Guest charles_richey Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 I need help. I'm buying a 1979 280ZX hardtop with an automatic. The engine was rebuilt (how long ago was unspecified). Anyway I'm gonna get this car Friday. This is my first venture onto a forum and my first venture into z's. I'm getting this car for $350 and that seems like a good deal for a running car that will get me back and forth to work. However I don't want to go back to an automatic. How hard would it be it be to swap in a 4spd or a 5spd. I want to know what wiring issues or any other issues would I run into with this swap or would it be cheaper just to leave this car as it is and buy a 5spd. Also I was wondering how hard it would be to turbo this car and what kind of power I could make with this. Are there any superchargers availible for this engine? What mods would give me the best bang for the buck? What kind of power did these engines make stock both at the flywheel and at the wheels? Horsepower and Torque. Is there a good sounding dual exhaust out there that can be had for cheap? Are there good headers or a good turbo exhaust manifold? I'm looking for cheap mods that would give me good results. I would also like info on some nice body components (hoods, spoilers, headlight covers, taillights, and anything else). I would also like to know about any interior upgrades to be had (don't like white face gauges just not my thing). Any other info that you want to offer would be great thanks guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest robert_029 Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 they sale a kit for the turbo on zcarparts.com . lots of z parts on this website Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slownrusty Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 Whoaaaaa...slow down there laddy....one thing at a time....knowledge is power and doing a "SEARCH" is what you need to do, go to zcar.com and check google as well. Yasin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest charles_richey Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 I'm searching the forum but any info someone has at their disposal would also be useful if they wouldn't mind posting it for me. Sorry I'm new to the forum and the z thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Here comes trouble Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 A $350 ZX is probably going to take all your time and effort just keeping it running as a daily driver and a change over to a manual will take time and $$....less skill .more time As Mae West told Cary Grant, "Slow down and you will last longer:" Jim Cook Racing sells a supercharger and will be probably like over dosing a 90 year old on viagra if you put a super charger or turbo on un prepared L 6 engine................Yeah I have a stock L6 that would probably accept some charging until about the 10th or 11th assault at an on ramp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest beandip Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Richey , you are right about finding a car that runs for $350.00 is a good deal . If it is driveable it's a bargin . The vary first thing I would do is to check the safety issues. Brakes , lights and look for fuel leaks , that sort of thing. I can see that you are excited to have the Z , and this is great . like was just posted , slow down some here . Learn the car and how it drives , find the problems . There are some ! No one sells a problem free car for $350. ! Sorry , but this is the facts. Your engine is not built for a turbo , it has flat top pistons for one thing . The things you are perposing are not cheep to do for one thing , and if you want the car for transportation . You will be walking for quite a long while . This stuff takes time , unless you have DEEP pockets and can afford to have it all done . Before spending alot of money on this car , check to see how baddly it is rusted . Rust is the killer on these cars and is expensive to repair CORECTLY . Anything less is a waist of money and time . Check into this first . Just drive the car and enjoy the ride for a while . Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven280zx Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 like beandip said there are no cars that are problem free for 350 so i agree check all the fluids, lines, breaks, you get what i mean. and in terms of mods what most of us guys do is a turbo swap. find a turbo engine if you can and transfer it into your Z. easiest way to turbo your car. if you source all the parts yourself it'll cost loads and wont be worth the time (believe me you'll be looking for half the parts of the turbo motor). or you could find aftermarket parts and do it that way. most guys do the megasquirt. search and ye shall find. good luck on your project and let us know whatcha do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 2slo4u Posted June 22, 2006 Share Posted June 22, 2006 That's a great deal if the body isn't bad. Of course in the south, the humidity kills the rear section especially around the brake lights and the rear hatch window. The floors could be bad if it has leaked for a while. The engines are pretty resilient internally but the things you will most likely have to deal with are rotted hoses and corroded electrical connections. Just don't get frustrated too easily if you run into a problem. Take a break and come back and try again and you'll find it easier to figure out. And remember you can always come here for help. But yeah, search as much as possible. Anything and everything about these cars has probably already been discussed here somewhere, you just have to dig a little. By the way, WELCOME TO HYBRIDZ, it's the best z car site, bar none. Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven280zx Posted June 23, 2006 Share Posted June 23, 2006 if your looking for car parts or body parts here's a little list of places you should definetly check out! http://www.zcarparts.com http://www.thezstore.com/ http://www.zparts.com/home.html http://www.zcarsource.com/carparts.htm I'm sure thats enough to start with:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 power went down to 135 hp in 79. They kept the dished and it had the same compression, valve seat angle changed, crank and rod are the same, but not sure what they did to mke it so low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b__sosick Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 350 dollars? it's going to have a lot of rust. replace the frame rails and the floor boards, replace the suspension and brakes and make it SAFE before you go turbo charging it all willy nilly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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