Well, as I said in the Lounge my range money will be going to an unexpected project. This car gets here next week and thankfully no bodywork needed. Just mechanical, suspension, brakes, engine bay, light surface rust in a few spots - and interior.

Really excited - last classic was a 1971 MGB. Glad to have a project again and will try to keep this updated with progress. Car has 50K miles, runs strong and new clutch. Has not rolled - I've known this car a long time. Have my parts on order: Satin Black Konig 16x7 with Bridgestone 71R rubber - 205/55 same diameter as stock but an inch wider. Bumpers getting pulled and replaced with lightweight 240z carbon fiber. Likely will pull louvres, urethane suspension all around and adjustable shocks and struts. Stock brakes rebuilt, rear drum done. New radiator. Need to get the AC working - R12 and think I will keep it that way. Just need find what is broken and fix or replace. Figure will be done by end of summer. Now the pics! Post yours!




















New Home for Project getting cleaned up.


Bumper type going on


New Rims

To me, that is one of the sexiest cars made. I remember one boss I had when I was younger bought a new 280Z with t-tops and louvers. It was a beautiful car. I don't have a project car anymore but eventually will get another. Yours looks good.

I have no personal experience with Datsun Z's (bought the wrong car in 1983 instead of a 280ZX), but are you sure there's room for another inch of tire? I'd check especially closely in the rear, where the struts are more vertical.

quote:

Originally posted by newtoSig765:
I have no personal experience with Datsun Z's (bought the wrong car in 1983 instead of a 280ZX), but are you sure there's room for another inch of tire? I'd check especially closely in the rear, where the struts are more vertical.

100% confident / certain. The tire diameters between stock (195/70r14) and 205/55r16 are effectively identical. The width works on stock suspension that has been lowered 1" 1.5". The springs I'm putting in do that exactly without changing geometry - stock springs usually settle the same 1" so "lowered" is really identical to stock. Any more and yeah I'd need a spacer to preserve geometry.

^

1992 Mustang LX
Upgraded brakes, suspension, and a 2.3L turbo.
Hope to be around 400hp if I ever get done with it.
Only a couple more need to do house projects before I get back to it.

What garage door openers are those and how wide are the boxes? I have a low ceiling in my shop so a traditional opener will not work.
I have very little space on the side of the door but those look pretty compact.

quote:

Originally posted by FlyingScot:
Well, as I said in the Lounge my range money will be going to an unexpected project. This car gets here next week and thankfully no bodywork needed. Just mechanical, suspension, brakes, engine bay, light surface rust in a few spots - and interior.

I love a project like that. I spent 4 years in my garage doing an FJ-40, lug nut to lug nut. It looks like those manifolds are way offset from the head. What's up with that?
 

Black92LX: The garage door openers are an old version of Liftmaster - updated one like this Liftmaster Sidemount. Nice car, 400hp that light body will fly.

Henry-AZ: It is an early fuel injected system based on Bosch Mechanical FI licensed and built in Japan. The exhaust header and heat shield are under that mess of fuel lines, hoses, and intake manifold. It is an L28 engine, if you google that a lot of detail will come up. I know carbs and old school SU carbs, primitive 1st gen FI will be new to me. Going to be fun - that engine bay will be cleaned up and looking sharp in a few months.

Car is on the truck and headed to Boca Raton from Texas! Parts staring to come in and finding out this is a lot cheaper for parts than my British cars were - bonus

quote:

Originally posted by FlyingScot:
Well, as I said in the Lounge my range money will be going to an unexpected project. This car gets here next week and thankfully no bodywork needed. Just mechanical, suspension, brakes, engine bay, light surface rust in a few spots - and interior.

Really excited - last classic was a 1971 MGB. Glad to have a project again and will try to keep this updated with progress. Car has 50K miles, runs strong and new clutch. Has not rolled - I've known this car a long time. Have my parts on order: Satin Black Konig 16x7 with Bridgestone 71R rubber - 205/55 same diameter as stock but an inch wider. Bumpers getting pulled and replaced with lightweight 240z carbon fiber. Likely will pull louvres, urethane suspension all around and adjustable shocks and struts. Stock brakes rebuilt, rear drum done. New radiator. Need to get the AC working - R12 and think I will keep it that way. Just need find what is broken and fix or replace. Figure will be done by end of summer. Now the pics! Post yours!

I had a 1977 four speed. I put a McCloud street/strip clutch kit in it. I would upgrade the clutch either to the McCloud or the Centerforce.

nice ride.

I had a sweet 1973 240Z back in 78. Was a treat to drive and I really enjoyed it...til it got parked on it's roof. Yours looks like a blast...enjoy!

My first car was a 1992 Nissan 300ZX. My second car was a 1985 300ZX. Eventually I also ended up with a 1986 300ZX. Those were the days



I guess my project car will be my new Z4. A couple of small tweaks here and there. Maybe come caliper paint. Nothing too crazy.



If you think about it the Z4 and 280ZX have a similar body style (when the top is closed)

I had a '78 280ZX, and it was a fun car. The 280Z is better looking, though.

Enjoy it.

Love Z cars!

Long time ago I worked for a dealership group and was very tight with owner. We had a 240Z come in on trade and they let me have it for $100 over what they owned it for...$600.00 out the door!

Later I bought one of the first twin turbo 300's in my area and loved that car.

My FIL used to have a 280 that had a good interior but needed body and engine work...By the time my wife got around to asking if I could have/buy it my idiot SIL had already taken it upon herself to sell it for next to nothing on CL

quote:

Originally posted by FlyingScot:
Black92LX: The garage door openers are an old version of Liftmaster - updated one like this Liftmaster Sidemount. Nice car, 400hp that light body will fly.

Says those openers need 8" on the side for clearance, I have 6"

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
Says those openers need 8" on the side for clearance, I have 6"

Not an opener expert - but if you have CBS walls you might be able to notch them to give you the 2". If finished - very easy to cut through the 5/8 drywall and make a notch - the furring strip is likely 1.5 or 2". To check depth just drill through and measure. Just an idea - I'd also get hold of an expert and see if smaller sidemounts could be found.

1979 silver anniversary Trans Am finally getting painted. Once decals are on, this rust free machine from Florida will be my daily driver along with my 87 t top 442

Not mine, but a friend is building a Kmiata, Miata with a 300hp Acura TSX motor:

Currently I'm going through a 72 Corvette which is turning out to need more than I bargained for, previous owner had receipts for brake and suspension work that was done, it just wasn't done correctly ... and supposedly the engine was rebuilt about 6k ago; it doesn't smoke and has good compression but it seems every seal is leaking. So far the brakes and suspension are done, the manual oil gauge was replaced for a '74 electric unit (which matches the other gauges) it came with power steering but manual brakes ... If it was a 4-speed I wouldn't mind but the turbo 350 trains want to pull you through intersections even when the light is red, so I put factory power brakes on it along with a tilt & telescopic steering column. I've had to put nearly $3k in it just to make it safe to drive and that money was supposed to go into a bit of bodywork and new paint ... Such is life. On the plus side it's a numbers matching car and the paint is Bryer Blue, which was only used one year ... I'd love to paint it the Laguna Blue Tintcoat the new corvettes are, but I think it's more important to keep it more-or-less original. I'm OK with rest-mods like HEI ignition and fuel injection ... Maybe electronic headlight buckets (and that's a big maybe) but I want it to look factory, right down to the gauges and radio ... another $10K and I hope to be finished



I've had several Z's ... '71, 73, 75 & 78 ... Favorite was the 73, and it was my first real project car. I'd put Mulholland competition suspension and G50-14's all the way around, drove like it was on rails. Other than stripping off the smog control crap and replacing the vapor-locking factory carbs with a Weber 6pack of 40-DCOE carbs a custom header that split into thrush side pipes and 4/11 gears in the rear end. Finished it up with louvers and a custom fiberglass nose ... I drove it a lot in local SCCA gymkhana's but due to the mods I was competing against tricked out corvettes and they always kicked my ass. This is a Polaroid pic I found in my toolbox & scanned a few years back due to a fire this is the only picture I have left of it.



This is another scanned pic, me & my 75 280Z, about 23-24 years ago about 5 years before I quit smoking!



My next favorite was my 55 MG A, first year imported, i didn't do much to it, new top, went through the carbs & electrical system ... In these I still hadn't found a front lower apron for it.




My daughter loved that car while my wife hated it, said it was a death trap ... just because the only time she rode in it (before I added seat belts); we were at a stop light and next to us was a 18-wheeler, she didn't like it because his tires were taller than the car ... but she never has been a sport car person

quote:

Originally posted by FlyingScot:
Need to get the AC working - R12 and think I will keep it that way.

Can you still even still find R12 ... 134A is an easy conversion and much cheaper ...

Currently I'm going through a 72 Corvette which is turning out to need more than I bargained for, previous owner had receipts for brake and suspension work that was done, it just wasn't done correctly ... and supposedly the engine was rebuilt about 6k ago; it doesn't smoke and has good compression but it seems every seal is leaking. So far the brakes and suspension are done, the manual oil gauge was replaced for a '74 electric unit (which matches the other gauges) it came with power steering but manual brakes ... If it was a 4-speed I wouldn't mind but the turbo 350 trains want to pull you through intersections even when the light is red, so I put factory power brakes on it along with a tilt & telescopic steering column. I've had to put nearly $3k in it just to make it safe to drive and that money was supposed to go into a bit of bodywork and new paint ... Such is life. On the plus side it's a numbers matching car and the paint is Bryer Blue, which was only used one year ... I'd love to paint it the Laguna Blue Tintcoat the new corvettes are, but I think it's more important to keep it more-or-less original. I'm OK with rest-mods like HEI ignition and fuel injection ... Maybe electronic headlight buckets (and that's a big maybe) but I want it to look factory, right down to the gauges and radio ... another $10K and I hope to be finished


I've had several Z's ... '71, 73, 75 & 78 ... Favorite was the 73, and it was my first real project car. I'd put Mulholland competition suspension and G50-14's all the way around, drove like it was on rails. Other than stripping off the smog control crap and a Weber 6pack of 40-DCOE carbs a custom header that split into thrush side pipes and 4/11 gears in the rear end. Finished it up with louvers and a custom fiberglass nose ... I drove it a lot in local SCCA gymkhana's but due to the mods I was competing against tricked out corvettes and they always kicked my ass. This is a Polaroid pic I found in my toolbox & scanned a few years back due to a fire this is the only picture I have left of it.



My next favorite was my 55 MG A, first year imported, i didn't do much to it, new top, went through the carbs & electrical system ... In these I still hadn't found a front lower apron for it.