Original interiors of series 1 cars

[AZ-240z]

Hello Kats,

Thanks for your research on the seat cushion guards. They look terrific on your car, and I would like to install a pair on my seat, if I can find them.

What I am getting from all of the above inputs to my original questions is that these guards were, probably, used only on very early production cars, the same as your unusual hood bumpers. I very much doubt that they were on my car originally, but as a stock item on series 1 cars, I think that I would use them. Are the machine screws and washers used to mount your guards a stock item?

It is doubtful that we will every find a part number for these guards, but it has been an education for me, anyway. Although I have owned this car for 35 years, I have never had so much fun putting this car back to its original condition.

Dan

[26th-Z]

Ok, I guess I should jump into this conversation. Kats is here - Greetings Kats! - and I can tell you many, many things peculiar to the early cars. As Kats knows, I have had several conversations with Yoshihiko Matsuo, the man I consider the original designer of the Z, who worked with the first cars as they were produced from the original prototype models. I have photographs of the original prototypes. As many of you also know, number 16 and number 19 live close to me.

Let me begin by saying that in my opinion the first cars were more extensions of the prototypes than pure production examples. I suspect that quite a few hundred of the early cars were "hand" built before the Z car was fully sorted and mass production techniques we are most familiar with were used. From my conversations with Matsuo san, many parts that were developed for the prototypes were used in production before Nissan fully developed their patterns and molds for the mass production models we commonly see. Some day, I hope to write an essay on how the unit body was assembled in the beginning.

Nice picture of the hood bumper, Kats! It looks like you have a new one. Very nice! That is simply a rubber cup and was later replaced with the bumper that allows for adjustment.

Seat guards? Well, what can I say? They broke very easily and if anyone finds any, I would like two pair, please. They just screw to the bottom of the seat frame and if your seat frame has holes in it, it probably had seat guards originally.

Here is what I would say about the screw and grommet on the interior panels. If your quarter window vents have this tab welded on to the frame, you probably had screws and grommets. The screw would be chromed and the grommet would be either chromed of clear plastic. I would say the clear plastic grommet is correctest. A screw and clear plastic grommet was used to secure the interior window trim on the vertical post of the quarter window. The early cars did not have this and as a result, the trim is not secure in this place. Same for the door trim. Without the screws and grommets, the door trim warps and pulls away from the door.

Here are a couple of pictures:

[AZ-240z]

Hey Chris,

Glad you jumped into the discussion, here. That is a very interesting association you make with the quarter window trim screw and clear washer fastener and the use of same on the door trims. My car has the welded-on tabs on the quarter window frames, and I found a couple of NOS screws and washers on ebay. Guess I should have bought more, as they show up very rarely on ebay.

I noticed on the center picture you posted, above, the remanents of that small rubber upper quarter window frame post seal that was particular to only series 1 cars. Do you have a line on any supply for those? Mike, at Banzai, was going to have these reproduced, but may have found it too expensive to do.

I'll let you know if I have any success in a quest for seat cushion guards. Are you going for a Concours restoration on either of your car, Chris?

[26th-Z]

I really enjoy the study of the early cars and the very first days of introduction. Kats and I have become good friends over our common interest. It's a double edged sword in some ways. Many unique parts I find on my cars were later replaced / upgraded for obviuos reasons; they didn't work very well! For instance, the internal cab venting was cutting edge at the time, but the rear hatch vents had a tendancy to fill up with snow and ice causing them to break and leak exhaust fumes back into the car. As a result, the rear vent location was changed to the quarter panels underneath the emblem in later models. Kats did a thread on the very early quarter "chrome Z" emblems noting that the casting for the chrome Z emblem is different from the white Z emblem. Both are hollow casting designs, however the emblems that were made for the prototypes were cast solid. I took one out to Long Beach for the ZCCA convention and asked Mr. Matsuo about them. He told me they came from the very first batch of emblems intended for the prototype models. I find them on examples of the first 100 cars or so. Things like this make for fun conversation - completely anal - but fun.

I'm a trained designer and I understand the thought process during design so it is with great delight to sit and talk with another designer about what he was thinking and the solutions he found. Designers have a tendancy to talk with pen and paper. The thought process described in drawing form is called delineation. Here are some conversations about the "scoop" headlight bucket, the seat vents, and the problem of hiding the hinge for the hatch deck. The strut design that holds up the hatch came from the French Mirage fighter jet canopy.

When you ask me if I am doing a concours restoration, I don't really know how to answer. I intend to do my best to be "authentic", but there are some things associated with restoration that will be simply too difficult to reproduce in original form. I'm not doing a museum specimen, but I am keeping close to the spirit of the original. I will also use parts that did not originally appear on the car. 26th, for instance, will sport the original headlight covers that we never saw in America. I intend to show the cars but I also intend to drive them occasionally.

[kats]

Hi 26th-Z,

Your post reminds me that I have got FAX message from Mr.Matsuo a few years ago.I would like to share with all of you on this site.

First paper,

#1 You can see the drawings of fog lumps and coat hangers.Mr.Matsuo said in this fax"...I wanted to apply Austin or Lucas type fog lump for Z(S30) like 310 410,but they are big radius and gogeous and heavy,it is tough for Z's thin bumper. So I disregarded the idea..."

"...early chrome round coat hanger is from 410 (pininfarina design) .Same as 410,Z needs cost cut,so the hanger went to plastic.Next I designed a new hanger made of chrome,but it turned plastic when it applyed.I still keep proto type of this..."

Second paper,

#2 In the middle,you can see the audio players.They are all Mr.Matsuo made.They are all proto type.The left one is AM/FM auto tune radio and he put this proto into 240(Mr.Matsuo said 240Z,not Z or S30 anyway) This prototype unit is exist still now,and Mr.Matsuo gave me this.I should keep it.

The center one is a 8 track stereo it has got out put amp.

The right one is a cassete deck for a car which became the first production model for the car.This applyed 610/710 as a option he said.

#3 The bottom,you can see the 240Z ownament.I asked Mr.Matsuo about this proto emblem when I found this in Mr.Matsuo's article.He said,"...this quater ownament was a design study,made of wood,I do not have this anymore"

"...410 SS and SSS was my original concept and I designed emblems and I was deeply involved to produce these car,and this success brought me a promotion to a cheif designer of a sports car studio.That is why (SS and) SSS is very important for me."

If you can read Japanese,you will got more information than my poor english.

Thank you,

kats

[26th-Z]

Kats,

The original coat hook design made it to 26th and 27th. I know 16th and 19th have the same. It might be fun to see how many cars got these. Pininfarina was probably the top automotive design studio of the day. I know Mr. Matsuo has deep respect for their work.

I have this 8-track which requires a separate amplifier. I have never found anyone who knows about it. The unit is brand new and I will take some pictures of it. The box is only slightly tattered, eh?

Thanks for the scans! It gave me memories of our visit in Long Beach and I had to pull out the pictures!

Chris

[AZ-240z]

Kats, 26th-Z,

Just to add a little more perspective to the early round, chrome coat hangar, my car, one of the last series 1 with production date of 1/71, came from the factory with the round, chrome coat hangars.

I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Matsuo at the 2004 National Convention. This meeting was a large influencing factor in my resolve to return the car to as much originality as time and depleting finances would allow.

The dialogue you both provide concerning issues of originality is totally where I am at.

Dan

[zed2]

Dan,

I'm right there with you. So how do we resolve the ball joint issue regarding the smaller diameter ball joint replacement?

Thanks,

Keith

[Arne]

Kats, 26th-Z,

Just to add a little more perspective to the early round, chrome coat hangar, my car, one of the last series 1 with production date of 1/71, came from the factory with the round, chrome coat hangars.

I'm pretty sure that my car (10/70) has metal coat hangers as well, but I'm not certain that the ones in my car are exactly the same as in Chris' picture. I'll have to look when I get home. (If I remember.)

[Carl Beck]

Well, we looked at ash trays... how about Lighters.

Which is the earliest pictured below? A, B or C (right to left)

Carl B.

[ddezso]

Mine has the round hangers. # 14160 12/70 production date...

[Arne]

Well, we looked at ash trays... how about Lighters.

Which is the earliest pictured below? A, B or C (right to left)

Carl B.

My car (#12746, 10/70) came with A. Don't know if that's the earliest type or not.