1979 280zx ?????

alright, my friend wants me to help him find a car that with some mods will haul ass. I found a 1979 Datsun 280ZX and I've heard that these are good cars and i was wondering what kind of performance they had and what kind of reliability they've got and all that good stuff. Basically i'm just wondering if it's a good way to go. Any help with advice or even some websites for upgrades that'd be great. Thanks in advance.

Okay, it's a dog off the line. It's not so bad if you manually shift it, but I have never raced ours for fear of embarassment. It's okay for reliability, but if it ever starts to load up, consider yourself up sh** creek with no paddle. If you want fast, go with an American car with a V8. A big block, if you can find one. I like to race with my 65 Buick Riviera. It's got the big block from the factory, and it's already fast from the showroom floor. It costs way too much to make any ricer fast, unless of course you're rich, or you just can't live without one of these. I'm about ready to scrap ours. Good luck.