Wayne’s Datsun 280ZX: Self-taught skills revive a dead Zed
Hard to believe this 1983 Datsun 280ZX 2+2 retro-modern stunner was once in such poor condition that its engine was stuffed, its electrical system was a tangled mess and its bog-loaded body had more shades of gold paint than you could count on one hand!
That was the sobering reality that Shannons Club member Wayne Chan faced when he came across this car about seven years ago. These days the Melbourne-based 27-year-old is a qualified civil engineer but back then as a cash-strapped uni student he paid almost $5K for the ‘privilege’ of rescuing this unroadworthy Z-car.
He’d owned Subarus before, but this was his first hands-on project car. The fact he wanted to personally repair damage caused by decades of neglect under previous owners defies perceptions that today’s young car enthusiasts don’t want to get their hands dirty.
All images: Wayne Chan
But then again, he is an engineer. And engineers have an innate curiosity about how things come apart and go back together, even if that required working on his car for years in a small carport at his parents’ home, exposed to the seasonal extremes of Melbourne’s fickle weather.
“I wanted to get an older project that I could really learn from,” Wayne says. “Everyone loves a good Z but I couldn’t afford a classic 240 or 260. However, I really like the fact that the 280ZX is considered an underdog (in Z-car hierarchy) because I think it’s underrated.
“The 1980s styling also appealed to me and I have a mate who runs a shop that specialises in Z-cars, so I thought I’ll make the most of his expertise and go with this one. I hadn’t much of an appreciation or knowledge of working on cars prior to this, so it certainly threw me into the deep end!”
The 280ZX was produced from 1978 to 1983 and was widely perceived as being just a facelift of the first generation. However, it was mostly a new car from the ground up, with the engine and transmission the only major hardware carried over.
It was available as either a two-seater (not sold in Australia) or 2+2 like Wayne’s. Some road testers lamented the Z-car’s evolution from a pure sports car to a heavier and more luxurious grand tourer but that evolution was clearly what its primary USA market wanted, as a huge 78,000 units were sold there in its first year.
The T-roof option (as fitted to Wayne’s car) became available in 1980, comprising removable smoked-glass panels on either side of a central spine. These panels, which were carried in vinyl pouches in the luggage area, provided owners with the convenient option of wind-in-the-hair motoring.
However, such luxury was the furthest thing from Wayne’s mind when the fuel-injected SOHC 2.8-litre inline six chewed through a main bearing only two days after he got it roadworthy! He’d never attempted an engine repair before but by combining his engineering intuition with expert advice, workshop manuals and YouTube videos, Wayne succeeded in stripping down and rebuilding the L28E to its original specifications, albeit with a slight overbore.
“A lot of blood, sweat, tears and swearing went into that and a few screw-ups along the way but it runs beautifully now,” Wayne says. “I’ve rebuilt several engines since then, so it was definitely a valuable learning experience.”
He applied the same self-taught skills to reviving the five-speed gearbox after it became a four-speeder when something broke inside. It now shifts sweetly through all five cogs and spins just as smoothly as the engine it sits behind.
Wayne also had to develop a thorough understanding of the car’s troublesome electrical system, which was plagued by botched repairs and modifications under previous owners. He patiently rebuilt the entire system wire by wire, using the factory wiring diagram as his road map to success.
Restoring the bodywork presented another formidable challenge, as the 280ZX had evidently been parked under a tree for a long time and Wayne knew that its leaking T-roof seals, lumpy body panels and mismatched shades of gold paint masked many sins. Nothing less than a strip back to bare metal could reveal the full extent of the damage, which required a mix of sandblasting and careful disc-sanding.
“You could see there had been multiple attempts at repairs in some areas, particularly the rear quarter which was so loaded with bog (plastic filler) there were no body lines on it. When I tapped it with a hammer, a big chunk fell out that was about one inch (25mm) thick!”
Wayne was happy to handball this part of the rebuild to a paint and panel specialist who insisted on retaining as much of the original bodywork as possible. He largely succeeded, because apart from repairs to the right rear-quarter and some small rust sections, the rest of the body was reasonably straight and structurally sound. Wayne chose to finish it in a Porsche colour called Metallic Slate Grey.
“That colour has captivated me since I saw it in the flesh on a 930 Turbo, so I guess it pays homage to the 930 which is a dream car,” he says. “I also chose it because I planned to use grey-on-grey with bronze highlights.”
As you can see in these images (taken at Melbourne’s Liquid R which provided a full detail and ceramic paint protection) that’s a classy combination, particularly the anodised bronze finish on the wheel rims. They’re three-piece CR01 Work Wheels; 16 x 8-inch up front and 16 x 9-inch in the rear fitted with meaty 205/55 and 225/50 Bridgestone Potenza RE003s.
That rolling stock is part of a retro-modern theme Wayne adopted for this build which combines 1980s retro themes with modern componentry. For example, ‘80s influences include the 930 Porsche colour, Recaro front buckets with signature ‘fishnet’ headrests in Wayne’s retrimmed black interior (another self-taught skill) and a genuine Arita Speed (revered in Japan) front spoiler.
Modern influences in addition to the wheels include Gecko coil-over shocks, polyurethane suspension bushes, braided brake lines, Cusco front strut-tower brace, triple-core aluminium radiator and powerful 7.0-inch LED projector headlights.
By contrast, Wayne has fitted 1970s (Series I) 280ZX taillights in preference to the fussier-looking Series II items this car came with, along with a Shan Motorsport stainless steel gear knob and a 360mm Nardi classic woodgrain steering wheel mounted on a quick-release NRG hub.
A nice finishing touch, which is popular when displayed at car shows, is the L28E’s hydro-dipped cam cover with varnished woodgrain effect. “Some kids think the whole engine is made of wood!” he quips.
Given the mess he started with and the seven years it took to rebuild, it’s not surprising that Wayne’s 280ZX – which has previously been an award winner in the Shannons Club Show & Shine - is a keeper.
“When I bought it, it was just going to be a cheap project car which was a bit rough around the edges that I could use in track events,” he reflects. “However, it’s obviously ended up being much more than that!
“For me, it’s also been about learning all the car-building knowledge and skills I have now and meeting so many people who helped me along the way.” And really, isn’t that what makes playing around with old cars so rewarding?
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