Guest ON3GO Posted September 19, 2003 Share Posted September 19, 2003 hey guys.. i was gonna sell my ford ranger truck when im in texas but i might do it before and pick up another Z for a daily driver. i found a few 240Z's and some 280Z's that are in great shape. but i wanted to ask you guys what would consist of a perfect daily driver Z that still has some performance... i already bought a set of 240sx disc brakes and a few other things. i wanted to do triple carbs but what do you guys think? i dont care about stuff like paint, i would just paint it in a very oldschool black or dark grey primer and just make the interior nice and not stink. so what you think? like engine wise, wheel size wise, suspension and so on. dont wanna spend alot but ill put money into it as i go. and btw im not selling my hybrid 280Z ... its my baby that pisses me off but still my baby. i did ALOT of work on my Z today thanks guys mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomoHawk Posted September 19, 2003 Share Posted September 19, 2003 If the body, & suspension are in good condition, then the only thing left that might cause problems is that 25+ year-old wiring. You can manage to pull over safely without any electric power, but if a tie rod or control arm breaks- well, you know. An old mustang will have really nice copper in the wires, but that cheap Japanese stuff can be scary, from what I see on my car. Good luck & have fun with your 'driver.' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spotfitz Posted September 19, 2003 Share Posted September 19, 2003 I second Tomohawks statements. I had a steering coupler let go one day on a car I had(I bought it for $600). I just pulled off a major roadway(speed limit of 55), turned left and started going straight, when suddenly the car started going into the oncoming lane. Luckily, no one was coming at the time. I went straight into a parking lot where I stopped. The coupler just came loose. The clamp down, just like on our Z's, wasn't tight and it allowed the steering to just spin. I had some tools with me so it wasn't a big deal, but if someone would have been coming at the time, tools wouldn't have helped. Especially at 60mph! Needless to say, the suspension is Always the first thing I check with any used car I buy, before driving it for any extended period of time. Suspension first(including brakes), then get it running reliably. If you'll notice, I recently picked up a '77 and I plan to turn it into a daily driver. The first thing I did after driving it home very slowly was check all the brakes and suspension out. One bad brake line. I flushed the system after checking everything else out, suspension wise. I drove it for several days before parking it again. Now I have to fix the other mechanical problems(engine related). It's always better safe then sorry when it comes to suspension/brakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majik16106 Posted September 19, 2003 Share Posted September 19, 2003 why a Z for a daily driver? if i was gonna have a daily car that was sporty, why not something a little bigger and more comfortable? if its a daily driver the weight shouldnt be a big deal, i thought about buying another mk3 supra, its big, comfortable, quick enough to take down some 5.0's. new enough to get parts fairly easy, and a targa roof... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JAMIE T Posted September 20, 2003 Share Posted September 20, 2003 I've been driving my '71 everyday for the last 2 years. I've put brakes on it, and new brake hoses in the front. It is the most reliable car we've got(well, except for the new Expedition ) It is more reliable than my'94 Z28. But it doesn't have AC, and PS, or much else for that matter, but I like it. My z28 is forsale, I'm gonna drive the Turbo 240Z daily. The '71 may get an LT1/6spd if things go well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAW Posted September 21, 2003 Share Posted September 21, 2003 I definitely would forget about the triple carbs for a daily driver and would recommend fuel injection. I'm not sure what shortblock you're using but if you go with a flat-top piston L26 or L28 you could take the entire top portion of an N42 or N47 L28 and bolt it on. That is, the entire intact assembly of head, manifold/injectors and f.i. harness, sensors, etc. There are better exhaust manifold choices, if not using headers, than the N42/N47 cast manifolds (P79 for example). A few tweeks to the f.i. system to manage the increase in c.r. due to the head swap, and you'll have a reliable, efficient, and reasonably quick daily driver Z. DAW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse OBrien Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 why a Z for a daily driver? if i was gonna have a daily car that was sporty, why not something a little bigger and more comfortable? if its a daily driver the weight shouldnt be a big deal, i thought about buying another mk3 supra, its big, comfortable, quick enough to take down some 5.0's. new enough to get parts fairly easy, and a targa roof... because the less weight you're hauling around, the better your gas mileage (all other things being equal). It also means you're required to produce less power to go just as fast, which allows for you to increase gas mileage once again. In a daily driver, mileage + driveability > all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 I bought an '83 280Zx for a daily driver when my 280 was undergoing the engine transplant. Loved it. Great AC (kind of important in Texas or Florida), power steering, and comfy seats. The L28 in it also has a much broader torque range than the S30's so it actually has pretty good performance. It's not going to be as competitive on the track as the S30's but it's going to be a much better daily driver as far as comfort and general performance is concerned. If you want one really cheap my son has the car in Fort Worth and needs to get rid of it to a good home. It looks like crap but still runs pretty good with the good AC and a decent aftermarket stereo. PM me if your interested and I'll hook you up. It would make the drive to Florida no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.INSANE Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 because the less weight you're hauling around, the better your gas mileage (all other things being equal). It also means you're required to produce less power to go just as fast, which allows for you to increase gas mileage once again. In a daily driver, mileage + driveability > all. did it really take you five years to think up a reply Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse OBrien Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 did it really take you five years to think up a reply ... wow. How did I dig this up and not even know it? me = fail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 Hey Mike - guess you probably don't need that daily driver any more - huh. Maybe I should ake a habit of looking at the start date of each thread before I reply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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