Jump to content
HybridZ

1979 280Z Help


Guest CarGuyChuck

Recommended Posts

Guest CarGuyChuck

Alright, first off, I'm new. I am not new to the world of cars, just Zs. My previous cars and engine experience have all been with Mustangs. I recently got a 79' 280Z, and I was wondering what was available in the world of aftermarket. I know the 300 and 350 series have a strong following, but what does the 280 have. I am looking into cams, heads, headers, exhaust, interior mods (show and go), tires, rims, body kits, basically the entire package. I chose the 79' over a next gen 84'(?) 280ZX turbo. I just liked the looks of the 79 much better. Anyway, I hope to get some good responses and some good advice. Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Chuck,

 

Welcome to the group! I have 2 79 280zx's and one 77 280z.

 

240z 70-73

260z 74

280z 75-76

280zx 79-83

300zx z31 84-89

300zx z32 90 +

350z current

 

There are many many mods available for all years of Z's. I suggest you go to the following websites and check out what they have and/or pick up a catalog or two.

 

http://zcarparts.com

http://victoriabritish.com

http://www.modern-motorsports.com RossC on hybrid

http://www.zparts.com/

 

Also here is a list of enthusiast sites

http://www.hybridz.org

http://www.zhome.com

http://www.zdriver.com

http://www.zcar.com

http://got-z.com

 

The most basic stuff you can do to your z right now is just go through everything and make sure all is running correctly. Go through the suspension, brakes, and engine/tranny. ALso, check out the entire body for rust, since that seems to plague our z's and sometimes its better to let one go instead of spending the time and $ to fix it.

 

An exhaust and intake makes a big difference on any L-series engine. Also, the turbo engine out of the 81-83 280zx drops right in! All you have to do is swap the engine and harness from the turbo car.

 

hehehe since you are a Ford guy, you can also swap in a ford engine, maybe one of those 351W eh? :D

 

Need any more info just reply and ill reply, and so on and so on 2thumbs.gif

 

Cheers cheers.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest CarGuyChuck

Thanks for your help so far. I bought the Z from family, so I am positive on it's sound condition. The motor has about 200k miles, so it is in serious need of replacement or overhaul, but it still runs in top gear. The car was appraised, even with the high mileage, at 5k, and I got it for three! Not a spot of rust, only driven on weekends for the last few years, regular oil changes, full checkups, it is great. The engine in it now could easily go another hundred k miles, but I want something else. I don't want to do the engine swap because I love the race weight distribution the L6 has. I just want more power, some sleek wide body fenders and drift airdam and spoiler. keep the suggestions coming and thanks again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can get some pretty mean body kits. Take a look at David Griemmans 280zx 2+2 here on this site. 200k miles really isnt much for these engines. They are really solid and i myself have never seen one go bad other than a head gasket. If you look around, you may find yourself a 280zx turbo donor car to take out the engine from there and drop in. Oh btw, 70-83 use the same configuration. What i mean is that if you want to take a 240z engine and put it in your 280zx, you can do it, and vice versa. You can take the 280zx turbo engine, and put it in a 240z, and vice versa too.

 

The possibilities are endless with our z's! 2thumbs.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...