240 Colors

[Ausz]

I have a 1970 240z with the blue/turquoise interior. 3008474

Where can I get the headliner and door panels to match the color of the original?

The diamond pattern vinyl is mostly good. Can I get some of that to match the original?

Did the windshield visors come in the blue also or were they black?

Did the carpet come in the blue or was it black?

Where can I get a new dash, not a cap?

I bought the car mostly restored but these interior features were partially redone in an amateurish sort of way.

The car was originally blue paint and is now but not the right Z blue. How can I find out the correct paint spec for the exterior?

[Marty Rogan]

Welcome to the club! You have come to the right place.

I also happen to have a blue on blue '70. It is both a blessing and a curse. The blue interior is very rare, so you don't see many around. But trying to get original parts for it is nearly impossible. If you don't have to have Nissan parts, then best place to get aftermarket replacements is Classic Datsun: http://www.classicdatsun.com/ They were one of the original shops hired by Nissan to perform restorations on the Classic Z-Car Program. They carry the interior plastic panels, seat covers, and diamond vinyl. Maybe the headliner too.

Getting door panels is next to impossible. I have owned my car since 1998 and still have not found a new blue drivers door panel. I bought a black one and dyed it blue to match with SEM vinyl dye, great stuff. I can send you instructions on how to do it if you need them.

Visors were blue, carpet was black.

New dashes for a 1970 are also pretty impossible to find. Occassionally they might come up on ebay, but be prepared to pay big bucks for them.

The correct Datsun paint code is Blue 903. A good body shop should be able to match it.

Post some pictures. We always like to see pics of a new member's car. You can check my gallery to see mine.

Marty

[Ausz]

Thanks heaps,

I do want Nissan parts when I can get them, but will make do with aftermarket stuff if I have to.

Dyeing is an option but how?

[Marty Rogan]

Painting the vinyl and plastic in a Z is easy. There are 2 sources for the dye. If you don't have a paint gun, find SEM vinyl dye at a good paint store. SEM is the only way to go, and I have never found another product that works as well or lasts so long. It also looks totally natural. They have Satin Black for your 240Z, and Napa Red for your red 240Z. They have ZX colors, too. Please do not even consider any other brand. Been there, done that. In my experience, there is no other brand that has the correct gloss, durability, and chemical composition to bond to the vinyl. SEM is about $7/can. I use 4-6 for an entire interior on a 240Z. If you have a paint gun (door jamb gun is good, HVLP jamb gun even

better). Dupont has vinyl dye that is comperable to SEM. It is about $20/quart. Does one car.

Preparation is everything! Here's my process:

1. Remove seats and carpet

2. Use a couple of rolls of paper towels to clean all the vinyl/plastic (VP) with a water based cleaner (soap/water, ammonia, Mr Clean, Mrs Pineoil, ect). Let dry

3. Wet wipe the surfaces with lacquer thinner. Not Enamel or poly thinner, just cheap lacquer thinner. Wipe and scrub and scrub. You will notice the VP getting soft. Stop before you ruin the grain pattern.

4. Now shake your paint can. If using the Dupont, it is ready to spray. Mask off all the unpaint items. I use Big Gulp bottoms taped to the gauges.

5. Rewipe the surfaces quickly with a very wet paper towel, and start fogging on the dye. It is very thin. You may end up with 5-12 coats to

get good heavy coverage. Let dry, and you are done.

Note: DO NOT PAINT THE SEATS. IT WILL RUBv OFF EVENTUALLY ON YOUR 501'S.

The Napa red is a precise match for the Datsun red interior. Even a patch of paint will blend in to the existing panel.

The theory behind the lacquer is that it chemically softens the VP. When you apply the dye, it soaks in and grabs the substrate.

Dupont also has texture paint to redue the texture for Ford Bronco tops. It so happens to look like vinyl when it is dry. I use it to redue the sill plates... It also works for roll bars to spiff them up. The stuff is bulletproof when dry. It does not match the Datsun sillplate vinyl exactally, but it is a lot easier than trying to recover that rusty piece with contact cement and vinyl. This paint has to be applied with a non-HVLP gun (your normal old fashioned gun is not HVLP). It's the pressure that makes the spiderwebs as it comes out,

which then coagulate into the vinyl texture. This coating can then be recoated with black semi-gloss vinyl dye.

The driver's door came out so well, that you can't tell the difference in color from the original panels.

Marty

[MikeW]

2. Use a couple of rolls of paper towels to clean all the vinyl/plastic (VP) with a water based cleaner (soap/water, ammonia, Mr Clean, Mrs Pineoil, ect). Let dry

3. Wet wipe the surfaces with lacquer thinner. Not Enamel or poly thinner, just cheap lacquer thinner. Wipe and scrub and scrub. You will notice the VP getting soft. Stop before you ruin the grain pattern.

I concur with Marty's advice regarding SEM products but I also note that SEM offers a "SEM Soap" and a "Vinyl Prep" which is what they recommend.

[jmark]

I think Classic Datsun will sell you blue door coverings.

[26th-Z]

Hello and welcome! You are not going to find a new correct dash easily. A used '72 dash is on eBay right now. But watch out for old dashes. The covering is brittle and fragile. The solution is to have your dash or a junk yard spare recovered. http://www.dashboardrestorations.com.au/index.htm

MSA sells blue colored interior rivits and used to have vinyl interior kits. If Classic Datsun can't help, try Banzai Motorsports. Your visors were originally blue and the carpeting was black. Classic has the correct carpeting as well.

[Ausz]

Who and where is 'Classic Datsun? How do I get a hold of them?

[Marty Rogan]

Who and where is 'Classic Datsun? How do I get a hold of them?

Click on the link in my first post.

Marty

[Ausz]

I got the interior door panels and headliner in blue from 2 Intense Restoration and the match to the original color and grain in fabulous. Does anyone know where or how I can get the fake chrome/plastic piping/trim that was appleied to the door panels? It was about 1/8" wide.

Also still do not have a clear answer on whether my visors were blue or black.

[jmark]

My visors are blue on my '71 white with blue interior.

[MikeW]

Does anyone know where or how I can get the fake chrome/plastic piping/trim that was appleied to the door panels? It was about 1/8" wide.

The original material for this is a very thin foil that seems like a more modern aluminized mylar. I ended up using 3/8" wide piece of metal tape and polishing it before I applied it. Earlier I tried something more plastic but it wouldn't hold the tight radius required.