CRAracer05 Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 (edited) I acquired my 1976 280z just before winter of 2014 in non-running condition. Car was formerly a road course car with a certified cage and fuel cell. I was told that the battery shorted on the fire wall and it never ran since then. Upon going through the fuel injector bible I discovered the battery was poorly grounded to the chassis and the resulting short fried the ECU. Just swapping out the ECU and fuel in the cell resulted in the car starting immediately to my great surprise. I was told the engine was recently done before it stopped running two years ago. I was told the engine was refreshed, blue-printed and balanced and some minor head work done. The car does need some attention as everyone knows these things are so prone to rust. I have started the tear down process and plan to do a majority of the body work over the winter. Here are some pictures of the tear down from this week. My goal for the car is for it to look similar to this but with Summit single stage Plum Pearl Metallic paint. I plan on keeping the car an L28 based car for the time being and just aim for about 200rwhp with proper modifications. Things I'm set on for now: MSA 3-2 coated header MSA twice pipes exhaust for 3-2 headers intake to replace my non-existent factory air box Lightweight flywheel and new clutch electric fan setup (have from a previous project and never used) Things I'm up in the air on and need to research further: Upgraded cam from MSA Flat tops pistons (on my N42 block & head) Further headwork depending on what is done already 5-speed or diff swap if funds allow For chassis/body mods I'm planning on the following: ZG flares BRE spoiler Rota RB wheels (staggered setup) Still researching brakes and suspension setups. If any one has any good advice feel free to leave a comment as pointers are welcome. Edited December 1, 2014 by CRAracer05 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendanm71240z Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Really cool car to start with and with those mods would be awesome.Do you plan on keeping the EFI? Personally I would go with A tricarb setup but there's certainly many factors to consider.Also keep in mind that things won't always go as fast as you'd think...these cars tend to have some hidden secrets! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAracer05 Posted December 1, 2014 Author Share Posted December 1, 2014 Well, I'm undecided on what to do with the fuel setup as the factory EFI is working good right now. I know the EFI will be limiting to my setup (or at least tricky to tune), but the added cost of Webers and a new fuel pump is going to be pretty high given everything else I need to purchase. I was looking at the MSA Stage 3 fuel injected cam, as I was reading it would be the best way to avoid detonation with flat tops and the stock EFI system. If anyone has experience with this setup please chime in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aongch Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 (edited) Nice project starter, have pics of the interior with the certified cage and cell? I'm completing my setup, need ideas on where to put switches, etc. As for brakes, if you're planning to track, I'd just go with the entire AZC Wilwood conversion, plenty of stopping power and integrated with the proportioning valve. These things are very adjustable on rear bias. Brakes are top priority. ..and if that's your Javelin, sweet classic. Edited December 3, 2014 by aongch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.Mack Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 awesome start! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAracer05 Posted December 3, 2014 Author Share Posted December 3, 2014 (edited) My ultimate goal will be to hopefully get some track time and I am definately looking at upgrading the brakes. The AMC is my father in-laws Javelin AMX 401 4-speed project he has been working on. He is actually giving me his 76 280z as a parts car very soon. We lifted it up the other day and it needs full frame rails, floor pans, innner and outer rockers, quarters and hatch. The body is pretty much history besides the hood which I need for my car. He made the decision that it is far too much work to repair now. I'll have the entire spare drivetrain n42/n42 all original OEM plus 4-speed and rear diff. I don't have any really good interior pictures, I'll try to get loaded up by the weekend. Edited December 3, 2014 by CRAracer05 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAracer05 Posted December 7, 2014 Author Share Posted December 7, 2014 (edited) Worked on the car some last night mainly took the exhaust and intake manifolds off to investigate the motor a little bit. The intake manifold and intake ports are slightly gasket matched but there doesn't appear to be any real port work done on the head. A look down the spark plug holes with a small LED light revealed a super fresh hone job but original dished pistons. Looking the oil fill cap the head looks brand new like it was just rebuilt. Appears to a stock cam based on wear pattern. I also got the transmission pulled and my wife pulled the seat and harnesses out. I also got some pictures of the fuel cell and cage. Edited December 7, 2014 by CRAracer05 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAracer05 Posted December 18, 2014 Author Share Posted December 18, 2014 Got my Zedd Findings floor pans and frame rails today. Debating if I should get bad dog rails now before my frame rails actually go bad and just reinforce this area ahead of time so I don't have to mess with them later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAracer05 Posted December 28, 2014 Author Share Posted December 28, 2014 Worked on the car some more last night. I got the fuel cell and fuel pump removed. I also dropped the rear differential and suspension. I also started shaving the engine bay by removing now unused brackets. Here are some pictures of the dis-assembly progress so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAracer05 Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 (edited) Little more progress over the holidays but nothing major yet. Rear end out and disassembled. Started replacing metal, my first attempt and I don't think its too bad. I under sized the patch to allow for minimal filler/blending. My wife started removing undercoating on the front of the car. Edited January 5, 2015 by CRAracer05 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Dude-you married WELL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAracer05 Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 (edited) I haven't got much done recently besides I finally found sourced a clean hatch. Edited January 17, 2015 by CRAracer05 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAracer05 Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 (edited) Anyway here is a semi-update to my build plans so far: Body: MSA ZG Flares MSA Fairlady 432 spoiler Rear window louvers Headlight covers Suspension: Ground control coilovers Unsure on struts right now if any one has recommendations Camber plates (undecided on bolt-in or weld in) Car has an upgraded front sway bar already I will be reusing Wheels & Brakes: Silvermine Motors Stage 3 or 4 front brakes (still not sure which I want) Silvermine Motors Rear Disc brake conversion Rota RB Stagger package 17x8.5/9.5 (Black or Royal Gunmetal) Hydraulic hand/emergency brake Wilwood proportioning Valve (possible 15/16 master cylinder upgrade) Drivetrain: L28 4-speed Stock R200 open Diff MSA 6-3-2 coated headers MSA Twin Pipes Ebay intake with a real filter Interior: Painted no carpet, factory dash (possible aluminum door panels) Procar Drifter series seats (gauges undecided on Autometers or Speedhut) Things I'm considering right now are doing a mild build of the L28 if the budget allows. Plans would be cast flat top pistons, ported head, Isky .490 cam(not sure if factory fuel injection would like this). Also considered Carb swap. If I sell my 94 Eagle Talon Tsi AWD I might consider a RB25 swap with McKinney Motorsports swap parts instead. I really would like to make the car 5-speed if I keep the L28, but that is more money not required right now. I also want a better differential with shorter gears and lsd, but they are also big money. As I am getting another 76 280z parts car I may just weld one of the diffs up for now and see how I like it. I also want to replace the body harness with a universal Painless harness or just custom make one. Edited January 17, 2015 by CRAracer05 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAracer05 Posted February 17, 2015 Author Share Posted February 17, 2015 (edited) It has been a few weeks, but I made some more progress finally. I managed to get both of the rear quarter sections semi repaired with new sheet metal. I treated the insides of the quarter panels first with a coat of Eastwood's Rust Converter then two coats of Rust Encapsulater while the sections were cut out. I also tried to make the patches some what lower than the actual sheet metal in an attempt to allow for less filler when blending in the repairs. I just need to make the inside vertical sections next. Overall I feel confident this a much better repair than the solid chunk of Bondo I removed from both sides of the car that had been used to fix it previously. Edited February 17, 2015 by CRAracer05 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAracer05 Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 (edited) Well progress is slow between work and school, but I managed to make some more progress and get the driver's quarter panel patched. Keep in mind this is the first car I have done bodywork this extensive on, and I still to rebuild the inner portion as it was pretty rusty as well. Edited March 23, 2015 by CRAracer05 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 You are doing beautiful work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAracer05 Posted March 24, 2015 Author Share Posted March 24, 2015 Appreciate your support, I am trying to get some practice in on these small areas before I get to hacking the entire floor out and installing the Zed/Bad Dog combo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAracer05 Posted April 12, 2015 Author Share Posted April 12, 2015 Well it finally got nice enough for me to go pick up my parts car. My father in-law was generous enough to give his 76 280z as that he has owned since 1978. We were going to fix it this year but when we jacked it up in storage we found that are absolutely no frame rails, or floor boards left. The inner fenders, rockers and quarters are all gone as well. We towed it to my house yesterday so I can take what I need from it. The main things I need right now are the hood and the roof/windshield channel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sovereign Z Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 are those flares molded in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAracer05 Posted April 14, 2015 Author Share Posted April 14, 2015 Yes, all the flares are molded in. The front fenders are fiberglass with the flares molded onto the fenders. I was planning to remove the flares and list them on here, but I haven't made a donation yet to be able to post for sale listings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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