| The "Re-Birth" of a 280Z |
| A website dedicated to the restoration of my 1975 280Z |
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| Greetings and welcome to "Z" fans and anyone else who stumbles upon my site. As the title indicates, these pages are dedicated to the restoration of my 1975 280Z. Since I can remember, I've had an inexplicable affinity for early Datsun Z cars, namely the 240, 260 and 280Z's. Although I enjoy the later ZX cars, my favorites are by far the 1970 through 1978 Z's. In my humble opinion, these are the Z cars that bred the legend...and they're also the purest of the Z-car family with regards to "old-school" sports car characteristics. |
| From the straight rack and pinion steering, to the no-frills interior, these cars were designed solely for driving enthusiasts. It wasn't until Nissan/Datsun introduced the 280ZX series that Z cars began to enjoy some of the luxuries of more modern sports cars and touring sedans. Although I could probably go on for pages about why I prefer the first three series of Z's over all others, you would undoubtedly get tired of reading my ramblings, and it would detract from the original purpose of this website - which is to document the restoration of my own Z. |
Why build this site? This site exists for three reasons: 1.) I'm putting a lot of work into this car, and frankly, I want to show it off! 2.) I've made a number of mistakes along the way, and hopefully others can learn from them. |
| 3.) And finally, I've compiled a pretty good list of Z-car resources on the web, and I thought other Z owners, old and new, might be able to benefit from the countless hours I've spent searching for information on these cars. So, with that said, allow me to introduce you to my project car. |
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| Before... (or perhaps, better yet) If only I had known! |
| This project began on a whim. When I purchased my current Z in late 2002, I wasn't really looking for another Z. At the time, I had a 1976 280 in my garage which I had owned for better than five years, and which had been partially disassembled for nearly four of those five years. My '76 had a Pacific Blue exterior and off-white interior, which I had fallen in love with and was convinced I would never find again. Unfortunately, along with its nifty color scheme, the car also had so much body rot that I had been told by two separate body shops it would cost between $7,000 and $10,000 to replace all the rusted metal on the car. In other words, short of a sudden windfall of disposable cash, the car was all but a total loss. There was no way, no matter how much I loved the car, that I could justify sinking almost ten grand into the bodywork alone... not for a car that would probably never be valued much beyond $15,000 to $20,000 completely restored to show-winning form. It was with this heavy reality on my heart that I found myself idly searching the pages of www.collectorcartraderonline.com one weekend evening. I didn't expect to actually find a Z that I was interested in, much less one that was affordable and in my area. Of course, isn't it always when you least expect these things that they seem to fall in your lap? And so it did. |
| During my search, I ran across a 1975 280Z, one owner, within 10 miles of my home, for only $3500. More unlikely still, she had a Pacific Blue exterior and off-white interior. It was two weeks before I was finally able to reach the owner, and another week before he was able to meet with me to show me the car. Because this would be my fourth Z car, I knew some of the pitfalls of these notoriously rusty, finicky and troublesome car, and so I tried not |
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| to get too excited when my wife and I went to look at our potential new ride. And, truth be told, when I first laid eyes on her, I knew she would have some minor problems. The passenger side floorboard had a small rust hole in it, the battery had leaked down into the engine compartment and frame rail, causing some minor rust in those areas, and the car generally showed its age. However, the owner, who had bought it for himself upon graduating college and kept the car ever since, had taken reasonably good care of her. There was no doubt she would need a ground up restoration if I was to bring her back to her original glory. But, there was also no doubt this was one of the cleanest original, unrestored Z's I had ever seen. |
| Pages HOME Disassembly Body Brakes Underbody Suspension Engine Driveline Interior Modifications Z-related links & resources |
| NEW! Photos of body- work and info on the biggest mistake I've made to date! Click on "Body" for more. Added 04/11/04. |