In the beginning of October 2011 I brought my first s30. As stated in my previous thread this is a non-running 1976 280z that I brought, which needs some loving.

The run down:

1976 280z
Its silver on blue and black interior.

I got the toyota 4x4 calipers with the 84 z31 rotors.

Worst thing is it sat for 10 years, all im planning on doing is:
1) Clean the HELL out of it. (did that)

2) Replace ALL the hoses on everything. (replaced a few most seem to be amazing, inside and out. I have some on the side just in case, they are easy to get too. The ones that arent I will replace.)

3) Drain EVERY FLUID on the car. The motor oil is 10 years old and BLACKER THAN BLACK. There was some brake fluid in the MC but not much and it was shot. (drained and replaced the Clutch master and slave cylinder. Soon replacing the Master cylinder with the 15/16 280zx one.)

4) After draining all the fluid, add the 4 piston toyota calipers and the z31 na rotors to the front, and find a rear disk set up. (im thinking the maxima set up, any advise would be cool. Im thinking about doing it AFTER I get the z running. The fronts still need the spacers, adaptors and brake pads. The rears need the rear conversion kit and the 240sx calipers.)

5) after the brake set up bleed everything (I plan on doing it more than once to clean it out good), brakes and bench bleed the clutch. (Already bled the clutch and feels so much stronger)

6)Paint the roll cage black (I dont like the rusted look LOL) Its SCCA appproved soo its a wicked roll cage the welds are orgasmic haha! (Cut the knee bar because that was a pain literally. Thinking about painting it a midnight blue now, considering I cant powder coat it.)

7) Replace battery, seeing if the tail lights work well, and probably getting better headlights.

8) Get an exhasut since its running right from the exhaust manifold! (My exhaust manifold is said to be better than the headers they offer, but might get headers because they are new and lighter. Not looking to spend if I wont gain anything though.)

9) Tires for the panasports, and better lug nuts. 205/15 fronts, 225/15 rears

10) MSA front bumper with the 240z turn signals, MSA carbon fiber spoiler, and ZG flares.

11) MAYBE a radio, the car has almost no luxuries, so not sure if I want to even put in a better radio or anything. (zune works well for me, and it has a cassette player)

12) Fix the window, it some how feel off track. (Fixed, but I need key for the locks of the car.)

13) DRIVE THE PHUCK OUT OF IT! (most likely will be in the spring)

What the guy said:
76 280z California rust free car(Coupe) it has full coil over suspension and 4 wheel camber plates to adjust the suspension. (IT IS SLAMMED TO THE FING FLOOR)
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It sits lower than a 240Z and should handle like a slot car .

Toyota 4 piston calipers and rotors for the front brake upgrade and 15 inch Pannasports.

Its silver with black interior and has a full roll cage and comes with Vintage SCCA log books if you ever wanted to go racing its vintage eligible. (Tried researching for "Becks ultra high performance or anything like that but came up empty. I would love to speak with the owner.)

It Was an ITS car (improved Touring ) so it still has all of its street equipment and was never cut up or gutted or wrecked just the carpet was removed, has about 3 little dents but nothing major.

The full dash wipers lights door panels everything is all there.

2 brand new racing seats
It still has its original L28 motor that was rebuilt to stock specs and still has its original fuel injection & 4sp manual transmission .

Pics when I first go it:












Now some progress that has been done:
Took the disgusting bumper shock absorbers off. Did a bit of cleaning and dropped the intake+exhaust manifold, gas tank, and tranny. Looking to pull the motor to make life easier.

Still havent ordered anything, but this is how she sits right now:








^ Got some cleaning to do.


^Looks can be deceiving! This little bugger weighs alot more than I thought! I would say upwards of 25lbs.



^ SO light, its very nice and well built.

^Brought another 76 gas tank, which are RARE, but turns out it had a pin hole leak. Decided what the hell, and will restore my tank instead since it it nicer.

^ I think the "withdrawl lever", the metal spring type thing might be bent out of shape.

^ Clutch looks to be in place lol.


^ The only rust spots on the z. One of which is from scrapping the pavement, the other is a common area. In which the drain gets clogged, both are easy to fix and not serious.

^ Took out the stupid knee bar, looks much better. The roll cage is SO tight ti the body, that the driver side rood liner is melted from the rubbing friction against the cage.




Thats all for now! Thanks

Awesome looking project.

Thanks! Yea its a fun learning experience too. They are very simple cars.

It looks like you are off to a great start. Interesting roll bar. This should be a fun build.

congrats on the z, svra and hsra have different requirements, hang on to that log book!

I'd hesitate to track the car in a fender to fender race without a knee bar and door bars

what you call the "withdraw lever" most of us call the clutch fork, and it should be pretty flap, if it's fant and you don't appear to have enoguh travel, it's likely got the wrong throw otu bearing collar, there were 3 different collars used over the years, small mdeium and large, I believe medium is the only one still vailable

panasports are just plain sexy

Lol I just say withdrawl lever cause it sounds cool! I know what it is but in the manual it says withdrawl level and always gives me a chuckle. I checked it out and the spring holding it was loose, fixed that and went it fine.

Just brought a stage 1 clutch kit and flywheel from F1 racing (The clutch isnt out but since the tranny is off why not get a new one and save the old one?) and a poly urethane master bushing kit. Next up is a battery, 280zx 79-81 master brake cylinder (which arent cheap), SS clutch line, aluminum 3 row radiator (might get that after the car runs though), high performance coil, and I think thats it just to get it running. Of course, I still need some hoses and test whether the starter and alternator work. Then bolt her back up, slide her in place and oil her up and pray she fires up.

Any opinion on the techno toy tuning suspension? front+rear lower control arms, tension rods and bump steer spacer?

I have TTT weld in camber plates and tc rods, I plan to get their llca's and mustache bar in the future, Gabe seems to be a good honest source, and when buying multiple items in the past he even gave me a package deal

^ Nice! How do you like them so far? Im thinking about getting all the suspension components from him and was only quoted $55 for shipping! I was very happy about that. Im going to buy the suspension after I get the z running.

Keep it up!

I'm a fan, no complaints, and I plan to use more of his products in the future

^^ Thanks!

^ Oh nice that makes me feel good, I was looking at other sites and the prices are outrageously expensive. I mean come on $600 for just rear lower control arms? And you can forget about arizona z they are super over priced! But I have heard that the price is well worth their quality. I hope to get the z running soon so I can buy the suspension components and do that along with the brakes for the winter!

AZC is over rated, I have their cast oil pan which required a bit of clearancing, I had their radiator but they can't tell you what hoses oyu need to fit, dave at azc is not well liked int he community, he is tollerated because he fills a need

modern motorsports does provide some items you cant get anywhere else, I have their cv adapters, but they are a great knowledge base and helpful

TTT is new to this market but they are a small honest company looing to put out a quality product at a resonable price

Nice I couldnt agree with you more.

evildky wrote:AZC is over rated, I have their cast oil pan which required a bit of clearancing, I had their radiator but they can't tell you what hoses oyu need to fit, dave at azc is not well liked int he community, he is tollerated because he fills a need

arizonaz's products, especially their brakes (wilwood calipers) are well-regarded in the z32 community, can't speak for the classic z community:

http://www.twinturbo.net/nissan/300zx/f ... abuse.html
http://www.twinturbo.net/nissan/300zx/f ... -ever.html
http://www.twinturbo.net/nissan/300zx/f ... track.html
"It just so happens you can get a Wilwood kit for a far better price than the others from Arizona Z Car.com"

http://www.300zxclub.com/showthread.php?t=196983
"But, I am extremely pleased with the brake kit now and with Dave @ ArizonaZCar. He really stood behind his product."

i spoke to him on the phone regarding his brakes, and he seems really nice.

^ s30 and z32 are two totally different communities. The s30 see's more track time and put through more events than a z32, so the products need to be at a higher standard to withstand track. I have heard good things about AZ but thier products are pricey.

Well Just brought a performance high ignition coil, engine gasket kit, oil pan gasket, exhaust flange, and a new 79-81 280zx brake master cylinder. Waiting for my clutch kit, bushings and gas tank to arrive. Pretty much just a waiting game. All I need now is a replacement radiator, fuel injector clips (I need all of those for all the wire connectors), vacuum hoses, and fuel line hoses. Getting an engine hoist this week, pulling the motor and putting it together.

Any ideas on what to do to clean the engine bay? Its pretty clean but it is chipping its paint and I want to coat it. Any advise on some cheap primer to fix up the bay and some undercoating for the chasis?

I am not the only oen to have issues with Dave,peole either love him or hate him but he does fill a need and he was making most of these parts before anyone else, as for the willwoods, he doesn''t make the callipers he makes the brackets, I used JSK brackets and bought my callipers and rotors form pitstopusa and saved maybe $100 in total frotn and rear, but I did it to not have to dealw ith dave

I had one fo his radiators, which is a modified gm radiator, it hangs way low for a series 1 chassis and he didn't know the application of the hoses to make work with the L6 (keep in mind he advertised thsi radiator for the L6 and the S30, I also got his cast aluminum oil pan for my built bottom end, I guess it will work fine on a stock bottom end but if you use arm main studs like I did the pan requires quite a lot of clearancing and boy is it heavy! I'm considdering having a new pan fabricated from sheet aluminum

and the z32 community is full of misinformation, half of them think letting a cam rotate with the timing belt off will smash a valve, or that sea foam can "cure what ails ya"

if you want to use azc go ahead I'm not trying to prevent anyone buying his products, he is an innovator, he is a legitimate business, if you place an order it will get shipped he won't delay or play games, he is a legitimate supplier, I just didn't care for the service after the sale that I recieved, and I did actually defend him in a discussion of his then new lca's, but with every "upgrade" there is a sacrifice, he does nto recomend his brakes for daily drivers, as a matter of fact in his faq he says you are an idiot if you put these on your daily driver

^ LOL well said. Z32 owners are very misinformed, I was one of them but after owning one for awhile alot of crap said is due to someone else's failure. The current topic is can an NA motor be converted to a tt, and yes it can but purists like to question its durability lol.

Anyway im not going with azc, my suspension will be coming from TTT once I get her running. The brakes I think im gonna go with silvermine because they have a great deal for the rears. Since I already have the front I might just call them and tell them what I need, I alread have the vented rotors with the 4x4 calipers.

Got my polyurethane bushings yesterday and they are impressive. Cant wait to install them later. My only concern would be if after awhile would they squeak.

poly isn't for a quiet daily driver, and niether is adjustable tc rods, lca's etc, if noise is a concern, return the car to stock

while I haven't had any poly squeaks it really does stiffen the whole car so everything rattles

Lol a 70's car is NOT quiet in anyway compared to modern cars. I dont really care for it, im building the car right the first time. I put the poly on the trans mount and I can already see what it will do to the car. Not looking for this to be a dd so it will have alot of parts that make alot of noise, like a 3in exhaust (totally unnecissary but I dont give a phuck haha, also is a possibility to swap into an l28et)

Got my Poly Urethane bushings. Only installed the transmission mount bushings so far. I think they are super bad a**! But I know they will squeak like hell, soon. Here are some pics of the set that I got from ebay. They are awesome and the shipping was ridiculously fast.

















Got the stage 1 clutch and oem flywheel in, along with the gaskets and ignition coil. Still missing the 280zx brake master cylinder, which should come next week.









Today Me and my father pulled the motor, it wasnt soo bad, but putting it back in fully dressed with the tranny will not be easy. We have to drop the car roll it out, then roll it in and rejack it....sigh*.

Cleaned up the block since it was out, and now its pretty clean. All I need are a few fuel line hoses, vaccum lines, radiator plug and it should be good to go. Still need a battery but its coming along.











Im not going to paint my block, currently im concerned for my engine bay and the undercoating issue. Any suggestions?

I saw the duplicolor undercoating and after a few months it will wear out, unless you do several coats. Im not looking to spend a fortune but I would like to have it prepared for the day I do the full on restoration. (which might be a few years down the line)

I have been reading up on, 3M, wurth and a few other cans. I am liking 3M because its around $10 a can as opposed to $20 or the duplicolor at $3.

The engine bay really just the frame rails are starting to chip away paint and I just want to stop it before it rusts.

I don't recomend undercating, if you have exposed metal prep it and cover it with an etcher and then a sealer, or POR15, Rust bullet or similar, Undercating just holds moisture in, the POR15 or rust bullet are heavy duty coatings that will take a beating and bond wiht the metal in a way that keeps them form chiping

^ Awesome, so they have these self etching primers. That would be better than some cheapo undercoating? The POR15 is good stuff but I think I will prime it and seal it instead.

makaofox wrote:^ s30 and z32 are two totally different communities. The s30 see's more track time and put through more events than a z32, so the products need to be at a higher standard to withstand track. I have heard good things about AZ but thier products are pricey.

how are they two TOTALLY different communities?

both are nissans, and the same principles apply: quality control, customer service, etc.

Mario, this is what's frustrating:

"see more track-time and put through more events than a z32, so the products need to be at a higher standard"? stoptech doesn't make products for the z32? spl doesn't? powertrix doesn't?

spl doesn't even make products for the 280z. that disproves that s30 products are somehow higher-quality for the track, they're NOT. https://www.splparts.com/store/product- ... rfefv81lq5

plenty of z32's see track time. what chassis is this model based on? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cunningham_300ZX.jpg

and you ran a pretty much stock setup (yes, nismo555 fuel injectors, but stock turbos? stock manifolds?), how can you comment on what z32 parts are capable of (as far as the "higher standard to withstand track")? you had a stock oil cooler, stock radiator, stock brakes, stock suspension right?

Mario what is frustrating:

Is that clearly you are a troll magnet. Whatever you do and say is clearly WRONG. But its ok cause your actually making progress on your car and your learning. But stop thinking you have a track car cause SPL doesnt make anything for your car. So therefore you have no track support. So that being the case....then only the cars SPL supports are track cars. And hey, stock tracks to. Ive done it in my z32 NA. I beat out a worked TT by 2 seconds.

Keep up the good work on the build man...ill see you...prob tomorrow lol

wow, lets get our underwares out of a bunch

The aftermarket for S30's tends to be build around track use, not street use. The aftermarket for Z32's is built around street use. That doesn't mean each is mutually exclusive just what the market seems to be. I suspect that build down to the s30 being closer to a "track car" in stock configuration. A real race car doesn't have power windows, or a/c, most s30's came with no a/c and the manual windows are simpler to remove to make it a "race car". The Z32 simply is a larger heavier car built to be far more comfortable than the s30 and as such it's just that much more stuff to remove, replace or rebuild to make it a true "race car". Also a "race car is generally engineered to be serviced quickly, the Z32 is certainly not. I can have the engine out of an S30 in 30 minutes (no joke) and it takes me 4 hours to have the engine out of a Z32 (tt). The S30 is not a "quality" built car, it's a simple car and thats what makes it a great race car.

You listed off some Z32 parts suppliers, and most of the parts they make do not fit any specific sanctionaing body, might be fine for track days but would put you way out of your league in a sanctioned race. They are cenerted on street cars that see "track days" not sanctioned racers

Another reason the z32 doesn't make a good "race car" is that it is a low production car. they only sold around 150k over 6 years of production, the S30 sold that many in it's fors 2 years of production.

Update:
Well its been awhile but with the motor out I have decided what I wanted to do and that was to paint the bay semi flat black. I used probably 4 cans and it came out pretty dam well. Of course being a rattle can paint job it doesnt have the same quality compared to professionally painted. I just sanded down the rusty spots in the bay and painted it. The tough cookie was getting into those hard to reach area's like where the master cylinder is and the clutch master clyinder is. I did the best I could and came out pretty well, I do have some drips but I will fix that later on by sanding it and painting it again. I did use a primer that eliminates rust, so lets see how true that is lol.

While painting I went out and brought undercoating. I used 3M underseal as well as rubberized undercoating and for the price ~$10 per can they are well worth it. I basically spayed on the well known area's to rust and some time when the car runs I will under coat the undercarriage. I undercoated my gas tank and it practically looks brand new!

I have since worked on the intake manifold and replaced all the hoses. (that was a b**** but I got them all replaced), then I brought a header to eliminate the spacer issue when I bolt it back on.

The roll cage received an experimental color, went with red! So I think im going to paint the whole cage red because it is really nice. Meaning down the line I will replace my blue seats for red.

The sad part T_____T
Well tearing the motor down I come to find that the head was nice but the cylinder walls are some what rusted. So I think im going to buy a master rebuild kit for about $600 and rebuild the motor and just poloish up the block. Being my first time doing any of this it should be fun learning. y goal at this point is remain in budget and just have a nice peppy z. My long term goal is to have a 1jz in the z and keep it at a moderate 400hp, which is more than enough. Im just looking to get the L28 running for a good while and have my fun with it.

Progress of the pics:




^ My rack looks brand new





^I HATE YOU RUST! T_T, ahh well gives me a chance to build something with my own hands, and know it was done right.

^I made a timing block to prevent the timing chain from falling.











^The 2 cans I used for the z. Both are great quality cans.









^ Took care of that nasty rust spot! I grinded it down, and it looked like swiss cheese! At the moment I just coated the crap out of it and it looks much better. Down the line I will weld it up properly but for now it will be more than fine.



^ Another angle. This is the rustest part of my z, and the one frame rail that was scrapped. (isnt rotting through the body just the bottom part) So that is taken care of the body is in amazing condition! I am very happy with that.


^ Coated the gas tank as well and it looks awesome! Almost new!

Working on the z found 2 surprise rust spots. One on the driver side door, which was odd but must have been banged up at one point. So I sanded it down to metal and took care of that. The second spot was on the passenger side where the pointy part of the fender sits by the windshield. Took care of that as well as they covered it up with some tape! :/ That was an easy fix and coated it as well.

So basically now im going to focus on the interior clean it up, paint the roll cage red and clean up the floor pan with the rubberizes 3M. Going to ask around on what I should do with the block but im leaning toward the master rebuild kit for $600 and building the motor up with that.

nice job with the rattlecars

as far as the engien goes, if your long term goal is to swap in a 2JZ I would just hone the cylinders thrown fresh rings ont he pistons and run it, if you are really concerend abotu it just keep an eye otu for a good used engine, I got an offer for a free n/a engine with 5 speed fomr an S130 this morning, join your local ZCCA club and let everyone know what you're doing and if they have any elads they might be willign to help a fello z owner

Nice! For free dam. Well that would be the long term goal is to swap it with a 1jz, I was looking at rebuild kits are they worth it then? I mean $600 isnt SO bad to rebuild the whole motor but then the work that goes into honing and cleaning it up might not be so cheap. I think im going to hone it and put rings as you said. Are there specific kits for that? Im part of a few clubs but down here in nj L28z are pretty pricey. Just called up this guy and he wanted $450 for his and it had 66k miles but sat for 3 years.

you gotta be on the prowl and in the market, that guy wanting 450 has had it sitting for 3 years because it's not worth 450, if he wants ti sell it he'll take less, if he wants to spend another 3 years tripping over it and possible having it rust to the point of no longer being good then he can stand firm on his price and keep getting what he's getting

and yes you cna buy a re-ring kit at some places, or just buy the gasket set and a set of rings, take your time and clean clean clean, also if oyu do rebuild the rear main cap is a tricky pickle and often results in leaky rear mains after rebuilds, it's similar to the old dodge blocks and a trick the didge guys use ti to replace the slip in seals with matchsticks and rtv