SoCalJim

I’m really looking forward to receiving the new dash in the coming week(s).

Me too! This thing is great and it even matches my Z’s interior.

Merry Christmas!

Great article. It got me daydreaming about what my ‘75 280Z could become. Well, if I had umpteen cubic dollars to spend on it. ?

1975 - 3.1 turns L-to-L, as recorded by my calibrated eyeballs.

Is that hat available in period-correct colors?

1975 specs are the same as for 1976.

My old ‘78’s steering was heavy at low speeds with the stock tire size.

I have a cracked plastic finisher that covers the glove box door lock for my '75 280Z. I tried repairing it, unsuccessfully, first with and adhesive that I had on hand, and later with JB Weld. Do any of you have advice you can offer on to properly repair this piece? Or a lead on a good replacement part? Thanks! Best Regards, Jim

Av8ferg, in my case, the glovebox was unlocked, but the lock didn’t work with any of the keys that I had for my car. I just removed 2 screws holding the lock to the door (on back side of door), popped off the plastic finisher on the front side of the lock, and the lock could then be removed from the door. Is your case having the glovebox locked without having a key? If so, I would remove the 4 screws at the bottom glovebox door. Is that what you already did? I’d next try use a long Phillips head screwdriver to pass through whatever gap you can make between the bottom of the glovebox door and dash, and then unscrew the 2 screws holding the catch for the door lock to the dashboard frame. Assuming it’s possible to get enough of a gap to do this, and that you have a clear enough shot to reach those 2 screws, removing the screws should let you remove the entire glovebox door, with the catch still held by the lock. I hope my assumption is correct. If so, then remove the lock as I described in the first paragraph. i hope this helps!

I had no key for my glove box door, so, I removed the lock and took it to a locksmith. He re-keyed it so I can now open it with the same key that I use on the rest of the car.

Wow!

Ohh, nooo!

Mike, they set me back $1,258, including lug nuts w/ 1 lock/wheel and CA tax. No shipping charge since I drove to his shop and picked them up. I still have to decide on which summer tires to buy.

I just drove over to Classic Datsun Motorsports in Vista, CA to pick up a set of Panasport Z-Light 16x7's. Les Cannaday ( les@classicdatsun.com ) is great to work with. Wheels are still wearing the blue shrink wrap. Les' Panasport distributor said they weigh 17.4 lbs each.

Anyone know what font size/style is needed to stamp the car & engine numbers onto the blank plates?

That's hot! A street version of that car would be amazing.

You guys have spurred me into action! This morning I showed my wife nice pictures of two Datsun Zs. One had 16x7 Panasport wheels, the other, 16x7 Koenig Rewind wheels. I didn't mention which was which, or costs. Right away, she selected the Panasports. I told her the relative pricing and she just shrugged her shoulders. Now I need to try to find who currently has the Panasports with the best pricing.

$32k now

Jamal, I haven’t yet determined if the ‘73 240z part is the same as the 280z part; however, I have someone sending me the 280z door guide. Thanks for your offer to help!

Hi Jeff. I’m using a 2007-2012 Nissan Sentra spare tire that’s 125/70/16. It bolts right up and is lighter than the original full size spare tire. Look for them on eBay...they are readily available and not pricey.

I’ll have to look into that Jamal. Thanks.

I’m looking for part #36 from the figure, below. Mine has one of the threaded studs snapped off. If you have one for sale, please either send me a forum message or send me an email at jimr20165 at yahoo dot com Thanks!!

I just received a good used one yesterday. Now, Z Car Depot has reproduction rollers in stock. Great timing...haha! A big shout out goes to @Mark Maras for pointing that to me today! ?

I'm pretty sure it's going to take some wiring modifications. I've seen a few threads on this, but I'm not sure they are all completely applicable as the car years varied, and sometimes the modifications also included the alternator and voltage regulator. I'm going to keep my original alternator and external voltage regulator for now. So, when I complete this mod (at the time I get a replacement dash cover), I'll write up what I did to make it work and include a wiring diagram. This will show a 1975 Z, with the 1976 voltmeter/fuel gauge, given the stock alternator and stock external voltage regulator. I'll also show how the charging light in the gauge is connected, since it's a separate circuit.