Classic Car Weekly - 280ZX service guide

[Mr.F]

Classic Car Weekly, out today (Thursday 24/01/08) has an article on servicing the 280ZX. Clearly the editor wasn't expecting me to have diverted Adam Tait (journalist / photographer) onto the 280ZX after he initially approached me to provide a car for a 280Z article.

You'll find the cover headline and photo suggests 240Z - 280Z and reproduces a picture of James Morris in his 240Z LYX. The article is headed 240Z - 280ZX, but content is primarily 280ZX! Please don't moan at some of the mistakes in the article - I did correct them but the corrections didn't make it to print!

The two cars used were Phil Denman's black 2 seater (see Z Club mag Spring '07) and a time warp 2+2 that I recently acquired - 28K miles and full history from May 1979. Been with one pair of owners from new and is absolutely standard in every way. Available for sale - will place ad and photos soon! Offers considered meantime...

 

[JEZ 280ZX]

Hi,
Saw this in Tesco on weds and forgot to mention it!...

 

[Mr.F]

Don't be fooled by the cover - it is 280ZX inside!

 

[SeanDezart]

Only 240s that sell mags then.......

 

[Mr Ex]

Only 240s that sell mags then.......

Well, a 280 won't will it?

 

[STEVE BURNS]

Oh such wit from the last two poster

One has a car with bits of a 280 on it I think and the other the owner of a kit car
notice the use of smilies

Proud to belong to One club all the Cars

 

[Mr.F]

Only 240s that sell mags then.......

Well, a 280 won't will it?

It's comments like those that simply fuel the pyre on which the 280ZX burns in the U.K. The intention of persuading Classic Car Weekly to cover the 280ZX is intended to regenerate some interest in the model and save the few remaining decent cars for the future...

 

[bigchef]

It's comments like those that simply fuel the pyre on which the 280ZX burns in the U.K. The intention of persuading Classic Car Weekly to cover the 280ZX is intended to regenerate some interest in the model and save the few remaining decent cars for the future...

Hurrumph for that man...

 

[Mr Ex]

Oh such wit from the last two poster

One has a car with bits of a 280 on it I think and the other the owner of a kit car
notice the use of smilies

Proud to belong to One club all the Cars

I know my car has a few 280 bits fitted namely the dizzy & coil & a clutch slave cylinder that means Sean's is a kit car.
Mmmmmm...... didn't know anyone made "Z" kit cars, you've kept that quiet Sean do they make 'em in France?

 

[Mr Ex]

It's comments like those that simply fuel the pyre on which the 280ZX burns in the U.K. The intention of persuading Classic Car Weekly to cover the 280ZX is intended to regenerate some interest in the model and save the few remaining decent cars for the future...

If that's the case Mike then someone interested in a 280 will see a 240 on the front & ignore the paper altogether so on that front someone has shot themself in the foot then.

 

[STEVE BURNS]

I know my car has a few 280 bits fitted namely the dizzy & coil & a clutch slave cylinder that means Sean's is a kit car.
Mmmmmm...... didn't know anyone made "Z" kit cars, you've kept that quiet Sean do they make 'em in France?

In danger of going off topic the thing that looked like a kit car with that funny spoiler at the front was normally painted orange and bronze
And they all lived of the back of a car that I believe never won a race

 

[Mr Ex]

And they all lived of the back of a car that I believe never won a race

If you are meaning Big Sam I thought he won a few races, he definately won the championship & that's what counts.

 

[Mr Ex]

Well, a 280 won't will it?

Talking of 280's I think they were only brought out to try better parts out to make 240/260s better ( a bit like a mobile test bed) because after that they completely changed everthing didn't they?

 

[STEVE BURNS]

They had to bring out the 280ZX Turbo because the S30 were so bloody slow

 

[JEZ 280ZX]

Hi,
Just to remind people that this thread is in the 280ZX section!...So if you haven't anything constructive to say...Don't bother!
It's hardly suprising that ZX owners and enthusiasts don't visit this forum very often!!

 

[STEVE BURNS]

Hi,
Just to remind people that this thread is in the 280ZX section!...So if you haven't anything constructive to say...Don't bother!
It's hardly suprising that ZX owners and enthusiasts don't visit this forum very often!!

So Sorry Jez
But don't try and blame this for ZX owners and enthusiasts not visiting this forum very often!
The reason they don't visit is there is not enough traffic here and that traffic is mostly too straight laced and formal to interest them

You are a user on the 300ZX site yourself and you know they have approx 150 post a day varying from technical stuff, mechanical question, personal stuff, ,jokes, banter, arguments and a bit of rubbish.

To most of the ZX owners the Z Club is thought of as a bit old fashioned and fuddy duddy we are very slowly changing that impression with a lot of the more longer timed 300 owners but the newer and younger owners of those cars see us mostly as a lot of old farts
IMHO we need all to try and work towards dragging the club and the forum towards what the younger and future membership want to belong to

 

[JEZ 280ZX]

So Sorry Jez
But don't try and blame this for ZX owners and enthusiasts not visiting this forum very often!........

Hi,
Not aimed at you Steve, as you obviously own a 280ZX!....If however I was a new owner of a 280ZX or 300ZX I don't think I would feel welcome here, as most on here seem to turn their noses up at mere ZX owners...even in this ZX dedicated part of the site!
Perhaps the new motto should be One Club, Only S30's!

 

[SeanDezart]

It's comments like those that simply fuel the pyre on which the 280ZX burns in the U.K. The intention of persuading Classic Car Weekly to cover the 280ZX is intended to regenerate some interest in the model and save the few remaining decent cars for the future...

Someone will say 'it's never too late'....but........!

Anyway, I'll say what I like, I've had a 2+2 and still got two two seaters in the garage - I'm doing my bit and over here 280ZXs are better kept than over there and worth more which helps - I know of several, including a 1980 auto that have sold in excess of £4500 !

Maybe what's killed 'em off is the easy temptation to make the S30s better, faster etc which have overshadowed the S130s - maybe another UK 'Z Club' did 'em too in for pushing only the earlier cars ?

My car has a 280ZX head, dizzy and rear brakes - there are some 280ZXs with less original bits on than my car has added so kit-car yourself - I aint broken down....yet Mr H. Robinson !

 

[STEVE BURNS]

Someone will say 'it's never too late'....but........!

Anyway, I'll say what I like, I've had a 2+2 and still got two two seaters in the garage - I'm doing my bit and over here 280ZXs are better kept than over there and worth more which helps - I know of several, including a 1980 auto that have sold in excess of £4500 !

Maybe what's killed 'em off is the easy temptation to make the S30s better, faster etc which have overshadowed the S130s - maybe another UK 'Z Club' did 'em too in for pushing only the earlier cars ?

My car has a 280ZX head, dizzy and rear brakes - there are some 280ZXs with less original bits on than my car has added so kit-car yourself - I aint broken down....yet Mr H. Robinson !

Oh Mr Bitchy
If I remember correctly When you owned your greenie you thought it was pretty when the oil warning light came on and thought you were really brave to try ditch hopping in a Z a few years ago or was that an attempt to see if it would float in the water that was running through the ditch
As usual readers not reading posts correctly never said your car was like a kit car I said it was a car with 280 bits on it and it don't have a funny spoiler or painted orange /bronze or have a misspelt word on the bonnet

And boy compared to the 280 turbo you S30 owners had to improve them as they were a bit snail like
Lets be honest they are a bit on the crude side when I had my 260 I had to build up muscles on my arms to steer the thing and wind up the windows

 

[SeanDezart]

One has a car with bits of a 280 on it I think and the other the owner of a kit car

Hee, hee - yours is more of a kit car than his though... !

The 280 turbo was introduced because the 280 had lost so much ground compared to the 240 !

You've destroyed as many cars as I and left someone else to keep your 260 on the road !

If you don't want to build up 'useless' arm muscles (I know your masticoids are over-developed) then fit power-steering on yer Zs !

I still have a red light flashing on my latest Z......but it's a shift light.

I refer back to my original comment which was 'reflected upon' by the man - it's still a shame that magazines need to stick up a completely unrelevant library photo of a car no longer belonging to that particular owner in order to attract people to buy and read an article that may leave them dissatisfied (as they bought it for Zs not ZXs) !

ZXs should be able to stand up for themselves and who for example is using them in historic racing ? They have a superb pedigree.....sorry, speak up ?

Fact is they were unloved by the press from the start, unaided by Datsun UK !