Check the u bolts and the electrical to the fuse box, I had one and those are the two things I remember plus mine had 2 carberators of which I did not know how to work on, so it was a pain to get someone that knew how to get them tuned right, vey fun car you will like it

cool car, sort of an everyman's Jag XKE coupe that ran all the time. I had a 280Z 2+2 in college, had some serious miles on it, still hauled arse....good luck

Best tip I ever got for starting up some car that has been sitting for a long time was to pull the plugs and squirt a liberal amoung of Marvel Mystery Oil into each cyclinder and then let it sit over night.

Here is a ource for almost anything Z car, parts and accessories www.blackdragonauto.com free catalog also

The first time I saw one of those Datsun ohc motors back in the day I thought "that sure looks a lot like my 190c fintail mb motor!"....decades later I read they were looking at the mb motors when they built that motor.

Nice cars if you could keep the rust away!

Good luck. Everybody has already said it all.

I will be impressed if it will start without going through the injectors though.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Some handy things to know....

If this car still has the carb system, and not the fuel injection, you will have serious trouble with vapor lock. The fuel injection solved this, but there is still an individual cooling fan on top of the engine to cool the fuel even with FI.

I drove one of these, a 1979, several hundred miles once and it was very confortable and fast. Most of the trip was at about 110 mph. I am very tall, so you should have no trouble at 6 ft, 2 in. There is an amazing amount of leg room.

Road and Track once did a comparison between the 1971 240Z and a Ferrari GTO and found almost every dimension to be the same. It was if Nissan just made a copy of a GTO, which is not a bad car to have a copy of. I think the 280Z is a bit larger, but still very nice to drive.

A friend of mine bought his 1979 new for $13,500 if you are wondering how it compaired in price to other cars then.

These cars eat water pumps, so expect to put in a new one about ever 25,000 miles. They are cheap and easy to change, but they do go out quickly.

All American 1977-78 280Z's had fuel injection.

Thanks for all the posts everyone!

The Z has finally made it home, actually a week or so ago LOL It had been sitting since 06 and only drove for about 20 minutes and before that sat since 2001.

I changed the oil, drained gas, changed fuel filter, changed spark plugs and spark plug wires just so I could start it and get things going. She started on the third attempt and hasn't had trouble starting since.

The only thing now is, it's idling really ruff, and it's missing, it runs fine at high RPM's (60mph driving plus) but once it gets back to idling it's ruff, my dad thinks it might be a stuck choke but I don't really know where to start, any suggestions? I'll post pictures and hopefully a video tomorrow!

Also, THIS Z has the fuel injection system and is a California model.

It seems like a really fun car to drive, I like the looong hood in front of you, I want to drive it more but I need to get this idle problem fix and it running smooth. Also the boots on the front axels are torn and the brake pedal has to be on the floor and any pressure after that will stop the car, i'm thinking it's going to need all new brake lines, but I've never worked with drum brakes before.

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76 MG Midget
78 Datsun 280Z
86 Peugeot 505
01 Subaru Outback

“Owning a car is like owning a dog. Every now and then, it craps on the carpet — but it’s still your dog.” - Jeremy Clarkson

Vacuum leak? If its a stuck choke you will smell raw gas and have a lot of incompletely burned hydrocarbons coming out of the tailpipe (black gunk)

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1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi

It could be down on compression in one or two cylinders either from valves not sealing well or stuck rings, neither would surprise. I would check the compression and adjust the valves (if they are mechanical which I would assume they are), then if it is still down on compression (if it is) driving it might bring around the rings (if they are stuck).

Great work so far!

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

As for the idling problem... I think the fuel injection is a copy of the Bosch system. Look at the ldle control valve and all the vacuum lines. Check the MAF sensor to make sure it is OK. The electrical contacts could be dirty.

The Z is a fantastic car. My friend had a 1978 and it was as smooth as silk. The transmission was effortless and it was fast - it was as fast as his 1970 Chevelle SS once it was running on the highway.

Rust got to it though. He had just had the engine rebuilt, the shop didnot want to do it as the car had terminal cancer, but he insisted. Well when they went to put it back int eh car, the car buckled! I thin khe might still have it. If I remember correctly it was a metallic green with a black interior and it was minty inside. I can hit him up if you need parts and maybe he will pull them for you...

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"I have no convictions ... I blow with the wind, and the prevailing wind happens to be from Vichy"

Current
Monika '74 450 SL
BrownHilda '79 280SL
FoxyCleopatra '99 Chevy Suburban
Scarlett 2014 Jeep Cherokee
Krystal 2004 Volvo S60
Gone
'74 Jeep CJ5
'97 Jeep ZJ Laredo
Rudolf ‘86 300SDL
Bruno '81 300SD
Fritzi '84 BMW
'92 Subaru
'96 Impala SS
'71 Buick GS conv
'67 GTO conv
'63 Corvair conv
'57 Nomad

The rough idle sounds like a vac leak. The hoses are probably brittle after sitting for all that time and one of them might have cracked when you started the engine.

I would just replace all the vac hoses. The cost is small although it will take some time. It is also an easy job that will allow you to visaualy check out other parts of the FI system in the process.

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Alrighty, here she is! I forgot to take one of the engine though LOL But it's a great little car, I can wait to take it out and open her up once I fix the idling, I am going to replace the vacuum lines because whether or not it's the problem i'd like to replace them for piece of mind. I'm going to be tinkering with it tomorrow and see what I can do. I'll keep you all updated. I want to get a video of it on here too!

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76 MG Midget
78 Datsun 280Z
86 Peugeot 505
01 Subaru Outback

“Owning a car is like owning a dog. Every now and then, it craps on the carpet — but it’s still your dog.” - Jeremy Clarkson

OMG...I want it! If you ever decide to sell it......

t-walgamuth yeah it seems like a very well designed car, reminds me of a Jaguar almost, that's cool you got to sit in one brand new!! My dad was lucky enough to test drive this one the day my aunt brought it home, he was dating my mom and she brought the Z which she let him drive around the block. Must of been nice!

Txjake- Haha thanks, if I ever do decide to I'll hit you up, it looks really pristine in the pictures but the paint has MANY blemishes and dark spots with some cracking and tons of dings on the right side of the car.

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76 MG Midget
78 Datsun 280Z
86 Peugeot 505
01 Subaru Outback

“Owning a car is like owning a dog. Every now and then, it craps on the carpet — but it’s still your dog.” - Jeremy Clarkson