Restoration Road - Step 1

So the first order of business was to get the car to the shop to get properly checked out. Well the car wouldn't start without needing to be jumped, so I figured, lets fix that first. Took the battery out (rusty bolts made the job 10 times harder than it needed to be) and got it tested. Battery as I suspected was bad, so I bought a new one and while I was at it got new battery cables (both). While under the hood I noticed a wire on my fusible link was being held together by one wire, so I made a new jumper wire for that as well. She turned right on, and I drove her to the shop. As I type she is at the shop getting checked out... it is nice getting her in a shop on a hoist to get a thorough check out. Wish her luck in there!

Introducing

Welcome to my newest Blog... "Me and My Z"... 

On March 15th, 2010 I traded in my Sentra SpecV and got a 1975 Datsun 280Z. For those who know me have seen me drool over Z cars for over a decade. I always wanted to get a 1978 Datsun so I could own a car my same age and we could grow old together... Well I decided to just shop for a good deal and find a fun Z to drive. I also am a firm believer that patience is a virtue, and that things happen for the right reasons. 

Well the weekend of March 14th I had a consulting gig in Chicago. So I did a quick craigslist search and there was a nice looking 280Z. I looked up the address, and it was 2 miles from the location I was consulting at on Sunday and Monday. WOW. So I decided to drive the SpecV to Chicago that weekend (usually only drive it in the summer), and to add to the odd timing the registration on my SpecV expired that week, so selling her also saved me new registration (I put off registering her since I was shopping for a new car).

The car was nearly rust free, had a fairly new paint job, mostly complete interior (missing radio, some panels and carpet) and turned right on. She smoked a little, actually a lot, and she was running rich and burning a little oil. I took her for a drive and she shifted well, suspension was decent and the brakes worked. She kept smoking though... 

Well I worked a great deal on the car (I think) and the dealer paid to put her on a flat bed and drive me home. As I was leaving the dealer asked if I wanted all his Datsun stuff, he threw in two big boxes of stuff (interior parts, gaskets, new hoses, new battery tray, etc.). Here is a picture of her from the lot of the dealer. When I got to town I took her to my shop to diag the motor and start my list of repairs. 

Wish me luck on this new fun adventure!