Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

1978 Datsun 280z Resto-mod on 2040-cars

US $12,750.00
Year:1978 Mileage:113957
Location:

Byron Center, Michigan, United States

Byron Center, Michigan, United States

For Sale, 1978 Datsun/Nissan 280z.  Inline 6, 5 speed manual, rear wheel drive. 113,957.

I bought this car in 2008 shortly after it had been fully restored.  The restoration process included a full strip down, rotisserie rust removal, fresh paint and engine rebuild.  The engine had less that 100,000 miles on it when it was rebuilt.  I purchased the car with a bit over 100,000 miles on it.  I have put about 12,000 miles on it in the last 5 years.

I continued to improve on the restoration with performance (and other) modifications over the last several years.   These include Tokico Illumina struts and lowering springs,  a “big throat” throttle body and leather seats.  You can see in the pictures that the car has been lowered with struts/springs and custom camber plates.  This Z sits over 4 inches lower than stock.  No tire rub ever though.

I have not had the car dyno tested but I estimate that it is putting out around 45 hp over stock, maybe more.  What ever the numbers are, this Z is very quick, handles like a race car and is silly fun to drive.  

The car gets loads of attention everywhere I go.  Lots of looks, and thumbs-ups and I have even come back to it in a parking lot a couple of times to find people taking photos of it.

A full shop manual, car cover, bin of extra parts (including a spare starter, alternator, and fuel rail) come with the car too.

I’m selling the car because I just don’t drive it enough and I’d rather see it go to someone that is going to have more time to enjoy it.

I have really enjoyed owning this car, but now it is time to let it move onto the next guy.  It is a very reliable, and fast Z and who ever ends up with it will not be disappointed. It would make a great track day car or daily driver.

I have loads more photos including over 60 of the restoration process.  

Below, is a chronological list of all the work that has gone into this car.  

Everything that happened before I bought it is listed as 2007.


2007:

tear down

sand blasted and repainted all suspension parts

rotisserie body rust removal

custom sheet metal work

new rings

new seals

ported and polished heads

79 5-speed trans installed

urethane suspension bushings 

pickle x rust proofing

custom metallic paint


2008

FJ62 Totoya Land Cruiser 4 piston brake calipers

17 inch BSA wheels/spacers

Tokico Illumina 5 way adjustable gas struts

Tokico lowering springs

billet bump steer spacers (to maintain stock steering geometry)

MSD fuel pump

Parking brake cable

custom short shift lever (notched 240z 4-speed lever shortens the throughs significantly)

Nismo shift knob

Nismo grill badge

Spectre cold air intake

keyless entry, power locks


2009

Brake master cylinder

Toyo Proxes 4 tires


2010

new seat foam

new leather seat upholstry

Z logo floor mats

Momo Competition steering wheel


2011

K&N cold air intake (upgrade from the Spectre)

Big throat throttle body

Clutch master cylinder

Clutch slave cylinder


2012

rising rate fuel pressure regulator

new leather shift boot

billet Z logo door lock pulls


2013

Pertronix FlameThrower coil



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Auto blog

Subaru Legacy pitted against Roadkill project cars

Fri, 05 Sep 2014

There's an evergreen debate among auto enthusiasts about whether they would prefer to have the latest and greatest car of today or a certified classic from yesteryear. What if you had to further define that, though, and the choice was between a brand new 2015 Subaru Legacy or a turbocharged Datsun 240Z with a hatch that wouldn't close? Roadkill aimed to find out that and more in one of its best videos to date.
According to the hosts, Subaru came to them, handed over some money and challenged Roadkill's project cars against its latest Legacy. The result is every bit as good (or better) than any automotive-themed show you could find on television.
Things start simple with a figure-eight race in a rodeo arena with the Subaru taking on Roadkill's 1968 Ford Ranchero, originally built for ice racing. From there the Legacy races a 1968 Dodge Charger with no windows around and off-road rally stage. Finally, the Subie goes head-to-head against the Rotsun, the aforementioned turbocharged 240Z, through an abandoned neighborhood. Plus, there's a bonus drag race challenging them all.

Datsun officially reborn with Go model for India [w/video]

Mon, 15 Jul 2013

In March of 2012, Nissan announced the return of its historic Datsun brand. Datsun used to represent the Nissan brand in a number of markets, but its badge hasn't been worn on a new model since 1981. In 2013, though, it has been relaunched as the Japanese manufacturer's budget offering in the emerging markets of India and Russia.
The model that will lead that charge, at least in India, is the Go, a car that pays tribute to the very first Datsun, the DAT-GO.
The operative term with the Datsun brand is: "budget offering." Don't step inside the Go and expect beautiful hides or brushed metals (it's being sold in India, after all). The instrument cluster features a simple speedometer, while the five-speed manual and the center stack above it are rather barren. It's not without luxuries, though, as iPod-style connectivity is available through a Mobile Docking Station.

Datsun's lackluster initial sales fall below Tata Nano

Wed, 15 Oct 2014

When Tata introduced the Nano back in 2008, everyone was amazed at how cheap it was. They called it a game changer, but no game was changed. In fact, it took Tata five years to sell the 250,000 units it had the capacity to build in a single year. As it turns out, even buyers in what economists call "developing markets" like India aren't necessarily interested in buying an ultra-cheap automobile. And now it appears that Nissan may be falling into the same trap.
A little over a year ago, Nissan revived its old moniker Datsun to serve as a budget brand - similar to what ally Renault did with Dacia. Its lineup (consisting of models like the Go hatchback, Go+ minivan, On-Do sedan and Mi-Do hatch) is largely based on old architecture, packaged with little more than basic equipment and sold at rock-bottom prices. But Bloomberg reports that, even in the brand's core markets like India and Indonesia, the new Datsuns haven't been selling.
According to local industry figures, Datsun has sold fewer than 10,000 units of its $5,100 Go hatchbacks in India since its introduction back in March. Maruti Suzuki, by comparison, sells twice that many of its similarly priced Alto hatchbacks every month. In fact, after peaking in April, Datsun only sold 607 units in India this past July, dipping 77 percent to drop below even the number of Nanos which Tata sold that month.