New owner of a 1975 280z

[nissanthanh]

Hey all, I just decided to jump in head first and bought a 1975 280z.

Got tired of putting commuter miles on my '08 g35 6MT sedan, so I wanted a beater that I can slowly work on while DD. And I hated overpriced used hondas, rather have a RWD nissan any day.

Pros:

great body and interior

rebuilt motor

new tires and all that jazz

weather strips replaced

replaced suspension bushings

Cons:

previous owner put a rebuilt l24 in it

sticky gas pedal isn't smooth so accelerating is a pain in the arse right now with the 4 spd (mpg suffering too)

Feels kind of heavy-guess that comes with the 280z territory

So my first upgrade should be the transmission and the seats and a few miscellaneous things.

My first question would be, are there bolt-on legit suspension kits? or it seems I will have to get some welding done from what i've been finding.

I've already been trolling a bunch of Z sites long before.

Thanks for any input!

EDIT: i'll be posting pictures of the original orange baby in all its glory soon.... it's really well kept for a 40 yr old paint job.

Edited February 17, 2014 by nissanthanh

[siteunseen]

Your throttle plate might be all gummed up causing the sticky feeling gas pedal. Lacquer thinner and a tooth brush fixed mine.

[Mark Maras]

Most suspension kits are indeed bolt on. Springs, shocks, sway bars & bushings are the standard items. Decide first how much you want to stiffen the ride and what height you want the car to be, then start asking questions.

The throttle linkage pivot points should also be cleaned and lubed from the engine to the gas pedal.It's possible the P.O. Mickey-Moused the throttle linkage during the engine swap. Send Pics. Mark in Portland

[nissanthanh]

Thanks Mark. The previous owner lubed some of the linkages when i told him about it. But maybe I should clean it all out and then re-lube. Or maybe it's something right at the pedal, which he didn't go

Regarding suspension kits, I meant that there is no way to buy a full setup like this and just bolt in? I've been perusing the forums and looks like people have to weld camber kits to their strut towers and such. I basically want a 1-1.5 inch drop. And if anything, I'd rather just do a coilover as linked all at once and not deal with buying springs and then later down the road upgrade to something like this. Thanks for your help.

I'll post pictures when I get home and take some after work.

[Mark Maras]

I'm not an expert on suspensions but I think you can achieve your wishes with bolt-ons. I upgraded a series I years ago. I dropped and stiffened the suspension with Mulholland springs, Bilnstein shocks and got what I wanted.

Any coilover experts want to share their experience.

Mark in Portland

[nissanthanh]

I guess not many coilover experts around lately

[Zed Head]

Here's bolt-in adjustable - https://technotoytuning.com/nissan/280z

Her's straight lowering, no adjustment - Motorsport! Eibach Progressive Spring Kit, 9/74-78 Coupe, 74-78 2+2 (260Z-280Z) - The Z Store! Nissan-Datsun 240Z-260Z-280Z-280ZX-300ZX(Z31/Z32)-350Z-370Z Parts

[HaZmatt]

Unfortunately there is no cheap bolt in coilover kits other than the Technotoy setup but it is pricey. You can get the same Ground Control kit and cut and weld the perches. There are a lot of write ups on it and it doesnt look too hard. Good luck

[grannyknot]

I guess not many coilover experts around lately

Oh there are lots of suspension experts here but I suspect they are waiting for you to do a bit more homework in the archives

first. You can also hunt through the archives of Hybridz, there is great info there.

The blue Tokicos you linked to are a good set, quite firm for street but good quality. The company is having distribution problems and may not be able to back up the product. Your link is probably for NOS.