We're getting the 1978 Datsun 280Z back on the road and registered for the first time in decades. Instagram: / fingerprintsworkshop Patreon: / ronaldfinger Merch: ronald-finger.creator-spring....
Good news! If you procrastinate until 2025 you will no longer need to pass a safety inspection in Texas as they are removing that requirement. I believe in you!
Emission inspections will still apply in locations such as Houston and DFW, but if the car is 25 years old or older, that requirement drops as well. If you register as an Antique (vehicle must be 25 years old or older) then you are exempted from inspections (safety or emissions) of any sort, the registration period is 5 years vs. 1, and it's less expensive to boot. A great option if the car is not daily driven.
This is probably the best car restoration video I've ever seen. you somehow combine pacing, humor, and knowledge into something so enjoyable to watch. Instant sub after watching parts 1 and 2.
Just FYI, when you get to that point, Holley now makes plug-and-play LED headlights called RetroBright that replicate the old 7" sealed beam style and still look 100% original when off. In other words, 3x more light output, but they don't look like typical "fuTuRisTic" LED lights. You can also choose between modern white 5700K or "warm" white 3000K color temps that more closely matches the original look. They're not exactly cheap at $200 per light, but that price includes the actual 7" housing as well as the bulb and plug-and-play harness at that price (when the time comes to replace, you swap only the bulb at a lower cost). IMO, it's money well spent. Being able to actually SEE (and be seen) reliably at night in an older car is a game changer.
i found those 6 years ago in spades (not sold through holley).. but could not find a 5" 4 bulb sets except mailed from India (at least in glass) and then was unclear what bulb they would take, etc. LOL at $200 though it is and will be same $10-20 they've been, just LEDs now that that isn't a magical price multiplier.
A brake drum spinning at high speeds held only by a 3D printed mount is one of the sketchiest things I've seen in years, and as a sketchy mechanic myself I 100% approve 😂
@supramike18 On my old Russian sidecar outfits the drums would go a bit oval under hard use. This was solved by fitting an old set of brake shoes with 200 grade sand paper stuck to the linings, gradually adjusting the brake in as the bike was ridden, taking off the high points in the alloy drum and removing the ovalness. I’ve never used any other method. 😊👍
As a 60yr old dude who's worked on so many cars in this condition, I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this. The editing, the humor......LOL.....so great. You've got great talent(s), and you're a solid mechanic!! I literally yelled out, "Winner!" when you lit the tires and drove out of the carport.
Your brake lathe is so terrifying I actually moved backwards in my chair when you first started it up. Brave? Foolish? Successful? You're truly the full package.
I found you because of this project. While waiting for a new part of this series I watched the whole Fiero Series and your two Garage renovation videos. :D I have become a huge fan of this channel and of you as a person. Thank you for making this quality of Art in Video form on RU-vid. You are awesome! Greetings from Germany, Friedrich!
@@Thomsonicus I'm sure he's going to go back to something akin to that format once we get into the really time consuming stuff. With this episode mostly qualifying as "basic maintenance" I appreciated that we got more of the witty humor as a stand-in for the technical deep-dives we're going to see once stuff like removing frame rails start entering the equation.
Woo! My favorite gas tank repair channel! Kidding, of course. Your determination and perseverance with all your projects is a real wonderful thing to see. Love your work!
AAAAHHHH, you've outdone yourself, Ronnie! The humor, the EDITING, the everything! So satisfying to see the 280Z running properly enough to pass inspection, yaaaay! Full resto is gonna be a treat. You take your time with it, the wait is SO worth it!
Outdone? Bruh a brain tumor appeared from me watching this... Not change the oil and clean everything BEFORE running the engine ... Wth you mean outdone??? Also b*thing about 70$ brake drums DUDE FK YOU MEAN you gotta stop the car safety measures, also the rust like you dead if someone crashes into you buying the Z means you have to have a good budget to buy 2 of those
The editing and humor and everything in this is just top notch, Ronald! Been watching for forever and it's so awesome to see how this channel has continued to evolve and improve over time.
Man, I'm only 3 minutes in to this and I have to say, you really stepped up your editing game on this one and it shows! You are using animations and sound effects wonderfully here to highlight unspoken details and elevate your natural humor. Great work. I'm rapt for the next one.
I'm a 29 year old girl who doesn't care about cars but loves the repair process and one more thing that gets me back to your channel: dude you are quite the STORYTELLER! the edit is on point! Hats off too you!
Huge respect to you for how much effort you put into these videos. Hours of work turned into an awesome experience through even more hours of editing is nothing to sneeze at.
We've been a fan of your channel since you started the Fiero project years ago. We never miss an episode - and are glad to see progress coming along on the Z. You've got a great sense of humor, and appreciate your efforts in editing your videos so cinematically. Keep up the great work and we look forward to more videos!
Working on cars is a love hate relationship, I have a 81 280zx and I've had problems with evap leaks, rust holes and fuel injectors/lines but it's a process it's great seeing another z brother working on getting it to run 💯
My good friend was lucky to have been hired by Datsun of Missoula in 1975 and within a short period was sent to school to be trained to reset the ignition timing and injector system on all their Z cars. This was due to most of Montana being much much higher than sea level that the factory settings were at. Unhook the odometer and "test" them all.
This video was a treat! It's my first time seeing a video of yours and I'll definitely be following the build! The amount of problem solving and diagnostics you went through will hopefully help any new car enthusiasts thinking to pick up a project!
The My Mechanics channel is also doing a complete restoration on a Datsun Z car. His is a 240Z that he imported from the US to, I think, Switzerland. He's got everything off, including the frame, with the body on a rotisserie. I think his most recent short was capping the side marker lights since they aren't required for Euro operation. Thanks for sharing your amazing work.
The editing in this is so fucking good It flows so well, i appreciate every little bit that was done here, from the animation down to the " .png " removal of the useless parts. And i also appreciate just the right amount of not obnoxious memes and stuff put in.
Man my day is made whenever you post a video. From amazing humor to phenomenal editing. You always make it more than a car a restoration video. Hatsoff Sir
22:56 the moment you sprinted out of the garage, i literally shouted. What a great restoration this is. And hands down on how you execute the whole video!
The frequency of video releases doesn't bug me at all. These projects take time. It's nice to get a little update every so often and see how things have been going. Nice work!
I had lost track of your channel for a year or so and I'm so happy that I actually had saved some music you linked in a previous video to your soundcloud as I loved it, thank you Ronald for your awesome videowork. Cheers
I don't comment much on RU-vid channels. But, this have to be one of the best informational automotive stories I've seen in a while. I own a Subaru Impreza WRX STI imported from Okinawa and I can not wait to work on my car the way you did yours.
@RonaldFinger you don't always upload frequently, but when you do, its always worth watching the content in its entirety! Keep up the great work! Been a fan since the beginning! 👍
Soon as you said "it just had power and now it doesn't" I knew exactly what was going on. 25 year Datsun Z veteran here. Also, I physically felt your pain on that fuel tank. It's been an ongoing struggle for me for many years
Been watching your channel since the beginning of the Fiero restoration, love this stuff so much. Really admire your willingness to see things through as well as your video skillz.
I'd consider myself a pro-level mechanic, and I am insanely entertained by your videos. I've done several frame-off restorations in the past, built many engines (everything from Mazda rotary to a big block Chevy) and am currently working on two AMC Gremlin nut-and-bolt restorations. So I can't say I am really "learning" anything, but damned if I'm not totally entertained. The Fiero project was awesome, as were the Garage videos. I watch you do things like try to turn the drums on a bench grinder, knowing full well that it's a huge mistake and that nothing good is going to come of it, and darned if you don't always seem to pull it off. Production value has definitely improved since the early days, and you're a really funny dude. So thanks for the videos. Least I can do is buy a shirt.
This channel is hands down one of my favorites to watch. Always good content with just the right amount of sarcasm and whit mixed in for comedic effect, and the editing is second to none. I hope you heathens appreciate the level of professionalism young Ronald puts into these videos. Excellent work sir, keep up the good work!
I miss my 1980 280ZX soooo much. I bought one in 1998 for $2k with 190k miles. I drove it cross country from Cali to Indiana. Less then a year later it got rear ended and totaled while parked on the street. Man I loved that car. Which reminds me, there was a junk yard in NoCal near Sacramento that had nothing but Z cars on it's lot. I always relied on them for parts. Wonder if it's still around.
Great video. In my HS years the 280z was my dream car. My friend had one (it was a dogged out POS but still) and it was good times. Those flat 6 engines are hard to kill.
The shot leading up to the 23 minute mark was INCREDIBLE. Whether is was acting or your good fortune to catch such a genuine reaction, I feel like I could see the gears turning in her head like “geez, Ron sure took off loud…..wait that was tire squeal……HOLY SHIT HE FIXED IT” great work
Hello again! It was fun to bump into you at Lowes and get to talk a few minutes and see the car in person! I saw the new video pop up and told my wife we had to watch it. Next time you have to renew your tags and if you don't drive it all that much, you can register it as antique for like $55 for five years, with no inspections needed. That's what i have on my antique truck. It saves a good chunk of money you can put toward the gas tank in your next project! 😂 Hopefully we will see you around town again soon or at the car meet one of these days!
Those 6 cylinders are immortal, it was clearly struggling at first. As you said, very dangerous what you did with the drum brakes haha. Yeah gas tanks are a pain. No oil change? REALLY? Hahaha. Great video! It was very entertaining! And insightful for those new in cars
I just bought a 280zx…it hasn’t ram in idk how long, the wiring is a mess. The rails are falling apart, and i do not even want to think about the gas tank. But after watching this video, i fell motivated to start working on it!
These are some of my favorite cars of all time. So excited to watch the restoration videos. To anyone who missed the Fiero restoration series, I highly reccomend you go check that out. Cheers dude.
I paid a grand for a 78 280z that has title issues, floorpan rust, i ripped the carpet out cause it was rotting, and now looking at this video reminded me just how much work im going to have to put into it fun
So pleased you got it running. I think we're always in tune with your emotions throughout the video with the struggles and triumphs so it feels super rewarding when it goes well 😁
It felt like deja vu watching this, my 280z has been a super similar experience, I got it running nice and this weekend is when I get to put the tank back in and drive it on the road for its first time in over 2 decades.
