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240z weights
- Thread starter tel240z
- Start date
Alphabettispaghetti
Club Member
so how much stronger are the later shells then...
If the very early cars have a thinner gauge of steel used, surely the later ones must be stiffer as standard?
If the very early cars have a thinner gauge of steel used, surely the later ones must be stiffer as standard?
Albrecht
Well-Known Forum User
Please don't misunderstand: There was NO DIFFERENCE in unibody / monocoque / panel steel gauge thickness between "early" and "late" cars. Any difference in weight between "early" ( 1969 and 1970 production date ) cars with non-vented rear quarters and "cheesegrater" rear decks and "late" ( 1971 production date and on ) cars with vented quarters and lidded tool boxes in the rear deck is going to be extremely small. The biggest differences in weight are from items which are fitted as standard equipment.
The factory super lightweight 'PZR' bodies of the 'PS30-SB' Fairlady Z 432-R were made from thinner gauge steel ( and thicker gauge steel in vital areas ), but we are talking about a super rare factory homologation special that was made and sold in relatively tiny numbers ( something akin to the Porsche 911 T/R ) and that has absolutely no bearing on the 'normal' production 'shells we are discussing here. The first batches of factory works rally 240Zs did get made around the 'PZR' bodyshell ( but fitted with L-gata engines and stamped up with in-series HS30 and HLS30 chassis numbers ) but, again, they are nothing to do with what we are discussing here except to point out that 'lightweight' bodyshells did exist but were not anything to do with simply "early" and "late" production dates for standard road cars.
Some so-called Z specialists ( notably Auto Active in Bristol ) have propagated the myth that "early" production bodyshells were "lightweight", but they are mistaken. This is probably the simple misunderstanding of the fact that 'late' production S30-series Z body structure ( as seen in late RS30, S31 and north American market HLS30-prefixed '280Z' ) was quite different to 'early' production bodies.
Put quite simply, the bodyshell of HS30-00299 will not be all that much different in weight to the bodyshell of HS30-100299.....
mattbibbey
Well-Known Forum User
if you're interested... I had my '72 240Z on a VOSA weighbridge earlier this year. The front axle came in at 540Kg and the rear axle at 530Kg. I was in it and weigh 85Kg odd. I have fibre glass fron wings, bonnet, doors and tail gate.
tel240z
Club Member