Roof racks for a Z

[troubledz]

Can someone answer me this question. Do they make a roof racking system for the Z's?

I am looking for a roof mounted bike rack. is this impossible?

[240ZX]

I don't think anyone currently makes one...or ever did! But, if there is a drip rail and I think there is, you are likely to adapt one of the current racks to your Z. THULE & YAKAMA are the only two that come to mind! Hope this helps a bit?

Tom

[jmortensen]

A friend of mine had a Yakima on her Z. It fit on the drip rails, and I think she had to cut the length of the tray down because it interfered with the hatch opening all the way. As long as you don't have a very long bike it should work.

[boyblunda]

Thule have made at least two racks that fit onto Zeds easily and also have produced at least two styles of matching bicycle mountings as accessories. I would think that paddlesport or bicycle shops or Thule themselves should be able to point you in the right direction.

[Carl Beck]

Can someone answer me this question. Do they make a roof racking system for the Z's?

I am looking for a roof mounted bike rack. is this impossible?

I don't know who "they" are - but your local Datsun Dealer had one for sale back in the day...

Part Number 99990-0004 Luggage Rack

This was a Nissan Authorized, Dealer Installed Accessory

<a href=http://zhome.com/History/72AccBroch.htm TARGET=NEW> Luggage Rack</a>

I doubt you'll find too many today - took me about six years of watching E-Bay to finally find one...

I also had a roof mounted TENT that was neat as heck... long since lost...

FWIW,

Carl B.

[CANDYBLUE2+2]

I don't know who "they" are - but your local Datsun Dealer had one for sale back in the day...

Part Number 99990-0004 Luggage Rack

This was a Nissan Authorized, Dealer Installed Accessory

<a href=http://zhome.com/History/72AccBroch.htm TARGET=NEW> Luggage Rack</a>

I doubt you'll find too many today - took me about six years of watching E-Bay to finally find one...

I also had a roof mounted TENT that was neat as heck... long since lost...

FWIW,

Carl B.

Judging by the number of posts youv'e made I gather your somewhat of a "Z" expert. My mechanic and "Z" Guru in the Tidewater area is Todd Wagner and he too informed me about the roof rack that was available from Datsun "Back In The Day" and if my memory serves me correctly he may still have one himself. I'll have to give it a look, as I can't imagine for the life of me putting anything on such a small space. Too cool!

[280z1975]

I to have also wondered how to add bicycles to the Z. In my 280 I can get a bike in there (with the wheels off) without much problem and still have room for a bag).

As stated before, with a roof mounted system you *might* run into a problem of the rear hatch hitting the ends of the bike mounts. Also, if you are going this route you will want the roof rack VERY tight so you might either (1) Damage the roofs drip rail or (2) damage the paint or roof (as it is very thin). Still I believe either TULLE or YAKIMA do make a system that will work for you. If the roof rack is left on long term it will possibly make rust and the paint color will fade at a different rate under the paint (as I just found out after taking off my roof rack on my Sentra after 10 years.

A better solution, in my opinion, is to use a hatch mounted system. They go on and off very quickly and are quite inexpensive compared to a roof mounted system. Try looking at http://www.performancebike.com/shop/sub_cat.cfm?subcategory_id=4412 to get an idea. How well they work on a Z I don't know yet. But I am sure that a good bike shop will be willing to help you. If they won't, it's not a good bike shop.

At some point I plan to make a small weld under my bumper to allow a small metal piece to slide into it and then have a large bolt secure it similar to a hitch mounted system. This will allow me to make a custom bumper mounted bike rack for two bikes (done this in shop class back in high school, costs all of 15 bucks in material) This isn't advised if you have a 240/260 bumper or if your bumper is in really good shape (mine has a good size dent). Still I plan to make the addition on the bottom and as unnoticeable as possible.

I hope this helps. Just remember with whatever system you use, secure the bikes and make sure they don't rub against eachother or the car. Those car trips can do all sorts of damage to either if the bikes aren't secured and padded right.

[26th-Z]

Ask Todd about Carl Beck and tell him I said hi.

Roof racks were also available from AMCO as an aftermarket accessory of the period. Snow ski racks were available also.

[zbane]

A better solution, in my opinion, is to use a hatch mounted system. They go on and off very quickly and are quite inexpensive compared to a roof mounted system. Try looking at http://www.performancebike.com/shop/sub_cat.cfm?subcategory_id=4412 to get an idea. How well they work on a Z I don't know yet. But I am sure that a good bike shop will be willing to help you. If they won't, it's not a good bike shop.

I have a hatch mount bike rack that works fairly well on the zx. Mine is an allen rack that I bought at a bike shop, though they can be found elsewhere

http://www.allenracks.com/products/trunk/103d.html

If you choose this option, be sure to get a rack that has individual "holders" for each bike. Due to the angle of the rack, and the pedals on your bike(s), you will find these holders invaluable-that is if you don't want a scratched hatch.

There is an issue with this type of rack, however. The metal hooks used to secure the nylon straps to the car do not work with the hatch-the angles are off. What I did to counter this was to feed the hook to the interior of the car, then snug it up to the interior seal as much as possible, to prevent slipping (and seal damage).

The other issue deals with the lower strap connection-in my case I didn't care for how the hooks connect to the lower edge of the bumper (I couldn't get it tight enough), so I had to hook them through the tow hooks. Since you have a different bumper on your Z, this may not be an issue for you.

If you can, take your Z to the shop so you can do a fitting before you buy, and try to use an actual bike shop-they would be more likely to have (or order) something designed specifically for a hatch.

[Mike B]

your local Datsun Dealer had one for sale back in the day...

Part Number 99990-0004 Luggage Rack

This was a Nissan Authorized, Dealer Installed Accessory

<a href=http://zhome.com/History/72AccBroch.htm TARGET=NEW> Luggage Rack</a>

I doubt you'll find too many today - took me about six years of watching E-Bay to finally find one...

QUOTE]

It looks like this is the roof rack that Carl was referring to. Is it what you are looking for troubledz?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-240Z-NOS-Amco-Chrome-Roof-Luggage-Rack_W0QQitemZ250099032828QQcategoryZ33651QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Carl Beck]

Hi Mike:

Yes - that's the one. I think it's the same seller I bought mine from too. There was also an accessory that converted or utilized the Roof Rack as a Ski Rack.

Carl B.

[Mike B]

I think it's the same seller I bought mine from too.

Carl B.

He must have found an old AMCO warehouse or something. It looks like he has lots of NOS AMCO parts for sale.

-Mike