“It was supposed to be a daily.” If there’s a phrase uttered more often among car builders, I’ve honestly yet to hear it.
We tell this lie to ourselves all the time, but in this story Josh Wilson wasn’t the one to lie to himself, his friend did. Josh legitimately set out looking for a daily driver, and it was his friend Keegan who suggested a Z car would be a great choice.
At the time Josh wasn’t really into cars, at least not as much as he is today. But it didn’t take Keegan long to convince him that the sporty L28-powered Japanese coupe would make a great daily.
Add to the fact that the seller of this 280Z was even throwing in a second motor free of charge, what could possibly go wrong?
So Josh and Keegan bought the car and towed it home, then spent the entire night combining the parts from each L28 motor so the car would fire up the next morning.
Josh didn’t know it at the time, but in those 12 hours he was inducted into the world of car enthusiasm. By comparision, the several-hours-a-night schedule he would later adopt would be light work.
Prior to getting heavily involved with his 280Z, Josh had always worked with his hands. As a child he was the type to take apart dad’s VCR while he was away, and then scramble to put it back together before he returned.
He eventually turned that technical interest into a career as a mechanical engineer. At work Josh spends most of his time behind a desk, but when he gets home the slacks come off and the oil-stained jeans go on.
Through his therapeutic nightly wrenching sessions, the Z did wind up a fairly capable daily driver. But with his friend Keegan still operating as the devil on his shoulder, and his own angel fascinated with making the car better, things quickly got carried away.
The Z is Josh’s first build, and he soon became addicted to the feeling of accomplishment that comes with doing something yourself. Each successful DIY project led to another, which led to another and so on.
First Time’s A Charm
The Frankenstein L28 motor in Josh’s car was relatively healthy, but after he picked up a supercharged Dodge Magnum SRT8 as a new ‘daily’ the vintage six didn’t put the same smile on his face it once did.
So he sold that motor to another local Datsun enthusiast and picked up an LS1 for a quick shot of power.
To handle the increase in output, Josh upgraded the sway bars front and rear, and installed a set of Ground Control coilovers. After a few spirited drives, Techno Toy Tuning GTX2 front control arms and rear lower control arms were added to the mix.
Helping keep him out of the cabbage is an OEM+ big brake setup comprised of Z31, 240SX and 4Runner parts.
As a final act to keep the car firmly planted, Josh used ZG flares to accomodate wide Diamond Racing steel wheels shod in Hankook rubber.
We Can Rebuild
While enjoying the LS1 and upgraded suspension, one faithful day disaster struck. Josh and the Z found themselves on the losing end of a battle with some spilled oil and a pole. Thanks to a cage built by Garage Auto Hero, Josh was largely fine after the accident, but the same couldn’t be said for the Z.
With a show in four months, instead of sitting in the corner licking his wounds Josh hunkered down and set about rebuilding the car.
The driver’s door and rocker panel of the Z were completely destroyed, and though he’d never done it before, Josh managed to replace all the twisted metal himself. A bit of luck enabled him to find a 280Z in a local junkyard and he used parts from that car to fix his own.
Having made his way through bringing the body from pretzel to straight, Josh decided to tackle something he’d had on his mind for a while: custom aero. Taking his vision from idea to reality was one of Josh’s favorite parts of the build.
The custom package starts with a new front bumper and splitter.
This is followed up by Skillard side skirts, plus a custom rear diffuser and complementary rear spoiler. Keeping the custom body work rolling, fender bracing was added, and to finish tightening everything up a Bad Dog rear frame rail reinforcement was fitted.
Coming in just ahead of his four-month timeline, Josh opted to skip paint and leave the Z in primer grey.
Comeback Kid
Already hooked on LS power, Josh raised the stakes when his car was off the road. The LS1 was stroked and fitted with CNC-ported 243 cylinder heads, a 234/246 cam, and Brian Tooley Racing double valve springs and retainers.
The real kicker added to the mix in round two of the build was an LSA supercharger pushing 12psi of boost. There’s a T56 6-speed manual transmission, Drivelines NW driveshaft, and R200 LSD with Z31T axles to help get all the newfound to the ground.
Inside the car is pretty much all business. The factory door cards have been replaced with Skillar units and the seats are Sparco Grids shod in Takata Racing harnesses. There’s also a Sparco wheel and a host of Auto Meter Phantom gauges. It’s a spartan setup, but a little brushed aluminum around the place goes a long way in making it look quite refined.
Now well and truly addicted to building and driving, Josh has a few more items left on his list to tick off before he deems the project complete.
Paint is the most obvious missing link, but before that he wants to work on keeping the engine cool. An entirely new cooling package is on the list, along with an upgraded methanol injection setup to replace the Snow Performance system currently employed. From there, a new tune will be thrown at the motor with the hopes of hitting 700hp.
The Datsun might not have turned into the daily driver it was initially meant to be, but Josh really has no regrets.
To be fair, if my ‘daily driver’ evolved into something like this I wouldn’t have any regrets either. Just a lighter wallet.
Dave Thomas
Instagram: stanceiseverythingcom
Photography by Keiron Berndt
Instagram: keiron_berndt
Keiron Berndt Photography
Josh Wilson’s Datsun 280Z
Engine:
Stroked 6.3L LS1 block, Forged Lunati rotating assembly, 11.5:1 static compression, 243 casting cylinder heads with Ai 232cc CNC porting, BTR dual beehive valve springs and retainers, 234/246-116+4 BTR camshaft, ported oil pump, LS3 front accessories, LSA supercharger running 12psi, 102mm throttle body & MAF, 80lb injectors, Snow Performance Stage 2 methanol injection, Accusump oil accumulator
Driveline:
T56 6-speed transmission, lightened 18lb flywheel, Monster stage 2 clutch, Drivelines NW driveshaft, R200 LSD with Z31T CV axles
Suspension/Brakes:
Ground Control coilovers, upgraded sway bars 1.0-inch front 3/4-inch rear, Techno Toy Tuning GTX2 front control arms, Techno Toy Tuning rear lower control arms, Toyota 4Runner front calipers with Z31 rotors, 240SX rear calipers & Z31 rotors
Wheels/Tires:
Diamond Racing steel wheels, Hankook tires
Exterior:
Wide ZG fender flares, custom front splitter, custom front bumper, Skillard side skirts, custom rear diffuser, custom rear spoiler, Bad Dog frame rail reinforcement, custom fender bracing, custom rear subframe bracing, custom radiator core support & front strut supports
Interior:
Roll cage by Garage Auto Hero, Custom rocker bracing with seat mounts, Skillard door cards, Auto Meter Phantom gauges, custom wiring harness & switch panel, Sparco steering wheel, Sparco Grid seats