Interior – Page 2 – the DAILY DATSUN

March 21, 2012

New Seats: 25% done

I finally found some time this morning and re-upholstered the seat back…yes, just the back.
Previously I purchased 1976 styled 280z seat covers for my 1977 (my year had the plastic “basketweave” styled backrest, ugh), and now it’s time to put them on.

Check it:

And I’ve got to say, my forearms burn like i just went rock climbing!

Here’s some of my feedback on the process. If you’re looking at recovering you’re own seats, here’s what I did, and it may help you.

1) Take off of the old covers – I paid special attention to how the old covers were put on, and it made a difference. My 1977 280z “basketweave” seat covers were held down by metal prongs / tangs, and two sets of metal rods for reinforcement. The front face of the seat cover is under the back face. And the prongs pierce through the vinyl.

What was interesting was this seat arm “pocket” on a single side of the seats – none of them had been used! The arms were attached on top of the pockets instead of inside of them (though the original fit looks intentional).

There were metal reinforcement rods along the edges that will need to be removed and reused for the new seat covers.
Always remember to label just in case!

Like taking off a shirt, there’s two ways of taking off an old seat cover: 1) starting from the headrest, 2) starting from the bottom and rolling up.
There is a flap of extra material that hold down the seat cover snug to the seat between the headrest and the back.
If this flap has disintegrated like mine has, then you can just shimmy off the old cover like a shirt (method 1).
If the flap is still intact, then you’ll have to roll up the cover from the bottom (method 2), undo the hog rings, and then take off the cover.

Very surprising – the back wasn’t foam material at all! The seat back padding is this straw-like material that is semi-dense and springy. With the vinyl, i’m sure it’s provides a good amount of breathing for the back.

You can also see the disintegrated cotton flap that previously help hold the seat cover taught. The new 1976 seat covers have vinyl flaps to hold the material down.

On to the new seat cover! Here you can see the flap that lays between the headrest and seat back, and the hog rings that keep it there. There’s also a metal rod through the flap to help reinforcement it.
I ended up getting new hog rings at home depot (chain link fencing aisle), as well as hog ring pliers. HOG RING PLIERS AREN’T REALLY NECESSARY. It takes a touch of finesse, but I was able to manage with just needle nose pliers.

“Put the cover on like a condom”. That’s actually pro advice from a friend who used to work summers at this father’s upholstery shop. And he was right. Invert the cover first. Then starting with the headrest put the cover on, rolling back on the rest of the cover on to the seat. When you get to flap between the headrest and the back, hog ring it down to the metal rod that’s between the two paddings. And continue to roll down. Putting on seat covers work best when the vinyl is warm.

Inserting the metal rod at the end of the seat cover.

Work the vinyl downwards starting from the headrest on down to the bottom – almost like massaging it down. This will really help you be able to pull the covers tight, and get the ends around the prongs.

Cut holes for the seat arms.

Installed

Seat re-covering takes quite a lot of patience and arm muscle – but certainly more of the first. You need to be patient and work the vinyl from the top down, continuously. This will help with the fit, and certainly when you need to secure the seat cover ends to the seat back frame / prongs.

Additionally, i should probably re-do this one after the passenger seat gets done – there’s excesses material in the upper bolsters that should be mounted down and lie flat on the chair. To do this, my friend suggested that i use spray glue / mounting adhesive. I’m sure this technique will require some practice to be good at it, as drying time, and allowing for stretch are major factors.

I wish I could pass down where these came from, but the previous owner can’t remember where / whom he’d bought them from. I’d give them about an 8/10 – good quality, decent fit (could be a touch better).

1.5 seats more to go.

March 6, 2012

240z Steering Wheel refurbished – part 1

A few weeks ago, I picked up a series 1 (slotted spoke) Datsun 240z wood rimmed steering wheel for the 280z at a great bargain.

Took some time this past Sunday to give it a good clean up and re-paint!
Sanded, 2 coats of primer, 3 coats of paint and a 2 coats of matte clear coat.
Didn’t come out too bad, but I think it could use a buff and another coat of clear just to be safe (and some of the matte clear came out patchy).

I’ve determined the wood grain on the wheel is actually worn pretty heavily, and needs a stain to bring it back to it’s former cherry color glory. That’ll be for “part 2”.

March 2, 2012

Seat Covers Coming In!

Pop open the door, what’s the first thing you see? Yes, the seats. Or in the 280z’s case, torn up seats :]

Looks like a cat got to it as normal tearing would’ve probably gone width-wise.

These original seats for the late Datsun 280z are called ‘Basketweave” and replacement covers sell for about $299 on BlackDragon Auto. Yikes.

Initially I wanted the 240z version with the horizonal “jelly rolls”(as i like to call them). They just scream, ‘classic’.
But even those are $200/piece (w/ replacement foam) from Les at Classic Datsun Motorsports – and sad to say, after two emails and almost a week later for a price quote, I haven’t heard back from them.

In the end, I guess it has worked out. I just picked up some great looking ’76 seats covers from Mark D over from the All Datsun Classifieds / ClassicZCar forums.
He was selling them for a great deal: $150, and I’ll reuse my current foam. Although they’re not my first pic, the look has really grown on me. Can’t beat that they were at a great price… and they have the vent holes. love those.

When then come in, i’ll be sure to post how I’ll put them on, and perhaps make a helpful video for it.

February 20, 2012

Just take the wheel and steer!

Guess what just popped in recently? A new steering wheel!

Well, of course not a new one, but a original 240z series 1 steering wheel from a ’70 240z.

My current wheel is the stock 280z type, foam padded (as most foam of 35 yrs, it’s deteriorating) with a vinyl aftermarket cover… nice.
But that’s all about to change.

The 240z steering wheel has a thinner handle, slotted spokes and yes.. wood grain!
I haven’t deciphered yet whether it’s REAL wood, but it’s gonna look great regardless.
I’ll certainly re-spray the spokes in black, but I’d really like to re-finishing the handle in a dark black stain (but light enough to show off that grain).

And to top it off, I was able to find this on eBay for 1/2 the normal price of a used 240z wheel!

Now to make a shift knob to match..

January 18, 2012

Scuff plate – scuffed and painted

Finally, the Datsun 280z gets a little interior treatment with refurbished scuff plates – those nice vinyl covered plates along the door sill. A little ways back I posted a bit on a great way to remove the original vinyl from the scuff plate. Now it’s time to finish them up. Original condition showed dirty, torn up, peeling vinyl covering the rust. Preventing rust is great, but by go through great lengths to clean these up, when they’re only $30 / piece at BlackDragonAuto.com?

Well in this day in age, we’re a culture trying to get out of the wasteful / throw-away mentality. Nearly everything can be replaced with something new. But often times we’re replacing something that’s still functional, still can serve its purpose – often the reason is just cosmetic! So the 280z restoration parts flow will go something like this: Part missing / need to be replaced? > Can it be refurbished / repaired? > Can a used one be found? > Can a used one be refurbished / repaired? > Can a new part be found? Sounds good to me.

The scuff plates after peeling off the torn, encrusted vinyl with the heat gun.

Used a rust inhibiting primer, then a truck-bed paint spray to give it that textured rugged look! After all, it IS a scuff plate for when the shoes are on the door sill!

January 1, 2012January 3, 2012

Happy Datsun New Years!

*breaths in* … Jan 1st!

Smells like a new year! With only a few months on, the 280z’s path is becoming clearer. This year is going to be a wonderful challenge as both time and $$ are great factors – wedding, life, you know, the usual!

Let me tell you straight up, i love Jetblue – that DirectTV is great… especially when you’ve got the Speed channel replaying the last Barrett-Jackson auctions! Dad and I started watching in the morning, then I continued all throughout the flight, and it wrapped up as we landed. **salivating** Every car across that stage is amazing – so much to gawk at: Malibus, 442s, 350s, Stingrays, shiny and matte finishes, wood, metal – incredible. What’s great too are all the ideas you get for restoring / modifying your car! Yep, the Datsun’s definitely got something to aspire to.

This year, the goal is to get both the exterior and interior done up:
EXTERIOR – 920 Gold Poly; black undercarridge
INTERIOR – 240z reminiscent w/ a strong ode to the Vox amps of the 50’s/60’s

… or Black with the Fender tweed interior (as it’d be much more recognizable.. oy!

Well just a short post today – Happy New Years
Can’t wait to work on some mock ups for this – it’s gonna be great!

November 28, 2011

Radio Faceplate

Finally getting around to completing the center console change from a few weeks back.

The last piece is the faceplate for the radio / seatbelt light / rear defogger light that will tuck into the center console. I did a quick engineering drawing in PDF that i hope can help others if they need a custom faceplate. It has a cut out for the radio, as well as cut outs and tangs for the seatbelt / rear defogger lights. The tangs will be bent inwards so they can hold each light housing firmly in place.

Here’s the Center console faceplate for a Datsun 280z in PDF if you need it.

November 27, 2011

Scuff and rubber

Any natural material or substance has a tendency to crack and wear over time – rubber and glue is no exception.

So yesterday’s gorgeous morning resulted in replacing the rubber hood bumpers on both the top and sides of the engine bay…

As well as attacking the scuff plates – all the glue was cracked / too old, and the vinyl covering was just peeling off. And just check out all that rust!

Now don’t get alarmed – the rust is localized to the scuff plate only. There seems to have been a white plastic barrier placed in between the carpet and scuff plate.. though, not really sure of the logic in that.

Kris and i figured out a great method for removing the old vinyl covering from the scuff plates – a heat gun! At 450F, that’s hot enough to soften the glue, but unfortunately also hot enough to melt the vinyl. So the trick is to heat the scuff plate from the BACK side, and slowly peel off the vinyl.

And as a minor addition, got a replacement escutcheon (door handle well) cover for the driver side door handle from Black Dragon Automotive. Quality is adequate – looks the same as original, feels a bit lighter and cheaper plastic-like, but fit is only “okay”. It doesn’t sit square with the metal escutcheon, but though there’s a slight angle to it, it not really noticeable.

November 15, 2011November 23, 2011

Center Console Sunday!

Yesterday Kris and I spent the whole day mulling over the 280z!

First, it was off the the Pick n’ Pull in Newark. They have a 260z there, which at the time was unknown as to what condition it was in, or what parts were left… well, now we know – PICKED OVER! Some nice parts still left (temp / fuel gauges, tach, blue 240z drivers seat, a few interior panels, tail lights / bezels). I picked up a center console air-controls bezel, and two seat belts… for which the seat belts were incomplete.. so.. gotta figure that one out.

Pick n’ Pull is great – i met two other Z enthusiasts who’s whole family had Z cars (dad, son, daughter, uncle); and you get to spot a whole history of cars (datsun trucks, MGs, Ford Maverick). But the prices.. ugh.. why do they have to be so pricey, they’re used!

Kris and I got back, worked on the center console I got from whale-tail Andrew. The replacement console also had some micro cracking in the plastic in the same area as the original (must be a common failure point). Kris fixed it up w/ some epoxy and used fabric as a sub-straight for increased strength.

Ah shoot – exposing my unsightly garage…

Sanded / spray painted the ashtray – looked so nice the lady in the paper was smiling at it

Cleaned the switches – the original ones (right) were just as caked w/ 35 year old grim as the ones from the replacement console (left). Toothbrush and pointy cotton swabs (good thinking Kris!) did the trick for all the crevices.

The whole console looked like it hasn’t been cleaned… that’s where Armor-All came in – fantastic.

The air control bezel is very easy to take off – 4 screws, 3 wiring connectors. 2 screws hold in the air vents, and everything else is easy to disassemble.

A few things I didn’t notice before – the replacement console has a slot for the choke lever… and the rear defroster / seat belt light panel was cut out! So I made my own out of a computer case side i had laying around.

Spaces for the Rear Defogger / Fasten Seat Belt lights are 1.125″ x 2.75″, while the radio i measured out for 2″ x 7″.

Kris installing the cleaned up console

November 10, 2011

First 100 miles…

So here it is – the 280z’s first 100 miles! After it’s been on the road for a bit, and driving confidence is setting in (not always listening for engine noise, or contemplating its mechanical condition), now all the normal driving considerations are rearing its head: handling, maintenance, and gas mileage! Though it’s only been my first 100 miles, I’ve seriously enjoyed everyone of them and can’t wait for another 100,000 more. Literally it makes every road exciting to drive on!

Moving on – Looks like the mornings are getting a bit longer… so far I’ve been tinkering on the small things and really putting aside the BIG STUFF. Things like interior, paint, bumpers, undercarriage coating, wheels / tires… by big stuff i mean big $$$ :]

Today I checked the front brakes (good), replenished low coolant (didn’t check that before, so i’ll have to monitor it) and sanded / primed the last big rust spot which was on top of the driver side c-pillar.

What’s next? – I think bumpers and interior will be next. I’m looking at ordering these 280z-240z bumper conversion brackets – they’ll allow a 280z to mount a 240z bumper for that close, clean look. I can certainly make these on my own, but if pre-fabricated is already available, it’ll same time re-inventing such a bracket.

Interior – Want a sneak peak? Awaiting samples from Fabric Empire for some quilted vinyl! I’ve always loved that look of the 240z center console, but it was rolled vinyl – this is gonna be stitched! Can’t wait.