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A lot of 280z cars have these chrome strips on the doors and underside of the doors, like the orange one below, are they original? I've never seen a brochure where cars had them. If they are not original, when were they introduced on the market? Or were they an option? The 260z 2+2 in the picture won an award for being original, while it also has the strips on the side.

The topic of refurbishing the chrome lettering on the Z's dash features came up again today. I'd read several past posts by members, including those the recommended the use of the silver Sharpie pen. I tried this on the 'Datsun 240Z' logo plate for my glovebox door. While the results looked ok, it proved not to be very durable. As a matter of fact, the ink came off on the kleenex tissue that I'd wrapped the piece with for protection during storage. Maybe some clear acrylic would have helped. Just the same, I now had to start over. This time, I decided to try something different. I'd read about the chrome foil that scale modelers use for simulating chrome trim on plastic kits. Pictures of their results looked really promising, so I decided to give it a try. A page-sized sheet of adhesive-backed foil cost about $10 at the local hobby shop, so I figured I didn't have much to lose. The results were better than I'd ever cared to hope for. Here are some pix of the work I've completed so far -- two pieces: the glovebox logo and the centre console insert plate. The foil itself has about the same feel as the foil wrap used in a package of cigarettes. It's very thin and you need to be very careful peeling it off the backing sheet. Also, the adhesive on the back is very, well, adhesive, so you need to plan ahead as to what your next move will be after you've peeled your piece off the backing sheet. One wrong move and it'll be stuck to something you hadn't planned on sticking it to. It does not un-peel easily, so you'll probably have to toss that piece and cut out a new one. You'll need a sharp hobby knife to make this work. As the instructions that come with the foil mention, 'sharp' means 'really sharp'. Use only a brand-new blade. In fact, the foil manufacturer recommends that you hone the brand-new blade to make it even sharper. I didn't do this and I didn't find it necessary. However, you're going to be cutting through actual metal and that means that you may need to replace your blade with a new one from time to time during the job. The tip-off will be when the blade starts to tear the foil. Unfortunately, that will be too late (i.e. your job will be ruined), so the moral is, don't cheap out on blades. This job takes a very steady hand and a lot of patience. It's also really important that you set up your work piece so that it well anchored, movable, and placed so that your arm and hand will be well supported and at the right height for both comfort and position relative to the work piece. Let's start with the console insert plate. This has mounting bosses and brackets that extend off the bottom, so I found a piece of scrap wood and drilled holes in the appropriate places so that the plate would sit flat on the board. I also made sure that the plate wouldn't jiggle or move around on the board (really important). The console insert plate has a number of full-perimeter chrome accent stripes. As you can see, the chrome was completely MIA on my plate... Although it would have been less risky to do each 'box' as four separate chrome strips, I didn't want to have cut-lines at the corners. Too easy to catch on and lift and edge when driving, and also not a clean appearance. So, after taking a deep breath, I cut a big sheet of foil and dropped it in place... The picture shows the foil in place and I've already 'burnished' it along the raised accent ribs. I found this best accomplished with a piece of high-acrylic cloth from an old shirt. Whatever you use, make sure it's smooth, soft and thin. Be really careful when you do your burnishing. It's all to easy to catch a bit of raised foil by accident and create a rip (and that means you start all over again). Do not burnish in the areas that won't be chromed (it's going to be enough of a chore lifting the excess foil away, without having it stuck to the work piece). You want to burnish only on the 'flats' of the raised ribs but not along the sides of the raised ribs. In the picture above, I've also started to do some initial trimming. Again, you need to be careful at every step along the way. Little rips turn into tears, and a tear can suddenly grows by a half-inch and ruin your work. (BTW, one of the photos shows an actual 'burnishing tool' that I had left over in my tool kit from the days of 'letraset' - it proved to be poorly suited for use with the thin modeler's foil I put it away immediately). The knife work requires practice to develop the right 'touch'. You need to find the right weight, the right 'steering' angle, and the right tracking edge (it's not a freehand cut). You'll learn how to find a ledge that you can run the point along. Once you get the knack of it, you can run a 4" straight cut in one move. In point of fact, you really need to strive for making these cuts in one move, because it's difficult to resume a cut without creating a little ragged edge. Also, the foil doesn't lend itself to 'clean-up' work afterwards. You really need to try to get it right the first time. The photo above gives a little closer look at the burnishing and the start-off cuts. Below, you can see me about to use my tweezers to pull the excess foil away after the first of my detail cuts... Here's the 'After' shot, with the excess foil completely removed... Below, you'll see the same process carried out for the first of the longer cuts... And, finally, the first rectangle completed (at this point I am feeling both happy and relieved)... It perhaps goes without saying that the raised strips around the outer perimeter of the plate were the most challenging to get right. Nevertheless, I was 'in the zone' by this time and managed to get everything done without any major incidents (just a couple of small ones ). Here's a photo of the end result: and... (The second photo won't load full-size for some reason) I was pretty happy with the results, given that this was the first time I'd ever tried using this foil. I was particularly relieved to find that I could cut dead-straight edges just by finding the right little ledge to let the knife tip run in (it's easier to feel these ledges than it is to see them, but they're there). Once you find the ledge, the challenge is to keep the knife tip moving steadily forward in the right direction. It's pretty easy to have the knife tip wander out of the ledge if you have the blade's 'steering angle' a few degrees off. When that happens, you've got trouble. Now for the glove box emblem. Different challenges here, given the many curves and inside corners. Same technique though. First, the backing board... Then mount the work-piece and cut a piece of foil... Lay the foil in place and burnish with your cloth... Look for the 'ledge' around each character and start to make your cuts. Curved edges are the most challenging, obviously. You may have to re-do many of the characters before you get everything to the point where your happy with your results. If you need to do a fix-up (like I'm doing with the '2' in the shot below), make sure you cut you new piece of foil to exactly the right overall size, so that it doesn't accidentally touch the foil on one of the adjoining characters... which will mean you'll now need to re-do both characters). Of all the characters in this logo, the 'Z' was the hardest to do. Save it for the last. Here's the final result (not the greatest of pix as I found it hard to get the lighting angle right)... All told, I think it took me about 3 or 4 hours to complete these two pieces. I found it useful to walk away from time to time, as it's pretty demanding of concentration and coordination. Nevertheless, it's real (metal) shiny chrome and it won't fade. I'm pretty confident about the adhesive, but I guess there's going to be a test of that sometime in the future when the car gets parked in hot sun for a few hours. The durability looks like it will be just fine, provided I never accidentally catch an edge while cleaning.

Ok, so we are getting pretty close to spraying primer on my 1970 restoration project. I have all of the new trip pieces and NOS logos, etc... The whole body is going to look great, except the gas door latch- the chrome is pitted and rotten looking. Do inhale any alternatives other than sandblasting it and getting it re chromed? Any aftermarket replacements? Any suggestions would be ost appreciated.

We’ve been offering re-plated chrome tail light bezels for 260/280Z’s for about $400.00 per pair. In fact, if you look, you can currently find them on eBay for $389.95. Quality cores have become increasingly difficult to find. After 40 years, most cores are missing pieces, are cracked or the surface is so poor that plating would yield unacceptable results. Recently, after months of intensive searching, we were able to procure a quantity of cores that we likely won’t see again. We’re going to blow these out at a price we’ve never offered, $299.95. If you’ve been sitting on the fence and need a pair of “show quality” bezels, now’s the time! These sets will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. We’re even going one better. If you happen to have a pair of quality cores, that are intact and can be plated, we’ll credit you another twenty dollars when we receive your cores and verify their quality. Your net cost for a set of re-plated bezels would then only be $279.95. When these are gone, they’re gone. If, and when, we’re able to secure more cores, the price will revert back to the previous level. I guarantee these will go quickly, don’t wait. These bezels will never be less expensive! If you’re interested, your PayPal payment of $299.95 will secure a set at the special price. If you send quality cores that are plateable, we’ll credit your PayPal account $20.00 upon receipt. PayPal payments should be sent to: parallax.randy.lewis@gmail.com

Hi all, just stripped the paint off my 73 240Z so I could wrap it in vinyl, and I've come across a problem that has stumped me (granted, this doesn't take much). I recently replaced my driver side door handle because it broke (fatigue and age, I guess), so now it is a nice shiny chrome surface. The passenger side was covered in paint by whoever the previous owner was. Since I've taken off the paint (I used acetone, not an abrasive surface), I've found that the passenger's handle wasn't in the best shape, and looks quite a bit more dull and beat up than the driver's side handle. Is there anything I can do short of re-chroming the handle to make them match a bit better? I've thought chrome spray paint - maybe, but probably more just gray than chrome colored, or sanding it, though unlike much of the car's shiny bits, I'm guessing this isn't just some stainless steel with a high shine on it. (passenger side on left, driver side on right in case it's not obvious) Thanks for any help anyone can provide

Has anyone had any good results replating or otherwise restoring peeling chrome plating on interior door panel plastic trim strips?