I have a 240z rear deck badge and can't decide if it's metal or plastic. It has posts on the back and a strong magnet will stick to it. Common sense says metal and I don't think the plastic ones had posts but I think I read here somewhere that Datsun used a metal/plastic combination to save money? Any help appreciated! I don't want to hold a lighter to it to check!

Seriously?  You read HERE that Nissan successfully combined metal with plastic?  That would be quite a feat, don't you think?  Do you not know the difference between plastic and metal?  You must!  You used a magnet and it stuck.  What does that tell you?

All emblems have mounting posts; both the metal ones and the plastic ones.

The metal ones on my car have "acne" looking little dots, FWIW.

26th-Z. I guess I did not make myself clear enough. Combined. As in injection molded plastic around a metal sub frame. That doesn't seem like such a feat. Not mixed. As in mixing plastic and metal. Only an idiot would think that was possible. After more research I found out on my own that they were either metal OR plastic, no metal inside a plastic emblem that could cause a magnet to stick. But thanks for answering my question about the mounting posts.

Thank You siteunseen! No 'acne' here, but a strong magnet sticks and I found no reference to metal inside a plastic emblem. I'm confident it's metal.

 

Here us what I think.  The posts have a metal barrel clip to hold it in the hole.  The emblem on the deck is fully plastic.  When I refurbished all my emblems, some of the barrel clips stayed on the post, the other posts broke off.  All of the emblems on my car were plastic except the round side quarter emblems.  They are made of a 'pot' type metal that a magnet will not stick to.  It is also subject to corrosion faster than other metals, the ones on my 73 were very rough and pitted.  The steel in the barrel clips will attract a magnet.  There is probably rust holding the barrel clips on the posts like they were on mine.  Hope this helps.

 

Bonzi Lon

If you type "metal 240z emblem" into the search box at the top of the page, you'll be taken to a lengthy 2008 discussion on the metal deck lid emblems.

Dennis

While Nissan didn't do it, metal over plastic is a quite common manufacturing technique.

A place I used to work for that made decorative caps for the cosmetic industry had their own vacuum deposit line.

See paragraph 1.3 of the following white paper.

http://tennvac.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Metallization-white-paper-–-Physical-Vapor-Deposition-Technology.pdf

Edited July 5, 20186 yr by SurferD