My new 1976 Datsun 280z seat covers came in yesterday. Purchased last week, they came pretty quick (thanks Mark!)
My co-worker just HAD to ask how to put them on :]
and on his chair
gonna be a fun weekend.
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”.
Datsun brand relaunch?
It’s been the buzz of all the Datsun / Nissan forums out there: News of Nissan possibly bringing back the Datsun brand!
In a nutshell, if anything transpires at all, it’ll be for emerging markets like China, India and Brazil (read: non-US), and be a low-cost, sub-brand (ouch). This is probably just market research at best, and since Nissan is so prevalent around the globe already, it’s hard to think why they would want to revive (*taint*) the Datsun brand. Though as Nissan pushes upward (like Toyota / VW), if it’s to compete against the success of Toyota’s young Scion brand, that reason alone just may do it.
There’s tons of articles on Datsun coming back so i’ll leave you with those:
http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2011/07/is-datsun-name-being-revived/
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120302-704087.html
thanks Dana for giving me the heads up on the news!
No Bumper – Let the MPG Experiment Begin!
Obviously the Datsun 280z was never purchased as a gas saving, fuel sipping, economy car. Prius’ step aside in horror and repulse as the 280z zooms past their 60mph earth loving vehicles. :] But on the flip-side, with the rise in fuel costs (currently $4.40 for 87 grade gas in the San Jose area), I need to take action.
I found something interesting this morning: my average fuel economy, 18.5 MPG, is actually better than the average passenger car in it’s time!
Since my first tank, I’ve consistently maintained 18.5MPG on the 280z (my worst and best being 18MPG and 20MPG respectively).
Now fast forward 35 years, and it’s not quite the same. Though the fuel economy from the late 80’s to the mid-2000’s was stagnant, cars in the past 5 years have had a huge increase in fuel economy (the 2012 Hyundai Elantra pushes 40MPG highway). Though the 280z may never see those types of numbers w/ it’s L-series engine, the alternative to drive train replacement is to reduce weight. This weekend, Kris and i popped off the front bumper, est. a weight savings of ~25-30lbs.
Best to have all the right tools.
Stock bumper shock, ~5lbs each
Remounting the horns. There’s one on both sides.
While I wait for the new 280z bumper mounts (made to hold a 240z bumper), I’ll roll around bumper-less and see what kind of MPG we can get!
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.
Bumper time!
One of the visual drawback to the 280z, in my opinion, are the bumpers.
They’re big, thick, and heavy. We have rising safety standards of the late 70’s to thank for that.
A very popular change up is to put on the thinner, more attractive 240z / early 260z bumpers.
There are a few options here:
1) Fiberglass / Carbon fiber bumper (new) – For those who like bright and shiny, there are several options in materials you can get for a brand new bumper. Motorsport Auto has replacement bumpers in both fiberglass and carbon fiber – $160 – $300. Fiberglass / carbon fiber is great, because it’s lightweight, but unfortunately not that strong in case of a crash. Like most modern cars, fiberglass is used as just a cover to look nice. Unlike modern cars, there’s nothing underneath here: no bar, no frame, nothing.
2) Stainless steel bumper (new) – Hop on eBay and you’ll find a company selling stainless steel reproductions of the thin 240z / 260z bumper. They’re supposedly exact matches to the original, and since it’s stainless, it’ll be at its best for corrosion protection. But not without costing a pretty penny: at $1000 – $1400, is it really worth it?
3) Original steel bumper (used) – Every now and again people are selling their original steel bumpers from the 240z / 260z, $130 – $200 a piece. Whether on Craigslist or eBay, this is truly the best option in my opinion. Not only will you be using something more durable / original than fiberglass or carbon fiber, but also re-using instead of helping the cycle of re-producing.
So i picked me up a used steel front bumper!
Straight outta Fremont, and guy was selling his slightly dented 240z bumper for $80. A sweet grab on Craigslist if i may say so. Actually it was originally $120 if I remember correctly, and it dropped down during the course of the week. Snagged!
Safety / Mounting – These two topics go hand in hand, and rightfully deserve a new post, but i’d like to just briefly touch on the topic. Of course the Datsun 240z / 260z bumper won’t mount directly to the 280z without some modifications. Long story short, I’d like to maximize safety (and reduce extra cost) by utilizing the current bumper shocks on the car. Many people would opt to go for aftermarket brackets, but those just hold the bumper in place and offer minimal safety.
Enough talk, time to pound it out!
there’s a slight bend on the left side, where supposedly an old lady back into it
the resulting gash / dent needs to be pounded out
Found hanging out with a 350z
Seems like the 280z can’t get enough of hanging out with the younger crowd! It was only a few weeks ago that 40th Anniversary 370z kept the 280z company.
Parked in the San Jose Convention Center garage, I came back to the car to find a great looking 350z backed into it’s spot right next to me! haha It had a surprisingly good look for a two-tone R8-esque paint, with great rims to match its look. Since i had the camera with me, I caught them in the lens.
It’s always a Datsun/Nissan meet!
Just check out those wheels… shoot! Looks like his rim is larger than my whole tire. Sigh – those 14×6 “iron cross” wheels have got to go!
and that’s how we roll.
**UPDATE 2/28/12** – read Bob Nazarenus’ comment (the 350z owner) on the Junk Datsun – Surprise article! Thanks Bob!
Snow White 240z in HRE wHeels
eGarage recently had a great article / pics of a Datsun 240z rebuild in Poland.
Owned and rebuilt by Tomasz Boguslawski, the story details his family history in Poland, his love of cars, and the rarity of having a 240z in Poland.
The pictures truly tell all. You’ll see all the nice add-ons that make Z cars looks great – a fantastic job, well done and inspiring!
Source: eGarage
Love the ZG flares, lightweight polyurethane bumper and head light covers. Also it’s got the aftermarket front valance (best besides stock in my opinion), euro-type side marker, and awesome looking HRE wheels. You know he had to convert 4-lug to 5-lug on that one!
Keepin’ it real with the original L series engine. Gold strut tower bar to match.
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..
Another Z, next to me
It was an uncharacteristically busy night at the Planet Granite climbing gym. So much that I had to park aaaalll the way over at the end of the parking lot – way over there. After climbing though, i returned to my 280z being kept company by it’s newest sibling: a gunmetal grey 370z! What a nice car! Even better it was the 40th anniversary edition AND it had a Z Car Garage license plate frame. Sweeeeeet!
I’ve gotta get back to Z Car Garage someday. Rob and company are great guys – my first venture over (when i didn’t even have the 280z yet), he let me walk the floor and checkout all the cars. He’s got two incredible Datsuns, a Z and 510, both decked in a wild lime green.
the DAILY DATSUN 