Looking to buy

[sawyer's720]

Ive got my eye on a 76 280z that's been sitting for five years. it's in pretty good shape but i was wondering what i should do before i try and start it up, besides changing the oil, oil filter, spark plugs, plug wires, cap and rotor, coolant, hoses and vac lines.
Any input would be really helpful.

[evildky]

you have your eye on it or youa already bought it? sounds liek a lot of work to do to a car you don't own?

the fuel injection can be problematic, usually it's an aging issue, injector connectors, break, wires get brittle and air hoses dry out and crack (take a good look at the hose form the AFM to the TB), and a car thats been sitting a while can alse get a rusty gas tank which can clog or destroy a fuel pump in short order, otherwise if the engine turns by hand it should be fine

[sawyer's720]

alright thanks. and i have my eye on it. i'll probably be seeing it on sunday, they only want a grand for it and it's in pretty good shape.

[evildky]

rust rust rust, mechanical issues tend to be few and simple, rust is expensive and difficult, if the car won't run and has a good solid chassis it's worth it, if it runs great but is full of rust, walk away!

[sawyer's720]

i didn't find a bit of rust, the dash is in great shape, the driver's seat and the center console have tears but the passenger seat is perfect, it needs a carpet kit but it's not horrible, the last time he ran it was in the spring and it ran perfectly fine. im gonna put in a new fuel pump, new plugs, wires, hoses, filters and oil, clean out the tank and start her up

[sawyer's720]

I was also curious as to how to completely clean a gas tank. i've seen people put gravel in it and shake it around but i was thinking about something a little more chemical because i live in an apartment complex.

[evildky]

you can take the tank to a good radiator shop, they can clean it and seal it, if you want to do it yourself eastwood sells a tank restoration kit, they use metal wash and you put a length of chain or a bunch of large nuts tied together with wire to agetate the insides, followed by acetone and chemical etch

[sawyer's720]

how much would be your ballpark estimate for a good shop to do this?

[evildky]

last I checked in my area minimal charge was around $40, and I've heard of jobs wiht repairs costing as much as a couple hundred dollars, it just depends on the shop and the amount of work your tank requires

[sawyer's720]

wow 40 bucks would be awesome! I was also wondering if the 5 speed from a 84 720 would bolt up to the 280z no problems. it would be awesome to have the five speed instead of the four speed for lower cruising RPMs.

[evildky]

if that 720 came with an L16 or L20 then I believe ti will bolt up, I'm pretty sure all the "L" engine family shares a bolt pattern

[sawyer's720]

oh ok, well it's a Z engine. I was only wondering because i drive the truck daily, i wouldn't mind swaping transmissions on the two but if it wont bolt up then it's not worth the effort. If i source a five speed transmission from any Z until what, 84? it should bolt up no problems right?

[evildky]

yes any 70-83 Z tran will bolt tot he engine btu you might have to swap the driveshaft as well and the pinion flange in some cases

the "Z" series of engines are an inbetween, they are the link betwen the L's and the CA's and KA's, so it might still interchange I'm thinking that the truck Z series was essentially an L4 with a crossflow head?

[sawyer's720]

i believe so. you'd think it would be an awesome performance engine but it's only for emissions. terrible flow haha

[ammaar555]

I wanted to join this forum to get some idea about cleaning a gas tank.all the detail are here....