The Project Car - 1977 Datsun/Nissan 280z: 3/5/11

To start things off, allow me to introduce myself. I am Chris, or Ish, whatever you wish to call me. I'm an 18 year old male living in Central Arkansas. I am used to old-school American muscle cars, such as Ford Mustangs and 50's model Chevy's and 60's-era Mopars with Hemis. When I turned 16, my first car was a 1993 Honda Del Sol Si. Having owned that car, I was big into the import scene at the time. There was just something about small-displacement, high output four cylinders that really excited me. It was a great little car to have! But unfortunately, after dropping 2k into a half-a-year engine rebuild and having some major suspension concerns, it was time to sell the car. So my parents graciously bought me a 2010 Honda Fit...and with that, came the world of warranties and lack of aftermarket support and not much in the way of customization. Something was missing; I didn't have a car I could play with and work on and turn wrenches on and up the performance on.

So...it was time for a new project. I looked, and I looked. I bounced from a 90's model Civic hatch, to a late 80's CRX Si, to a Ford Thunderbird or a Foxbody Mustang. Then, out of nowhere, I spied a Datsun 280z out of curiosity. I fell in love. The silhouette and semi-aggressive profile of the car just looked amazing. I never was a fan of the later model Z's, I found the body style to be quite...ostentatious. But the earlier models were quite appealing.

After some CraigsList searching, I found one. It was a 1977 5-speed equipped 280z. The engine had been "rebuilt" (about 4 years ago...), and had been out of the car for quite some time. The owner was giving it away with a 200 dollar "drift kit" from Hyper Suspension that replaced all bushings and end links with Polyurethane replacements. The kicker was that the owner had lost the title.

So, here I am. 700 dollars poorer, and with a new project car to play with and build from the ground up. I can't wait to begin.

Already, I've spotted some issues with the brake lines being rusted through, some small spots where the rust goes through on the body, and much-needed new clutch. Also, the interior is for the most part gutted. I've also spied a dirt dauber nest that was made in the ECU while it sat in storage. In addition, there is no exhaust system whatsoever. Just the manifold. No distributor cap either.

I managed today to get the car home, and move all the loose parts into our shop, and covered up the engine while it waits on the trailer, because dark caught up with us. Tomorrow is another day! I hope to chart the progress of this project as it comes together.