Read by wait to post...What original part of the S30 has the poorest design?

[=Enigma=]

I haven't really gotten deep enough or owned my car long enough to see any of these issue as real problems. That and the PO took pretty good care of the car, but it appearsr to me that most of this is the results of compromise done due to design changes and an effort to keep the cost of the car down to increase sales against the muscle and sports cars of the time, including the low grade steel used in the construction of the body iteself.

[Carl Beck]

How about the Choke handle bracket that secures to the center console.

Hi Ed:

Now that is actually a function of "poor design"....IMHO.

Carl B.

[TomoHawk]

I think they electricals could've been simplified more. I'm getting used to the switched-ground thing, and it's not so bad now.

Too bad you couldn't select several choices...

thx

[Carl Beck]

How about the poor quality plastic used in the dashes, where about 95% of them crack within 5 years after leaving the factory? :stupid:

From my experience (now 36 years of ownership) - I didn't see the dashes cracking until they were at least 15 years old. I have two 1972 240-Z's with still perfect dashes.. I'm the original owner on one, and the second owner on the other. Both simply have had "reasonable" care.

Given the market price and then current market competition - the plastics used in the Z were far superior to most.

FWIW

Carl B.

[Victor Laury]

You just don't have a clue it is the ...

Windsheild Wipers - did they ever really work?

[TomoHawk]

Windsheild Wipers - did they ever really work?

Compared to what? :classic:

[hls30.com]

Victor, I would have thought your vote would have been...

"You just don't have a clue it is the ...lack of an imported beer cooler!"

Will

[TomoHawk]

Will, I don't cool my Guiness! OTOH, I thought the toolboxes could be line with plastic bag & ice...

[hls30.com]

Tomohawk,

Who wants cold rust! Get that water(frozen or not) outa that Z!

Will

[TomoHawk]

What do you think my Z is doing right now? He's in an airplane hangar half-naked ( no seats or carpets) shivering! He even got snowed on a week before he went in...

[veritech-z]

It's definitely easy to look at things like the rear drum brakes and wonder why they didn't come with discs, but in the early 70's, what cars DID have rear discs standard? With a follow up question being what price range were those cars in compared to a Z? You can still buy cars NOW with drums in the rear. Also, the drums work, so I hardly think that counts as a poorly designed part. I would agree with Jmortensen that the front dif mount was a bad design even when new, but saying things like hatch seals and thin sheet metal (rust) were poorly designed after 30 years doesn't really count (with the exception of the cowl drainage, that maybe could have been a little better). These things worked when new, and work when replaced, so I argue that the design was sound, but the maintenance left something to be desired. The spindle pins work, they are just a PIA to remove (but were they when new? I don't really know). Maybe I'm reading the question differently, but I thought it was supposed to set the car in the context of the 1970's when rating the merits of a particular component? And that one about the crank pulley, how else would you fasten a crank pulley down? That's the same way as every car I've ever worked on: a large bolt with a keyway.

[Galaxybj]

I say the poorest design, limiting myself to one response here, is the plastic choke handle. I believe it was the roadster cables that had a metal handle or maybe it was the SSS setup I had on my 620 pu and 610 coupe.