Jared Perry, the owner of this Shakotan-styled resto-mod ‘76 G-Nose Datsun 280z, is a Japanese car enthusiast. I guess that’s pretty obvious. And like a lot of us – he’s self-taught… learning/fixing/growing through mistakes, dreams, and a few lucky breaks. With a true passion for vintage cars & car culture, Jared’s the real deal. He’s at the point where humbleness & perseverance finally meet a certain level of confidence. And where a willingness to get your hand’s dirty… mixes with an all-out stubbornness to keep awesome old cars on the street.
Jared got this 280Z as a gift…
From a friend who was moving across the country & wasn’t going to be able to take it with him. The Datsun was nothing more than a bare/hollow shell at that point, but still a hell of a gift. And Jared had a vision for it:
“I wanted something that nobody really had stateside… and something that really mirrored Japanese cars from the past.”
Jared’s lucky to have been able to travel to Japan a lot over the past 20-or-so years, so he’s really developed a first-hand intuitive sense of Japanese styling & the soul that goes into building a vintage Japanese car. Nevertheless – Jared was already neck-deep in other projects when he acquired the Datsun, namely his RB powered FC RX-7, so the 280z would have to be patient just a little while longer.
While the Datsun 280z continued to sit idly in the California sun, Jared ventured on another one of his trips to Japan.
And while overseas, he made connections with a body shop owner, Tetsuia-San at TA-KI Works Body Shop in Okinawa. Jared shared some photos of the sitting S30, and was translating some eventual goals for the Z upon his return. Tetsuia nodded, and led him onto a G-Nose in a nearby city.
From there, as Jared puts it, “It snowballed.”
Jared secured the G-Nose annnnd some other parts, such as the Marugen Shoukai kit… which were all packaged up, shipped out, and would meet him back in California. He then began work on the car. A lot of work.
Within a few months, Jared had made tons of progress on the Z…
But he was still dealing with all the logistical headaches of trying to plot-out a complete restoration. He needed that extra push. There were many trips to various body shops, but with estimates all over the place, it’s hard to gauge a shop’s quality vs price on something custom like this. In other words, who’s arrogantly overcharging… versus who’s blindly undercharging and thus setting you up for heartbreak & disillusionment.
It was getting overwhelming…
The Marugen Shoukai kit needed extra work, and the skillset needed was honestly beyond Jared’s capability going at it alone. A superhero bodyman friend named Chumpot came to the rescue & offered his help. And with time, they made big strides.
The bodykit was eventually massaged into place, and the car was looking better than ever.
Viola! The Datsun then went to Erik at West Jones Auto for paint. Pieces came together, parts finally came to life, and a once barren shell transformed back into a vicious vintage Datsun.
Text by Wooley & Richy Contreras Photos by Richy Contreras
1976 Datsun 280z
ENGINE
F54 block, bored .50mm over
E88 head ported by Ruben at SoCal Porting
Delta reground camshaft
Triple 40 PHH Mikunis – tuned by Taka Sato at Kyushahousetaka
Polished engine components by Alan at Xtreme TPS
Champion radiator
SUSPENSION / DRIVETRAIN
BC custom coilovers with VERA sleeve bags
Techno Toy Tuning front & rear control arms
Silvermine rear axle kit
R200 differential
INTERIOR
Vintage Dashes dash
OEM gauges
AEM UEGO wideband
Hakone Motorsports half cage
Porsche 914 seats reupholstered by Alex at Alex Interior
Retrosound radio
EXTERIOR
Marugen Shoukai flares
Okinawa Special G Nose
Marugen Shoukai spoiler
…all fitted by Chumpot at Frolikalley
Paint by Erik at West Jones Auto
WHEELS
Advan A3A rebarreled by Steeve at 5onecustoms
Rear 16×12 -70 // Front 16×11.5 -68
Toyo Tires
*Like this car??? Try this one… or maybe this one… or even this one too! Or how ’bout a nice 510?
The 280z will forever be a Japanese Icon. Those curves are unforgettable. I really feel like Nissan has done a great job with honoring the roots of this car with the new Z! It’s an exciting time for Nissan as they didn’t necessarily short-sell their heritage like *ahem* – another major Japanese auto manufacturer.