Rianthebear

Update: It has been a bit since I posted the Start of My Project. As of the End of April I started a New Job and I am being forced to move closer to work. Since Gas is 4$ a gallon It has been difficult to find time to work on my car. Now I am forced to stow the car untill things settle out a bit. In the mean time however I will be gathering parts, Tools, and needed information. Any suggestions, Tips, Hints (and outright donations ) will be accepted and Appreciated. Big thanks to all the Members that have Answered my Questions and Helped me in the past. Thanks, Rian

awesome, thanks for the help.. I have all the Tools I need for the Job. I guess I just need someone who can weld. Thanks for the help Rian

And if so, Do you have and tips or tricks that could make it a bit easier?

Glad to hear the cowl can be swapped, and I will post some pictures of the rust damage as soon as I find the darn adapter for my camera.

I pulled the windshield trim and found something that made my heart sink. the roof and wiper cowl have almost completely rusted through. my question is Whats the best way to repair this rust. i know replacing the roof with the sheet metal off a donor car can be a fix, but what about the wiper cowl? The cowl is part of the unibody and cant really be removed very easily. Is my car a loss or is this fixable? thanks Rian

Well, I guess I have delayed starting my project thread long enough. Back in late April 2010 I purchased my 80 Datsun 280zx, And she has been an amazing drive. I originally purchased the car for my DD/work vehicle(work being pizza Delivery). Now that I have a new work truck I can finally start on my Street/Track project. The car as of 3 weeks ago: Factory Stock 1980 280zx, every thing down to the shocks and stereo was factory. N/a l28 with 294k miles. still cranks and pulls like a beast 5 speed trans has a good clutch but the trans is making a ton of noise while driving, a rebuild is necessary. not to mention the shift throws are longer than a country mile. all the options were included, power windows and mirrors, automatic temp control a/c (even though the compressor seized up about 15 years ago) Goals: A street drivable track car with monster HP. DriveTrain: L28eT or some comparable swap, built to handle about 350hp. A transmission that can handle said HP and the strains of me putting my size 15 foot down on the throttle. I am fairly certain that my car has a r-200 diff already, but I would like to get some kind of LSD or something to make wasting tires a bit more fun. Brakes and Suspention: Here is where the bulk of my money is going to be spent. after spending many hours digging on this forum and a couple others I have found many many other ZX guys scratching their heads trying to figure out the best solution for lack of suspension kits. My Best bet is a S13 or z31 kit conversion to fit. Brakes on the other hand is easy, mk3 supra front disc conversion, and crossdrilled and slotted ZX rears. Work on the Car thus far: Well due to the Craptastic weather we have been having lately not to mention the insane hours I have to work these days, not alot has been done. I have removed the front clip(fenders, hood, air-dam,bumper, headlight buckets) and windshield to start on the dent/rust repair and removing some things i dont really like on the body i.e. side marker lights, emblems, rubber door guards. once i get the front finished i will be moving to the back and fixing some rust and dings. I will post some pictures and updates ASAP. Rian

Thanks very very much for the info. now that i know how, my trim and windshield comes off tomorrow. thanks and wish me luck.

I know its a stupid newbie question. I was wondering is there any special tricks to removing the windshield trim and glass on a 1980 s130? any and all help is appreciated. Rian

Checking in, new to forum. Bone stock 1980 280zx Special Edition, black with gold and stainless accents.