1979 Datsun 280zx Project Car

280zx (S130) Basics

I bought my 1979 Datsun 280zx in November of 2019 as my first project car. It was in decent shape, with the engine and transmissing working well, but a large number of electrical issues and an undiagnosed 'vibration' that made it effectively undrivable.

Some quick background information on that car from Wikipedia:The Nissan S130 is a sports coupé produced by Nissan in Japan from 1978 to 1983. It was sold as the Datsun 280ZX, Nissan Fairlady Z and Nissan Fairlady 280Z, depending on the market. In Japan, it was exclusive to Nissan Bluebird Store locations. It was the second generation Z-car, replacing the Nissan S30 in late 1978. The 280ZX was the first time the "by Nissan" subscript was badged alongside the Datsun logo, along with Nissan trucks. The 280ZX was Motor Trend's import car of the year for 1979. The 280ZX was replaced by the Nissan 300ZX in 1984.

Project Start

This car is a non-turbo model making 135 horsepower, with the red interior without the t-tops. It has the standard L28 engine and a 5-speed manual transmission. The car is VIN HS130-138138. This is a currently in progress project and is not yet completed. The goal is to have a comfortable weekend cruiser to use in the summer, and to get back into a manual transmission car as my daily driver is now an automatic.

Pickup Day Images