Can You Daily Drive a Datsun 280z? With Z Car Garage, Absolutely.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 พ.ค. 2024
- This… this right here. This is what keeps the car scene alive. Rob Fuller at Z Car Garage has a serious passion for Nissan’s Z cars, especially of the vintage variety. And it’s guys like Rob that are the shamans that are the ones you go to, to make sure that your Datsun or Nissan is running to its fullest. And with Larry being a Z car connoisseur himself, you know he had to nerd out here in San Jose.
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My dad had a 1977' 280z. he drove it since it was new then I got when I went to highschool in 2000. I daily drove it for 6 years then sold it. When my dad had it he t-boned a car going around 55mph. totalled the other car and barely hurt the z. minor front end damage. I hated having no powersteering though... haha... we barely got 1k selling it with over 300k miles around 2006. That green one looked just like mine exept I had no passenger mirror and I had the louvres on the rear window... I can still hear the beeps when you turn the key and smell the leather, this is making me miss that car
Wheee is a car garage located I kno in Cali don’t kno where tho wanna bring my Z Over there
I had a 73 240z in 2000. I sold it for $1000 because it was thin and tinny and felt cheap. Car was allmost perfect. I owned a 64 Porsche 356 at the time so I couldnt have both. I miss them both. I really regret bot keeping the z. I should have kept it.. So cool. Love z garage and of course the pics Larry. I have a 73 911 I am putting a 2276 vw turbo in atm moment so I still have my love but cant afford the z or 356s now.
Check out my z31 in my $5k car collection. Just search 5000 car collection on youtube
When my son asked for a 240 as his first car... I instantly went and found an affordable 77 280, converted the bumpers and we built his dream car. The oportunities that to get the classic Z at a discount without the regret of modifing a early Z has been great for us.
True, but they are a lot heavier, they are not the same to drive.
Thats the reason i found my 73 240z so all the series 1 snobs cant bug me about modding it
How much was it? the only I could find to import to my country was 30k
@@415s30 most of the weight gain was the bumpers themselves.
The rest of the gain is from much needed structural reinforcements which actually make it handle better.
Ive had both, as long as you upgrade the soft 280z steering rack bushings, there is not much of a noticeable difference in handling.
They still weigh far less than most any modern car
The 240s "feel" faster because they are much less refined.
W parent
When you realize an average unrestored 240z is worth the same an aircooled 911 was 10 years ago, classic z are about to become unobtanium
A lot of Japanese classics are getting that way. Hell, not even just classics, stuff from the 90's too. We've only got ourselves to blame for that, tbh.
I jumped to get my Z, that was less than a year ago and comparable Zs are double the price now
yeah, that’s why I got one now rather than later. got it late 2020, and i already can’t find a better price these days
They already were about four years ago.
I restored my 71' years ago, I started getting more notes on it in the past five years or so.
My eye keeps falling on the mismatched right fender paint. Still a beautiful car. Another great episode Larry
OCD
Appears to be the result of a front end accident, most likely replaced the hood and blended the fenders. It’s close but it is what it is.
damn, i can't stop look him
It’s killing me
Read that comment while the video loaded. Damnit, got me
I bought a clean 1 owner 78 280z in 1979 for $7800.00. Installed an aftermarket turbo kit on it and immediately cracked the cast piston ring landings. I sent a sample piston to Arias pistons and HD them make a set of forged pistons with exactly the same weight but 7.25:1 compression. Honed the cylinders to 0.007 clearance. Didn't even need to remove engine. Just pulled the head and oil pan and kept everything clean. Ran 15 lbs boost and never had any issues. At 165 mph the front end would get scary light... great cars. Biggest problem was rust.
Oh, it's Larry "You know I have a Z myself" Chen 😆
Love everything about those cars
Hi I’m Mo “I’ll have find a Z in my country” Amod
I've seen this guy (Rob) in a few vids. Seems like the kinda guy I would be stoked to have work on my Datsun. Wish there were more folks like him!
as long as it isn't a 280zx, they won't touch those cause there isn't elitest techie money in it.
@@liambergstrom8183 The shop is busy and parts are hard to find. "They won't touch those" is incorrect. Here are three S130 Z Cars that were at the shop: www.zcarblog.com/2015/04/28/performance/s130-love-nicks-280zx.html
www.zcarblog.com/2013/07/14/performance/black-s130-daniels-turbo-280zx.html
And another, this was fully restored, to concours level:
www.zcarblog.com/2009/09/17/featured-cars-and-projects/farewell-old-friend-red-280zx-delivery.html
@@ZCarGarage_Videos Counters by saying parts are hard to find, followed by examples of parts being perfectly able to be found as well as examples of elitest techie money. Your argument sucks but I respect the effort you put into making the comment, and the pretty z's to look at.
@@liambergstrom8183 Do you have a 280ZX?
@@ZCarGarage_Videos Yes, I tried twice to get an appointment at their shop, I think a year apart for the attempts, that's where my frustration comes from. Edit: and both times when they gave excuses (one of which being parts availability) I ended up doing the work myself, and I, as an individual rando, not a shop with connections, was able to find the parts I needed. Like are we saying here that it's easier to find parts for a car that's 10 years older since they do 240z's all day? Not to mention a great many of the parts being interchangeable anyway. I'm also sour af about him saying the 280z is the most accessible z car, completely ignoring that zx's go for like 2k all the time, as if he he's discounting the zx as being a z car, but seems totally into every other z car. Like I thought zcargarage would be about z cars, its literally their name, but to me it seems just not the model people without the big money would have, which makes me pissed that they call themselves zcargarage if they're going to discount one of the zcars. I'm sure they'll be all about it when it gets popular.
Mine was and still is a daily driver for over two decades. Just keep the fuel injection system well maintained and the car ALWAYS ALWAYS starts right up. Do preventative maintenance - the usual stuff- like fuel filter, keep electrical contacts clean, make sure the battery is healthy, replace sensors if they go bad, thermostat, change high pressure fuel injection hoses BEFORE they fail and the car will be a great daily driver for years. Incredibly reliable cars. I've had one thermostat failure and an alternator die- stopped me twice in 20 years.
that is same as modern cars just maintain it and as a japanese car they will run and run and run
My mom daily drives her 1982 280ZX. She knows an Asian car specialist who worked on my uncle's 1983 Accord from when he first bought. Her 280ZX is 2+2, darker shade of blue than the one shown here 5-speed, all options except digital dash. She took my sister and I for rides in all the time when we were very young. Learned how to drive in that car. Sister and now brother-in-law went on their first vacation in it.
She drives a 2010 Charger SXT these days following our father's lead in cars. He has a 2012 Challenger SXT.
I went my own way through a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and] excruciating pain for mine: 1983 DeLorean. I won't let my dad drive it, he has a tendency to burn out clutches. Same with brother-in-law. He did point me in the direction of a very good European car specialist. He has been very helpful for the past 21 years owning the DeLorean
I daily my 240z about 100 miles a day Mon-Fri!
I had that exact 280 Z (Silver/Black) and daily drove it for from 1982 to 1986. Bought it for $4500. Loved it !! Was an awesome car - fun, sporty, drove great. Put a Monza exhaust to give it a sportier feel and some more pep and ugraded the stereo. Only ever had 3 minor issues the whole time I owned it. CV joints - normal wear and tear, replace the small rubber sleeves on the gas rails as they would get pin hole leaks at times (not sure why they used rubber and not one continuous metal line for the gas rail). Last issue - drove from PA to Georgia straight thru and when l took a break the car would not re-start. Had it towed - shop tested it - no gas getting to the engine - mechanic tapped on the fuel pump and the car started. Must have locked up from the heat. It never happened again after that. I eventually sold it in 1986 for $1500 only because it had rusted floor panels. Regret it ever since. Miss that car - now that I am getting to close to retiring I would love to get another one to cruise around in but they are getting pretty pricey....like insanely pricey. Clean unrestored or restored ones in the 20-40K range !!! I also had a 71 Corvette that I sold when I got married in 1987 to buy a house...but those are now in the 40-80K range now - imagine if I had kept both of them... could have paid for my kids college tuition !!!! Love the old cars !!!!
They don't have cv joints they came with halfshafts with u joints
Rob, and his guys at the Z Car Garage in San Jose, are a great bunch. I bring my Z to him for maintenance and mods and have never been disappointed. It's always cool to see all the neat Zs at his shop.
What an amazing session. Got to give it up to Larry for spending his time highlighting so many amazing people and cars in the community. Getting so many ideas for my new 260z project.
Another great looking Z. I'll probably have to get my 280 down to Z car garage to get some work done. I like what I hear Rob saying about the components they offer and how they test it all out. Very cool video. Keep the Datsun videos coming Larry!
I had a '78 that I bought years ago for $475. I got it running after it had sat unused indoors for a decade. (rusty 45k five speed car with perfect dash and absolutely flawless interior) I did a few things and got it running well. It was very fast and the engine was healthy with good compression, so I got it licensed. I was driving it 30 miles away and the poor thing lost an injector. I immediately turned back directly for home. My 20 year-old pre-internet brain didn't know fuel tanks have sediment, even after draining. (duh!) It started losing injectors as they clogged up one by one.... The Z limped back slower and slower and I moved off the freeway and took side roads as the speed kept fading away. Last few miles were under 20mph and I literally put-putted into the driveway on 3 cylinders at a walking pace. I'm convinced the car couldn't have gone another block further. Damn thing still made it 30 miles home. :)
Tell me these cars don't have a soul......
Through this channel, I really fell in love with this car. The years it was built in, the history... and it is so beautifil on the inside ánd outside. And in this beautful configuration this might just be the dreamcar to obtain. Wow, thnx guys for this video!
I want to see more of the 300ZX's from z car garage. That black one in the background looks sick!
Rob has worked on my 300ZX for years now, it's a Slicktop N/A in Cherry Red Pearl. Actually, my car is here in background: th-cam.com/video/vIgNN9wZu4g/w-d-xo.html I was getting some tires and a new alternator. AAA wrecked my car on the way down, so it took 4 months to get it back. Rob hooked me up.
@@kevinmonahan3739 man that sucks that that happened! But at least you found somebody like Rob to get you set back right.
never get tired of seeing this Z content
Never get tired of seeing Z content. You missed such a great opportunity
I miss my '77 280z. Was blue like the one in the background at the beginning of the shoot. A bit rougher, but got the little guy for 250 bucks at a police auction when more practical options didn't work out. Unknown even if it was running, I took a chance knowing I could probably at least break even parting it out to a Z car salvage place nearby. (Actually fired right up, was just a matter of getting into the no-opens hood and paying a locksmith. Didn't take much to freshen up the interior, (it was the mid-late 90s,) and the motor didn't need much attention, whatever I did. (The fuel injection still worked flawlessly) There was much polishing of chalky, slightly-hail damaged paint but the little guy had just a bit of character from all that. Might have kept the big bumpers, actually, cause it was a part of Texas where there was a certain amount of bumping going on. I'd have loved the wheels on that one at the shop, though: my little guy had those cheap American Racing steelies with the chrome on black. Was cute, though.
Also cause it was Texas and I'm sun-sensitive I was putting louvers *on* when everyone else was taking em off, so I had plenty to pick from. (I also thought louvers were the coolest thing when I was a smaller car gal. :) ) Very daily-able, that's part of why I loved these cars. Such different times, now, ...things I was into were what few others wanted back then, and if they were, it was easy for them to get nicer examples than I could afford, so I could generally obtain something that only needed a relative little bit of saving. Nowadays when you go looking, they want thousands for things I could honestly say I had *donor* cars closer to nice-ifyable.
Rob is great for the Z community. I bought my Panasport wheels from him for my 260z and he was really helpful with the specs.
Keep the quality content coming Mr Chen, you are the man !!!
We are getting a '74 260Z returned to street use as a family project! Great to see this beautiful work!
Sounds Amazing!! Really refined natural sound!!
I dailied one for years. They are actually insanely practical as long as you only need 2 seats! Lots of room inside for stuff and they can easily tow small trailers with that smooth and torquey I28. I stupidly sold mine 15 years ago
Damn, watching these Z videos makes me want to get a sports car again. First car I bought was the Datsun 2000 roadster. Datsun was really on top back then with the 510s and eventually with the Z cars. Such a fun time in the 70s.
Wow..this makes me miss my old Datsun so much. Great episode thank you
Thank you so much for this video. My first car was a Nissan Sunny Sport Coupé 125ps with a plastic spoiler and about 2 tons of weight. It died because the motor block had a nasty split and my dream car I never drove was a 200sx... then I realized there were Datsuns 240Z to 280Z and I fell madly in love. One day... one day!!!
Very cool car. Thanks to all involved in sharing this car with us.
Cleaaaann boii!
That's dream car material here
I was at a vintage car show recently (in Northern Ireland) and seen one of these, IMO it was the nicest car I seen that day 👌🏻
I mean, I drive mine in the winter. I use it on camping trips, to get groceries... the works. It's fine.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and hung on every word of Rob. Well done!
Very good review..The 280z was looked over constantly..my dad had one..I enjoyed all my time in it as a kid..🏁👍
You can daily drive every datsun! Pulled my 620 out of a shed where it had been sitting for 5 years, and drove it home 80 miles! Then daily'd it for a year and a half with very little issue!
Had a 72 240z and a 78silver 280z... those mods on the 280 would have been just fantastic,...such a nice understated build
I enjoyed this video. Nice to know people are restoring and updating Datsun 280Zs.
The sliver Z's always grabbed my attention. Since I was 5 in 74. Killer job.
I love these cars! I had a 280zx and a 260 z This body style is beautiful!
I gotta say, whatever mic you used... it's AMAZING.
The '82 280zx I owned in the past also got around in snow better than any other rwd I'd owned or driven before or since. I lost the car (sold it) in 96ish. I live in th Kansas City Metro. We have Victoria British Motors who had a full line of Datsun/Nissan Z cars until they closed that side. LMC Truck Parts now own whatever seems left of it all.
Hell yeah you can. I daily drive my 73 240Z. It’s too much fun to leave in the garage only for weekend duties. I’ll get around to completely restoring it after I’ve had my fun with it
Bought my Panasports from Rob, great guy and the Datsun community is lucky to have his enthusiastic presence.
I found my dream 72 240z and have had it for 2 years now. Got a wicked deal on it and I’m the second owner! 🤟🏼 I’d love a 280z hood for her but I won’t be greedy.
I'm weird. I actually prefer 280z taillights over 240z ones. One thing that drives me nuts is how people always think that small bumpers were a 240z only thing when the 280z version of the fairlady in japan never had the big bumpers only the small ones.
Cuz everyone is comparing usdm 240 vs 280 and it is correct. U even say it in your comment.lol
Wow...I had a 1976 Z. 4 speed, Red exterior and black vinyl seats. Girl came through a red light and hit it right before I was going to store it for the winter. This was 1989.
Good thing I found a 280z in LA recently.
Will be restoring the beautiful Z.
280z currently my daily driver. Made driving to college fun.
Thank you Mattel for bringing datsuns to the lime light. Great video Larry
Am I the only one who noticed the paint on the passenger fender’s paint is not matched correctly
This dude brings a badass vibe.
I have been eyeing a 280 sitting in 1 of my neighbors yards for a while now guess that I will go make a offer on it today 👍lol
Use to ride in a 72 240Z with my friend who past away back in late 72 with another friend. It was a sweet car when it came out. RIP Sammy.
I daily drove a 77 280Z that was a crazy old school auto cross build with a 80's turbo kit and body kit. That was about 12 years ago. It was pretty fun. Lol
As a 280Z owner the Datsun when your in it and drive it, it fits like a Glove. What a feeling.
Wonderful..... Seeing not just 240Z's the 260 and 280's are just as good... i love them all... I love to own a 75 thru 78... Your improvements are awesome
They get heavier and heavier, my 240 is much lighter than my friends 280, noticeably lighter feel on curvy mountain roads.
The reason they all still carry the same chassis code name " S30"...
Beautiful Video Larry Chen !!!!
@Hoonigan AutoFocus Larry, Next time you're in the Bay Area, if you want to check out my 1967 Datsun RL411 Bluebird SSS Rob built for me, let me know. Pretty unique.
Great coverage of these very wonderful cars. Thx man. Make some 350Z car pics and I will purchase. (A ragtop if possible)
I have had 4 Z cars in the last 35 years. A 1980 280ZX, 1988 300ZX, 1984 300ZX AE and a 1987 300ZX I have driven them daily in the rain, snow, sleet and best of course, in the heat!
"The chick took a picture of us" Lol
As a classic Z owner I can confidently say that it’s usually old dudes who take pictures while you drive a classic Z
@@JordanPayneLV just old people in general haha
I drove them for years..Had two of them & were very dependable...Good times.
"total rocket ship!"..
great share guys!
Lmao 280z price about to sky rocket now. On to the next 😂
Soon, if you want an affordable classic car, people will be hunting up Reliant K barn finds.
@@gebeme11 That turbo K car life.
@@gebeme11 Well, currently those buyers are dominating the Yugo market.
Well for most Californians.... only the 1975 is the HolyGrail... No smog!!!!!
I miss mine soooooo bad. 1976.5 Red (paint code 110) 280Z with matching red turbine wheels, with a 2.8L block, 240 head, triple carbs, dual headers into dual 3" exhaust, 5 speed from an '82 ZX. Inside I had a red leather Dino steering wheel and matching shift knob on a shortened lever. Slicker then KY and more fun too!
Rob is exactly correct... if you want the 240 experience without finding a good, affordable 240...this is the way. My clean automatic, big bumper 260Z is just crying for the CD009 swap and bumper backdate!
definitely buying a sweatshirt with 42 pockets after this video
I drove my British racing green with black vinyl interior 260Zed for 5 years daily. It didn't have AC, so was incredibly hot in the summer, and in the snow it was absolutely horrific. That being said, I loved every mile.
Datsun absolutely hit a home run with the 240z...beautiful car!
I love drive mine everywhere I got mine 280zx in December an been driving it everyday since an so fun yes there is work but it's well worth it in the end
Larry please feature more Z cars and 510s. Please! :)
Rob is such a good story teller
Right now I do have a 240 Z right now and it starts up all it needs is back brakes😁 not stock at all and pretty fun car
That is one beautiful Z. My dream car is a restomod sleeper 240/280 w/ a 383 under the hood
Nice. I'd love to get my '78 into this shop for some upgrades/updates.
These videos make me so jealous, I want to be driving my 240Z it just needs some bodywork first, and I want all the cool guy stuff on it (6speed, lsd, brakes, etc).
I remember buying a running 73’ 240 and a non-running parts car 75’ 280 in 2011, out of Columbia, MO with my dad and college buddy. Paid $700 for the two. The 73’ didn’t have a floor on the passenger side, but it had a hot cam and headers and screamed. Miss that car.
That's a clean looking car. Not overly modded. I'm impressed it's a daily driver. To me that's the best. Not a weekend car only.
Great build ! Love silver. Would look wicked if he also did carbon fiber bumpers. Which speedhut gauges please ?
Wow. first two cars I ever owned were both in this video. Had a 510 wagon and a 1976 280Z. Damn Z always needed work while the 510 was indestructible!
This thing sounds amazing
Just got a Datsun 240z project with a good engine in it but some pretty bad body issues for 3.7k, it’s my first car and one I never thought I’d actually be able to get… we got it to turn over a few days ago and are now working on the fuel, coolant, and carburetors before stripping it down and fixing the body… it feels awesome seeing these things and just thinking one day mines gonna look like this.
How much did it cost you to restore the entire thing?
My second car after moving to the US from UK in 1983 was a Datsun 200sx. Mechanically, it was very sound and never let me down. Unfortunately, a lady sideswiped me at a light and basically that was the end. The previous owner had lowered it and put a huge speaker in the trunk.
Just started watching the video and beautiful car, but what is that green one in the background? I love it. Ah its a Datsun 510. I guess I should watch the whole video before commenting :)
thanks larry now 280zs are gonna skyrocket
I used to daily my 4 speed auto 76 280z, ended up blowing the headgasket and swapped a Turbo 1UZ in there. Love this car.
Yea you can. I had an 82 280 2+2 in 92. 5 spd t tops it was ruuuusty but fun. Junior year in H.S drove it every day.
Super clean daily driver! 🙏🛠
My god I own a 1972 240z and I would love this man to give it some love.
The best one was the 280ZX with a t top. I remember a tiny Tomica version that I played with as a child.
Saw this Z in Monterey!! Absolute beauty.
That was when I picked it up and drove it to Southern California! Glad you liked it.
My dad daily drove one back in the early 90's it was metallic blue with wire wheel an louvers on the back windshield
My ‘76 280 had 90k on it when I bought it in 1980. I drove it til 2006, did a short block and head upgrade in ‘96. When I sold it in 2011 it was still running fine... just did not have the $ to restore it. New owner did. Love to have another.
The 280 is a beautiful car, love them.
I absolutely love the sound of an L28. I've got a weird idea to stuff one in an early, ugly Foxbody Mustang, just to be weird.
i can sell you mine hahahaha
I've had a lot of cars in my time - including a Ferrari. The Datsun 280z is still my ATF. It was a metallic beige (not sure the official color name) with matching wheels.
Does anyone else head straight to autotempest after every autofocus episode?
THIS IA A CAR I WANTED SINMCE THE 1970'S THANEK YOUESO MUCH FOR POSTINGE THE VIDOE!!!😃😃😃💯💯💯👍👍👍👍👍
That chin spoiler has a functional role. Without one, early Z cars got a lot of air under the car and generated enough lift that the steering started to get light at about 70 mph.
Wow.......when they get on the freeway and go up thru the gearbox....takes me back. To the mid 1980's in my 1979 280ZX, and hoping on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and revving that straight 6 engine up thru the 5 gears that tranny had. I bought the car for $900 and it came with 2 brand new fenders still in the box. It had 90K on it and I proceeded to put another 100k on that engine and tranny and had no problems with either. Once we adjusted the lifters on the engine. Had the car repainted it's silver, had the original whale's tail put back on, with the factory Datsun rear window louvers added. It was a real head turner. One of the more fun cars to drive.
Same thing with Rx7 here in Australia. The only affordable ones are the FC series 4-5 NA. Even RX8 are getting expensive now.
I daily'd my '78 280z for almost 2 years straight in N. Florida. No issues at all. Even had ice cold AC haha I sure as shit miss that car. Sold it to get an A90 :) so it was kinda worth it haha