What year is mine & what badges?

[joe71]

I am searching for 2 rear qtr badges. I have only 2 holes. Was told should be 3 for a 71 (prod date 1/71). I do have vents in rear hatch (though they are trimless, and I need them also). Help me figger out what year this is and which emblems I need.

[24OZ]

Not sure what you mean by being told there should be 3 holes. Where?

If you have vent holes where the C pillar is then you need the

badges which do not say 240Z they are for 1970 cars.

The seires I cars had the vent on the rear deck lid which you have which suggest a 1970 with cross over to 71 car.

[civ104]

Sounds as if you have a '70 model. The rear grills and logo should still be available from MSA or Victoria.

[kmack]

If you don't have the large round vent hole in the rear quarters, then you have a Series I car. You need the badge that says 240Z on it. It's about 5" long and I think Motorsport still carries them. That is where I got mine. Unfortunately, I don't think you can find the metal ones anymore, only plastic. As for the rear hatch grills, I have two that are off of a spare hatch that are available. They are solid but the chrome is coming off in some areas. $10 each.

BTW, I'd be interested to know what your VIN is. My car was built in Jan. '71 also and is a Series I. I've been told that Jan was when the factory changed over to start making the Series II cars, but they still made a few Series I that same month.

[RandyC]

All (but primarily Kmack),

I have a 4/71 that I am the 2nd owner on and have had since Jan 1976. I just started the resto in December and I have the vent hole in one panel and not in the other. I also have the emblems with just the "Z" on it and they are both metal. I see no evidence that either panel has ever been replaced but have been wondering if I had a "production transition" car.

How certain are you that the transition occurred in January 71....seems like they wouldn't have a mix of quarter panels in the factory too long given that they were building about 1200 cars per month?

Just wondering (maybe my car is real special) :-),

Randy

[kmack]

My information is based on info I received from zhome.com. I believe Carl was the one who enlightened me as to the cross over point. There were some who were surprised that the Series I cars were even built in Jan. '71!

As for your case? It is strange to one quarter from one car and another form a different series. I would really go through to check and see if either the vent hole is filled up (have seen it a lot on cars trying to look older) or for signs the panel could have been replaced at some point. How certain on the history of the car are you? Sure would like to know if you do have a "cross-over" car!

Check in with Carl Beck and see if he can help also.

[2ManyZs]

I would not be surprised if this car was a Series 2 car that got rear ended not long after being sold. It is quite possible the hatch and quarter panel were replaced with Series 1 parts that a dealer had on hand. Back then a dealer would have had to stock parts for both series and someone mistakenly put the wrong ones on it or maybe the owner didn't want to wait for the right ones to be shipped to the shop that was making the repairs.

The are some small differences in the center console which could tell more of the story, if the defogger switch is behind the shifter and the cigarette lighter is the only thing on the fuse box cover it could be a series 1. There is also a difference in the 4 way flasher switch on the dash. Just curious,which way does the defogger grid in the hatch run? Vertical or horizontal?

Kmack, I'm surprised to find out they made any series 1 cars after December 70, everything I have ever read indicated that a January car would have been a series 2. Possibly yours was one of the first off the line after New Years. I have an 11/70 series 1 vin#15749, yours must be about 20,000 or so isn't it?

[2ManyZs]

For joe71, yours is a series 1. Motorsport also has the new vent grills for the hatch as well as the c-pillars emblems. About the only ones you may find difficult to find are the Datsun emblems for the lower front fenders and hatch as well as the 240z hatch emblem. Motorsport can get them but they were unavailable last time I talked to them, they may have them by now.

[EScanlon]

Joe Your car definitely sounds like a Series I. The two holes you describe are the receiver holes for the barrel clips on the pins of the emblems for the quarter panel. The right ones for your car are the ones that say "240Z" on top of a circle.

If your car had the indent hole and hence 3 barrel clip holes around the indented hole, the emblem you would need would be the one that just has a "Z" in the center. These are for the Series II and they are side specific. (i.e. Right/Left)

The Series I had a pair of Vent Grills below the rear hatch window. These vents were in fact FUNCTIONAL. Inside the hatch you should have some ducting that connected to the inside hatch panel. This is how the Series I did the passive vent air circulation system. But since the car's aerodynamics tended to suck the exhaust back in through the vent, it was changed to the window channels.

Many of the emblems you are looking for are hard to find USED let alone NEW. However, I have a source that has been able to get them NEW and in the NISSAN BOX.

The 240Z Channel is no longer available in metal. You can sometimes get it from someone on e-Bay or at swap meets, but rarely new. In fact, there's a guy selling a pair of metal ones on e-bay right now but you can tell the paint is chipped and need some TLC to be good.

They're up for auction, but you can buy them now for $50. Here's the URL:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=600626991

My source is the Datsun Dude. He has several listings on e-Bay right now, but you can contact him directly at z@datsundude.com

Here's just a sampling of the items that go hand in hand with your restoration:

"Datsun" Fender emblems

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=600418903

Datsun 240Z Roof Pillar Emblems

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=600419568

Door Striker Set

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=600419393

Hatch Jamb Hardware Kit

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=600605764

I've found that he is extremely fair and his perfomance is second to none.

Another source for emblems and the like is Too Intense Restoration.

Check out his web-site at:

http://www.DatsunRestore.com/

His e-mail is AMODEM04@aol.com

Feel free to tell them I referred you. I don't get anything but they like to know who's putting their name out amongst the bulletin boards and friends.

Have fun and Good Luck finding what you want.

[kmack]

2ManyZ's,

My VIN number is in the 18000's. After initially talking with Carl when I first got the car, it was the last know registered Series I on ZHome.com. Since then, I believe there are one or two more listed that were made in January 1971.

This is part of the reason I have spent so much time getting this car back on the road. It won't be a concours resto., but it will look nice.

[RandyC]

Kmack and 2ManyZs et al,

Thanks for the reply on my "hybrid" rear panels. After more inspection and dis-assembly last night the story is still a little strange. So far I have all the front end pieces removed including the fenders and the fender braces. I also have removed paint at points where there were cracks in the panel's paint and I thought factory seams would be. I found evidence that the right front fender was replaced due to the internal stamped brace being a little deformed. I cannot find any evidence that the right rear panel or door were replaced. The entire left side of the car looks like it has all original panels and welds.

What is strange, though, is that the right rear has the Series I panel and the left (original?) is the Series II panel based on you guys input (it has the large vent hole while the right side is flush and has not been welded over). It seems plausible (but not probable) that an older version panel may have been used as replacement on the right side. I also have the defrost switch only behind the choke lever and only the power socket in the fuse panel cover. I think one of you said that indicates Series I? It is a little confusing!

Whoever did the quarter panel repair (if at all) did a very good job. I don't understand why they didn't replace the right fender brace, though, as it seems it would have been cheap and easy (I have already straightened it based on the left side dimensions).

Anyway, I know I've rambled a bit but I think I'll take your advice and research the previous owner history. I was also thinking it could have been damaged on the trip over here and repaired by Datsun? Either way I still have a very straight and relatively rust-free car (that I have put 150K of the 195K miles it has) to work with but I'd like to explain the "hybrid" nature of my quarter panels

:mad:

Randy

[kmack]

Somebody refresh my memory...

Weren't the Series I cars the only ones with the plastic storage covers, not the "built in frame" storage boxes found in the later years? I know mine has the plastic covers behind the seats. And I had a '73 that had the storage bins located on the rear deck. I'm under the impression that this was a Series I only feature. Am I correct?

If so, Randy, what does your car have?