Honda cars less dependable than Toyotas?

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

 

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.

 

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

 

The 280Z weighs well under 3,000 pounds, right around 2800 pounds iirc.

I dropped that about 100 pounds by removing the bumpers from both of
mine and a friend with a 1977 model adapted a set of the smaller bumpers
from a 240Z with very nice results.

Also, I owned a 1978 280Z with a 5-speed and a 1976 280Z with a 4-speed,
and the 280Z with the 4-speed was the faster top-end car because it had
a little more power after some "upgrades".

That 280Z hit the maximum speed in 4th gear, 5th was basically an
overdrive.

My brother had a 1971 240Z with a 350 V8 conversion, now that was an
interesting car.

Pat

 

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.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
localnet
dot com

 

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

 

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

 

True, but how does one reach such a conclusion?

 

Sounds like a nice setup!

 

Pretty easy at this point. You can leave the left side as is, but I
usually raise both sides and set the car on jack stands (makes it easy
to check CV boots on both sides at the same time). I remove the R/F
wheel, which gives me a lot of room. Open the drain plug & drain the oil
.... new washer & use a torque wrench to tighten the drain plug. I can
remove & replace the filter (OEM) from a sitting position. Once the
drain plug's been retightened - I'm done under the car.

The local Autozones accept used engine oil for recycling, so no problem
there (I save a gallon container from spring water, which takes the bulk
of the used oil, with a bit in a quart bottle the new oil came in). I
try to buy my new engine oil (Castrol GTX 5W20) from them as a thank you
for recycling used oil (pretty much don't shop there otherwise). I have
a hydraulic floor jack and stands which makes things pretty easy, plus
at this point I know which wrench to use for which nut (19mm lug nuts &
17mm drain plug). If I'm pressed for time, it's pretty quick.

 

Persoanl opinions / experiences. The Pinto was cheap, got decent gas
mileage, never failed, lasted forever.

The Sable was dead solid reliable. I drove it for 143,000 miles, sold
to a freind who drove it past 200,000 before totaling it in a crash.

I had a 1981 Plymounth Reliant that was purchased new. It was in the
shiop at least once a month for the 10 months that I suffered through
owning it. It did drive nicely, when it was mobile. The 1983 Toyota
Cressida was just a rolling POS. Something was constantly wrong with.
I could count on a new alternator every summer. The paint just
disolved. The interior plastic discolored and warped. The AC crapped
out in less than 3 years. The automatic transmission failed, etc.,
etc. AND, it drove like a ten year old pick-up with half the cylinders
disconnected. It was a horrid horrid waste of scrap iron.

I just loved the Thunderbird. Never should have sold it.

The 1969 Station Wagon saved my ife. I was only in one bad collision,
and I came out without a scratch. The car was a tank. Even today, if
you asked me to be involed in a crash with the most air bagged
equipped Honda you can buy, or that '69 Wagon, I'd pick the '69 wagon.

Ed

 

It's not gov't managed.

Do you believe in Father Christmas, free markets, the withering away of
the state, etc.?