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WienerBoyWonder's 280z Project


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Hey guys, I just picked up a 1978 280z about a week ago. My goal is to make it a reliable daily driver/head turner. I was surprised that I was already turning heads despite its current condition. The car is in much better shape mechanically than it is cosmetically. The engine has been rebuilt by a previous, previous owner. The PO gave me a folder of a bunch of receipts that the guy before him had. Despite all the work that's been done, she still runs a bit rough. But ran well enough for the 2 hours drive home!

 

A bit of information about myself: I'm pretty much your typical broke college student. I despise driving my lame corolla around town, and although I do have a motorcycle, my girlfriend hates riding it, plus it rains all the time here. So... I bought a Z! :D  I thought since it's summer and I'm bringing in a bit of money from my summer job, it'd be a perfect time to start on this project. I'm starting this thread to document the process and to make sure I stay motivated to finish. I don't know too much about this car or mechanics in general but I'm usually pretty good at figuring things out. I only have basic tools and as stated before, my budget is very limited. I hope you guys can help me along the way!

 

Here are some pics...

 

These are pics provided by the PO

 

He bought an air dam that he hasn't installed yet, I think I want a different one later on

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Aftermarket rear fender, I think I'm going to take that off and go for the shaved look

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Came with chrome wheels, these will do for now

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The PPO had a minor front end collision, the PO replaced the hood, also gave me a spare hatch

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My IG photo when I finally got her home. I don't have access to a garage atm so she's parked in the backyard. Hope it doesn't rain too much! But then again... I do live in Seattle... you can already see some rust forming on the hood  :(

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Edited by WienerBoyWonder
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Here are some pictures of the interior. I'm debating whether or not I should strip it all down. I want to do it right the first time around but its a bit difficult without a space to work.

 

Carpet is new, the spare tire is missing in the back so its sagging

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Tach gauge is stuck at 1k and speedo is off by about 10 miles, and i think the oil gauge is broken (unless it doesn't usually move very much?)

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The seats were reupholstered, but the cushions aren't very cushiony

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Missing the window cranks, been using a vice grip

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The engine, not clean, but not too dirty either

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Ha! I saw this car on CL some time ago. Congrats on the purchase looks like it's fairly complete. I'm in the process of tearing down my 280z for a ground up restoration - it's a pretty involved process. If you don't have the means or the cash I'd fix the screaming issues and drive it until you can do a more complete restoration.

 

I'd buy a Costco carport awning for a few hundred bucks to keep it out of the rain - I was going to go that route until I rented a garage space.

 

Also if you want some of my guages I'm willing to part with them free of charge - I'm not keeping it original

Edited by V-Fib
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Ha! I saw this car on CL some time ago. Congrats on the purchase looks like it's fairly complete. I'm in the process of tearing down my 280z for a ground up restoration - it's a pretty involved process. If you don't have the means or the cash I'd fix the screaming issues and drive it until you can do a more complete restoration.

 

I'd buy a Costco carport awning for a few hundred bucks to keep it out of the rain - I was going to go that route until I rented a garage space.

 

Also if you want some of my guages I'm willing to part with them free of charge - I'm not keeping it original

I'll take you up on that offer! I think i fixed my tach by loosening the calibration screws in the back. It unstuck the needle but now I feel like its not calibrated. How far into your project are you? 

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Okay, some updates. I think i fixed the tach by loosening some screws in the back of it. The needle is now free to move, not sure if its accurate or not. After many frustrating hours, I fixed the turn signals and hazard lights. Turned out it was the black connectors in the passenger foot well. Connections were corroded. 

 

Got some plasti dip and sprayed the hood to temporarily keep it from rusting 

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When I was messing around with the hood, it seemed like it got misaligned. I'm having trouble getting it to fit flush.

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Not sure if it only had a cover on one side or if I'm missing one... 

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Picked up a new grill to replaced the bent one

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The turn signals don't seem to be level. One bracket seems a bit bent

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Bad enough that a sun roof was installed but this too? Took a bit of work to get off. 

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I removed all the brackets in the hatch that raises the floor, there was a lot of rust. Somehow water is leaking into my hatch.

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Look how rotten the floorboards were. Useless... I'm using some plywood in its place for now

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Used the leftover plastidip to paint the panels where the PO left off. Works pretty well.

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I removed the rear bumper and to my disappointment, this is what I found... wish I found this when I was negotiating the price.

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I can't unlock the doors with the key, I tried to look at the lock mechanism but I'm thinking my key is just too worn

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I took apart my interior light thinking there might be some corroded connections, I ended up breaking it... super glue was not able to save it

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Installed these shelf speakers as a temporary sound system. Works for me!

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I haven't done anything mechanical yet since I don't know much about it. I'm just doing all the simple things that I can do on my own without extensive research. I know this is a really long post but if you guys have any pointers, please let me know!

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Usually the oil pressure should hang around 35 - 70 psi. My car is stripped to the shell and sitting on jack stands. Getting prepared for paint removal and rust repairs.

 

I'll pull the gauges from the dash some time this upcoming weekend and set them aside.

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