240Z-G Front Number Plate Mount

[d3c0y]

Does anyone here have any pictures on how you are supposed to mount the front number plate on a 240ZG? I know I could just fab up any old thing, but i'm interested to see how it was done from the factory and how others have done this.

[gav240z]

Alan HS30-H will have a photo I'm sure. I've seen photos before but will need to dig it out.

 

Interestingly home market cars had unique plate mounting hardware when compared to our cars.

 

I will have to see if I can get some photos.

[d3c0y]

I saw this one over on Kat's thread on classicZcars.com which is at least a starting point, and a proper JDM one would be no good because of the whole spacing but it would be nice to have some pics for reference to fab an "Aus Spec" one up from for my car. I'm hoping to take it for it's first drive so number plates are now some what of a relevant priority!

 

[HS30-H]

I've got a genuine one in the garages. I'll have to go through a stack of boxes to get to it though, so it might have to be over the weekend.

 

It's a pretty simple bit of folded sheet steel with holes in it. The factory parts list makes it look more fancy than it really is...

[Brabham]

Good on you Alan. Perhaps you could post measurements of it so people with G noses here can fold them up?

 

Cheers

[d3c0y]

We don't even need to know the holes, as it will have to be changed for Aussie plates ha.

[HS30-H]

Found it. It's grottier than I remembered. The car (it's from my white ZG) had a slight whoops-a-daisy bump on the front at some point in its life, and the number plate bracket bears the scars. The vertical tabs are bent sideways and somewhat misshapen, but I think the measurements are accurate. It's covered in gross spray-on underseal (like the rest of the underneath of the car was...) which was falling off in my hands, but - amazingly - it's not actually rusty. It'll probably straighten out OK. The larger holes are the original ones, and the smaller holes are ones drilled by previous owners for UK plates.

 

Photos:

 

Key point is that the 90 degree bends for the vertical tabs (which the number plate actually attaches to) are 10mm out from the 45mm width of the main body of the bracket, so the bend is not level with the 45mm width point. Does that description make sense? Hopefully the photos tell the story.

 

These brackets are almost completely hidden when on the car. The long flat part fits up in a recess in the ZG bumper and is attached with two 10mm bolts. All you can see is the two vertical tabs, and in turn you can hardly see them when they have a license plate covering them...

 

Let me know if you need any better data. HTH.

[d3c0y]

That's awesome thanks Alan! It does look super easy to fabricate. So inside the nose does it have two studs moulded into it to mount this on, or are there just two bolts that go through both pieces?

[HS30-H]

Probably the best thing would be for me to photograph the inside of the Grande Nose front bumper, as it's not something that usually gets looked at.

 

Bear with me...

[d3c0y]

I have the copy produced by Restored Japan will be interesting to compare. Thanks for your effort!

 

I just noticed that your bracket is different to the one in the parts manual photo at the top of the thread. I remember reading that there was a difference between the models with and without air conditioning and i'm guessing yours is the latter?

Edited December 18, 2017 by d3c0y

[HS30-H]

Some photos. Underside and inside views of an original Urethane 'Grande Nose' front bumper. You can see the steel brackets and strengtheners moulded into it. The number plate/license plate bracket mounts in the recess and is simply bolted through. No integral nuts or nutserts etc, just nuts and bolts.

 

Not very good shots I'm afraid, but it was dark in the garages last night. Hopefully they are good enough. 

 

Edited December 19, 2017 by HS30-H

[HS30-H]

I just noticed that your bracket is different to the one in the parts manual photo at the top of the thread. I remember reading that there was a difference between the models with and without air conditioning and i'm guessing yours is the latter?

 

Yes, both my ZGs were originally non-Aircon equipped cars when new. The GP Maroon car had it retro-fitted later in life (probably when it was a couple of years old) but the GP White car never had it, so both cars had the plain lower Grande Nose panel without the Aircon 'diverter' ducts.

 

I must say that - in all the many genuine factory HS30-H Fairlady 240ZGs I've looked at over the years, the great majority of them had the simple front number plate bracket as per my photos. The one illustrated in the factory parts manuals might be somewhat misleading in its shape, as the main production parts were I believe mostly a more plain and simple design. I've seen that difference in other parts illustrations in the factory manuals, especially in the niche models (like the ZG, 432 and - in particular - the 432-R) and I suppose it is to be expected. 

[d3c0y]

Don't forget that parts manual shot is a RS30-H too, so they might have redesigned it for the later models?

 

Thanks again for making the effort to photograph this stuff.

Edited December 19, 2017 by d3c0y