Needing patch panels.

[moozieman]

Looking for a lower half patch of my 280z front fender. Found a site that’s slightly cheaper than Z car depot. Anyone ever used TABCO before? Trustworthy?

[grannyknot]

Tabco is where everybody gets their Z panels, I think they are the last manufacturer making Z panels except for Zedd Findings and Bad Dog.  You might as well buy from the maker, sometimes they are kind of slow but I've always got the stuff I ordered.

[moozieman]

8 minutes ago, grannyknot said:

Tabco is where everybody gets their Z panels, I think they are the last manufacturer making Z panels except for Zedd Findings and Bad Dog.  You might as well buy from the maker, sometimes they are kind of slow but I've always got the stuff I ordered.

Oh I understand. Dang their part collection it getting thin! Ig they don’t carry door skins anymore either!?

[moozieman]

13 hours ago, grannyknot said:

Tabco is where everybody gets their Z panels, I think they are the last manufacturer making Z panels except for Zedd Findings and Bad Dog.  You might as well buy from the maker, sometimes they are kind of slow but I've always got the stuff I ordered.

On a completely different note, why tf do the 240s and 280s have different floor pans??

[grannyknot]

5 minutes ago, moozieman said:

On a completely different note, why tf do the 240s and 280s have different floor pans??

Two different cars, externally they are identical in many ways but starting with the 260's changes were made to the rear suspension setup, added door bracing, extra bumper supports for the 5mph rule. Nissan continued to do major and minor changes to the platform right up to when they brought in the ZX.  I'm not exactly sure when the major changes to the floors happened, late 260's I think,  so hopefully some of the other members will jump in here and fill in the details of when those changes were done.

 

[moozieman]

19 minutes ago, grannyknot said:

Two different cars, externally they are identical in many ways but starting with the 260's changes were made to the rear suspension setup, added door bracing, extra bumper supports for the 5mph rule. Nissan continued to do major and minor changes to the platform right up to when they brought in the ZX.  I'm not exactly sure when the major changes to the floors happened, late 260's I think,  so hopefully some of the other members will jump in here and fill in the details of when those changes were done.

 

Okay. Just curious. I may try to fabricate my own if I can get proper dimensions.

[heyitsrama]

Apparently the FSM has diagrams for dimensions... at least i know it for the other floorpan i need to change out.

I made my own outta 16ga sheets. You'll need a brake to make the folds (or some sharp angle iron in a press + hammer) and a bead roller. The bead roller really makes it come out nice, however the center bead that is used in OEM floorpan is kinda big...... 1/2"? (probably larger IIRC). I ended up using 2 smaller beads in the same space for strength, because my dies were not that big.

some links here

good luck!

[240260280]

two suppliers:

 

https://www.millsupply.com/auto-body-rust-repair-panels/datsun/

https://tabcoparts.com/cars/datsun/240z-260z-280z-1970-1978.html

[grannyknot]

5 hours ago, 240260280 said:

two suppliers:

 

https://www.millsupply.com/auto-body-rust-repair-panels/datsun/

https://tabcoparts.com/cars/datsun/240z-260z-280z-1970-1978.html

It's funny about Mill Supply, they are in the same town and about 2-3 blocks away from Tabco.   I just assumed that Mill Supply was a subsidiary, one of the guys at Mill Supply told me they get some of their stuff from Tabco.

[Patcon]

Floor plans are not cost prohibitive. It seems to make sense to just buy them versus the amount of time it would take to make substitutes