Hey i'm new to Datsuns, I'm looking at a 83 280zx with t-top and turbo, the owner said the car have not run in two years, it only have 97000 miles, is this a good project car? wat would i need to replace, and how much do i lok to spend on it. can someone tell me. it will be cool if you have a site for restoring it.

Same song, different verse.

Look out for rust. These guys will rust just sitting. They are not quite as bad as the earlier Zs, but they do like to rust. Rust repair is expensive!

Don't sweat the mechanicals. They are almost bullet proof and when they do break, they have the decency to be cheap. Expect to have to rebuild the turbo, about $500 or so.

Avoid the Disco Disneyland Digital Dash. It gets tempermental as it ages and it is difficult to replace.

Most 280Z Turbos were automatics, a reliable 3 speed unit. A few were 5 speeds, which tends to be very clunky and stiff.

Simple modifications and some attention to the details can pull up to 300hp out of this old tech motor. Good luck!

good advice, reggie!

best ( or worst, depending on how you look at it) places to look for rust are along the bottom of the rocker panels and along the frame rails running underneath the car. another key place is inside the front wheel well you can see part of the frame rail, where it bends upward into the engine compartment its right along the firewall. they tend to rust there as well.

as far as it being a turbo, those were hot cars! the reason the 5spd is soooo clunky is because it is a borg warner T5 (same one thats in camaros and crustangs) you can swap in a datsun 5spd with no adverse side affects. like reggie said, the engines and drivetrains on these thing are bulletproof, not to mention 97,000 is barely broken in.

I, personally have never had a problem with the digital dash (230,000 miless) only thing I wish I didn';t have is that rotten climate control. oh well

have fun with the beast!

McAdam

thanks guys