Kanji found when removing a dash

[Zulaytr]

Mikewags and Mike B

I am curious if when you finally got the dash out if you found any Japanese Kanji (script) on the bottom side of it? When I did my dash a couple of years ago I found it in my car. I understand it was common for assembly line personnel to do this. I had mine translated and it meant "Spring Time". Here is picture of it.

I hope everything goes well on the re-install.

[Mike B]

Mikewags and Mike B

I am curious if when you finally got the dash out if you found any Japanese Kanji (script) on the bottom side of it? When I did my dash a couple of years ago I found it in my car. I understand it was common for assembly line personnel to do this. I had mine translated and it meant "Spring Time". Here is picture of it.

I hope everything goes well on the re-install.

Good question. The dash on #32 didn't have any writting on the part that the steering column mounts to, but it did have the number 58 written in red on the right bottom support area. However, I have two other spare early dashes and they both have what appears to be Kanji writting in the steering column support area like yours. The picture with the black marker writting is from a 3/71 car. Its interesting how they apparently made a mistake and crossed it out and then rewrote something again. The picture with the red marker writing is from a 10/70 car. Maybe Kats or someone can help translate.

-Mike

[moonpup]

This reminds me of something I read in a article about an individual at the Chrysler/Plymouth factory that would leave his signature on a panel in the trunk area of certain Mopars.

Could we have had a like minded person in the Nissan plant?

[Poindexter]

Automaker cultural archeology! Yet another fascinating chapter in the life story of these cars.

I have relatives near Portland. They live out in the sticks, playing at being a hippies (does anybody even remember that term? ) , writing and playing music in a 100+ year old barn, and living on caffeine and organic produce, ahem, they grow themselves. And if you'd only add finding and working on classic car barn finds, then it sounds like heaven. It's all about the negative ions in the air during lightning storms.

[Mike B]

Here is another dash with Kanji writting on the steering wheel column support. This one is from an ebay ad that says it came out of a 71, but the hazard switch sticker indent makes me think it is from a 72.

-Mike

[mikewags]

My dash had the word "OK" written on that part of the metal...not sure what that means.

I've finished with the dash repair. It didn't come out perfect, but i was able to seal about 4 or 5 deep cracks that would of continued to spread eventually. The whole process was pretty labor intesive and a real headache. From removing the dash, to filling the cracks and sanding it all down...I would of probably left it alone if I knew it was going to be such a mission.

I would probably suggest others to get a dashcap instead of going through the whole dash removal and repair process. It's very hard to get the finish to come out completely smooth, even with the SEM texture coating...

Will post photos soon!

[HS30-H]

Zulaytr & Mike B,

I have taken the liberty of copying your posted photos, turning them the 'right' way up where necessary, and adding roman alphabet phonetic 'translations' of what I think they say in the hope that it might help us to understand this a little better. Hope that you don't mind.

Zulaytr,

The Kanji on your dash actually reads as less than 'Spring Time'. In fact, it reads "Haru" - which is indeed 'Spring' as in the season of Spring ( Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter in Japanese would be Haru, Natsu, Aki, Fuyu ) but could easily be part of another word or phrase, or even part of somebody's name.........

Unless we saw other examples that identified seasons ( Natsu, Aki & Fuyu ) then I'd hesitate to believe that the Kanji on your dash was reference to a season. If it did, how could that be of use on a production line that was churning thousands of these things out every month?

'Nen' and 'Ne' could easily be two ways of writing the same thing. One is in ( long hand ) Kanji, and one is in ( quicker ) Hiragana, and abbreviated ( ? ). Could they both mean the same thing...... ? Don't know.

Finally, 'Kokoro' or 'Shin' ( could be read both ways ) is Kanji, but seems ambiguous. A more formal Kanji character has been roughly scribbled out. Something has possibly been corrected on the component / sub-assembly?

A rough translation of 'Kokoro' would be 'heart' ( as in the feeling, rather than the organ ) and a rough translation of 'Shin' ( the other possible reading of this Kanji - although it is actually meaningless when used on it's own ) could also be 'Heart', the abstract feeling rather than the thing. It is not the correct Kanji for the similar-sounding 'Shin' meaning 'new' - which could have indicated a shortened form of a person's name..........

And that's what I have wondered about these in the past; Whether they were scribbles signifying the identity of the person who completed them or 'signed them off' - at whatever stage of the process ( could even be just the sheetmetal frame part......... ). Don't know. Some of them don't seem to fit in as possible names or even nicknames.

Interesting that they are situated in a place that is not covered by the vinyl, but is covered by the steering column when the dash is fitted in the car. That must be a clue as to what stage in the manufacturing process these graffitoes were applied, and meant to be seen.........

Alan T.

[26th-Z]

I always loved this conversation. Search back through the archives and there are plenty more threads on this subject. Thanks, as always, Alan for providing your insight.

[HS30-H]

My pleasure. Hopefully Kats will be along some time in the near future to give a much more educated take on the subject, and put me straight on a few things.

But we might be taking these to have a far more literal meaning than they were ever meant to have. Production line boredom could account for anything, and it seems clear that these little snatches of writing were probably not meant to mean anything to anybody other than those that were writing them.......

I'm thinking of a particular piece of 'graffiti on my 240ZG; I thought for ages that it might have some significance, but in actual fact it simply reads "Warau". Rough translation: "Ha Ha!"

Anybody ever read 'Rivethead' by Ben Hamper?

Alan T.

[FilipeA]

Hi

My car has this as well. I will put pictures when I get home!!!

Very interesting

Filipe Azevedo

[geezer]

But we might be taking these to have a far more literal meaning than they were ever meant to have. Production line boredom could account for anything, and it seems clear that these little snatches of writing were probably not meant to mean anything to anybody other than those that were writing them.......

I'm thinking of a particular piece of 'graffiti on my 240ZG; I thought for ages that it might have some significance, but in actual fact it simply reads "Warau". Rough translation: "Ha Ha!"

Alan T.

Thanks for the tranlations. After finding the meanings of these writings, I would be inclined to agree wholeheartedly with the above quote.

I have seen all manner of self expression displayed on vehicles built in the US & Canada and see no reason why the same didn't occur in Japan. Everything from "Have a Nice Day" to "Built by White Punks on Dope". We even found an over zealous inspector who took it upon himself to make notations in the owners manuals warning of potential problems that may be experienced in the future. In the '60s & '70s it was common for painters to initial parts such as hoods & fenders and the vehicles themselves with the gun (in an inconspicuous place. Interesting nontheless.

[Tarmac]

I remember seeing Brian "The Boz" Bozworths autobiography. Thanks to the boosters at OU he got a summer job on the assembly line at a GM plant. He had great fun welding loose nuts and bolts into the fender wells so that the car would always have a rattle that could never be fixed.