Possible S30 Purchase???

[AchilleZ32]

Hi guys, i'm going to venture out of my home from the Z32 section for a bit lol. I'm thinking about buying this car.

It's a 1975 280z, and it's for the most part, a project haha. It has a recently rebuilt L28 and the T5 transmission is supposably good. He said the only bad rust it has was in the passenger side floor pan and the frame rail needs a little tlc. I think the pictures pretty much speak for themselves...













He want's $500 for it, however, I can probably get it for $400 ish.

Thanks!!!

[Perrenial Badass]

Pictures of the floor boards and frame rails? If one side is rusted out, the other side likely isn't far behind. Sounds like it is worth the $4-500 in parts though.

[evildky]

when dealing with these cars it's all about the chassis, the engine is simple andsimple, cheap and easy to work on (the polar opposite of the Z32) if the chassis is straight and not rusty then it's a heck of a deal, and I'd bet it does nto have the T5 trans, the T5 was found only in the 82-83 280zx turbo, it is a popular swap but that shift lever looks stock, the t5 should be a bit lower and thicker (hard to tell from the pic) but a 5 speed of any flavor beats the heck out of a 4 speed

[AchilleZ32]

Thanks guys. He said the rail could possibly use a replacement, but he was no expert. He also told me that it was the (stock) T5 trans, so i'm betting you're right evil; its not a T5. I think if I got the car, my first priority would be to strip the body and repair rust etc. Then move to the interior and then to the suspension (coilovers the whole 9). Then for the motor choice, I was thinking about going L28et with the T5. Sound like a solid plan Evil? The Z32 section misses you lol.

[evildky]

yeah the L28ET T5 is a nice affordable and dependable combo

and fwiw the seller doesn't knwo jack because the 75 didn't come with a 5 speed, it wasn't offered as an option until 77

[AZhitman]

Check under battery tray and inside rear hatch. Rocker panels will have rust, that's a given. If the frame rail under the battery has rust, it's not even worth $400. You'll spend 2x that amount JUST making a solid frame.

[AchilleZ32]

Yeah guys, I think i'm going to pass on this car. I was looking up some parts earlier, and I discovered how expensive the floor pans and frame rails are for these. Since there's such a low price bracket between a solid car and a rusty one, I think i'm just going to sit back and save my monies for a bit.