Get stock used parts. Mazdanissanheaven.com or ebay is a pretty good place to find them. If you want your cruze control, heat/Defrost/Air Conditioning to work you will have to put the hoses back where they belong. Lots of people willing to help on the forums.
DON"T remove anything and throw it away, you may regret it later. Some parts are hard to find.
zcarsource.com, zcardepot.com, thezstore.com are good places.
Was the engine removed from the car? How did the fuel rail/injectors get damaged?
I have a 1981 and 1983 if you need pictures and hose routing.

 

Not sure how it was damaged but the rails look a bit bent but also have a few pinholes that leak when the system primes. A picture of the 83 would be a great help since some vacuum lines just seem to be completely missing

 

Anything you are deleting or plugging, do them one at a time and understand what each one does before disabling it.

 

Will do!

 

This always has worked for me, If you start with just one vacuum hose, let it lay out in full length, note what opening are close to the end of the hose, Most are right where the hose plays out ( it sort of shows you were that hose was last pugged into) and work on one hose at a time, it's easy to get confused if you never did something like this, put once you found a home for each hose, than once you get the engine started, you can work out any misses, Just take your time, they all have a home.

 

The EGR valve lets exhaust gas back into the intake manifold at cruising speed, causing a repetitive surge. You can remove / plug its vacuum hose or buy a block off plate.
Before emission controls, all Datsuns used ported vacuum for distributor advance. The ported vacuum for advance should read zero at idle and increase as you accelerate. It will be a tube at the throttle plate. Best to use a vacuum gauge to identify it but you can feel it with your finger. Use one hose from there to the distributor advance diaphragm.

The thermal vacuum switch defeats the vacuum advance to warm up the catalytic converter faster.
Early 280Zs didn’t have any vacuum advance except in 4th gear.

Changes may not be legal, and it's the responsibility of the owner.

 

Do you live in a state where you will have to have the car emission tested? How much experience do you have with working on cars in general? It sounds like the first thing you need is a fuel rail. When you remove the rail, remove the injectors with the rail. Unless they are physically damaged, you can send them in to be checked and cleaned. I sent mine to Mr. Injector. 18.00$ to have each cleaned or 100.00$ each to replace, Lots of places do this work. While waiting for the injectors to come back, order the o-ring seal kit for them. These
Fuel Injector Seal Kit 280Z 280ZX 75-83
and check each of the plastic adapters to see if they are cracked, if they are get new ones or you will have vacuum leaks. These
Fuel injector Base Holder Trigger 280Z 280ZX 75-83
When removing the wires from the injectors, the clips may or may not be in good shape. They are a old design and can be a pain to get off. There is a small wire that has to be manipulated to get them off. You may be able to just wiggle them to get them off.
Get a box of zip lock bags and put the screws/bolts/nuts you take off into separate bags and label them.
If you want to really learn about how your fuel injection system works and what the part are and what each one does watch this 20 part youtube video. Its old and the quality is late 70's early 80's but it is worth the time.

Can you post a picture of the drivers side of the your engine so we can see what you are up against and how much of the system has been messed with. 2 pictures please front half and back half of the engine not from the top but from an angle. Like this front and rear.

 

The car was engineered to work with systems intact, not deleted. IF you really know what you are doing you can make modifications that will not harm performance, but likely will cause emission problems (unless you completely change out the ECU for a modern one that can be programed). Simply deleting stuff from an existing well engineered system is generally not a good idea. A much better idea is to read the FSM understand how things work, then go about restoring as needed back to original factory specs.

 

Hello ZCAR community,
We just inherited a 1983 Datsun 280zx non turbo from our grandfather. There's a lot of memories attached to this vehicle so we want to do right by our grandfather and get this car running again. I know we have to replace the fuel rail as well as the injectors, they both have been damaged. So I guess the first question is:
What do you recommend for a replacement fuel rail and what injectors to go along with it?

Also the engine bay is a mess of hoses what would be the best way to go about deleting/plugging some of these vacuum lines?

What are some of the online stores and communities that can help out with someone new to the Z world?

Thanks!

Everyone is giving you sound advice, however if the fuel rail and injectors are toast, you can go to Godzilla Motorsport and order an after market single fuel rail and new Bosch (GM style) that makes this job very easy! It’s pricy, but so are the temperamental original injectors which hated ethanol gas. I believe the complete kit was around $750 from Godzilla for the rail (made by Paul Allnet) and six Bosch injectors. Kit also came with adjustable pressure regulator and good instructions.
The other BIG thing you need to check is to see if the outboard two exhaust studs (front left and right rear) are broke off. If so the intake and exhaust manifolds will need to come off to fix.
Scott C in Charleston, SC

 

I'd much prefer to keep a stock FI rail on it. You ought to be able to find a good used one.

Scott (above) is right about the typical broken off mounting studs.

 

I'd much prefer to keep a stock FI rail on it. You ought to be able to find a good used one.

Scott (above) is right about the typical broken off mounting studs.

Agreed! Many folks spend time and money to get the injectors done and suddenly realize it has massive exhaust leaks due to the warped manifold and broke studs. The other issue is not to strip out the upper intake bolts due to the trombone fuel rail clearance issues.
Scott C.

 

If you are not a skilled mechanic or familiar with these cars, I would not recommend pursuing the dream. The S31 cars are not desirable and too complicated for the novice.

 

You are entitled to your opinion, but the way most of us get familiar with our cars is to work on them. The S31 series is no different than any other vehicles in that respect.

And cars have grown steadily more complicated since the S31 series, yet many people still work on them.

 

Hello ZCAR community,
We just inherited a 1983 Datsun 280zx non turbo from our grandfather. There's a lot of memories attached to this vehicle so we want to do right by our grandfather and get this car running again. I know we have to replace the fuel rail as well as the injectors, they both have been damaged. So I guess the first question is:
What do you recommend for a replacement fuel rail and what injectors to go along with it?

Also the engine bay is a mess of hoses what would be the best way to go about deleting/plugging some of these vacuum lines?

What are some of the online stores and communities that can help out with someone new to the Z world?

Thanks!

I just restored a '79 280ZX. First, keep Zcar source in mind for parts. Sometimes you can find parts cheaper elsewhere, but they are very reliable. You didn't say how long the car has been sitting. If more than a year, pull the fuel sending unit from the tank and feel inside along the top for rust. If the tank is not smooth, have it cleaned and coated. Don't even think of getting rid of all those hoses. they are all needed and can be bought from your nearest parts store. Use a little glycerin either in the hose end or on the tube they are being put on. Cut all the hoses yourself and do one at a t time.
I bought rebuilt injectors from Zcar source and they work fine. Thye may have the rail as well. Use the stock rail.

Drain the old gas out of the tank, add some Fresh gas and try to start it. You can get rid of the old gas by putting a little at a time in your every day car. Be sure there are no lumps of rust in it.

Interior parts are hard to find so be careful if you have to do anything to the interior.

Have fun but take your time.