure which I want)

Silvermine Motors Rear Disc brake conversion

Rota RB Stagger package 17x8.5/9.5 (Black or Royal Gunmetal)

Hydraulic hand/emergency brake

Wilwood proportioning Valve

(possible 15/16 master cylinder upgrade)

 

Drivetrain:

L28

4-speed

Stock R200 open Diff

MSA 6-3-2 coated headers

MSA Twin Pipes

Ebay intake with a real filter

 

Interior:

Painted no carpet, factory dash (possible aluminum door panels)

Procar Drifter series seats

(gauges undecided on Autometers or Speedhut)

 

Things I'm considering right now are doing a mild build of the L28 if the budget allows. Plans would be cast flat top pistons, ported head, Isky .490 cam(not sure if factory fuel injection would like this). Also considered Carb swap. If I sell my 94 Eagle Talon Tsi AWD I might consider a RB25 swap with McKinney Motorsports swap parts instead. I really would like to make the car 5-speed if I keep the L28, but that is more money not required right now. I also want a better differential with shorter gears and lsd, but they are also big money. As I am getting another 76 280z parts car I may just weld one of the diffs up for now and see how I like it. I also want to replace the body harness with a universal Painless harness or just custom make one.

Edited by CRAracer05
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  • 5 weeks later...

It has been a few weeks, but I made some more progress finally. I managed to get both of the rear quarter sections semi repaired with new sheet metal. I treated the insides of the quarter panels first with a coat of Eastwood's Rust Converter then two coats of Rust Encapsulater while the sections were cut out. I also tried to make the patches some what lower than the actual sheet metal in an attempt to allow for less filler when blending in the repairs. I just need to make the inside vertical sections next. Overall I feel confident this a much better repair than the solid chunk of Bondo I removed from both sides of the car that had been used to fix it previously.

 

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Edited by CRAracer05
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  • 1 month later...

Well progress is slow between work and school, but I managed to make some more progress and get the driver's quarter panel patched. Keep in mind this is the first car I have done bodywork this extensive on, and I still to rebuild the inner portion as it was pretty rusty as well.

 

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Edited by CRAracer05
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  • 3 weeks later...

Well it finally got nice enough for me to go pick up my parts car. My father in-law was generous enough to give his 76 280z as that he has owned since 1978. We were going to fix it this year but when we jacked it up in storage we found that are absolutely no frame rails, or floor boards left. The inner fenders, rockers and quarters are all gone as well. We towed it to my house yesterday so I can take what I need from it. The main things I need right now are the hood and the roof/windshield channel. 

 

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