Youngins: How'd you end up with a Z?

[Guest jeffie7]

I saw a 240Z on the internet when I was 14 and HAD to have one. Sure enough I picked up a rough 1981 280ZXT, worked on it and got it on the road so when I turned 16 I would be good to go. had it for a few years, bought a civic for a daily driver then ended up building the civic up, engine swap, sleeves, custom pistons, turbo, yada yada yada traded that for an Audi + cash, drove the audi around for awhile and then one day drove into a Nissan dealership test drove a 350Z and never looked back. Bought the 350Z when I was 20 back in 03, since having it I've lowered it, wheels, body kit, GT35R turbo kit, and some other goodies. It's now my garage queen, currently has around 33K miles on it.

 

Weird how things work, I have a 2003 Nissan sitting in my garage while my 2008 MB C350 Sport sits outside. People just can't understand when I explain that my Mercedes is a beater car.

 

 

 

Edited January 12, 2010 by jeffie7
added pictures

[turboHLS30]

Just letting you know 350z's stock don't go good with boost just FYI

[Guest jeffie7]

Just letting you know 350z's stock don't go good with boost just FYI

 

since when?

[Gilli]

Purchased for $1,000 when I was 17.. Honestly it was random. I was browsing on CL and I discovered it. I paid ..way.. too much for it in it's condition; but you know.. first car, it's a classic, I NEEDED IT! Haha.

[turboHLS30]

since when?

 

My pops used to work for a shop and he replaced the motor 3 times in a 350z because it kept blowing up. They don't really last long.

[Guest jeffie7]

My pops used to work for a shop and he replaced the motor 3 times in a 350z because it kept blowing up. They don't really last long.

 

People blow up motors left and right when it comes to turboing. Just because your pops has replaced 3 turboed 350Z motors that doesn't mean its not a good car to turbo.

 

Need a bit more details on them to see why they just blew up, what engine management were they running? what turbo and how much boost? fuel upgrades? who tuned it and how good of a tune was it?

 

350Zs can easily handle up to 400 FTLBs of torque before running into issues. Torque is what kills them the rods are the weak link.

 

With that being said, I know a lot of people that did a correct turbo build with a stock motor and years later are still running around problem free. best one that comes to mind is a local friend who boosted his car at 25K miles old, he daily drives his car and to date he has over 75K miles on a stock never opened motor. thats 50K+ boosted miles. hes making a bit over 400WHP with greddy twin turbos.

 

On the other side of things I know a few people personally and another 20 or so people online who did a turbonetic turbo kit and turned up the boost a bit. Turbonetics uses a reflash ecu and whlie its great for a 100% stock car once you start tweaking the setup it tends to blow motors up.

 

my Z is going on 2 years being turboed with a 100% stock block.

 

www.youtube.com/jeffie7 for some videos of it =) 373 WHP on a uncorrected dyno dynamics dyno, it should put down around 430WHP on a dyno jet.

 

bottom line, 350Z motor is great with boost, but as with anything turbo it HAS TO BE DONE RIGHT.

[Richard5vgy]

I was 14 when I saw one in a field while riding the bus home. I had my dad drive me all the way back to the car to see what it was. That's what started it for me, I bought my first one at 17 for 500 bucks and been through several since. It's to bad all i could find were horribly rotted ones. I latest and best is my 78 280 I bought for a 100 last year. woohoo:ass:

 

A few pics of my 260 and brothers 280 behind it RIP 260

[suparman]

I am 24 had my first z when I was 19 it was a 280zx turbo. saw one one day and thought it was sexy. had one since

[ModernS30]

I am 17 now since November 4th. Originally I found my z on the quest to find a "Drift car" I found a Subaru that I really liked, we bought that car and it was a ton of fun. My brother then took that car with him to college and I had still been looking for something RWD and manual. Well, my moms boyfriend has a friend that had a 76 280z, I looked it up and said ok sure 500 bucks. This was my x-mas gift and boy after I found this site and search a lot I was super excited. I was ready to do all kinds of different swaps. I wanted an L28et and SR20 and an RB all at the same time, still do, wish I could have 3 cars, really 4 because I want a 2jz one too. I got that car that was supposed to be running, it wasn't. Found alot of bondo and glass on the floors and quarters. Car was a rust bucket I got it to start on starter fluid but the fuel system was clogged. A few might remember me parting that car on here a while ago. I search and searched because by then I just had to have a Z. I finally found the one I have not, 1977 280z, yes its got rust, is it as bad as the other car? So far no, the floors have turned out worse than I thought but so far I am still in the O.K. range. I got the car from working, I had a truck that was purchased for 450 as a DD that the clutch blew out, I used money from parting the other car to fix that and sold the truck for only 550 because it had wiring issues. Then I just recently finished paying my mom off for the money I had borrowed to spend 1300 on this 280z. It's a really bad addiction with more to come in the future.

[jpliewer]

My first car was a '69 Mach 1 i picked up when i was in highschool, always loved muscle cars till i bought my 2001 Spyder off of my father and loved how they handled compared to the old mustang haha, then i got into liking imports and my dad kept trying to convince me into getting a Z but at the time, I hated his 280Z 2+2 that he's getting a chevy 350 dropped into, and i got a 240SX. I really missed the classic car look compared to my 240SX, then one day checkin the web I found the Super Street article titled Original Gangsta' featuring Shaw Takahashi's 1970 Datsun 240Z, after I checked out that car, I sold my 240SX and picked up a 1974 Datsun 260Z, drove it the hundred miles back to Kingman no prob then blew my rings after a week haha. Still got mad love for the car and I plan on keepin it forevor.

[rat_ranger]

Well I am 25, dont know when but I always liked the funky/goofy/cool look of the old datsuns. But I have always needed a truck, so my daily driver is a 2003 ford ranger thats dropped on 20s with mustang cobra brakes and a stereo. What is going to be waiting at my frieds house soon is a 71 240Z that I am getting from mattman, along with the Z there is a vq30det, 6speed, turbonetics t04e, and lots of other parts to make it quick. Itll be a slow build because I want it to be right. and then I will have my own funky/goofy/cool datsun finally.

[Slopoke]

When I was fifteen my dad told me he'd help me get a car. I originally wanted a Jeep cherokee 4-wheel drive, white, minor lift... Just needed emissions. Took it to Jiffy Lube to get the E-test... the thing smoked so much it flooded 3 bays with white smoke... they looked at me and handed me the keys, they didn't even have to tell

me it didn't pass. On the way back to the owners home, I passed a street and my

dad told me "There's a 280Z for sell". Turned around, bought it that night. Have had it ever since... and it sure has gotten me in alot of trouble... But it didn't stop me. I bought a 240Z, put a small block in it, totalled it. Got ahold of a 260 and did another swap. They both sit in the garage and get money dumped into them.

[shift00]

I have been working full time job since i was 15, while continuing homeschool. Well, needless to say by the time I was 18, I had a pretty good grasp at construction. So, I went to help out a family friend building is home and in return he gave me the 77' 280z. I've wanted to restore a car since I was 14 and its wasn't exactly the car of chose. My mindset at that time was a rather learn how to restore a car on a 280z than a camaro...Thats is until i found out just was kinda' car I was blessed with. I am now 21 and 3 year in the making, my car is almost done. I can't wait.

[BluDestiny]

I originally wanted a 240sx (when I was 13-14, didnt know anything about cars older than 1990). I was driving my dad's hand-me-down 1990 nissan sentra whan I was 15-16(the crazy boxy one). My friend blew his motor on his car, he knew I loved nissan cars, so he let me see it. I loved the fastback look, since my brother was driving an integra(one in my sig). My friend gave me my first car, his 1981 280zx 2+2, with the blown engine since he needed space. Got it for free on the condition that I have to egt it running again. He's a really giving guy. replaced the blown motor with one I found on craigslist that was rebuilt. That engine turned out to have been put together wrong, and one of the rods snapped because it was put in backwards or something, (I was 16 going on 17 at the time) I left that car in teh garage, but loves Z's so much I went and bought my own Z, a 1974 260z, the blue one in my sig. I finally got the 280zx running again this summer, and took it to college with me. My blue car has recently had a l28 tiple weber 10.5-1 engine dropped in and is sitting back home in Burbank waiting for me to drive. The 280zx is my DD and is serving me well in FL.

[hron13]

well my story is very simple. i picked up the Z from my friend for 700 bucks, as a not quite as rusty as i expected shell, Im 19 going on 20 in a month, and needed an easier project to replace my 31 ford i was building. he wanted a running turnkey Z to drive, instead he bought a crappy roller for 3k and i profited from his stupidity, i still feel like a jerk though.

[MiKeL 260]

I am 16.

I have a 82 slicktop 280zx.

atm half way thru shaving rear end and making custom front.

 

Reasons for buying..

- Hardly anyone has them here in NZ

- Addicted to Wangan Midnight

- Love my RWD nissans

[Barrel_Ball]

I had to have been 5 at the time, living in Mississauga, Ontario. We lived on a little cresent street where on the inner corner, I saw two 1st gen Rx-7's (little did I know I'd have one as a first car, but that's neither here nor there), and on ther outter side of that street. I remember walking by and seeing an open garage door at some guy's house, in that garage, parked facing inwards was what I thought at the time was a Pontiac Beaumont (the quarter window shape looked similar), but there was a few things amiss. I got my Dad to walk down the street with me to see if he can tell me what the car was. At this time, the car was sitting in the driveway, incomplete, obviously a project car. My Dad saw this and said "Oh, a Datsun 240Z. I used to have one of these.". From then on, I went out of my way to learn what these cars were, their history, their specs, their aftermarket, their signifigance in the automotive world. when I was 19, I saw a '76 2+2 sitting in a driveway in my area (I live in Calgary, Alberta now) with a 'for sale' sign in the rear window. I bought the car and a rusted out 240 for $300 with the intention of just swapping the drivetrain from the 2+2 into the 240, but I learned that both cars were beyond repair. Then, a certain Z club guy emailed me from one of the forums I posted on at the time, saying that he knew where I could find a decent project car - turned out to be his house! 1976 280Z 2 seater - Purple, white stripe, paid off for $3000 in early '08, got running with '76 2+2 drivetrain in June of '08.

 

I'm turning 22 in a couple weeks, and my car already has things like the Toyota brake mod, L28ET swap, and soon, Tokico suspension, amongst other things in the near (or distant) future. I own a Z, and am dang proud of it.

[daschundtwosixdee]

I started looking for a Z when i turned 16 and found a few but never had the money, but now im 20 ,turning 21 in March. About 3 months ago i meet an internationla Z parts dealer and i start talking to him a little over a month ago he call and says he has a 260Z for me if i want to look at it. i agree ,make the hour and a half drive, and i was impressed with the car he had brought to me , very little rust, all the parts are with the car. I asked "does it run" he replies "it did when it had nasty 'boat anchors', i have a newly rebuilt set of round top SU's and an ass load of new things going with this car, and ill help you get it back into shape, as long as your parts come from me.

 

so hashing out the final details on the deal , i ran to the bank, and dropped $800 on it.

[brianZortiz]

My good friend let me barrow a Super Street Magazine about several years back.

Heres the Link for the article

http://www.superstreetonline.com/featuredvehicles/sstp_0711_1970_datsun_240z/index.html

I fell in love, I wanted a s30 Zcar. I was around 16 at the time and my main goal was the 2jz Toyota Supra and The s30 Z. I was searching for the 240z on craiglist and eBay, found decent ones but was eventually outbidded and no response from craigslist. Then about 4 weeks ago There was an add for an early 260z. I loved it. Paid $1,600 but it was worth every penny. I loved the fact that the early 260z has 240z bumper lights and 280z rear lights. The car ran, just had a radiator leak problem. I fixed it! Then I drove the beast L26. WOW! That thing was fast!! Without passing 5,000 rpm.

[austyn]

im 14 and i just baught a 1971 datsun 240z in great condition for $1400. planing on resoring it with my dad for the next two years for my first car. the car is lowered and planing on puting fender flares on it. any sujestions would me great. thanks