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PostPosted: Wed May 21, 2014 9:27 am 
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Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2010 12:25 pm
Posts: 54
Location: Easton, CT
So I've had a '78 280Z for about four years now and have been enjoying it immensely. I had dreamed about owning one of these cars since I was a teenager and for my 50th birthday my family made it a reality. The great thing about this car is that the engine runs amazing for a 36 year old car. It burns no oil and still wants to go fast.

Attachment:
Datsun 280Z.jpg
Datsun 280Z.jpg [ 310.01 KiB | Viewed 8843 times ]


I've done some mechanical work on it to make sure all the critical elements are in good working order. I've replaced the master cylinder and brake booster, replaced the front rotors and calipers, and replaced a broken ball joint. Unfortunately I can no longer put off any longer the more involved work that it will need. There is simply too much rot on the frame rails and rocker panels to keep putting off the repairs.

Last week I dropped it off with a fabricator in Torrington to begin work on the underside. He did amazing work for Dragone Motors in Westport and is in the process of opening up his own shop. I purchased a floor kit from Z Car Parts and front frame rails from BadDog. I'm still waiting to see how much of the rocker panels can be salvaged. I plan on updating this post with progress on the work. Once I get the car back my next project will be to grind out some of the surface rust and begin shooting primer then paint. I'd like to keep it as original as possible so I'll stick with the Datsun 301 Metallic Brown.

Other work on my to do list for this car are as follows.
- Replace interior carpet
- Replace seat covers with leather
- replace center console
- Replace interior trim, door, and strut panels
- Replace throttle valve switch
- Find and replace broken hood louvers
- Replace broken tach
- And probably 200 more things that will be added to this list as work progresses

Any and all suggestions as I embark on this project will be most welcome.

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PostPosted: Wed May 21, 2014 11:32 am 
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Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2010 12:25 pm
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Location: Easton, CT
Floor kit from Z Car Parts:

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PostPosted: Wed May 21, 2014 12:03 pm 
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Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:53 pm
Posts: 14779
Location: CT
They're such beautiful, exciting cars, who could NOT want one?

Yours looks like my 240 did when I painted it metalflake copper. The next year Datsun released the 280 in....metalflake copper. I had a completely unique Z car for a few months, then Datsun thought it was such a good idea, they copied it! :lol:

I also wore thin whitewall tires on mine. I got accustomed to the look and considered it very classy ~ rather like the old fat whitewall Jaguar XK-150s and E-Types of the previous decade.

Who will weld in your floorpans?

ALSO ~ when you get a moment, would you please measure the length of your antenna at full-mast? It's been asked about and nobody responded. Thnx!

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PostPosted: Wed May 21, 2014 12:16 pm 
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Location: Easton, CT
Frank,

I'm getting the welding and fabrication work done by Dan Griz in Torrington. He had worked at Dragone Motors at one time and did a lot of fabrication work for them on priceless classic cars so I have a high level of confidence in his skill. He is just starting out on his own so if anyone is looking for a good metal fabricator I'd be happy to share his contact info.

My antenna motor stopped working about 1-year after I got the car. It is now permanently at half mast. I need to add that to my to-do list, but it's a much lower priority. When the motor was working I found that it extended pretty high. I'm guessing about 38-42" from the base.

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PostPosted: Wed May 21, 2014 2:05 pm 
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Location: CT
Thanks!

Anybody good enough to work for Dragone motors is good enough for me. We do get numerous questions on this website, asking for qualified welders. Ask Dan if he would like his info provided on here.

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PostPosted: Sat May 24, 2014 4:25 pm 
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Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2010 12:25 pm
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Location: Easton, CT
I just got my front frame rails from BadDog. I'll be dropping them off tomorrow to be welded later this month. :D

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280z front frame rails.JPG
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 19, 2014 10:20 pm 
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Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2010 12:25 pm
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Location: Easton, CT
Work is progressing. I just discovered that the previous restoration work resulted in bad damage to the seat risers. I know that this is a long shot, but does anyone have a 280 parts car with rust free risers? I'm guessing no because if it is a parts car its gonna have rust. The guy I'm working with can fabricate them, but it would save time if they were already available. I'll attach some ugly pictures of the rust tomorrow.

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