How much does these things weigh

[Hitman47]

whats the wieght on a stock 240, 260, 280 ? And also who is the best company for customizing the z`s body?

[Mudge]

I've heard of as low as 2200ish for a 70-71, but advertised weight is about 2340. Some parts of the body are beefier in 72+, so 72-73 weigh more by a small degree. The rear end location was changed slightly in 72+ also, there was a wear issue in 70-71 that this solved.

 

With that in mind, I wanted to find a 72+, a few extra pounds are not a huge deal. If you really really wanted a light weight car there are other platforms, I've heard of 1700 pounds 510s (race ready), but hey, were already pretty damn light.

 

They eventually progress to about 2700 pounds in 1983, now 400/500 pounds becomes a big friggin difference to me, and 2700 isn't that much lighter than a 3000 pound car with 400-500 HP which I could have had with an American car, plus the early years are smog exempt and I like the body style better...

[fl327]

i personally like the 75-78 zcars over all of the them, once the bumpers disappear. stronger chassis, efi from the get go, all around stronger car, no need to reinforce chassis if v8ed, and if you wanted too, you could make it a full frame car from a little less than two feet of sheet metal. r200 stock with five speed stock, man i love it. some models have ac already, bonus. turbo swap into a 280 takes me a week taking my time, just drop em in, and wire up relays, ecu, and efi stuff, tapping into power thats already related, and boom, im in there. its my opinion only, but i do speak from experience, i had a v8 240z for quite some time and loved it to death, actually i drove it to death. downside of a 280, its not smog exempt, but i am

[Michael]

Hitman47 -

 

To somewhat change the subject, could you please provide some more information on the 540 BBC in your Bel Air? My '78 Z is set up for big block Chevy (long, long story) and I'm finally getting serious about dropping in an engine worthy of the frame; the 454 formerly in the car died last year. One plan is to get a 0.25" stroker crank for my 454 block, and get the AFR oval-port BBC heads, which supposedly are coming out this spring. But I am also considering stepping up to an aftermarket block. Budget considerations are rather elastic, but I'm eyeing something in the $5k-$8k range for the longblock (I already have all the peripherals). Forced induction is not in the plan.

 

As for which year Z to buy, and what they weigh - I second the recommendation to go for a '72 or '73 240Z, if you can find one. But the more radical the modifications to the car, the less the original model matters. Unless you're in Southern California, the final choice mostly comes down to a matter of availability: if you can find a decent "rust-free" (big grin!) '70-'78 anything, buy it!

[Phantom]

General rule of thumb for stock, original first generation Z's - multiply model number by 10 to get weight. You'll usually be within 100 lbs. Amazingly, a stock NA 280ZX is only about 60 lbs heavier than a 280Z. Lots of guys throw around numbers of really light cars but those cars usually have been put on a diet.

I'm a strong believer in the 280 because of it already being fuel injected, having AC, and also having a stronger body structure which is a nice thing to have when V-8 torque is applied. My current '77 is finally starting to make progress on the LS-1/T-56 conversion. I'm hopeful for sometime early this spring. It really all boils down to the intended use for the car. Are you building a serious all-out quarter mile contender or are you building a daily driver? In my case I'm building the daily driver.

[fl327]

wow, didnt know my z was that heavy? oh well, its way more comfortable than my 240 ever was to drive, but my 240 was a racer, this turbo car is a daily driver, an all day everyday, rain or shine, driver, with boost.