Early rubber mats

[zKars]

Sorry, obviously the picture of the mat I posted is the passenger side mat. Duh. It was found on the driver side of the car when I got it, upside down and fitting very poorly. 137is left hand drive.

Jim

[bpilati]

I'm constantly amazed at the information obtained by some members. I would really like to know where you find all these little details. Does Nissan generally retain all this info in some form, or do they just throw it all away after so many years. You would think that they have all the original drawings somewhere on fiche or other media for record. And all the configurations for the various markets have to be somewhere. You guys must have inside sources.

[HS30-H]

If I get time later today, I will pop the rubber mats out of the 432-R replica project car ( a mid-1970 Z-L ) and take some shots of them to add to this thread.

Took the two front mats out of the car to photograph them. Apologies for the light quality, but it was raining and I didn't want to get them wet by laying them on the ground outside - so I put them on top of the car. Flash will make them look a bit shinier than they really are, I think:

[Mike B]

Thanks for posting the information and the pictures Alan. It helps to get an international perspective on something like this. I assume the two small slots at the bottom of the mats are for the metal tabs (that we find on US model cars) to secure them in place. What are the two larger slots for? Also, it looks like the mats are mirror images of each other except for the notches cut in the top of the drivers mat. Is that correct?

-Mike

[Carl Beck]

Hi Alan:

Are the slits and cutout areas in the mats - for extensions that allow the seat tracks to be mounted farther forward in the JDM models?

Carl B.

[HS30-H]

Thanks for posting the information and the pictures Alan. It helps to get an international perspective on something like this.

Mike,

I'm glad if they help, or if they are at least of interest. Thank you for making the distinction, and remembering the 'other' market models. I think we all learn something from looking at the big picture.

I assume the two small slots at the bottom of the mats are for the metal tabs (that we find on US model cars) to secure them in place. What are the two larger slots for? Also, it looks like the mats are mirror images of each other except for the notches cut in the top of the drivers mat. Is that correct?

The T-shaped slots are for the extra front seat-mount brackets seen on the Japanese market cars. These allowed an extra range of seat positioning - presumably for particularly short drivers. I've never actually seen a car with the seat sliders bolted in to the front mount position, and cars came from the factory with them mounted in the rear as a default position I believe.

Funnily enough, I did compare the left and right side shapes to see if one was a mirror-image of the other. In fact they are not. The cutout details are obviously different, but so is the outline shape. I don't know how many people are aware that the transmission tunnel is not actually located in the centre of the floorpan if you use the sill pressings as the outer reference points........

I think these Japanese market rubber floor mats reflect that difference. Their profiles are not the same when one is reversed onto the other.

Here are a couple of pics that might help to illustrate what those extra Japanese market front seat rail mounts look like. They are all I have handy at the moment - so they will have to do for now:

[Mike B]

Alan,

Yes, your information has been both helpful and informative. Many of us enjoy finding out more about the bigger picture of the S-30 in all markets.

The Japanense front seat mount brackets are interesting. I had always wondered why the rear seat brackets have two holes, and now I know why.

-Mike

[Mike B]

Here is a picture of the front rubber mats as shown in the 1969 US brochure. Also notice the clock and radio deletes, hand throttle, etc...

-Mike

[kats]

Hi Mike,

Probably you have this one, the one came from the service bulletin issued May 1970 shows rubber driver's mat "DATSUN" .

And just for your interest, the picture from the Japanese car magazine showing a shot of an Fairlady Z(basic model) in Nov 1969.You can see the rear deck rubber mat glossy.

kats

[Mike B]

Thanks for posting these pictures Kats. I did not have them. What was the May 1970 service bulletin for? Was the rear deck mat on the Japanese model made of a different material than what was used for US cars?

-Mike

[zspert]

The US market 510 2 door came with rubber mats from the factory - they were sold to the first owner that way, ditto for the trucks. The 4 door and wagon came from the factory with carpets. Also, the 2 door front seats could not be reclined as could the front seats in the 4 door and wagon. Installed the parts required to make 2 door front seats recline many times for customers when I was a dealer mechanic in the 70s.