Datsun 280z – Page 7 – the DAILY DATSUN

April 9, 2012

Gas Flap Repair

There’s a rubber flap that’s attached to the car just under the gas opening used to protect the car from accidental spillage.

35 yrs and one cold morning later, that rubber flap just broke off.

Picked up a new one from MSA for only $7.95 – Kris and I went to work. You can see the flap retainer is corroded and area under the non-existent flap is a touch rusted and broken.

Sanded the area, picked out the chunks, and bondo’d the gap

Kris sanding the bondo

Meanwhile the retainer is prepped and primed. The battleship gray primer makes me think the car would look good in this…

While the spray can is out, Kris carefully sealed up the gas opening and we primed the gas tank area. There’s a few pits in the bondo, but i’m not too concerned as it’s going to be covered by the flap.

The gas flap retainer gets painted a few coats of primer, then a few coats of the truck bed liner i used on the door scuff plates.

Finally, the gas flap is installed on the 280z. It won’t matter now, but when I get the car painted, it’ll thank me for it. Like a bib for an old car…

April 2, 2012

Purchase Offer for the 280z

Some how the Datsun 280z manages to find attraction when outside of the Planet Granite rock climbing gym.

Last time it was Knio’s beautiful 40th edition 350z.

This time, a grand ol’ note tucked under the windshield wiper:

SEE?! the 280z is desirable :]

Sorry Kevin, won’t sell just yet, but if i do, i’ll let you know.

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 13, 2012

No Bumper = +5% MPG

You read right: by removing the hefty bumpers on the Datsun 280z, i was able to get a solid 5% MPG increase (19.5MPG).

While safety takes a nose dive, an extra 1 mile per gallon actually translates into quite a bit over a tank ~10-12 miles.
Though the real question here is: ‘is it worth it?’. Probably not. Which is why soon enough i’ll be putting on the 240z bumper (better than nothing, right?).

Now if only that guy on eBay would get back to me…

For anyone looking to purchase 240z bumper conversion brackets for their 280z, I’m not having a good purchasing experience with eBay user: v8-240z.
I’ve already sent two emails (via eBay and personal) and I haven’t heard back yet on anything (‘hey i got your email, i’m working on it”, or “shipped, here’s the tracking”, or “i don’t want your business”).
I would suggest zspeed240‘s listing instead.

March 7, 2012

Pimp-my-office-chair

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.

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 5, 2012

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!

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 29, 2012

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

February 27, 2012February 28, 2012

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!