Kevin's 400+ WHP 75' 280z 2+2

Kevin’s son found us on Instagram back in 2018 when we were just starting out, and inquired about building a L28ET engine for his dad. What would eventually turn out into a full blown legendary build, started out as a father/son project, in which the son wanted to build a nice turbo 280z for his dad, after building several admirable Datsuns himself. After about a month or so of collaborating back and forth with Kevin Jr., we get a phone call from Kevin Sr., with a different vision for the overall build of the car.

Once Kevin Sr., took the reigns on the direction of the build, what started as a simple engine build, slowly morphed into not only our first high-profile build, but one that we constantly refer to as the golden standard for anyone wanting a 400+ whp build. We were also honored to have this vehicle as a partial development vehicle during it’s time here. Many of our products that we initially built for this car, ended up becoming standard offerings in our online catalog. To name a few, our S30 intercooler kit, Dual SPAL fan kit, Oil cooler kit, and Megasquirt 2 Plug and Play w/ LS2 multi-coil spark were all torture tested on this car, and dyno proven.

After building the engine, and putting it in, we get a phone call from Kevin Sr. again with a nice surprise. He went ahead and shipped us a HKS GTIII-4R T4 turbocharger. At this point we knew several other portions of the build would need to be upgraded. Everything from the drivetrain, exhaust, to the fuel system would need to be looked at and re-worked. At this point we opted for upgrading to a 240sx 5-speed, a better clutch/flywheel combo, and a complete flex fuel add-on to his Megasquirt system so he could run e85 for his power tune.

Once we finished our portion of the build, the car went back home to Kevin Sr. for him to start on the aesthetics of it. He sourced a complete Carbon Signal Automotive Moonbeam kit, and retro-fitted it for the 2+2. He also had the interior completely re-done, as well as a beautiful 3-stage pearl paint job. He capped it off with a custom widened set of Weds Autobahn wheels and Toyo R888r tires.

All of this work was completed over the course of 3 years, and just in time for Autorama in 2021. Shortly thereafter, Kevin decided a proper higher HP gear box was in order, and came back to us for the final portion, which was one of our CD00A 6-Speed conversion kits, capable of well over 600whp. The pictures do not do this car justice, and if you have the opportunity to see it in person, it really is a beautifully done car.

ENGINE SPECS

EXTERIOR SPECS

  • BC Racing BR-Series Coilover Kit

  • Apex Engineered Adjustable Front Subframe Kit

  • Apex Engineered Rear Lower Control Arm Kit

  • Apex Engineered Front Strut Bar

  • Arizona Z Car Billet R180 Mustache Bar

  • Silvermine Motors Wilwood 4-Piston Front Caliper Kit

  • Z Car Depot Rear Disc Brake Conversion Kit

  • Custom Weds Autobahn Wheels (16x10)

  • Carbon Signal Automotive Moonbeam Widebody Kit

  • Skillard Automotive Rear Diffuser

  • Rear 1/4 Window Louvers

  • Rear Hatch Louvers

  • Euro Spec Tail Lamps

INTERIOR SPECS

  • Speedhut GPS Speedometer w/ Fuel Level Gauge

  • Speedhut Tachometer

  • Speedhut Water Temperature Gauge

  • Speedhut Oil Pressure Gauge

  • Speedhut Wideband O2 Gauge

  • Speedhut Boost Pressure Gauge

  • Gun Metal Grey Billet Shift Knob

  • Vintage Air HVAC System

Christopher Miller