I recently restored the dashboard on my 1977 280z and along my box of dashboard related parts was the following bracket. Can somebody help identify where this bracket is used??

I couldn’t find a use for it during the assembly process and I was stupid enough not to take any pictures beforehand. I also couldn’t find it in the service manual or parts diagrams.

I'm not claiming to be able to identify every 280 part on sight, but I don't think I've never seen that bracket.

Are you sure it's a Z part?

CB radio mount for the glovebox??🤣😂

Well the interieur is back in, with the exception of the doors and seats, and I still have no clue what this bracket is used for. Guess I just have a spare part now?

If something in the dash is gonna rattle on your first test drive, that's your first clue where this part is for..

Are you sure the part comes from inside the dash?

On 5/20/2026 at 3:05 AM, Captain Obvious said:

but I don't think I've never seen that bracket.

C O , ( Don't be offended! I see this A LOT in American texts.. )

... That's a big.. what we call a double denial! So you've seen a LOT of them? So funny how americans often use double denials..

It's like saying: i never had no problems with my sportscar! In our minds that sounds like you had A ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF PROBLEMS with the car..

( in Dutch.. Ik had nooit geen problemen met die auto.. dus.. er was altijd wel iets stuk!! Heel veel Nederlanders maken ook die fout hoor. Ik eet nooit niks... klopt , ik eet altijd wel wat! )

(In English I never had no problem with this car.. so.. At any time there was something wrong with this car!! Lot's of Dutchies make the same fault. I'm never eating anything. It's true, i'm always eating something!)

Correct to me.. would have been: But i don't think i've EVER seen that bracket! OR: I think i never seen that bracket!

Anyways, like i said long time ago, i;m also here because i like to keep on practicing my english language!

(Like now i wrote this out of my head and only checked the word : practicing, and... i wrote it correct! nice!)

@Mike and again, when i was writing this i could NOT use any of the smilies? Not available? (Gif's, yes, but no smily)

Language is a funny thing. I didn’t even notice it as I just read past it!

Haha!! I didn't even notice that, and I wrote it!!

So just in case there was any confusion about what I meant... I was trying to say that I think I've not never seen that bracket, ever.

😄

Well, that bracket looks to be at least painted and I doubt that Nissan would have bothered to do so if it were located inside the dashboard and out of sight. So, I'm guessing that it is either some non-OEM part or it was low enough in the dash assembly to have been exposed to an occupant's view. As @dutchzcarguy says, you'll know if something rattles.

Edited May 21May 21 by Seppi72

The bracket in question is very likely to be a brace between the main instruments (speedo and tacho), and simply fits between them whilst also linking them to a more secure mount point.

Earlier cars had a similar - single plane - curved brace between the speedo and tacho mounts and it seems likely to me that this is a dual plane evolution of the same part.

The carpartsmanual site is back up. Might not find it not here, if it is not original to the car. 🥴

https://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun/Z-1969-1978

For what it is worth I checked my 78 280Z dash and did not see anything like those brackets.