1st gen seats

[NovaSS 0]

How many different seat types came in the early Zs? Mine is a 1970 ( Nov 1969 production ) RHD Fairlady.

My problem is the right seat was replaced at one time because it was torn :mad:

The replacment seat has a different design around the head rest. Does anyone know what year seats would be correct?

[Mat M 0]

If I were you I would try eric@Zparts.com

He has many seats, although not too cheap. But he want's to liquidate his stock now, so you may get lucky.

[bpilati 49 1 Vehicles]

Try Les Cannaday at Classic Datsun Motorsports.

www.classicdatsun.com

[26th-Z 546]

Mike,

The seats are all pretty much the same through the years. When you say the headrest design is different, do you mean the upholstery? Headrests are definitely oriented right and left, but the basic shape of them is constant. What does change is the hardware. The seats for my early cars do not flip forward or recline. They only adjust slightly via a round, hand turn knob on the inboard side. Now...you have a Fairlady and the seat hardware could be different from what was exported to America. I would doubt it, though. Have a look at Kats' site for some excellent pictures of seat restoration.

http://www.geocities.jp/datsunz903/

[v12horse 49]

Mike, is the headrest on your original seat a lot thicker than the newer seat? I thought that the really early JDM cars had a thicker headrest than the 71-78 ones. Could you post some pics? Take care and good luck with the car. It's a keeper.

[MikeW 6]

As I recall there's a difference somewhere along the line regarding the under-seat straps. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? I can't remember the details.

[Arne 21]

Yup. See below, but that doesn't affect the headrests.

http://classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19989

[240ZX 7]

Also, didn't the early seats have two little vents incorporated into the seat material, in the lumbar area?

NovaSS, FYI I have a set of series one seats available for sale, including the slider assemblies. However, they have been recovered and have no little vents...the drivers seat has a little wear on the piping and the support webbing needs to be replaced.

[a7dz 1]

Tom;

Yes the original covers had metal vents in them. Took mine out in 77 when I recovered them also. They caught on your clothes and came loose. Replaced the center section with a breathable fabric instead of the vents. Like it much better. But, it is not stock if you are going that way.

FWIW

[stevemasum 0]

As I recall there's a difference somewhere along the line regarding the under-seat straps. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? I can't remember the details.

Mike, I think the earlier seats came with a rubber type webbing that the foam seat core would rest on. Later with the 1972's (73's?) the rubber type webbing was replaced with springs so that the seat belt warning sensor would function properly.

Another difference that Chris W. is probably aware of is that the very early seats came with a plastic shield that partially covered the front, lower, outward corner of both seats. Not too many of these exist any more. Katz has some pretty good pictures of these plastic shields.

Steve M.

[26th-Z 546]

Yes! I am aware of the plastic seat cusion guards. Kats has the only car I have seen with them installed. I am a little seat impaired at the moment. I need whole seats as well as seat parts, but seats are way down on my list of appropriations as I focus on the body shell and suspension. I need to get a rolling chassis before I can think about sitting in it!

Here is where I am headed, though. Original seats had metal vent grommets (4) in the seat back lumbar area. You can almost see one of them in the picture. They get very hot in the florida sun - believe me. My ex-wife has one of those cute lumbar tatoos from them.

[MikeW 6]

I need to get a rolling chassis before I can think about sitting in it!

But wouldn't it be cool to be able to go sit in your car and pretend you're actually driving ...

[v12horse 49]

When did Nissan stop making the seat with the vents? My early 260z came with the original seat covers before I installed replica seat covers (with the vents from too intense restoration) and they had the vents. I still have them in my closet.

-Ben

[SteveInOakland 0]

When did Nissan stop making the seat with the vents? My early 260z came with the original seat covers before I installed replica seat covers (with the vents from too intense restoration) and they had the vents. I still have them in my closet.

I was puzzled by those comments too. I pulled a seat out of a first-generation 280Z, at a yard, with the vents, and I'm pretty sure the 280 I used to own had them as well.

Steve.

[kenz240z 3]

I just ran across a '76 280Z in a salvage yard, the seats in it still had the vents. I have a '73 and neither seat has the vents. So, I don't know if these are original or if they've been replaced/reupholstered by a PO.

Chris, my 72 Chassis & Body Service Manual mentions changing from the standard seat to the reclining seat on page BF-27. At the top of the page it says, "The reclining seat back is furnished as an option. Reclining the seat can be made by attaching reclining device instead ofthe device for standard seat." It doesn't mention if the option is available for both seats. My car has a lever for reclining the seat on the drivers side, but not on the passengers side. Do you happen to know when the reclining option first became available?

[SteveInOakland 0]

I just ran across a '76 280Z in a salvage yard, the seats in it still had the vents. I have a '73 and neither seat has the vents. So, I don't know if these are original or if they've been replaced/reupholstered by a PO.

I'd be pretty sure they were reupholstered by a PO. There are/have been a lot of aftermarket covers that look about right, just no vents. See photo.

Chris' date=' my 72 Chassis & Body Service Manual mentions changing from the standard seat to the reclining seat on page BF-27. At the top of the page it says, "The reclining seat back is furnished as an option. Reclining the seat can be made by attaching reclining device instead ofthe device for standard seat." It doesn't mention if the option is available for both seats. My car has a lever for reclining the seat on the drivers side, but not on the passengers side. Do you happen to know when the reclining option first became available?[/quote']

Not Chris, but I always heard it was the '72 model year. --My 73 has the recline lever for the passenger side as well, as did my '72.

Steve.

[26th-Z 546]

Shame on you guys for not getting out your parts books and looking this stuff up! Just comparing the black seats; the type 1 seat is listed up to 12/71 however the type 2 seat is listed up to 4/71 and from 5/71. I believe the type 2 seat was available as an domestic option, thus our import change around May of 71. They both came with four branding irons in the locations shown. The next seat change for the American market came in August 73. I found it interesting that the parts catalog doesn't say squat about the seat frame, springs, or webbing. Huh?

Nova, your Fairlady could have a type 2 seat or a type 1. If you think it is a ZL model (I think we bantered it around some months ago, didn't we?) then the type 2 recliner seats would probably be correctest.

Here are a couple of pictures of upholstery texture samples. The part number is in the file name.

ZOOM-ZOOM

[AZ-240z 85]

Chris, or anyone. Do you happen to know how long the plastic seat cushion guards were used on series 1 seats? Would they have been correct up through 12/70 cars?

Dan

[26th-Z 546]

Dan,

The seat cushion trim / guards are pretty, pretty rare. I think the only way to prove correctness would be be to research the parts manuals and see if they were included with a part reference. Kats has a very early parts book. I think HS30-H has early references also. I have never been able to come up with a part number for them. If you could find a dated parts catalog that references them, it would help determine their application.

Chris

[deadflo 0]

Are there pictures of the plastic sheild guards in kats gallery somewhere? It seems to me my series one has a weird plasticky thing in the front corners under the seats...

[moonpup 0]

Today's Horoscope for deadflo:

You are about to make new friends and come into unexpected wealth!

[dogma420 3]

Just an interesting note--At one point, I'm sure my car's PO ran the front end into something, cause the seat mounts on the drivers side are 'chewed up' kinda broke from driver being thrown forward...car is fine now, and there wasn't really any damage other than bumper pushed in 1/2 inch in the center and this seat problem....

anyways, one of my seats have the straps on the bottom, the other has a spring type matrix across the bottom.

Believe it or not, the spring seat is more comfortable, plus I didn't have to spend any money on straps...by the way, I used bungy cords before I wanted to buy straps....bungies work real well, they seem to have been designed for the application.

I'd really like to know what year the spring bottoms started...I'd like to get rid of the lower frame using straps and switch it with the spring bottom.

[26th-Z 546]

See if this link to Kats' site doesn't take you to the seat part.

http://www.geocities.jp/datsunz903/interior.html

Here's the old thread

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9188

[Carl Beck 208]

Hi Guys:

The Series II Datsun 240-Z's, aka "the Late Model 1971 Datsun 240-Z", which started production in Jan. of 1971 - came with the tilt/recline/flip forward seats. The reason being, that the tool storage was moved from the floor behind the seats, to the "tool bens" in the rear deck.

The Factory Service Bulletin, Feb. 1971, Vol. 137 says:

"The new 240Z features a 'Tilt" mechanism for its reclining seat. By this the seat can be tilted forward to permit easier access to the tools or baggage

The switch was made to the spring supported seat - from the rubber strapping, about Jan. of 1972. As someone mentioned earlier - that was done so that the seat belt warning buzzer and it's seat based sensor would work.

NovaSS - The original seats in HLS30 00020 (11/69), have a slightly courser grain to the vinyl used on them, and they do not have metal vents - also the head rest area is thicker, with softer padding. Next time I'm at the storage facility, I'll try to get a picture of them... The car only had two previous owners, before me and it only had about 65K miles on it... so I doubt the seat covers were every replaced... #20 also came from the Factory with no carpet - vinyl mats were used.

FWIW,

Carl B.

Carl Beck

Clearwater, FL USA

http://ZHome.com

[26th-Z 546]

Carl,

If your seats do not have vents in them, they aren't original. You may recall that the seats had a tendency to rip on the side bolster. Many, many people complained about the vents. At two previous owners and 65k miles, I would suspect replacement. Original 1969 American import seats had vents.

Chris