SmoothZ

So I did the install the other night, and wow what a difference new shocks make to the Z! After we figured out the first side, the second side was so easy. The car rides so much better now.

Awesome, thanks for the steps. Can't wait to do the install and see how it feels.

Some eye candy for you all.

Thanks for the tips, guys. I'm slowly getting to know this car and enjoying every day with it. I have it stored at my MIL's house right now due to massive construction on my street which is causing a lot of dust and crap flying around. Don't need that near the Z. As soon as I get a clean and new street, I'll tackle the Z's airbox and hoses. I also need to install those new lug bolts for the rear and the new shocks. I haven't driven the car in 2 weeks, so I'm missing it. LOL

Good to know about that little suggestion (or not so little). Thanks! Did you take pics of the process?

Hello, HybridZ family! Been a long time since I posted or visited the site. Years ago, I had a 260Z that I was hoping to fix up and customize. That didn't work out so well. Kids grew up, and now I have 2 teenage boys at home. The youngest (I have 3 boys but the oldest is in the Navy) is my autogeek. I've been looking for a car for him (and secretly for me and my wife lol) and came across something last weekend that I couldn't pass up. We were at a car meet and an acquaintance learned that we were looking for a Z to buy. He mentions that he has a friend who has a 280ZX that he doesn't drive and wants to sell. I look at some photos and arrange to meet the owner (an older gentleman in his 80s). When I arrived at his garage condo, I couldn't believe how "mint" the car was and that the owner never drives it. A few days later, I gave him a check and became the 3rd owner of this awesome 1983 ZX. I never thought I would have an S130. I started with a Z32 2+2, then a Z33, then the S30, and now this. I guess I'm hooked. Anyway, the car seems to run well, it looks 99% stock/OEM, and supposedly has been maintained really well by the original owner. I recently bought new tires, a new air filter, and a PCV valve. The air filter looks horrible. It's drenched in oil, and the air filter assembly is 50% covered with old oil. I did a quick search and believe it's the PCV valve. Please correct me if I'm on the wrong path. I'm a noob when it comes to this engine. I have done some searches over the past few days and was more focused on getting new tires and a fresh air filter. Is there any other reason why the air filter is so oily? I plan on taking apart the entire airbox and cleaning the heck out of it. I'm sure the first thing you all want to see are pics, so let me see if attaching them will work here. This car is really growing on me.

I'm glad I found this thread. Just purchased a pristine 83 Base and the rear shocks definitely need to be replaced. So Amazon and Rockauto. Check! Can't believe I am doing this and getting the S130. This will be my 4th Z car in my lifetime.

Alright, after a few weeks off due to shoulder surgery and what not, I'm back in to the old girl. I was watching SpeedTV this morning and couldn't stand to watch the hot rod shows where they talk about rebuilding a car from the ground up. I decided it was time to get out to the garage, spend some quality time with my oldest son, and enjoy the nice weather we were having. What did we do? Took out the alternator (tested it - failed), took out a bunch of hoses to try and get some more engine room, tried to take off the oil filter (damn thing is stubborn), took out the spark plugs and wiring, and took off those little hood thingy's (sorry, I don't know what it's called). On with the pics!

I believe that part is the fuel pump filter, which would completely explain why your car isn't working. I know that when I had problems with the car running on an old Buick, I would make sure that I didn't have a dirty fuel filter.

Best pics I have at the moment. My car doesn't want to run for too long. I think it's the alternator.

haha! lol @ tombstone

subscribed.... Thinking of doing something similar with my car as far as prepping it for paint. Need to strip it down to bare metal just to be sure I get all imperfections out of it.

I'm glad I found this thread. It makes for great reading, even if I'm at the beginning stages of modifying my 260. I've been researching and asking lots of questions lately, and I know that I will no longer entertain the idea of the VG30 engine swap. Someone talked me into considering the KA24 engine or the RB25. I'm still thinking about it, but threads like these are very helpful. Thanks for posting pics and stories. I especially liked post #83 and the cost factor. Woohoo!

Great thread. I'm going to subscribe to this one. Some of your pics look like what I'm doing to my Z. At least I feel like I'm on the right track. Comparing photos is a huge help to me. Keep up the good work!