1984 Nissan 300ZX Turbo

Oh, what a wonderful car. Oh, what a git I am for getting rid of this wonderful car. Good 0-60, good 60-100, five speed, 205 HP peak (with the turbo), independent rear suspension, good visibility, comfy seats... sigh.

Oh, what a wonderful car. Oh, what a git I am for getting rid of this wonderful car. Good 0-60, good 60-100, five speed, 205 HP peak (with the turbo), independent rear suspension, good visibility, comfy seats... sigh.

Really I've gone over all the hilights above. The '84 (First Year) Nissan 300ZX Turbo Coupe was an engineering marvel, mostly because there was only one recall (and one notice that I know of.) The rubber seals on the fuel injectors had a tendency to leak fuel on the head after a few years. This instigated a recall. The other thing, and the one *I* had to deal with, was the fact that nissan coated the workings of the headlight lever/switch with corrosive grease, necessitating the replacement of that module. Nissan however was dishonorable about this one, and didn't issue a recall in spite of the fact that it caused odd headlight operation, and killed one of my batteries.

Other than these two things, there was really nothing wrong with the '84. It has a strong engine (the 3 liter V6, which has been modified over the years and whose design is in use in nissans today) and a good turbo. The turbo was only run at 5psi, thereby ensuring it a long life. You can do some scary things with it, like cranking the boost to 12.5 psi. Note that this is not recommended unless you are willing to do a lot of other associated work, like installing an intercooler and putting metal gaskets in your engine. For more info see the Series I 300ZX Turbo Faq. (as long as it's down, try the archive here.)

My car had the usual assortment of body damage. I ended up installing a new right front quarter panel. I also lost a T-top, so I also bought two T-tops off an '87 turbo. The panels are different for EACH model of 300ZX, but the same within a series (so '84 to '89 use the same panels, but a Turbo and a non-turbo model are different.) Note that the little wind-cheater at the front of the T-top hole will push your T-top off at high speeds, so don't forget to lock it down! (Yes, I do feel like a schmuck.)

300ZX Links:

• The 300ZX Page This includes the absolutely wonderful Series I 300ZX Turbo FAQ.

Note: the Z31 FAQ on Z31.com appears to now have been down for years. I have linked a compressed copy to this node.