280z - Hidden/secret/weed compartment?

[RT Hunter]

Those with stock 1977/1978 280z hatch area, how easy it is for you to access your hidden/secret/weed compartment (the two behind the seats in the hatch floor)?

My Z hatch area is stock, which has the wooden floor boards under the carpet. The floor board over the spare wheel is liftable, and is attached to the board covering the hidden compartments by hinges. The board that is covering the hidden compartments are bolted down onto the hatch floor. It seems for me to access the hidden compartments, I would have to remove the entire carpet, then unbolt the entire wooden floor board. This doesn't sound very practical, unless I'm doing something wrong.

Thx.

Edited January 22, 2013 by RT Hunter

[bpilati]

I'm not a 280Z owner, but it sounds to me like you have something installed in the car that is not stock. I know the car changed some, but a 240Z (71-73) has two compartments with metal lids and rotating latch mechanisms. The cover for the spare tire is a piece of pressboard that is velcroed (no hinges) down to the floor. The carpet sits directly over the entire deck and has slits sewn into it so you can lift the carpet to access the compartment lids. If you you have to remove all that to access the two compartments, sounds like something is wrong.

Edited January 22, 2013 by bpilati

[26th-Z]

Can't help it...drive your car exclusively on pavement and you won't have to worry about weeds getting into your secret compartments!

[RT Hunter]

240z's and 280z's have different hatch area floors. 280z's have wooden boards that cover the whole floor.

Photo below belongs to another 280z owner:

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/members/zcurves-albums-beginning-picture43629-10.jpg

[ZCurves]

RT Hunter - You are correct! The later S30's had an elevated floor made from MDF and was covered with carpet. I suppose that you could find the Toolbox lids and Spare Tire cover from a 240z and convert the hatch area so that you could have easy access.

I always thought that it was weird that Nissan elevated the rear deck. The S30 body remained largely unchanged until the introduction of the ZX (S130) in 1978. The only noticeable alterations to the body, (ignoring the interior) were Bumpers and Door Jamb Latches - Nissan left the toolboxes and even the tail-gate vent stamping on the later S30's (hence the rubber plugs on the underside - these were for vents on the 240's). I imagine that once Nissan got the body stamping to a satisfactory point it was not economically beneficial to change things when they were moving toward the S130 platform. The S130 had accessible toolboxes -so someone at Nissan must have liked them.

[siteunseen]

The only reason I could see for the elevated floor in the deck area is for the compressed air bottle for the un-inflated spare they put in in early '77s. It's about 4" tall, laying down. Under the ashtray, is a good spot unless you have weight, or so I've been told.

[RT Hunter]

@ZCurves: Yeah, I kind of thought about converting it, but I would also like to keep a spare wheel. From what I read, is that the spare wheel well was raised to accomodate the larger fuel tank. It seems like only a motorcycle tire would be able to fit if the raised floor was removed. I don't mind the raised floor, but it seems like the two compartments are now inaccessible. It's a shame because I could put air compressor, or other handy things in there.

[RT Hunter]

Here is a picture of the floor without the false floor (not my Z):

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t282/Mezster/DSC00935.jpg

Notice that near the compartments, there are vertical brackets which the raised floor is bolted onto. Also the wheel well area that has been also raised. I think those compartments on the 280z also had little lids that covered them too. It's odd that they would keep it some what functional, yet inaccessible.

Edited January 22, 2013 by RT Hunter

[SteveJ]

It doesn't seem too strange when you account for tooling costs. Enlarging the gas tank forced the spare above the old well. Nissan compensated with the deck. Instead of spending extra money that would not garner any profit, they left old tooling unchanged for the tool pocket.

[bpilati]

240z's and 280z's have different hatch area floors. 280z's have wooden boards that cover the whole floor.

Photo below belongs to another 280z owner:

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/members/zcurves-albums-beginning-picture43629-10.jpg

The accessibility issue threw me off, made me think something was modified by an owner.

[mgood]

The floors on the 75 and 76 were like the 240's, low and had access to the little compartments behind the seats. The 77 and 78 are the ones with the raised deck.

Here is a picture with the spare in the well on my 76.

You could always change the back to a stepped shelf with a low area in the front and get the doors from an earlier 75 or 76 so you have the tool boxes.

Edited January 22, 2013 by mgood

[TomoHawk]

the raised deck in the back of the later models makes it easy to load in groceries (something Mr. Matsuo-san's wife wanted.) I actually reversed the floor in my car. I reversed the hinges so the front floor panel hinges up, and screwed down the rear section. That way I can get to the tool storage pockets easily.