1978 Datsun 280Z

I wanted to mold something, magic a creature, something that would send a thrilling chill down the spine of the neighbourhood kids as it snuck by at the zebra crossing. So the inspiration is largely derived from exhibit B, C and D.



Octopus will recognise these ⇈, and potentially these ↓ - Credit to Jan Trondsen's amazing rendering work and thanks to Alan Thomas (S20) and his incredible archive of S30 photos, without him we'd be a lot poorer when it comes to knowing things about these cars.

This is fricking awsome! I love what you want to do with it! Pure sex wee.

Nice car and a good read. Hope you leave the stickers, they're really cool

That looks pretty solid for a 40yr old Datsun, I can remember seeing these when I was a kid in the early 80's and they were all falling apart with terminal rust.

That's a beauty in the making! Good luck. Here's some inspiration for you;

You guys couldn't be any further from the truth with "that looks like a pretty solid one" and "looks pretty solid for a 40yr old Datsun"
oh little do ye know.





That is nearly an inch thick of multiple layers of filler. This was on the front wings where the previous owner had fashioned in some rather pointless vents, given how far gone these wings were, there were beyond saving and I scrapped them. Unfortunately this wasn't even half the story of what was to come. After stripping the shell I had it AA'd to go get blasting just out side of Gosfield in Essex at 'Air Blast'



It wasn't so pretty when it came back. Roll over damage and maybe a rear end shunt at some point.



Passenger side C pillar roof joint



Passenger side A pillar roof joint



Passenger side dog leg panel



Front of driver side sill/rocker



Driver side dog leg panel & door jamb



Base of driver side A pillar



Driver side rear quarter panel



Driver side C pillar



Airblast said it was one of the worst accident covered up with bondo repair cases they'd ever come across. it was inches thick in some places to cover up the atrocious botch roof repair - a mix of braze, weld and oxy-melted in lead.

Lightweight spending spree

Lexan rear screen, 1/4 window set, windows with race grade sliders






Imported carbon fibre boot and bonnet, NOMEX foam cores - thanks to John Coffey at betamotorsports.com, incredibly helpful guy. Picked up a full bushings set, new rubber for all the windows as well as some other bits and pieces.

Picked up some fibreglass front wings off ebay, £47, needing some love




Now it's worth mentioning, it was around this point, (September last year) I left to live in North America for two years on a research masters degree. This obviously meant work would stop.

Solution: Malcolm Vardy, the 'dude' to many of you and owner of www.mig-welding.co.uk

Ooohh I absolutely love 240's and that looks like a pretty solid one I've been looking lustfully at the full fibreglass bodies you can get, maybe one day I'll buy one and spaceframe it. No harm in dreaming eh Oh, and the future looks promising going on yu renderings!

nice one. PLEASE leave the Undertaker's union sticker on there. I **so** want that for my car. Please to take many hi-res photo and mail to me so I can replicate...

Good luck with the project

Z cars rock! Good man for saving that.

Your renders are superb. My plans for my Z are nearly identical to what you have planned which could get awkward