1981 Datsun 280ZX (S130)

All 1979-83 280ZXs are S130 unibodies with minimal factory rustproofing, and UK examples have spent decades on salted roads. Corrosion starts inside box sections and shows at the lower sill seams, front and rear frame rails, floor pans, the battery tray and around the hatch; left unchecked it becomes structural and MOT-failable. Because few panels are reproduced, major rust repairs are expensive and often the economic write-off point for these cars.

Symptoms: Bubbling paint along sill seams and wheel-arch edges, Soft or holed floor pans beneath the carpets...

Est. repair cost: £1,000-£4,000

The 1981 facelift added the L28ET turbo with Nissan's ECCS electronic fuel control. ECCS-governed fuel-pump relays and modulators can fail, causing cranking without starting or stalling that clears when the ignition is reset, and the pump primes for only a few seconds with the ignition on. The earliest 1981 turbo was automatic-only with an unusual crank-trigger arrangement, so model-year identification matters. Turbochargers neglected on old oil lines lose boost and can destroy bearings, making repairs expensive relative to the car's value.

Symptoms: Engine cranks but will not fire, or stalls and will not restart, No audible fuel-pump prime when the ignition is switched on...

Est. repair cost: £400-£1,000

The S130 280ZX's L28E inline-six (and the L28ET turbo) uses a single-row timing chain with a tensioner and slipper. After 40-plus years the chain stretches and the tensioner foot wears, so cam timing retards and the chain can slap against the front cover: owners report poor low-speed power, a rough idle and a metallic rattle at cold start. A collapsed tensioner lets the chain slacken or jump a tooth, destroying cam timing and risking expensive internal engine damage on these low-value classics. A full timing chain and tensioner kit is the fix, but labour to reach the front of the long straight-six dominates the UK bill.

Symptoms: Metallic rattle or slap from the front of the engine at cold start, Poor low-speed power and a rough idle (retarded cam timing)...

Est. repair cost: £350–£800