1977 Datsun 280z RestoMod Project Thread
Overall project goal is to restore the car, maintain the classic look of the 280z, and modernize the engine, drive-train, suspension, and electrical systems. I plan to swap in a L28ET with forged internals, modern turbo (looking at GTX35?), inter-cooler (looking at air to water system),and MS3X ecu. I will also be doing several tried and true upgrades such as the Toyota front caliper upgrade, the hybrid transmission 5 speed swap (300zx/240sx plus L series 5 speed bellhousing), and alternator upgrade. This will be my second project car, my first being a 1997 Jeep Wrangler, and some of the “upgrades” I’ve chosen are probably not necessary or considered overkill for a fun weekend street car but I’m interested in learning more about these systems or I just want to test the products out. Throughout the build I’ll try to document things in case anyone tries to replicate anything in the future.
Cooling System Upgrade
The radiator that came with my car appeared to be a 280zx? radiator and the old hoses were starting to bulge. In preparation for engine swapping and turbo charging in the future I decided that phase one would be cooling system modernization. I went with the following components: Mishimoto 280z radiator and hoses (I think the hoses said 240z but they were easy to trim to fit), AutoCoolGuy PWM dual fan controller, ebay shroud for 280z aluminum radiator, two Spal e fans. All of the parts where simple to drop in and install, the autocoolguy kit came with a temp sensor and wiring diagram. I took this opportunity to flush the coolant system. Overall this was a straight forward swap thats been done many times. If anyone has questions or needs help replicating this please let me know but there are several guides already out there for this type of modification.
Suspension System Upgrades
I selected APEX Engineered standard front and rear suspension systems along with the track attack front brace and standard rear brace for my 280z. Since my existing shocks are well past end of life I opted to get BC Racing coilovers and went with the 6/7k spring rate per their recommendation and after reading some reviews on HybridZ and Facebook. APEX welded the coilover sleeves to their kit and powder coated them for me.
With the APEX kit I opted to keep the 4 lug set up to keep the classic look at to work with 8 spoke wheels, I know most people upgrade to 5 lug but I decided against it. Time will tell if I regret this decision. I also selected the 370z differential option with the rear subframe upgrade. In order to make everything work for this set up I ordered the following parts from ebay, junkyards, and rockauto (basically wherever I could find the right part at a good price): S13 wheel bearings, S13 hubs, 300zx Z32 NA motor axles (really only need the outside portion), 370z axles (really only need the inner portion), 370z differential with quaife LSD and 4.08 gears.
To mate the 370z diff to the S13 hubs you will need to disassemble the 300zx and 370z axles to get the inner and outer parts. Then add the 370z inner flange/cv cup and the outer 300zx spline/cv cup to the APEX Engineered axle. Once assembled you should have a custom axle that will allow this hodgepodge selection of parts to work together.
Rear Brakes
I used the GK Tech dual caliper bracket, z32 rear caliper, and 1985 300zx NA rotor with the APEX 4 lug kit and everything looks like it will work. I did have to mount the GK Tech bracket backwards and add a small washer to get the spacing right for the caliper. I need to rebuild the calipers and start the suspension swap before I can test if it really works so take this with a grain of salt.
Transmission Upgrades
My 280z has the stock 4 speed transmission and I’ve decided to go with the hybrid transmission combining the FS5W71C transmission with the bellhousing from a 5 speed L series transmission. I followed the write up on Atlantic Z after sourcing the parts from Facebook Market Place. I know I will need to build a custom drive shaft so I sourced the following Dana Spicer parts in order to use 1310 series U-joints. DANA 2-3-13461X and 2-2-2029 are for the 370z differential companion flange and the FS5W71C slip yoke. Since I have not installed the motor or transmission at this time, I do not have a measurement for the custom driveshaft length.
7/22/22 Status
Currently my car is on jack stands waiting for the driver spindle to be reinstalled, electrical system is down due to a bad external voltage regulator, the original L28 is running rough/rough idle, and the lights do not work. I suspect swapping to a 280zx alternator will be the quick easy fix while I wait for my L28ET motor to go to the machine shop for rebuild. Once electrical is sorted out I plan to begin troubleshooting the rough idle to see if I can drive the car around for a bit while the engine swap parts sit on back order. I have received the APEX kit, BC coilovers, transmission parts but have not worked to install them since my ProTunerZ manifolds are still pending along with ARP bolt kits being back ordered until October and the motor rebuild has not started. My plan is hopefully have the machine shop work done and all parts in hand before winter to start the wholesale swap out for the engine, transmission, and suspension. I’m open to any comments, advice, or feedback regarding the build or if there is any interest in more detailed guides on how I am assembling these kits. Additionally if anyone has recommendations on turbo sizing, intercooler systems, or other parts I may not be thinking about I’d be happy to discuss.
