Greg’s 1977 Datsun 280Z

Filed under: 240z,280Z,Featured Cars and Projects
by Alvin G @ 2:24 pm on August 14, 2020

***This Z is up for auction on Bring a Trailer right now, link HERE***

We met Greg a few years ago at a Blackhawk Museum gathering where famed Peter Brock (BRE) was speaking. Greg told us that he found a clean, low-mileage 280z and he was really interested in ZCG going through it. After he visited the shop we discussed our previous 280z builds (Cece, Gary and the Roth’s) and got to work building a Z for Greg that would reflect his tastes while keeping the vintage vibe. This 1977 280z was treated to a ZCG-style mechanical restoration including a new drivetrain, engine bay restoration, total suspension rebuild and more.

Drivetrain

Greg’s Z received a total engine bay restoration along with upgrades to the driveline for smoother driving and improved torque. Please visit the gallery below for more pictures documenting the engine bay restoration work, it’s where our efforts shine!

Engine

A fresh 3.1L engine with new injectors replaced the tired L28:

New L31:

With the engine/transmission removed we focused our efforts on restoring the engine bay. Everything was zinc plated or powdercoated. New parts included brand new injectors, all new fuel system, hoses, fuel filter and all the drive belts.

All new hydraulic lines, emissions plumbing and more engine bay clean-up (full re-paint) before/after. More pics in the gallery!

Intake manifold cleaned up and powdercoated:

An MSA exhaust header was installed:

At the time we had a 280z 5-speed in our stash but Greg is so particular(we love that) and the unit was gone through by Z car transmission expert Steve Pettersen:

New clutch/flywheel:

With the new engine/transmission even more detail work was performed:

MAF/hose/hardware detail:

Engine bay restoration, before/after:

Dyno Tuning

Rob dyno tuned the rebuilt 3.1L engine making 169hp/179tq to the wheels:

Enjoy L-series music on the dyno!

Suspension

Greg wanted a fantastic driver that was worry-free. We replaced all of the hydraulics and front/rear suspension assemblies to match the new driveline. All suspension was either zinc’d or powdercoated:

We installed KYB strut inserts with lowering springs, Suspension Techniques sway bars, Techno Toy Tuning adjustable rear lower control arms, TC rods, and rack bushings, all new wheel bearings and new ball-joints. We do offer a full coil-over setup for track day/performance-oriented customers, and this spring/strut upgrade for those that want a better stance with improved handling without getting beat up.

Suspension refresh with T/C rod and steering rack detail:

Rear end with T3 lower control arms in:

ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles

We are proud to have several of our ZCG products on Greg’s 280z. We installed our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes (for small wheels) and also upgraded to Z Car Garage CV Axles! These products have been standard on numerous ZCG builds.

As fellow S30 owner/racer Glenn C mentioned in his review, on top of braking performance, pedal feel is extremely important and our Big-Brakes deliver. This is a direct result of working with Stoptech to create a totally bolt-in solution requiring no M/C change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments. All fitting behind a 15″ Watanabe or Panasport wheel and retaining factory emergency brake lever! A few details below:

Calipers: Stoptech ST42 4-piston front & rear race calipers (Alum 6061 mil-spec Type III anodized)

Rotors: 280mm x 20.6 with Alum 7075 hats

Pads: Stoptech 309 sport street pads

Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE.

A few closer detail shots of the calipers, rotors and hardware:

We went ahead and got Greg dialed in with the ZCG big-brake kit for small wheels with parking brake and a new brake booster/master cylinder. More pics in the gallery!

Front brake installation:

At the rear, the OEM drums brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. Factory handbrake functionality IS retained!

Our Z Car Garage CV Axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts. We have over 70 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.

Greg received ZCG CV Axle set #264, standard half-shafts shown on left:

Panasport Wheels

Our ZCG Big-Brakes also look great behind Panasport wheels in our offset allowing us to run 225/50/16 tires (Bridgestone S-007a):

Interior

The interior received a full ZCG-style treatment with our custom high-end sound deadening and carpet. ZCG door seals and sound deadening were applied as well new hatch seals:

We modified the floor to accommodate Recaro LXF Specialist seats (in leather) to suit Greg’s height while maintaining full seat travel/movemen:

New center console, MOMO competition wheel and restored the A/C ensuring it blowed cold (R134A):

Details

The little things are what we excel at. Exterior items include re-chroming both f/r bumpers and adding Hella H4s with our HID kit. Other interior items include a new tach and making a little seat belt holder clip to work with the Recaros:

Please check the gallery below for more detail shots, there are too many to list in this blog post!

Enjoying The Ride

With all the attention to detail and upgrades this 280Z can drive comfortably in style with power. Despite common opinion on the 280z, we think it has a wonderful character from that era and when you update similarly as a 240z, they are great sports cars. The majority of our 280z costumers still use their cars as daily drivers (Cece, above). Greg is super happy with how it came out and he has a smile on his face every time he drives it. The engine is torquey, you can stop on a dime and it handles well without riding harshly. Thank you Greg for letting us help build your vision of the ideal 280z.

LONG LIVE THE Z!

***Greg has decided to sell his Z! It is up for auction on Bring a Trailer right now, link HERE***