1976 Datsun Z-Series

Hatchback

6 - Cyl.

Manual

GHLS30042003

Gasoline

RARE 1976 280Z 2+2 IN EXCEPTIONAL CONDITION WITH ONLY 43,877 ORIGINAL MILES. VIN: GHLS30042003 MOTOR NUMBER L28 102707 It is my goal that the buyer of this rare vehicle knows everything I know about it to ensure a satisfactory purchase. In fact, you will know more about the vehicle than if you were here looking at it in person. As you can see from my feedback, people who have purchased from me are always very satisfied. It is my belief that most sellers would not tell you every small negative detail about an older vehicle in hopes of garnering the best possible bid. I would rather you be totally satisfied with the purchase than get more money on the bid and have you upset by “surprises” after receipt. If you are not familiar with these vehicles or antique cars in general, don’t be spooked by my list of flaws. This is a 35-year old vehicle in exceptional condition. With very little finishing work, I am sure this car would bring home the trophies. It is already a head turner and people who look under the hood and under the body are in awe. Vehicle History: The vehicle was originally purchased from Mills Datsun in Willoughby, Ohio. I purchased this car in 2005 from the original owner. I have a copy of the original title which was copied when I transferred the vehicle into my name. The previous owner had let the vehicle sit in his garage for 25+ years; only driving it on rare occasions. Although the vehicle ran fine, years of sitting had taken its toll on rubber parts and my objective was to transform it into a showcar. From 2005 until 2010 I spent thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours bringing the vehicle to its current condition. I have mounds of receipts and hundreds of “before and after photos” documenting the work. In April of last year I drove the vehicle from Washington State to my current residence in Illinois. It is absolutely road ready so you can choose to have it transported or drive it away. It continues to be garaged and not driven due to the heavy salting of the roads here in the winter. There are two primary reasons for which I am selling the vehicle. (1) I was passionate about the refurbishment work I did on it and you can tell this by the photos. However, when I finished the work I lost the passion I once had. Turns out I enjoyed the sense of accomplishment from the work more than the car itself. (2) Like so many others, my family is caught up in the housing crisis. I have to trim expenses everywhere I can to pay two mortgages. For these reasons, this “nice to have” is going on the auction block. VEHICLE HIGHLIGHTS: - 43,877 ORIGINAL MILES - Original American Racing wheels. These wheels are very rare and were added on as an upgrade by the Datsun Dealer at the time of purchase. - No dash cracks. This is extremely rare for these vehicles and supports the fact that the vehicle was well cared for and garaged since purchase. - Windshield is in excellent condition - Original interior is in excellent condition. I have tried to highlight any flaws with the pictures. No work has been done on any upholstery or carpet inside the car. It is all original. - Mechanically sound, no leaks. I recommend you replace the oil drain plug because the metal o-ring is probably worn out. They cost about $6. - The car still has the original jack, jack accessories, original floor mats, owner’s manual, guarantee/service booklet, letter to me from the original owner, copy of the original title, original radio, and the original ignition key. Also included is a portable Sony box speaker I put in to improve radio sound, without modifying the original system. THIS IS A LIST OF THE ITEMS I REPLACED WITH NEW PARTS. I’M SURE I AM FORGETTING SOME BUT THIS LIST COVERS MOST OF THE WORK. MOST ALL THESE ITEMS WERE WORKING FINE BUT I REPLACED THEM ANYWAY TO ACHIEVE THE OVERALL “LIKE NEW” APPEARANCE. Not every part was replaced with a Datsun/Nissan OEM part as it was not my intention to have the vehicle be “all original.” My objective was for it to be extremely clean and have a like new detailed appearance. Most of the replacement parts were purchased from Motor Sports Authority (MSA) and Black Dragon Automotive; both of which specialize in Z-car parts. - Center console rubber shift boot (interior faux leather cover is original) - Oil pan seal - Head Gasket - Valve cover gasket - All timing-cover gaskets and seals - Motor mounts - Transmission Mount - Fan Belt - All new hose clams throughout the engine compartment and elsewhere. - All wiring cleaned, cased in flex tube and wrapped for clean appearance. - Water pump - Thermostat - All heating hoses except those under the dash inside of the vehicle. There are no leaks and the heat works perfectly. - All six fuel injectors - Clutch slave cylinder - Clutch fork boot - Clutch kit, including bearing. - Rear engine seal - Clutch and brake flex hoses - Tie-rod ends - Michelin Tires (less than 3000 miles on them) - Rack and pinion boots - McPherson Struts all around - Strut boots all around - Differential seals - Wheel bearings all around - Rear axle shaft boots - Brakes pads/shoes all around - Removed calipers, power cleaned and repainted with caliper paint. The previous owner had the calipers overhauled just before I purchased the car. - Rear brake seals - Speedometer cable - Brake master cylinder - Clutch master cylinder - MSA exhaust system from header to muffler tip. Also installed a resonator to quiet the vehicle a bit. It still has a nice sound but not too loud. - Wiper blades - Alternator - Voltage regulator - Windshield washer pump (not OEM) - Spark plugs - High performance ignition wires. (The wires I replaced were the original stamped “Nissan 1976” wires which supports the vehicle history) - Battery cables - Battery - Automatic antenna (non OEM) - Manifold gasket - Vacuum hoses in engine compartment - Fuel hoses replaced front and rear. - Fuel filter - Oil and oil filter - Rear panel speaker - Machined rear drums - Rear universal joints - Nearly every bolt, nut and washer in the engine compartment was replaced with to achieve the “like new” appearance SIGNIFICANT WORK COMPLETED - Complete overhaul of the engine head - Installed COMPLETE set of performance polyurethane bushings. If you are not familiar with these bushings, you should know that they provide a tighter-more responsive steering/suspension. However, the ride is a little rougher than with traditional rubber bushings. - Removed, hand polished and clear coated nearly every aluminum engine part. I can’t even begin to tell you how much time I spent hand polishing these items but you can see the results in the pictures. They are all clear-coated to last. - Removed, power cleaned and repainted nearly every engine compartment accessory. - Triple-flushed the radiator - Powder coated the intake air assembly - Powder coated numerous brackets in the engine compartment - Removed all brake lines, clutch lines, fuel lines and AC lines. Flushed clean, power stripped, and repainted. - Powder coated the fuel rail. - Undercoated the vehicle with two coats of Permatex undercoating. - Powder coated nearly every piece of the suspension and steering. This cost me a great deal of money but it lasts forever and looks fantastic. - Removed the transmission, power cleaned and repainted with high-temp paint. - Removed rear differential, power cleaned and repainted. - Installed car alarm - Removed hood apron and wiper components, power cleaned voids extensively, sealed, primed and repainted. This is a common place where you will find rust on these cars – not on this one. - Removed a small center portion of the battery platform to enable extensive power cleaning, sealing and repainting. This is another common place you will find rust on these vehicles – not on this one. - Exhaust manifold sandblasted and coated with high temperature manifold paint (POR 15). The outer coating on the manifold is starting to peel. I had intentions of installing a header assembly but didn’t get around to it. - Powder coated the front grill. These are items I had on my to-do list which will help you understand the current condition of the vehicle. - Re-install AC compressor tensioner and Freon conversion kit. The AC is currently not working because this task is not complete. Don't forget to replenish the lubricant in the compressor when you complete this task. - Have the small dent in the rear bumper filled in and both bumpers dipped and re-chromed. - Have the car professionally repainted KNOWN PROBLEMS - The forward thumb tab on the distributor cap is broke off. I never had a problem with it. You can replace this clip with one from a used distributer for a few bucks; I just never got to it because it wasn’t a problem. - During my move in 2007, the car transport company backed the left rear corner into a guard pole. The accident caused a small dent in the quarter which was professionally repaired. This was a minor backing incident with no damage to the frame. According to the previous owner, my inspections and CarFax, the vehicle has never been in any type of collision. - The paint is a second overcoat. According to the original owner, he allowed a friend to talk him into repainting it in 1979. The paint is a little more metallic than the original coating. A new professional paint job was to be my last action item, until I decided to sell. - There are a few small chips in the paint. As stated, if you want to "show" the car, it needs a new paint job to match the meticulous condition of the engine compartment and underbody. - Engine compartment paint is not an exact match. I painstakingly removed everything from the engine compartment except the block. Stripped and power cleaned, primed and repainted. It looks fantastic but the paint is more the original color without the metal-flake on the exterior. You might not have noticed unless I brought it to your attention – that’s how close it is. My intention was to paint the exterior with the same color. As you know, the hard work for a restoration paint job is the engine compartment due to the extensive work required. - One small chafe on the left bottom of the driver seat (see picture). This is a common problem on these cars where the seat material rubs the frame. It is very rare to find one of these vehicles with original seats in this condition and this further supports the stated history of the car. - Minor rust on lower panels each side (see pictures). Spots are surface only – easy fix for a body shop or someone proficient at body work. I am not a body guy so I was waiting until everything else was complete to have a pro do the whole job. - Missing the small rubber strap on the jack accessories kit. I put a different type of strap in its place. - I suspect the fastener(s) on the hatch is rusting due to some rust fragments I previously found. This is a cheap fix. - With the exception of what I have listed here, the body is in great condition with only a few blemishes and minor scratches. - Automatic antenna was installed with a rocker switch in the console vice original design on the radio. The (non-OEM) antenna works perfectly. One of the plastic clips on the rocker switch cover is broken off. If you choose to, you can replace this for a few bucks. - Both front and rear bumpers have surface rust on the insides. This is common for this vehicle. Rear bumper has a small dent about the size of a quarter (see picture). I had planned to have them re-chromed before I decided to sell. - Front left bumper skirt has a crack. - The previous owner put a ¼” hole in the bumper guard to fasten it to the frame after the original clip broke. I fixed it the right way but there is still a plugged hole in the rubber guard. - Missing small bumper plug from (right rear) - Front skid plate fastener hole needs to be drilled and tapped to reinstall the guard. I paid to have the guard powder coated but didn’t get around to tapping one of the fastener holes to reinstall. - One of the luggage strap fasteners have surface rust on them – easy fix. - There is a small gash (approximately 1/2”) on the left rear control arm. The vehicle transport company put a tie-down chain here despite my request not to. The flaw has no effect mechanically; it just broke my heart because I had just had the item powder coated. - As stated above, I installed a car alarm just in case I ever wanted to drive it somewhere and park. This included the drilling of a 3/8” hole in the molding above the dash for the warning LED. - The previous owner had installed a front under-body flare which I removed because I didn’t like the look. The fastener holes are still in the underbody if you want to install a front flare. - I removed the front bumper bar because I liked cleaner look. I will reattach it before shipping (see photo) I think that covers everything I know. Functionally, unless I have listed it here, there is nothing that does not work as designed on the vehicle. If you are looking for a 76 280Z 2+2 which is in exceptional condition, I think this car will make you very happy. Most importantly, you can purchase with a great sense of assurance that you are getting what you paid for without any concealment of flaws. I will work with you for coordination of pick-up by a transportation company. I highly recommend you do your research for a good company and use closed container shipping to minimize risk of damage. I am not responsible for any damage during shipping. I will take pictures on the day of transport and send to you, just in case. This vehicle is being sold “as is” with no warranty and no return. Purchase is final and your bid acknowledges that you have read my description of the vehicle in its entirety. I require a $500 downpayment via paypal within 48 hours of winning bid. Full payment is required within 7 days via certified bank check (NO PERSONNEL CHECKS). ****Sorry, this item is not for sale outside the continental United States**** ****There will be no “buy it now price” for this item**** I will gladly answer any questions you have in a timely manner and post for others to see. Good luck with the bidding.