1982 280zx turbo

[Jrawr]

what are your guys opinion of the car?

im going to be picking one up soon and i want to know what you guys think of the car:aw:

[Full-Lock]

zx's are good cars

pictures, condition, and more info would help us decide if you should buy it or not!

[LS240]

Honestly? I think they're the ugliest Z cars ever made by far. All other Z cars look good, even great, when done right. 280ZXs are just :ghey:.

[Jrawr]

heres some info about the car:


280zx-turbo t-top with an L28 inline6, 170k on motor(mostly highway
miles), no cracks on dash, jdm cluster, nardi quick release steering
wheel, pair of bride seats, custco front n back strut bars, all black
original watanabes or red 002 sportmaxs, upgraded t3/t4 turbo, greddy
BOV, greddy relief valve, apexi turbo timer, greedy boost control+boost

gauge, greddy front mount intercooler, 2-way lsd, tokico adjustables,
cross drilled break rotors, new radiator w/ electric fan conversion:2f2f:

[SW20Racer]

heres some info about the car:


280zx-turbo t-top with an L28 inline6, 170k on motor(mostly highway
miles), no cracks on dash, jdm cluster, nardi quick release steering
wheel, pair of bride seats, custco front n back strut bars, all black
original watanabes or red 002 sportmaxs, upgraded t3/t4 turbo, greddy
BOV, greddy relief valve, apexi turbo timer, greedy boost control+boost

gauge, greddy front mount intercooler, 2-way lsd, tokico adjustables,
cross drilled break rotors, new radiator w/ electric fan conversion:2f2f:

how much and where at? i have absolutely no intention of offering more than you....:coolugh:

[SilviaBricks]

Too many miles by far, keep looking buddy.

[Jrawr]

how much and where at? i have absolutely no intention of offering more than you....:coolugh:


well i am actually trading him for one of my cars so :)

[Jrawr]

Too many miles by far, keep looking buddy.


whats wrong with the mileage? im only going to be driving this thing maybe 20-30 miles a week cuz ill be driving to work and back

[wangan_cruiser]

he probably meant for the engine life since its turbo. could have been abused too so ask if its rebuilt or not.

[LA_phantom_240]

Sweet car. I had one, it was a 2+2 as well. Turbo, digital dash... man that thing was sweet. Rotten underbody, so it had to go. Sad really.

[Jrawr]

he probably meant for the engine life since its turbo. could have been abused too so ask if its rebuilt or not.


thats true, i will ask if it was rebuilt or not.


Sweet car. I had one, it was a 2+2 as well. Turbo, digital dash... man that thing was sweet. Rotten underbody, so it had to go. Sad really..

nice! :bigok:

[cronux]

honestly i doubt its rebuilt, as if it were, 99.9% of sellers will say that in the for sale, as to try to offset mileage. just what i've seen from when i car shop.

[Jrawr]

well your prolly right about that.... but you guys dont think that its a good car?

[SW20Racer]

well your prolly right about that.... but you guys dont think that its a good car?

its sounds good to me man since you're trading car for car, you can drop like, no more than $1500 american and get the engine rebuilt. the body is good to go right?

[Jrawr]

its sounds good to me man since you're trading car for car, you can drop like, no more than $1500 american and get the engine rebuilt. the body is good to go right?


yea the body is good and no rust. the only thing is the hood has about a 1 inch dent because of a tow hook of a truck hitting the car and i saw the pics of the dent and its no that big of a deal at all

[Mi Beardo es Loco]

I like the car but the look is not the best Nissan has made. I think the first gen front end will just bolt right on....If I were you, and had a few extra bucks for the exterior I'd def look at changing the front end to the first gen Z. Sorry if I'm wrong about the front end. Can someone double?

[Jrawr]

I like the car but the look is not the best Nissan has made. I think the first gen front end will just bolt right on....If I were you, and had a few extra bucks for the exterior I'd def look at changing the front end to the first gen Z. Sorry if I'm wrong about the front end. Can someone double?


any pics of the front ends of first gen and the one im looking at buying cuz i'd like to see the difference :bigok:

[SoCal-s130]

I like the car but the look is not the best Nissan has made. I think the first gen front end will just bolt right on....If I were you, and had a few extra bucks for the exterior I'd def look at changing the front end to the first gen Z. Sorry if I'm wrong about the front end. Can someone double?

Wow. No it would not. Theres always those people that just despise the zx. That is why I love mine. :bigok: You can make these Z's look awesome with the right stuff.

[an_orange_s2k]

i like the 240z better

[Mi Beardo es Loco]

any pics of the front ends of first gen and the one im looking at buying cuz i'd like to see the difference :bigok:

my mistake. I'm not a Datsun fan. They are the same style front ends but the ass is bigger on the 82's. I was thinking they had the flip up headlights. Go on, I'm wrong.

[Mi Beardo es Loco]

Wow. No it would not. Theres always those people that just despise the zx. That is why I love mine. :bigok: You can make these Z's look awesome with the right stuff.

Yeah. I've seen some VERY nice Z's out there. The ZX's aren't too popular around here, don't know why but the L28 is a very nice motor. I love a restored Z and the zx isn't too different of a body style. I'd say go for it and buy the car.

[SoCal-s130]

i like the 240z better

Along with everyyyyyone else....

[Jrawr]

well my friend has a 240z and i love his car but i want to do something different as i have had plenty of 240 coupes and hatches since i was 16

[Dirty Habit]

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-10/1224111/280zxt2.JPG
My 1982 280zx Turbo. Got her when I was 17. Love it still to this day.

Everyone so quick to hate on the zx.

[SoCal-s130]

Everyone so quick to hate on the zx.

Yup!

If you end up getting it you'll love it. Car is real fun.

Mine.
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l297/Mathias211/My%20280zx/IMG_0294a.jpg

[JRas]

Dad owned one didn't care for the looks very much but it was a fun car

pick one of the below:
240z
280z
300zx 1990-1996
350z

[drift freaq]

Yeah. I've seen some VERY nice Z's out there. The ZX's aren't too popular around here, don't know why but the L28 is a very nice motor. I love a restored Z and the zx isn't too different of a body style. I'd say go for it and buy the car.

ZX's suck,IMO. Yup I am quick to hate on them. Why? They were heavy with an anemic engine.
The L28 is not a great motor, it was good for torque and low end HP but just sucked in the mid and top end. The L24 was more of a balanced engine power wise and the L26 was actually pretty damn hot when built having the broadest flattest torque band and HP range of the bunch.

Ah but I digress back to the fatter uglier Z. It was a disgrace to the S30 Heritage, of course a lot of Nissans cars in the early 80's were like that. In fact most of Nissans cars throughout the 80's were real yawners. They had a few bright spots in Engine development with the FJ20 but overall the 80's until the late 80's were no great shakes for Nissans.

I realize dirty habit that you started out with a 280zx hence your love for them. Though overall they were not that special. They won in racing because Nissan was still at that point backing an American racing program to promote car sales. Something Nissan no longer does here and I feel is doing them a big disservice.

In case anyone was wondering Datsun Comp aka Competition department,started out before Nismo existed. Nissan Competition department existed before Nismo. Nismo came about in Japan in the mid to late 80's.

[Jrawr]

wow so like half the people dont like it.... and the other half like it


hmmm i think i would have fun with the car

[LS240]

Everyone so quick to hate on the zx.

That's because it's ugly. No offense, but I just think they're hideous, and apparently I'm not in the minority.

[an_orange_s2k]

wow so like half the people dont like it.... and the other half like it


hmmm i think i would have fun with the car

if you like it then pick it up. honestly, its gonna be your car and forget wht everyone else thinks. if u cared so much ur gonna end up with some shit that u spent hella money on and not even happy with. buy and build with your mind, not others

[WagDatto]

I have a ZX hood scoop buried in one of the 'Goons hoods.... Sad, really.

[HyperTek]

id roll a S130
its like a P47 thunderbolt compared to a p51 mustang *in this case, that would be teh earlier 240z*
shit was heavy and a pig, but it was a great tank buster aka highway cruiser hahah i dunno
http://i27.tinypic.com/f3800m.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/k18ue.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/v4sd46.jpg
http://i30.tinypic.com/rml9wn.jpg
http://i32.tinypic.com/v73vdc.jpg
http://i28.tinypic.com/30utt3s.jpg
http://i27.tinypic.com/jtx8gm.jpg
Probably one of the cleanest S130 ever..
http://www.rs-watanabe.co.jp/images/users_photo/qchan-z-2.jpg
http://www.rs-watanabe.co.jp/images/users_photo/qchan-Z-3.jpg

id rock Z31 too
http://i28.tinypic.com/29p6wl2.jpg
http://i25.tinypic.com/2v8pzpf.jpg
http://i32.tinypic.com/2v0mvq9.jpg
http://i31.tinypic.com/8z1bu9.jpg

you wouldnt have to worry about the same 240sx theft =p

[HyperTek]

they look pretty cool without the front bumper and a lip..
i dont think i saved that pic tho
http://i26.tinypic.com/11htqo2.jpg
http://i28.tinypic.com/66vpep.jpg
http://i26.tinypic.com/2dvkfti.jpg
240zg styling

http://carview-img02.bmcdn.jp/carlife/images/UserCarPhoto/583503/p1.jpg
http://f06batchimg.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/users/1/8/1/5/kurumaerabi_syutoken-imgbatch_1205915906/600x450-211629.jpg
http://f06batchimg.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/users/1/8/1/5/kurumaerabi_syutoken-imgbatch_1205915906/600x450-204381.jpg
http://f06batchimg.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/users/1/8/1/5/kurumaerabi_syutoken-imgbatch_1205915906/600x450-1081678.jpg

You can cut/slot the front strut area to adapt S13 pillow ball mounts
http://img171.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/users/8/9/7/7/momoede10-img600x450-12073042411_006.jpg

[raf280z]

I have a 83 Turbo with the 5-speed, I also own a 95 240sx.

The engine is a GREAT engine. The L24-L28 are essentially the same engines but with different strokes and bores. The turbo is wonderfully laggy. My butt dyno tells me that the turbo engine has much more guts than the KA.

The chassis (at least mine) is not so great. Body roll is prominent, but it is an old car and mine is probably sitting on 25y/o bushings/etc..

You hear EVERYTHING in the car, the fuel pump, turbo spooling, engine running. Its A LOT of fun. And easy to work on.

Keep in mind they are old cars, not like the machines produced in the recent future. If you get it and don't like the looks, the L28et is essentially a direct bolt into the S30 chassis... (which is what I'm doing)

[drift freaq]

I have a 83 Turbo with the 5-speed, I also own a 95 240sx.

The engine is a GREAT engine. The L24-L28 are essentially the same engines but with different strokes and bores. The turbo is wonderfully laggy. My butt dyno tells me that the turbo engine has much more guts than the KA.

T, the L28et is essentially a direct bolt into the S30 chassis... (which is what I'm doing)

No L28's are not great they are rev-less wonders. They are worse than KA24's. besides being a L series engine thats about it. The cams are different, they do have larger valves which they need. The pistons are not flat top like in the L24. L28 pistons are dished. The stock L28 puts out only 30hp more than a Stock L24 and for that extra 30 hp you have a engine that peaks out around 5000-5500 rpm. VS the L24 producing power all the way up to 6500 rpm and revving nicely while at it.

Ya yours is turbo but its a terrible turbo engine compared to RB20's,RB25's and RB26's. Why bother dropping a L28et into a S30 when you can easily drop a RB20DET, 25DET or even a 26DETT in and be way happier?

Face it, you own a early 80's car at a time when Nissan was more concerned with changing their name from Datsun to Nissan, in the United States. A big mistake on their part marketing wise I might add.

P.S. best thing you could do is drop a RB in it. Oh and Hyperteks pics, do make it look nicer. To bad we did not see much of that bodywork here in the states. It might have swayed my opinion a bit. LOL

[HyperTek]

hehehe ^^ I wouldnt troll around the Z forums, or you might get redneck influenced *v8 swaps, ferrari tail lights, whale tails. etc*

to the op, you might like the 300zx z31, they can be made to look awesome
and simular price range of the 280zx
http://www.az-zbum.com/images/engine.z31.vg30de.jpg

[Matej]

Gettinn that Black Goldddd.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d00e7FgxSyc

[drift freaq]

hehehe ^^ I wouldnt troll around the Z forums, or you might get redneck influenced *v8 swaps, ferrari tail lights, whale tails. etc*



Actually back in the 80's the hot setup in Japan was to take Ken Mary Skyline tails and put them on S30's. Kinda funny because before Nissan made Kouki tails for the 180sx people were putting R32 Skyline tails on 180sx's.
Also Scarab in San Jose California was dropping in legal 327 and 350 small blocks.

Then there was also a Company in Arizona that made a Ferrari 250GTO replicar kit based on the S30. Complete with Ferrari badges. They got sued right out business by Ferrari. There is actually a guy in my neighborhood that owns one. LOL it was at my friends shop up the street.

[raz0rbladez909]

only z31 i like from factory would be the 200zr, it came rb from factory, wish they would've brought it out here instead of the gay vg30et.....now an s30 i rock in a heartbeat, i keep bugging my grandfather for his, original owner '70 MINT stock burnt orange color

[Jrawr]

thanks for all the input.... im going to get the car real soon and i will post some pics up

[jskateborders]

honestly i doubt its rebuilt, as if it were, 99.9% of sellers will say that in the for sale, as to try to offset mileage.
you know whats a really good line to put into your listing for any car?
"engine may have been rebuilt by the previous owner"

[Dirty Habit]

I love it when people compare 1982 to 1992.

Technology got better? No shit?

[silviaguy240]

dont worry about engine mileage to much, you can rebuild or buy rebuilt l28's for next to nothing. just check the chassis for rust.

[JRas]

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-10/1224111/280zxt2.JPG
My 1982 280zx Turbo. Got her when I was 17. Love it still to this day.

Everyone so quick to hate on the zx.

I crashed one very similar to this, I was a young kid, If my mom was driving me somewhere I'd grab the keys and start the car, well my dad had 280 silver t-top's rebuilt ( not by him ), so I grabbed those keys turned the ignition :eek: <- my face as the car drives forward into some cabinets in the garage... my dad was pissed, I remember being so scared.. my mom wouldn't even let me go in the house. she took me to my friends house.. when I got home he was cooled down and I didn't even get in trouble :wiggle:

lol, not even relevant to the threads subject.. but this picture made me think of it

[raf280z]

No L28's are not great they are rev-less wonders. They are worse than KA24's. besides being a L series engine thats about it. The cams are different, they do have larger valves which they need. The pistons are not flat top like in the L24. L28 pistons are dished. The stock L28 puts out only 30hp more than a Stock L24 and for that extra 30 hp you have a engine that peaks out around 5000-5500 rpm. VS the L24 producing power all the way up to 6500 rpm and revving nicely while at it.

Ya yours is turbo but its a terrible turbo engine compared to RB20's,RB25's and RB26's. Why bother dropping a L28et into a S30 when you can easily drop a RB20DET, 25DET or even a 26DETT in and be way happier?

Face it, you own a early 80's car at a time when Nissan was more concerned with changing their name from Datsun to Nissan, in the United States. A big mistake on their part marketing wise I might add.

P.S. best thing you could do is drop a RB in it. Oh and Hyperteks pics, do make it look nicer. To bad we did not see much of that bodywork here in the states. It might have swayed my opinion a bit. LOL

Wow, you seem to have a lot of animosity towards the l28, huh?

Keep in mind the l28 design is more than 25 years old. The RB series started when? During the late '80s? They are SOHC, so don't expect them to rev up to 9000rpm. Comparing an RB26DETT to an L28ET is pretty stupid.

Reasons why the l28et is a good engine to put into an S30?
-It's literally a drop in application (see hybridz.org)
-How about staying smog legal
-Cheaper than any RB


You probably would be much happier with an RB swap, if your pocket book can sustain it, but if your looking for a solid ~200hp, which is a lot in a S30, why bother? If your looking for more, an SBC swap would be easier (possibly better?) than any RB, IMO (www.jagsthatrun.com) (http://www.jagsthatrun.com%29). Show me a well documented RB swap that a weekend grease monkey can do, please, I'd seriously love to see one.

Bottom line, the 280zx is an ugly car, no argument there, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun. The L28et is an awesome engine for what it is and the time it was used.

Btw, I'm speaking from experience... what are you speaking from? wikipedia?

[drift freaq]

Wow, you seem to have a lot of animosity towards the l28, huh?

Keep in mind the l28 design is more than 25 years old. The RB series started when? During the late '80s? They are SOHC, so don't expect them to rev up to 9000rpm. Comparing an RB26DETT to an L28ET is pretty stupid.

Reasons why the l28et is a good engine to put into an S30?
-It's literally a drop in application (see hybridz.org)
-How about staying smog legal
-Cheaper than any RB


You probably would be much happier with an RB swap, if your pocket book can sustain it, but if your looking for a solid ~200hp, which is a lot in a S30, why bother? If your looking for more, an SBC swap would be easier (possibly better?) than any RB, IMO (www.jagsthatrun.com) (http://www.jagsthatrun.com%29). Show me a well documented RB swap that a weekend grease monkey can do, please, I'd seriously love to see one.

Bottom line, the 280zx is an ugly car, no argument there, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun. The L28et is an awesome engine for what it is and the time it was used.

Btw, I'm speaking from experience... what are you speaking from? wikipedia?

LOL you really want to call me out on the experience eh. I guess you don't read much. I started out in High school with a Datsun 510 in 1979. I moved on to 240Z's in the early 80's. I owned my own Japanese engine and transmission business in the San Francisco bay area called Sun Performance Imports. I have owned 10 240Z's and more than that in 240sx's
I was alive and living when Scarab was sticking small block chevys in 240Z's and my friend used to do it on a regular basis. I personally feel the Small block chevy is not ideal for the S30 thats my opinion.
The L28 is not an awesome engine it was a stop gap engine. It was developed because when Nissan upped the weight of the 280Z due to federal crash safety standards they needed more HP to move the chassis.
Care to argue anymore with me .Seeing as I was building 240Z's and driving them before you were born.
Oh and call me an old fart its ok because you would not even guess it if you met me in person.

Oh and if you so intent on staying L series contact Rebello Racing in the bay area and they will build you a stock 200HP L24 NA. They used to build them all the time for ITS class 240Z's in SCCA.

[raf280z]

LOL you really want to call me out on the experience eh. I guess you don't read much. I started out in High school with a Datsun 510 in 1979. I moved on to 240Z's in the early 80's. I owned my own Japanese engine and transmission business in the San Francisco bay area called Sun Performance Imports. I have owned 10 240Z's and more than that in 240sx's
I was alive and living when Scarab was sticking small block chevys in 240Z's and my friend used to do it on a regular basis. I personally feel the Small block chevy is not ideal for the S30 thats my opinion.
The L28 is not an awesome engine it was a stop gap engine. It was developed because when Nissan upped the weight of the 280Z due to federal crash safety standards they needed more HP to move the chassis.
Care to argue anymore with me .Seeing as I was building 240Z's and driving them before you were born.
Oh and call me an old fart its ok because you would not even guess it if you met me in person.

Oh and if you so intent on staying L series contact Rebello Racing in the bay area and they will build you a stock 200HP L24 NA. They used to build them all the time for ITS class 240Z's in SCCA.

Haha, sorry I didn't know about the "famous" drift freaq, as you can see I'm new to the forum.

The enjoyment that someone gets out of any engine is relative. That's why some people like high revvers and some like torquey high displacment engines. And some people like turbo lag.

I PERSONALLY would choose putt around in an "anemic"/entertaining l28et than a Robello Built 200hp L24 screamer.
Robello is way out of budget anyhoo:faint:

[fabs13]

hello, i have a question...

do you know the wheels size of the red 280zx (two pics) ??

16" or 17" ?

because y would like to do the same design for mine ^^

thank you :)