New 240Z Door Panels 70-73

[hls30.com]

Does anyone have a pic that shows the light installed? Would be nice to see it. Thanks.

Search "Step Light"- Kats bought one on ebay a year or two ago-and he photographed and posted it.

Will

[EVILC]

Thanks Will.

[bpilati]

Apparently there were a couple of kinds of lights, but the only people who spoke up about having found preexisting wiring were those with 73 models. I wouldn't expect a 71 to be wired the same.

[geezer]

Here's what I found.

Up to 7/73 - PN 26420-E4100 - optional in Japanese home market

They changed after 7/73 and not sure but is that both versions depicted in this illustration? Couldn't find the pic Kats posted though.

Edited February 2, 2009 by geezer

[240znz]

Oops, I put my new glasses on and now I see that the pic of the panel on the first page does have the cut outs. Sorry for the confusion chaps.

The lenses I have are red. I'll take a pic tonight and post. It's a pretty shoddy installation. The hole drilled between the hinges for cable access wasn't deburred on the footwell side. I'll change the wiring from trurip to circular to ensure a tight fit through the grommet in an effort to keep it water and duct tight. Probably overkill but I won't ever need to worry about it.

The more I think about it, there is no way to tell if my car was fitted with these at the factory or put on at some stage by a PO. My guess is that Nissan wouldn't have used speaker wire to connect from the assembly to the underdash wiring loom or at the very least they may have sleeved the cable. Maybe Kats can confirm what cable type is used or anyone else who has these fitted.

[Zak's Z]

Ron.. heres the link to the pic.

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25211&highlight=step+lamp

[bpilati]

Okay, so we know that Kats always has access to everything. A white light would not make sense for the doors because when they are open, they would look like front lights. They should be red lights to warn traffic of an open door. I've seen this in some Toyotas I've owned. Anyway, they need to be internal to light the floor like courtesy lights.

Edited February 3, 2009 by bpilati

[EScanlon]

In my experience all the Z's from 70+ had the step-light wiring included in the dash harness.

Look at the harness itself, right about where the wiring for the Door Plunger Switch exits the harness. On the driver's side it's pretty much at the end of the harness. You should find a pair of wires taped / insulated with some BLUE electrician's tape to the main harness. Those two wires (Red/Blue and Black; one pair on each side of the dash) are the wires for the step-lights.

When you connect a set of lights to them, you don't need to ground the light as the black wire provides the ground. (Remember, they're supposed to be mounted to the door panel itself and not to the door frame behind the door panel.) The Red/Blue wire provides 12v from the same source as the Windshield Washer Pump, the Clock, the Map and Glove Box Light receive theirs from. (4th fuse down on the Right of the fuse box)

Also, when you turn on the Dome light, regardless of whether the door(s) are open, the step-lights will actuate as well. The Step lights will, of course, illuminate when you open the door.

As far as running the wire from the fender into the door:

I don't know how Datsun was planning or expecting to do it. But since there aren't any powered items in the doors and no way of getting power to the inside of the doors without using a wire pair, I'll offer the following:

Back in the 70's when I was doing stereo installs in vehicles (and yes, in the doors), we found that the easiest way we could "channel" that wiring without leaving it exposed where it could get pinched and frayed and end up with a "warranty" fix was to route the wire through some rubber or silicone tubing.

We would drill a pair of holes, one each in the door and door hinge pillar. One of the holes would be just barely undersized of the OD of the tubing, and the other hole would be just barely oversized. The undersized hole was so that the tubing wouldn't slip in and out of that hole, while the oversized was to allow it to slip. Which hole was what depended on which side could accept the tubing as it slid in. The side that was stationary also received a dash of silicone around it's opening. The tubing was of a length that it extended at least one or two inches into each side with the door fully open. With the door closed, the tubing will insert itself into the oversize hole, and will extend fully with the door open. The advantage of this system is that the wire was protected by the tubing (and kept straight and tangle free) and there was a modicum of "seal" at the holes that got drilled.

We used 16 ga speaker wire (extension cord type wire) for the majority of the installs. The current going to a step lamp is low enough that you don't need thicker wire. I only recall one installation where the owner insisted on "Monster" Cable and we just used two pieces of tubing then.

There are "no-wire" contact systems out there for use by the hot-rod builders, but they all have the limitation that once the door is open, there is no electrical contact or current. Since the purpose of the step lamp involves having current when the door is open, those systems won't work.

2¢

E

[FilipeA]

Hi

Very nice tips! Doe anyone know if that parts are still available anywhere?

Filipe

[240znz]

Here are a few pics of the step lamps on HS30-00352

Not Nissan by the looks of them. If you look close you will see that there were two mounting studs that have been cut off with a hacksaw. They are too small for the cut out in the door card. But the cable looks very much like a Nissan product with the ends heat crimped.

So sorry guys, I'm now not sure what the hell they are. They will not be going on the car until I know more. Not that the car is ready for them...sheesh.

[geezer]

They will not be going on the car until I know more.

To me, they look like the work of a safety conscious individual, maybe someone who made frequent stops on the side of the road. Who knows? Anyways, they are something that make your Z unique. Unless you are a stickler for originality, I'd keep them. :bulb:Get yourself a paper route.:bulb:

PS - Maybe I should explain that...We have an elderly gent here who delivers papers here early in the morning. He drives on the wrong side of the road with his door open, throwing the newspapers in the driveways.

Edited February 3, 2009 by geezer

[Mike B]

Doesn't surprise me. It could have been a mistake listing them with no reserve though, now that the word is out they will be available again in May at the dealership without paying a shipping charge. They won't be bought by anyone reading this thread.

I guess the buyer didn't read this thread. They sold for $510 US, plus $110 US for shipping.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120371267593&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&viewitem=

Not a bad profit for something that cost about $345 US a few days ago.

-Mike