Home Built Z 'full Video Build'

[HomeBuiltByJeff]

The belts will still be 3 point, I am just removing the redirect. 

The rubber hose I am completely happy with. I am not going for a concours restoration, and they work great. Yes I could spend $30 buying the correct parts, or I could make them for free (I don't call it 'Home Bought by Jeff' for a reason  ).

As for the struts and hubs. I had no reason to believe that they were anything other than 240z hubs (an I believe the struts are 240z as they are 51mm). I don't know what is what on this car. I just found yesterday that one door must be from a 260 and one from a 240 as there are slight differences. I had no idea until recently how different the 240 and the 260's are. They look similar, but almost every single part is different. 

Bottom line is that I am moving at such a rate through this and I am waiting for things to be delivered. I am not sure what I will be doing next or what issues I will face until I get to it. I discover things as you see it. I am filming again tomorrow and I have an idea of what I am doing for that, but if something unexpected trips me up, I have to change tack at the last minute and do something else. 

I am grateful for all the help I get from everyone, and that is why I do ask questions when I have them.

[gilltech]

FWIW. very early 260Zs like mine have 51mm struts just like the preceeding 240Zs. But the hubs are different, as HS30-H points out.

240Z and 2-seater 260Z doors are different on the inner skin - obviously different door trims, but also different geometry and spring locations for the latch/lock mechanism and window winders, all mean that some modification and reworking is required to make a 260Z door fit a 240Z and vice versa.

 

[gav240z]

It sucks when you discover you have a 260z door on your 240z..

I'd take the time and effort to source a 240z door, otherwise winding up and down windows is going to be a pain in the butt.. mine works but I always wondered why it felt so odd compared with the drivers side. 

[gilltech]

240Z, early 260Z 2-seat and late 260Z winder mechanisms are all slightly different in their layout geometry and of course that means that their respective door trims don't just easily interchange. The 240Z winder differs from both the 260Z types in having its winder spring mounted on the other side, making for differing shapings to the respective door inner faces.

There may well be a number of 240Zs and 260Zs around with transposed doors following accident repairs, sounds like two examples discussed above. Repairers must have found ways to adapt the original door trims to suit replacement doors somehow but I can't imagine it would be easy with many mounting holes all 'off'.

[Cozza]

Am I right in thinking that if you have a 260z door along with all the door hardware/furnishing of a 260z, fixed to a 240z shell, the window would work just the same. Although, it may look a little different from side to side.  

[gav240z]

It will work, early 260z doors are similar to late 240z doors. Door trims will fit etc.. On my 72 the problem is I have 240z window hardware in a 260z shell. So someone has modified it to accept the 240z planetary gears etc..

[CBR Jeff]

Hay Jeff are you sure you can mount the retractor in the horizontal on the rear pillar?

From my experience retractors need to mounted in the vertical plane (generally +/- 2 degrees) to work properly.

Unless you have a special one?

 

Jeff

[HomeBuiltByJeff]

I am just guessing that one door is from a 260z as the handles are different and the bolting points for the window frame vary slightly. The window winder mechanism and the door handles appear to be the same so I don't see too many issues there. Either way I am not getting a new door so I am going to work with what I have

As for the seat belt inertia reel, I did play with it and it still locks, but it does require a bit more force than normal. I think I will weld up new mounting bolts in the wheel arches.

[RLY240]

There's a number of ways to make this work, the belt kit from Rare Spares includes an enormous bracket that is supposed to mount the retractor almost 200mm in mid air using the original bottom mount point. 

I chose to instead make a new mount on the wheel arch with a captured nut and spreader plate under the guard.  Once painted with stoneguard you can't see it with the wheel on but it does need some rust protection to stop the bolt eventually rusting into the nut.

I looked at a couple of options before going this way as it means the full seat travel is available (I'm 6'3) and the function meant more to me than keeping the original look.

Roger

 

[gilltech]

The inner door face of the 260Z door is quite different in appearance to that of the 240Z. The cut-outs or apertures are different in size, shape and location. The impressing for the winder mechanism is very different due to the winder spring being on the opposing side of the winder mechanism for the 260Z vs the 240Z. I don't see how the winder mechanism can be interchanged between the two.

But if the inner faces of your doors are very similar but not exactly the same then more likely you have different 240Z doors - there were at least 2 different versions I believe. The main thing is whether your door card trims - a matching pair? - will comfortably clip on what you have or whether you have to relocate some of the fixing points in the inner door face including that of the winder handle to suit the door cards.

Edited January 24, 2019 by gilltech

[gilltech]

If you are to have retractor belts then the retractor can't use the existing lower mount anyway as that impedes seat travel, a no-no under the ADRs.

[HomeBuiltByJeff]

2 hours ago, RLY240 said:

There's a number of ways to make this work, the belt kit from Rare Spares includes an enormous bracket that is supposed to mount the retractor almost 200mm in mid air using the original bottom mount point. 

I chose to instead make a new mount on the wheel arch with a captured nut and spreader plate under the guard.  Once painted with stoneguard you can't see it with the wheel on but it does need some rust protection to stop the bolt eventually rusting into the nut.

I looked at a couple of options before going this way as it means the full seat travel is available (I'm 6'3) and the function meant more to me than keeping the original look.

Roger

 

I think I will make up my own version of that for my seat belts.

As for the doors, that sounds more like it. They are probably just 2 slightly different 240z doors. You can see on the video tonight, but the 2 door handles are slightly different shapes. The ends of one of them are more or less a rectangle and the others are wider at the bottom than the top (if that makes any sense  ). The differences with the doors themselves is just a couple of the points were the window frame bolts in are slightly different, and just as I am thinking about it, it could also just be that I may have welded in a flat patch where there used to be a bolt hole  

[HomeBuiltByJeff]

In this episode, I tackle the trimming on the rear wheel arches.

 

 

[gilltech]

I suspect the square-ended door handle is off a Datsun 1200 or Stanza or something like that.

Your driver's door looks to me to be 240Z, with the two apertures at the bottom; whereas AFAIK a 260Z door just has one large central aperture at the bottom.

Edit: just behind the winder pivot on your driver's door is an oval shaped pressing - that shaping accommodates the spring on a 240Z winder. The 260Z doesn't have that, as the spring is mounted on the other side of the mechanism. Post a photo of the inside face of the other door and we can soon see if it's 240 or 260Z.

Edited January 26, 2019 by gilltech

[CBR Jeff]

Jeff you can still get original handles from Nissan. 

Jeff

[gilltech]

Either Nissan or the Datsun parts guy at Caboolture was advertising them not too long ago.

They do come in LH and RH versions, but from what I see the basic handle is the same and the connector and spring can be swapped across.

Edited January 26, 2019 by gilltech

[HomeBuiltByJeff]

I will head out to Zac's and see what he has in the way of door handles first. I am sure he has something around. It may just be a case of using the broken one on the passenger side and get a new one for the drivers. As for the inside of the door skins, they both look identical. 

[gilltech]

Nice work. All seems good then!

The shells did change several times across the S30 series, also depending on the market sold in.

Edited January 26, 2019 by gilltech

[AndBir]

1 hour ago, CBR Jeff said:

Jeff you can still get original handles from Nissan.

Or from Rob at the ZFactory : https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/seaford/auto-body-parts/datsun-240z-260z-outer-door-handles-a-pair-/1199105846

(as a price comparison)

[HomeBuiltByJeff]

In this episode I sort out the final fit up of the front end.

 

 

[YosemiteZed]

Hi jeff

I could not see the rubber bonnet blocks

these protect the paint on the side of the bonnet and fenders and locate your bonnet when opening and closing and any movement when driving

they attach to the side fender bolts there are four of them in total and there are some on eBay at the moment if you require them

i think they might be a good investment

cheers

phil

Edited January 30, 2019 by YosemiteZed

[gav240z]

Jeff, 240z passenger door near you.

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/bowral/auto-body-parts/datsun-240z-early-260z-passenger-side-door/1209128219

[HomeBuiltByJeff]

24 minutes ago, gav240z said:

Jeff, 240z passenger door near you.

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/bowral/auto-body-parts/datsun-240z-early-260z-passenger-side-door/1209128219

In my area, but doesn't look great from the pics.

[gilltech]

Do you still need a LH door? I discerned from a reply of yours that your LH door matched the RH one so must be 240Z not 260Z. Or were you talking about the door cards?

Enjoying following your build BTW.

[HomeBuiltByJeff]

6 hours ago, gilltech said:

Do you still need a LH door? I discerned from a reply of yours that your LH door matched the RH one so must be 240Z not 260Z. Or were you talking about the door cards?

Enjoying following your build BTW.

There are some small differences between doors, but I would have to paint the entire side of the car again to match in a new door. I am good with it as it is.