280ZX, has anybody raced one

[pballance]

In looking at the GCR and weights, I notice that the 280ZX NA was listed at only 2530#. It sure seems like it could be a good car expecially with the open ECU rule.

Has anybody built one? Can you get it that light? I know the suspension differences will make for some development issues but it does have disc brakes on all corners.

Thoughts?

[irondragon]

Problem w/ the GCR weight is that it will bery difficult to get a 280ZX to that number.
Other problem is that the ZX was severely de-rated in power, compared to the 280Z.
130 vs 170, in order to deal w/ emissions.
Don't know if you can monkey w/ the ECU enough to get that 40 hp back. Some of the reduction may have been in the cam.
The brakes are an attractive feature but the power is not.
I've raced 280Z's for a long time and have never seen a 280ZX on the track.
Another negative is that parts are getting hard to find - both for suspension upgrade and general maintenance. Nissan no longer supports the 240-280 cars much. A few dealers try to help.
Think hard about this.
Bill

[JeffYoung]

Paul, Ron has looked hard at that car and thinks it could be a fantastic S car. I tend to agee.

The 170 hp rating for the Z v. the 145 or something for the ZX is a misnomer. Datsun used gross hp until 78 or 79, until the switched to the ZX when it went "net." The L28 is the same in both cars, and the ZX gets the four wheel discs.

The weight may be an issue though. Like the above poster said, it may not be possible to get down to weight.

Charles Perry built one and won an ECR I think at Daytona this year. I'm headed down tomorrow to race against it this weekend and I suspect it will be fast.....

I think it is a good choice. FI, 4-wheel disc, light (if acheivable), decent tranny, decent amount of parts available for it.

[its66]

yes, Charles' car is FAST. Nice silver 280ZX. You'll like see it battling with Greg Ira's beautiful Z-car. Hopefully, there will be a red and white RX7 in the mix again also.

[Ron Earp]

It'll be fast. Cam is fine. You have to deal with the fact that it, like the 260Z, can't make the RPM of the 240Z, but that isn't a huge deal. Lynchburg Nissan still has lots of stuff for the cars and with the open ECU rule I feel one of these cars is definitely ITS winning material.

Rear suspension will require some work but it is doable.

I still think about building one of these for ITS or something else for ITR. Data seems to suggest a Megasquirted/Moteced 280zx built to the max would be a heck of a ITS car. Came close to buying one a few months ago.

R

[betamotorsports]

79 280ZXs typically can get to 2,500 pretty easily in IT trim. Use the R180 and halfshafts and make sure you find a manual rack and pinion car.

[pballance]

Thanks for the inputs guys. My gut said this "might" be a good car to try. I am looking at an '82 slicktop that has a manual rack. It would be a part time DD until I decide to do something else. The coins are right and the car has been well maintained and I think it has only had 2 owners.

Just something to think about.

Ron, you and Jeff have fun this weekend. I hope the strut made it to you yesterday.

[betamotorsports]

The IT trick for the rear semi-trailing arm suspension is to limit wheel travel to a few inches, that keeps toe and wheelbase changes to a minimum. If you could relocate the trailing arm mounting points things can get a lot better, but that's no allowed in IT.

[JeffYoung]

Thanks Paul -- strut received!

[Ron Earp]

Thanks for the inputs guys. My gut said this "might" be a good car to try. I am looking at an '82 slicktop that has a manual rack. It would be a part time DD until I decide to do something else. The coins are right and the car has been well maintained and I think it has only had 2 owners.

Just something to think about.

Ron, you and Jeff have fun this weekend. I hope the strut made it to you yesterday.

Not the burgandy one in Maryland is it?

Thanks much for the strut, it has arrived!!!!

Ron

[pballance]

Nope, this one is in the south. PM sent.

John, Can you swap the rack/crossmember from a 280 into the zx? The one I am looking at is power steering. I thought it was manual but on another look at the pictures I can see the hoses going into the rack and the pump on the front of the engine.

[betamotorsports]

No, you can't swap the crossmember but I think the manual and the power rack fit in the same spot.

[spawpoet]

It'll be fast. Cam is fine. You have to deal with the fact that it, like the 260Z, can't make the RPM of the 240Z, but that isn't a huge deal. Lynchburg Nissan still has lots of stuff for the cars and with the open ECU rule I feel one of these cars is definitely ITS winning material.

Rear suspension will require some work but it is doable.

I still think about building one of these for ITS or something else for ITR. Data seems to suggest a Megasquirted/Moteced 280zx built to the max would be a heck of a ITS car. Came close to buying one a few months ago.

R

I talked to Perry and Ira (helped build the 280zx I believe) at Moroso a few months ago and if I remember correctly at the time they said their biggest issues were with handling, specifically the rear suspension. They are early in the development with it though and it has plenty of speed. The 280's (& zx's) might not rev like a 240, but I think the displacement and more importantly the injection (not having to monkey with the @%! carbs) more than make up for that. Also some of the later heads have a little better flow characteristics than our early z's heads. It's a huge misnomer that zx's didn't make power. They were easily the most powerful straight-6 z's. They were just burdened with the weight that comes with a touring car which is in essence what they were. I don't think anyone would have a problem getting down to minimum class weight with it though as it was loaded with all kinds of extras that would be stripped out of an IT car.
On a side note my brother and I are driving up to watch this weekends event at Daytona, so hopefully we will get a chance to drop in and say hi to those of you there.

Chris

[preith]

Hello everyone, long time 'lurker', I felt this was a good time to come out of the shadows. IMO the ZX is one of the best kept secrets in ITS. Ken Bonneau has been racing an ITS 280ZX in the Milw. region since the early 90's and swears by it. He's typically up towards the front but not too many wins IIRC.

It's been about 4 years since I spoke with they guy who did much of the work on Ken's cars, but I do recall him stating they actually had to ADD weight to make the minimum. I suggested adding some of it to additional cage reinforcement but he said the ZX tubs are more rigid than the 1st gen's as well and it wasn't required.

I have to agree with the previous posters on power potential, it's a big misnomer that the zx makes less power than the Z's, there's no reason why it can't make the same as any 280, and the later cylinder heads have a better combustion chamber design.

[pballance]

Hi Preith, I recognize the handle from that other board that you and I haunt. :)

Well, I couldn't pass it up. Filled up the back of the truck with spares that were a part of the deal and drove it home about 120 miles. Filled it up and added some fuel treatment and got 24.5 mpg running just under 80 on the interstate. Everything in this car works, power windows, power door locks, mirrors, etc. I may just clean it up and make it a daily driver :o

[GBugg]

Nice! :happy204:

[Z3_GoCar]

quote=betamotorsports;271272]The IT trick for the rear semi-trailing arm suspension s to limit wheel travel to a few inches, that keeps toe and wheelbase changes to a minimum. If you could relocate the trailing arm mounting points things can get a lot better, but that's no allowed in IT.[/quote]

Since we share basically the same rear suspension, I was curious if you were referring to mounting ecentric's on the stock mount points or something much more radical.

9.1.3.d.4 Independant rear mounting holes may be slotted and reinforced for purposes of camber and toe adjustmet.

It would seem minor relocation would be perfectly legal.

James

[betamotorsports]

I missed that part of the rules! Well, here are the basic instructions and it helps to monoball control arm.

http://dimequarterly.tierranet.com/articles/tech_crossmember_slotting.html

[Z3_GoCar]

I missed that part of the rules! Well, here are the basic instructions and it helps to monoball control arm.

http://dimequarterly.tierranet.com/articles/tech_crossmember_slotting.html

Here's a picture of what I had installed on my sub-frame:

https://store.nexternal.com/bimmerworl/images/E30RearCamberToeKit.jpg

One for camber and the other for toe. When you mono-ball, do you leave room for one of the piviots to slide side-to-side? The fact that the piviot axis don't line up causes the bushings to change track slightly, so when they're solidly mounted there has to be a mount where sideways motion is allowed, otherwise binding will occure. I suspose one could mono-ball one mount and leave the other rubber, halfing the rubber spring rate but still allowing sideways motion on one mount with a more solid location of the arm.

James

[Ron Earp]

Nice car Paul, you'll enjoy that quite a bit I think.

Ron

[bobpink]

If anyone is looking for a 280ZX tub to start with, I remember Eddie over at E. Radatz Motorsports having a 1979 with manual everything (steering, locks, windows) and slick top that was in fairly decent shape. The car has been sitting for years and would definitely have to be reduced to a tub, but if it was going to be used as a race car then no big deal. It is probably one of the lightest versions of this car you will find.

You can call the shop and see if it is still sitting out back. (770) 926-6609 (North Atlanta area)

[gira]

Hello IT guys,
It's been a long time since I've posted here. I built Charles Perry's car basically by myself, with some help from a cage guy and engine guy. The answer is a resounding YES, this is a good car. It's next to impossible to get to min weight, unless driver weight is 135 pounds. The car is pretty big compared to a Z. I talked Charles into it because he is hard on brakes and I wanted to break his 13 dnf's in a row with a Datsun Z car! My research showed I could get close to the Z horsepower, the tranny is better, the brakes are better, and the aero is better. I left no stone unturned building that car from performance standpoint. The rear suspension takes a ton of trial and error. DO put a fuel cell in it! Don't even attempt to monkey with that crappy ZX fuel delivery. It's a joke and was a joke on the streetcar after a few years. The engine runs like a sewing machine. I've only driven it for about 3 laps at Moroso and it was a hand full for sure. The steering ratio is slooooooow. It has a the manual steering. Good luck finding that.

[gira]

Pinky,
That's the car I got the rack and steering column from. HAH. What a coincidence!!

Greg ira

[Dave Burchfield]

I remember being on the track with I believe it was Ken in the early 90's when he was driving the white 280ZX. I remember at Putnam Park the car was wicked fast and was a winner. I thought he won Central Division a time or two in those years. Memory says that the car was sold to a Cincinnati Region member and was raced for a few years after that then dismantled. As strange fate may have it, I happen to have the engine out of that car sitting in my garage on the floor.........

[gira]

Dave,
Let me know if you want to sell that engine. I think Charles would like a spare. If it's a good deal, he might buy it.

thanks
Greg ira

[DRL]

Just logged in to this site and registered because I was concerned about my new toy.

About a year ago, I acquired a former ITS car, an '82 280ZX. Wasn't really sure if it was a worthwhile investment, as it had been sitting for a couple years, but the price was right, it seemed to be all in one piece, and I came to trust the guy I bought it from.

Car sat in the weeds for another year until I had the chance to have it shipped from MA to the Midwest. Just took possession of the car last weekend, and am just starting to resurrect it for competition next year.

I've been concerned about it, not knowing what tweaks it should have, and I've been concerned about the weight, because although I haven't taken it to the scales, it does look a bit brick-like.

[DRL]

Not sure which key I whacked to post that last one, 'cause I wasn't finished!

Anyway, I'm very pleased to see opinions that this can be a competitive car. I'll get some pics up once I've cleaned up the dirt, leaves, & debris..

[buldogge]

DRL... Will you be racing in MiDiv? Where are you located??


Just logged in to this site and registered because I was concerned about my new toy.

About a year ago, I acquired a former ITS car, an '82 280ZX. Wasn't really sure if it was a worthwhile investment, as it had been sitting for a couple years, but the price was right, it seemed to be all in one piece, and I came to trust the guy I bought it from.

Car sat in the weeds for another year until I had the chance to have it shipped from MA to the Midwest. Just took possession of the car last weekend, and am just starting to resurrect it for competition next year.

I've been concerned about it, not knowing what tweaks it should have, and I've been concerned about the weight, because although I haven't taken it to the scales, it does look a bit brick-like.

[tnord]

I'm curious who's going to be racing ITS in MiDiv also....

<---debating ITA vs ITS next year. and i'll at least be bringing an air rifle to the gunfight rather than my usual sharpened stick.

[DRL]

I've been away for a while, so for the first year or two, I'll probably stay close to home. My son is also clamoring for a ride, so he may get some seat time as well (after, of course, he's spent some time turning a wrench!)

Assuming he's starting, we'll probably stick to tracks I know and can help him with.

So I might not make it to Midwest for a bit.

[tnord]

what area are you in/what tracks are "close to home?"

[DRL]

I'm in the metro Detroit area, about 1.5 hours east of Grattan, 3 hours north of Mid-Ohio