why is my car so heavy?

[xray]

The manufacture plate on my 72 (5/72, VIN 81167) says GVWR 2820 lbs, 1286 FR and 1534 RR. Perusing a lot of threads over the last 90 minutes gave me the impression the car should be about 400 pounds LESS. Any ideas what happened? Anyone have a similar finding? Car has no A/C, normal small bumpers, no excessive smog components...I'm stumped!

Thanks,

X

[Walter Moore]

GVWR lists the MAXIMUM that the vehicle will weigh with the maximum safe load of passengers and cargo. Is is required to be posted on cars sold in the U.S. at least so that you can be certain to buy tires that can support the weight safely. (And inflate them correctly, remember the Firestone tire / Ford Explorer crashes?)

If I remember correctly 400LBS is just about what the glove box plackard lists as the maximum load capacity of the 240Z.

[e_racer1999]

The manufacture plate on my 72 (5/72, VIN 81167) says GVWR 2820 lbs, 1286 FR and 1534 RR. Perusing a lot of threads over the last 90 minutes gave me the impression the car should be about 400 pounds LESS. Any ideas what happened? Anyone have a similar finding? Car has no A/C, normal small bumpers, no excessive smog components...I'm stumped!

Thanks,

X

ya, it took me a while to figure that out... i always wondered why my car never FELT bloated.....

[TomoHawk]

Go getit weighed! You can find scales at the places where you buy bricks/cinderblocks...

[xray]

Thanks for the input....

I guess I should clarify a little...The EBay Z which recently sold for 18K and was discussed under thread "Clean one on EBay" http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2488111164&category=6187

showed a manufacturer's plate listing GVWR as 2400 lbs, roughly split 1280/1120. Manufacture date was 3/72 with VIN 71xxx. Did Nissan change how they reported GVWR in two month's time? Or is there an extra 400lbs of lead in my car somewhere in my vehicle.

Guess i just want some insight in to how such a discrepancy can exist between two cars made only two months apart....

I will go get it weighed to see if it's just a misprint..

Thanks!

[Walter Moore]

Sorry, I didn't realize that you were comparing GVWR to GVWR...

I am not sure exactly when all the U.S. safety requirements began to be required. It may be that '73 model cars sold in the U.S. (Which typically go on sale in September remember) may have been required to have safety features like side impact protection etc. If there were more stringent safety requirements for cars sold in the fall, given that the Z cars were built in Japan and shipped to North America on a slow boat, they certainly would have added them to cars built in May...

U.S. car companies traditionally change over from one model year to the next over their extended July 4th holiday shutdown, then start producing the next year's model in late July or early August.

After taking my '71 apart it is painfully clear that it doesn't meet anything close to the current safety requirements for side impact protection, and frankly of all the cars that I have owned it is the one I would least like to be in if it got hit by something big... (Like one of my other cars...)

But then it is a sports car, not a tank.

[Bambikiller240]

Reinforcement beams were required on 73 240Z's, but I believe from looking at the data at www.ZHome.com that the production of 73 USA model 240Z's started in August of 1972.

See "Production Changes 69 - 73" in left collumn. They mention 2.5 MPH bumpers and some other changes. They do not mention the door beams, but the 73 240Z that I owned (mfg'd 3/73) had them.

[xray]

Carl:

Thanks for the info. The mystery thickens as 73 production year started in August with VIN 120031 (not much of a chance my car is a clandestine 73). Other info on the site quotes a near-2800 pound weight of the 260Z2+2, and there is NO WAY my car weighs as much as that behemoth (no offense to those who love the 2+2...)

Thinking something may be off. Maybe a misprint, maybe Jimmy Hoffa. Who knows? I am stripping the car over the next few weeks, so if I find anything I will let you know.

Regards,

X

[Bambikiller240]

Oddly, my VIN plate doesn't even mention GVWR

[xray]

Yeah, Carl...I have been scrutinizing a bunch of Z-car VIN plates, and have found a bunch of variability. I found a 240 from 2/72 with no GVWR mentioned, as well as a 77 280 (which should weigh around 2650) listed as 3200+. I think what ended up happening was starting without the weight, then adding GVWR as the "vehicle only" weight, then finally GVWR as "maximum vehicle" weight. It's the only thing I can come up with that makes sense!

X

[TomoHawk]

On 6/25/03 my 280 weight in at 2670 lbs. with the a/c in it, not much gas, and me@185 lbs. I took out the a/c, but added a full-size spare.

[xray]

someone needs a diet....from a 78 280Z