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.
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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.
