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Re: Honda cars less dependable than Toyotas?

Had a 75 280Z, the 1st yr with fuel injection. Never had a lick of

> problems, except for a thermotime switch at about 15k miles which > made it run rich like a stuck choke. A friend with a 76 model had > the same experience.

My 280Z was a 1975 also, a very early 1975. It was recalled once for a fuel injection problem. I had to modify the car to kill off the "feature" that prevented the engine from dropping back towards idle properly while shifting. I had continual problems with the clutch / transmission (as previously noted). About once a month a wheel cover would go flying off into the weeds when I was going around a corner (I usually could find them). When the wheel covers weren't flying off, they "ticked." After the car was out of warranty it developed a stalling problem. The dealer tried to charge me for a fuel pump until I expalined to them I had already verified it wasn't the fuel pump...then they mysteriously figured out it was a loose connection under the dash. After three months in Michigan the car started rusting around the rear fenders. If you let the fuel level drop below about

1/4 tank the car would miss going around curves (apparently it would pick up air). The seat material was not durable. The power antenna had to be replaced. After I sold the car to a friend, he had the exhaust system collaspe internally (killed the power / mileage). I never had a problem with my actual fuel tank, although I heard later models with plastic fuel tanks did have problems.

Compared to most cars I owned around the same era, it was not a model of reliability. It was also a horrible autocross car. It was significantly slower than the Ford Fairmont I replaced it with (which BTW, I ended up hating). Despite all this, I loved the 280Z. It was one of the best looking cars of the last 50 years and was a terrific bargin. It was the most comfortable Japanese car I ever owned. Within months of selling it and buying a "sensible" sedan to replace it, I wished I had kept the Z. Oh well..it was not the last time I made a bad car buying decision.

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White
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"C. E. White" wrote in news:hp2d75$lmg$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:

Now *that's* lateral g's !

One reason they don't use standard gas tanks in race cars. The other of course is to stop from the fuel pooling and catching fire and burning the driver to death, like what almost happened to Niki Lauda at the 'ring.

Nothing would be - in a straight line, but on a track (road *not* oval) the Fairmont wouldn't stand a chance.

Reply to
chuckcar

I don't know. I had better luck autocrossing the Fairmont than the

280Z. My 280Z was the very early ones with the HUGE bumpers. They weighed a ton and could knock down buildings. I had a little old lady in a Chevy repeatedly back into mine when she was trying to make room to get out of a parking space and she didn't leave a scratch on the front bumper. The 1975 280Zs were also jacked up compared to earlier 240Z's. This was done to put the bumpers at the "correct" height. All this really screwed up the handling. It rolled in turns worse than the Fairmont and didn't have near the power. I think a good driver (not me) probably could have out run the stock 280Z on any course with the Fairmont. I am sure if I had lowered the Z and installed better shocks and tires it would have done better, but I kept mine stock. I think the most disappointing thing about the Z was how slow it was. Top speed was less than 120 - and the only time I got that was on a long down hill run. Of course they only claimed 140 HP (net / 170 gross) for the engine and mine only had the 4 speed. With a 5 speed I suspect the top speed could have exceed 120. My 280Z weighted close to 3500#, and the Fairmont wasn't much different. The bumper standards really hurt the 280Z.

Still I loved it. Wish I had it today (well minus the ineveitable rust).

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

"C. E. White" wrote in news:hp2kmm$jdq$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:

My sister had a 260Z,and I found it would only reach 115MPH.

I was very disappointed at the time,as a guy in a Caddy was trying to kill me with his car,and passing me easily(the LLB kept trying to run me off the road).My sister was in the passenger seat at the time,hysterical. I eventually escaped him by subterfuge and a pack of traffic. He went for the head fake.

Reply to
Jim Yanik

I cut my teeth at a Datsun performance shop in the late '70s, and worked on these things for 3 years. We sold a performance package, springs struts and sway bars that really made the Z cars and 510's come alive. It was an invaluable education, learning porting, cam set-up and valve geometry (chevy LUV rocker arms, selective lash caps and a ton of prussian blue) 5 angle valve grinding; knife edging cranks, shot peening rods, mod'ing SU's and Weber setup, distributer curving, diff setup and transmission o-haul including welding clusters all in house. I wasnt paid much but made real good money on the side. Ah..the good ole days.. Ben

Reply to
ben91932

Yes, they could be made to handle quite nicely. My upgrades did little for the power but a lot for handling.

This is the front piece that I had on my 280Z.

It did not do much for protecting the hood, but it looked nice, imho, and weighed a LOT less than the tank bumpers.

The rear bumper was removed and smoothed over, a lot of people thought that I was driving a 240Z.

Might be time for me to subscribe to a Datsun newsgroup too.............

Pat

Reply to
pws

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