Notorious Nerd Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Hi guys! I'm new on here and to cars but hopefully I'll catch on quickly. I originally bought my 280zx to convert it into a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO but have recently scrapped the idea because I have neither the money nor the knowledge to do such a dramatic transformation. Now its just being turned into a car to take to the drag strip, which hopefully doesnt make too many of you cringe in horror but it's better to wreck a $1000 dollar car than one thats worth at least 8 to 10 right? There is a lot more rust on it than I thought there was. The previous owner had it for a year and left it outside and the guy before him had it sitting in his garage for 5 years. If nothing else it will be a good learner car. As far as i can tell its all stock, manual and not the turbo version though id like to put one on one day. As for damage so far, somebody tried to steal the front bumper (when it was in that guys garage) which ruined the air dam cause the tossers didnt know about the 2 bolts connected to the fenders which are damaged too. Rust every where im finding out, hole rotted under passenger seat, rust bubbling up around the top of the windshield, the usual rusted on nuts and bolts (better get a dozen cans of WD40) and a mouse nest on top of the engine. Its just a track car but I want the little lady to look respectable, though I bet that will be a challenge going to a drag track with a mostly stock Datsun. I'm there to have fun and go down the track not beat anyone, though that would be a bonus. The plan is to keep most of it stock since im on a pretty strict budget because i would like to attend an auto mechanics school in the fall. She's already undergoing severe diet surgery since that is one of the few things im capable of doing on my own. My roommate is a mechanic and he told me the first thing i need to do is get a race brake booster which will be priced out today, and if its affordable enough, purchased. I'll worry about the rollcage later because its not going to break the 12 second barrier let alone the 10 second. Unfortunately its not run yet because there is no battery which will also change today. Still have to drain the several year old gas as well. Can anyone tell me how to get rid of all the vacuum lines for the fuel injection system? Id like to minimize the amount of stuff in the engine bay. Also is there a better, inexpensive ecu I could put in it just to limit things and make it more effective? Hope to hear from you guys. Pics to follow. Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDestiny Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Ok the first thing you should do is a tune up, not a brake booster. And the stock ecu is literally about as basic as you can get. I belive a super nintendo has more computing power than the stock ecu. As for deleting vac lines and such, just read, check out my build thread and other peoples builds and search for "shaved intake" etc. The first thing you want to do for a clean look is to get an N42 non webbed, non egr manifold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notorious Nerd Posted March 6, 2013 Author Share Posted March 6, 2013 After i posted this i did a ton of research, which im still doing since i know next to nothing about cars, and i came acrost your thread. Inspirational and awesome man! I loved it. I did see what you and many others have done for fuel rails. Seems like a solid choice to me. Hahaha super nintendo for the win! Thanks BluDestiny! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notorious Nerd Posted March 7, 2013 Author Share Posted March 7, 2013 I figured this was going to be the case but I'd hoped it wasn't. That used to be the frame rail I believe My top of the line exhaust system Junk pile The front fender isn't too healthy. The other side isn't much better She's starting to get naked More rust Somebody tried to run over something and failed Some light reading. Factory Service Manual. I'll give it to somebody when I no longer have a use for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDestiny Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Those floor pans need attention quickly. The rest looks either non structural or not severe. The actual interior like near the trunk looks decent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notorious Nerd Posted March 8, 2013 Author Share Posted March 8, 2013 Im seeing a little bit of rust between the tail lights but i hear thats normal for z's. Until i can jack it up or roll it over i cant tell how good the rear is but i didnt see any bubbled paint so thats a bonus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordon Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 The rust is a bitch man. Looking forward to see what you do with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notorious Nerd Posted March 12, 2013 Author Share Posted March 12, 2013 Thanks Jordan. From what im seeing everyone who tackles a lot of rust on these zs says the same. Did you have a similiar experience? Something under this car must still be solid because the doors open and close with ease, well the outer handle for the drivers door has a problem but the inner handle works just fine. Does anyone know how to make an power window system into a manual one? If not im just gonna weld things solid so the window wont go down. Gotta clean the glue off it first though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDestiny Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Go find some manual doors. Then just rip out all the wiring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notorious Nerd Posted March 15, 2013 Author Share Posted March 15, 2013 Sweet! Thanks Blu! I can do that kind of stuff and get the engine running while i wait to get enough money to buy the floor pans. A guy who runs a local auto body shop has a passenger floor pan for a volvo semi that he would let me have. Sounds like he doesnt want it but i think i can only get z floor pans as a set am i right? Also the frame rail is a lot taller than the z's, maybe 1 1/2 to 2 inches by the looks of it. There is a lot of material there to work with so i could easily line up the frame rail with the datsun. Problem is i dont think it could ever be lowered Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDestiny Posted March 15, 2013 Share Posted March 15, 2013 What do you mean you don't think your car could be lowered? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notorious Nerd Posted March 15, 2013 Author Share Posted March 15, 2013 Sorry. I was pretty out of it last night when i posted this. Its not like im gonna lower it all the way to the ground. It should be fine if i use it. of course it wont match the other side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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