280z resto advice needed!

[Drums4Rum]

Hey everyone! I'm Ryan and I'm finally starting my childhood dream resto, the 280z. It's a completely stock 1978 280z with the L28 I6 motor (N47/N42 combo) with a 5 speed and R200 diff. I've already gotten it mostly down to the shell except for the dash and suspension.  Before I start the motor rebuild, I wanted to ask some of you up here some suggestions instead of sifting through this entire site's worth of forums. I want the motor to have some kick and some top end but I don't think I'm gonna bore over any or get a turbo. I wanted to possibly give it an upgraded cam, port and polish, switch it to triple weber, exhaust, light weight flywheel and swap the diff with the STI diff. With switching to carbs, would i be able to delete the computer? I'm hoping you guys can give me some suggestions on good quality/size cams or any other performance tips/parts to bring this beauty back to life while also maintaining reliability as well as power. I've been turning wrenches since I was 10 but never built a motor.  Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you guys! 

[Flak280z]

An upgrade I did was the 280zx close ratio 5 speed with matching 3.9 diff.  completely bolt on swap for both parts. Quick, easy, and somewhat cheap upgrade that really does pack a punch.

[zboi]

None of those upgrades are worth it. The car will still feel slow after all that unless you go way up on displacement or turbo. That said you can do just the turbo and none of the other things and the car will actually be fast. I spent about $1500 to turbo my engine, check my build, I got a lot done on that budget. You'll end up spending much more than that for much less power NA. That said, I liked my car more when it had the LS, and the LS swap is pretty easy.

[NewZed]

Yes, with the carbs you can get rid of the ECU and EFI parts.  The complete EFI harness can be removed.  The guys that know on the site (from the past) say that the exhaust system is restrictive and opening it up helps a lot (see John C posts from the past) , and that if you decide to use a performance cam go big (see JMortensen posts from the past).  The typical "Stage" 1 or 2 cams don't add much, apparently.  So, the simple and effective way to add some power is with a better exhaust system and a big cam.  Cams are more expensive than they seem because you need to buy lash pads and rocker arms along with the cam.  The collection of parts costs can add up.  But it's a pretty simple operation to get it done.

 

Many people like the lighter flywheel.  It takes more finesse on the clutch pedal but they say it's worth it.  Fidanza is a good choice.

 

For street driving an LSD doesn't add much.  You might wait on it and see if you have traction problems. 

 

There is a ton on the site from the old-timers, around the 2000 to 2015 time range.  Things have slowed a lot on the site as people have moved on.  But their contributions are still here.  Many of the guys were racers and/or engineers/mechanics/machinists and spent a lot of time and money on their projects.  Today's car hobbyists really only know turbos and EFI since that's what they were raised on.  Good luck.

 

 

Edited March 29 by NewZed
Can't spell

[rossman]

Sage advice from NewZed. I will add, regarding cams, that it's best to get a re-round cam not new. There is a guy named Bonk on the Fakebook forum "Church of the L".  He sells custom re-ground cams and appears to have lots of happy customers on the forum. If you do use him he can give you some advice on setting up/running in the cam properly - as it's easy to do it wrong and trash the cam. Otherwise there is a lot of information on this forum on how to do it properly, you just have to dig a bit to find it (I use a Google search - "search term site:hybridz.org" When it comes to rockers, you want NOS or OEM/NISSAN, not regrinds. I have had reground rockers trash themselves and the cam. I installed new Nissan rockers and haven't had any issues since.

[Zetsaz]

I would start by specifically not redoing literally everything. Videos online make people think this is like legos and things can get put together quickly. There are almost always hangups.

 

Other than the engine rebuild, I would recommend seeing which stock parts absolutely need replacing and start with just that. Get the engine finished and drive as much as you can and see what sticks out that might actually be worth upgrading to you. There's nothing worse than tearing a car down then not getting to drive for several years because you can't keep up with everything you took off. 

 

Unless you have the budget to just dump at everything T3 sells and brand new interior parts all at once, it's just not worth trying to rebuild everything all at once. 

Edited April 1 by Zetsaz

[zuhow]

I would say to you " it comes apart a lot easier than it goes back together".  What I mean by that is, don't touch anything you don't have to. Trust me on that.

 

I started this project as a young man of 20ish.  I just turned 51. I still haven't driven it.

[tube80z]

On 3/28/2024 at 11:24 AM, Drums4Rum said:

Hey everyone! I'm Ryan and I'm finally starting my childhood dream resto, the 280z. It's a completely stock 1978 280z with the L28 I6 motor (N47/N42 combo) with a 5 speed and R200 diff. I've already gotten it mostly down to the shell except for the dash and suspension.  Before I start the motor rebuild, I wanted to ask some of you up here some suggestions instead of sifting through this entire site's worth of forums. I want the motor to have some kick and some top end but I don't think I'm gonna bore over any or get a turbo. I wanted to possibly give it an upgraded cam, port and polish, switch it to triple weber, exhaust, light weight flywheel and swap the diff with the STI diff. With switching to carbs, would i be able to delete the computer? I'm hoping you guys can give me some suggestions on good quality/size cams or any other performance tips/parts to bring this beauty back to life while also maintaining reliability as well as power. I've been turning wrenches since I was 10 but never built a motor.  Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you guys! 

 

You have packed a lot into your intro.  There's some good advice below to consider in the posts to your question.  But I have to ask you what is it about the 280 you love?  I don't mean that coyly or as some flippant remark.  What is it you really like?  I'll give you why I like the Zs. 

 

I grew up around them when they were new, my uncle was a general manager of a Datsun dealership so we got to try out the new cars.  We raced with my uncle at autocross and hillclimbs (I was a kid so I just went along).  Back then the Z cars were fast and sounded awesome (I have the hearing loss to prove it), and were amazing at cutting through the corners both stock and modified.  Our local racing club had about 10 people driving stock to all-out racing versions.

 

50 years pass and a lot of that coolness has mostly worn off except for the look of a lowered S30 with an airdam and rear spoiler.  I have to admit the sound of a modified Z makes me happy when I hear it.  But this site exists to help people get the most out of them.  And the reality of that is as cool as the L28 engine is you're looking at spending a lot of money and you'll have an engine that makes 200 to 250 HP.  Sure you can get more but then all the other parts that connect to that engine are starting to get pushed past their limits given the age.  

 

While I don't disagree with any of the posts below you should still read about a lot of the mods and why they were done.  You'll find that in many cases they were driven by it costing too much, parts NLA, etcetera.  A bit of advice from me.  Never by an engine, transmission, or rear end unless you plan to use it within a few months.  Even if you plan to use it that's not the same as ready to bolt in.  If you want a street car with a certain coolness and triple Weber carbs, then build it.  But when you spend 10K on an engine and find it's somewhat finicky to drive but cool all the same.  But for less, you could have 350 HP V6 in the DI Chevy LV3.  It won't sound the same as the L-motor but it's lighter, a lot newer, and will get excellent mileage, It will start anywhere if it's hot or cold by the sea or at altitude.   This site has a ton of info on how to do the same for the suspension and how to get a cheaper rear diff, especially if you want an LSD.  

 

I could write a lot more but this is probably too long as it is.  Welcome to Z ownership.

 

Cary

[Drums4Rum]

On 3/30/2024 at 11:02 PM, tube80z said:

 

You have packed a lot into your intro.  There's some good advice below to consider in the posts to your question.  But I have to ask you what is it about the 280 you love?  I don't mean that coyly or as some flippant remark.  What is it you really like?  I'll give you why I like the Zs. 

 

I grew up around them when they were new, my uncle was a general manager of a Datsun dealership so we got to try out the new cars.  We raced with my uncle at autocross and hillclimbs (I was a kid so I just went along).  Back then the Z cars were fast and sounded awesome (I have the hearing loss to prove it), and were amazing at cutting through the corners both stock and modified.  Our local racing club had about 10 people driving stock to all-out racing versions.

 

50 years pass and a lot of that coolness has mostly worn off except for the look of a lowered S30 with an airdam and rear spoiler.  I have to admit the sound of a modified Z makes me happy when I hear it.  But this site exists to help people get the most out of them.  And the reality of that is as cool as the L28 engine is you're looking at spending a lot of money and you'll have an engine that makes 200 to 250 HP.  Sure you can get more but then all the other parts that connect to that engine are starting to get pushed past their limits given the age.  

 

While I don't disagree with any of the posts below you should still read about a lot of the mods and why they were done.  You'll find that in many cases they were driven by it costing too much, parts NLA, etcetera.  A bit of advice from me.  Never by an engine, transmission, or rear end unless you plan to use it within a few months.  Even if you plan to use it that's not the same as ready to bolt in.  If you want a street car with a certain coolness and triple Weber carbs, then build it.  But when you spend 10K on an engine and find it's somewhat finicky to drive but cool all the same.  But for less, you could have 350 HP V6 in the DI Chevy LV3.  It won't sound the same as the L-motor but it's lighter, a lot newer, and will get excellent mileage, It will start anywhere if it's hot or cold by the sea or at altitude.   This site has a ton of info on how to do the same for the suspension and how to get a cheaper rear diff, especially if you want an LSD.  

 

I could write a lot more but this is probably too long as it is.  Welcome to Z ownership.

 

Cary

Hey Cary, thank you for the great words of advice! To respond to your original question... why the 280? So,  when I was first introduced into the mechanical world of wrenching, motors and cars, my dad had a 1978 280z 2+2. He showed me the basics of body work and engine work.  We started restoring the z and he kinda let me take the reigns and keep going on all the work.  One day,  I came home from school, and it was gone! I asked him, "pop, what happened to the z?!" He said he sold it to a junk yard! I was so mad and devastated! Now I'm 35, making really good money in a solid career on the east coast ports and I wanted to start my first restoration.  I couldn't let it be anything other than what my childhood memory of that 280z. 

In terms of the build I'm doing,  I would like to make this MY build.  I don't want to do what everyone else is doing and throw a LS in there.  I want to keep somewhat of originality with this thing.  I'm not doubting that they're easy to configure, work on, tune and enjoy.  I love the classic sound that the L28 gives off and it was a very iconic motor of that time. It's definitely gonna have that cool factor regardless.  I mean,  it's the original Z body style! I very rarely see any of them on the road anymore.  At least not around here. I've seen countless videos and read numerous forums about the stock specs of these motors and I want to add performance without risk losing longevity or strength. I'm not in any hurry to finish this build at all.  I'm being extremely thorough with this.  I've got it stripped down to a rolling shell and plan to start cutting out any and all rust holes/spots, replacing them with new metal.  She's gonna go on a rotisserie next month and the fun shall commence! 

Again,  I greatly appreciate your knowledge and advice you've given and I will make the appropriate accommodations to make this build one of many masterpieces to come.  Thank you Cary!

[Drums4Rum]

On 3/30/2024 at 2:40 PM, zuhow said:

I would say to you " it comes apart a lot easier than it goes back together".  What I mean by that is, don't touch anything you don't have to. Trust me on that.

 

I started this project as a young man of 20ish.  I just turned 51. I still haven't driven it.

I totally get that.  I know that from many first hand experiences.  I've had many projects that took me a while to get done.  But I'm pretty confident I can stick with this and get it done thoroughly and timely. I've got it down to a rolling shell right now and plan on getting it on a rotisserie here soon.  I'd like to get it dipped but that's pretty expensive.  I'm not married and have no kids so I've got nothing but time!