What did you do to your Z this week?

[Rob Gaskin]

Every week is Christmas Week for you Rich.

 

[richiep]

This lot looks like treasure too, so the kids like it!

Allows me to genuinely stake a claim on the phrase “complete nut and bolt restoration” too. Most importantly, come reassembly time, I’ll be able to have all the parts ready for use, no faffing around.

 

[Albrecht]

Yours do seem - as has been mentioned - to be sitting a little bit further forward than they should be.

I might pop down to the garages and see if I can take some more reference shots of cars with panels installed, and car doors without trims/rubbers on them. Stand by...

@kev64

I took some photos at the garages, but before I post them, I took the liberty of saving one of your photos and highlighted a section of it in red. Has the door pressing itself been cut in the area highlighted?

...and it almost looks as though the door trim is not properly 'hooked' over the lip of the door panel. Is it just the photo making it look like that?

 

[kev64]

Just wrote out a long explanation of the above, and then lost it! Disappeared!

Anyway, the above are three different OEM door trim panels dating from around 1971/72. The shape of the vinyl trim and the gluing around the inside of the top edge are pretty much how many of them were when they left the factory. The shape of the top rear edge comes from the steel pressing underneath it, so if that's not right then they won't fit very well.

The door trims initially just 'hang' on the top edge of the inner door pressing, just hooking over it. So there's not much vertical adjustment to be had, but quite a bit more horizontally. The horizontal movement is limited by the holes in the door trim needing to line up with the window winder, inner door handle and armrest/grab handle, but there IS some wiggle room.

The door trim clips sit offset in their holes in the door trim hardboard, so they can be 'clocked' somewhat in order to line up with the corresponding holes in the door pressing.

Yours do seem - as has been mentioned - to be sitting a little bit further forward than they should be.

I might pop down to the garages and see if I can take some more reference shots of cars with panels installed, and car doors without trims/rubbers on them. Stand by...

Thanks Alan they are coming back off next weekend so will be able to see and compare with your pics.

 

[Albrecht]

Some more reference photos from the garages:

 

[kev64]

@kev64

I took some photos at the garages, but before I post them, I took the liberty of saving one of your photos and highlighted a section of it in red. Has the door pressing itself been cut in the area highlighted?View attachment 33946

...and it almost looks as though the door trim is not properly 'hooked' over the lip of the door panel. Is it just the photo making it look like that?

Just took some more of that area i have a small garage so space is limited, Alan the half moon feels super smooth don't know anymore hope these help and thanks again

 

[dotMorse]

Finally got around to rebuilding the engine.

 

[Albrecht]

Just took some more of that area i have a small garage so space is limited,View attachment 33955 View attachment 33954 View attachment 33953 Alan the half moon feels super smooth don't know anymore hope these help and thanks again

Ah, OK. I can see now that the fuzzy strip is touching the glass - which is correct - so the trim panel must be properly hooked over the lip of the inner door pressing. One of the other previous photos made me wonder.

Simply put, the door trim panel seems to be mounted too far forward - horizontally - on the door. The curved section at the top rear corner is not wrapping around and into the corresponding recess at the top rear corner of the door.

If the holes in the door panels (window winder, inner door handle, armrest/grab handle) are all lined up then the door trim must be somehow wrong. I'd like to see what it looks like down at the front end though.

Still don't understand the cut-out section in the top rear corner of the inner door pressing. It would be partially/mostly covered if the trim panel was correct, but why was it done?

 

[kev64]

Took some more with the car out of the garage at the front, it isn't totally there but not enough to make up the deficit at the other end? Also notice the chrome fitting on the grab handle no way could Alex stop it pushing on chrome strip is said strip too low? Alan as to your last question i don't know, as you said they have all had a life.

 

[kev64]

The grab handle is genuine Nissan from MrF

 

[johnymd]

Here is a pic of a reproduction door card to indicate just how close the grab handle is. I cant remember if there is a difference between left and right hand door cards but I'm pretty sure the handles are different per side. Also LHD and RHD cars are different.

 

[kev64]

Was told by seller doesn't matter he advertised them as for either LH or RH universal??

 

[kev64]

I asked all the right questions before buying, getting really tired of this, they are coming off next weekend and sending them back after receiving full refund. Does anyone know what the ones from Canada are like ?

 

[STEVE BURNS]

Took some more with the car out of the garage at the front, it isn't totally there but not enough to make up the deficit at the other end? Also notice the chrome fitting on the grab handle no way could Alex stop it pushing on chrome strip is said strip too low? Alan as to your last question i don't know, as you said they have all had a life. View attachment 33977 View attachment 33978

Here is a pic of a reproduction door card to indicate just how close the grab handle is. I cant remember if there is a difference between left and right hand door cards but I'm pretty sure the handles are different per side. Also LHD and RHD cars are different.

May be my eyesight and talking absolute rubbish as normal but looking at handles they seem to have a different shape at either end and wonder if there is a top and bottom to the way they are fixed

 

[johnymd]

They are a different shape top and bottom.

 

[STEVE BURNS]

They are a different shape top and bottom.

would that effect the way that Kevs top bracket is sitting?

 

[johnymd]

The top of the grab handle is only a tiny bit out. The door card needs centring first before you even start to get the other parts to fit. I have included some more pics to show that the overlapping top ends need to be even front to back as a starting point. From there you tweet the clips carefully until they line up with the holes in the door. Then start fitting the other parts starting with the handle release trim. The holes for the arm rest and pull are quite generous so plenty of leaway. Retro parts will always need tweaking to make fit in my experience.

The pictures included are of a LHD car and clearly show no pull handle hole on the passenger side. These may actually be the wrong way round though as I think I may have changed these cards for UK ones.

 

[Albrecht]

The pictures included are of a LHD car and clearly show no pull handle hole on the passenger side. These may actually be the wrong way round though as I think I may have changed these cards for UK ones.

Stock ex-factory spec is that the diagonal 'grab handle' is only on the passenger side, whether LHD or RHD configuration.

Therefore door trim panels are only 'universal' for both LHD and RHD of they do not have the holes for the passenger grab handle.

 

[kev64]

Thank you everyone for your input but we seem to be going round and round i'm keeping my old ones sorry to Michal who wanted them, i spoke to a very knowledgeable ex Z club member who i trust implicitly who took one look at the pics and confirmed my worst fears that they are nowhere near oem spec but poor copies as was his part bought from same person and he is a very clever and can adapt 99% of things and issues. New Datsun parts in Canada are advertising their door cards as made by Nissan has anyone had any? If i have said something out of place please lock my part of this thread.

 

[kev64]

Retro parts will always need tweaking to make fit in my experience. To a degree Johnny but not 2 hrs per side. Don't want anyone else to be in the same situation as i have been in, so be careful what you buy guys.