Minneapolis Street Sighting: Datsun 280Z

I realize I already featured a Z-car this fall; I am aware of the fact. Unlike the blue and silver Turbo model, this normally aspirated car is an earlier model, made during the oil crisis rather than the later years, known as the Malaise Era.
What sets this yellow 280Z apart from its later brother, are two stark contrasts; first up, the condition. Unlike the 280ZX Turbo I shot, this particular Z seems to be in rather decent condition for a Minnesota car. Yes, the paint is faded, and the yellow seems remarkably drab versus the shiny paint on the later car. The second stark contrast would be the level of options. Since this is an earlier car, it is bare-boned than the much later Z I shot before this one. No aluminum crosslace wheels, it lacks scoops and louvers abound, and certainly there are no distinctive emblems, save for the Datsun logo and 280Z fender script.
But that's no bad thing. On older cars, I much prefer simplicity. Although time-period graphics and logos are certainly cool in a kitschy way, they do nothing but draw the enthusiast away from the car itself. On most cars, the examples I tend to shoot are the bare-boned versions. Certainly there's no harm done in passing over gaudy, stickered-up cars in favor or clean ones, right?
Although this vehicle is pretty straight on the surface, it does suffer from typical Nissan hatch rot. There are two large exposed rust areas, which I'm sure are hiding a much bigger problem underneath. The hatch alone makes me fear what the other rust-prone areas are hiding. Could there be doorjamb rust? Likely. Underhood crevice rust? Probably. Frame rot? Not sure, though I wouldn't be surprised.
Would I do anything to this example before I "dibbed" it? Of course. Would I change the main presentation of the vehicle itself? No, I wouldn't; I'd simply fix the rust, and drive it as-is.