DatsunZGuy

Nice find! The overzealous use of padding on the bottom seat cushions may be also contributing limited seat height. The car was probably reupholstered when replacement OEM style seat covers and door panel were not readily available.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/z-expert-los-angeles

Seat belt mounting points circled in red.

I got my spindle puller for about $40 from a guy on the HybridZ website. Granted, that was many years ago and the tool got lost in a move.

It's the internet, there's always room. If you got the talent, time and resources to create an updated registry, go for it!

For starters I would consult the following: https://zhome.com/ A lot of time and effort was put in to create this valuable reference. This will give you a good baseline on what is original equipment at a given time of the production series. I believe canvassing the community will produce conflicting information, given how many of surviving vehicles have changed hands over the years, and was at the mercy on what was available at your local Datsun parts counter when a replacement was needed.

I had a Z where the PO just sawed off the main rail of the air gallery and crimped the ends. Another car I owned had it removed, plugs left in place and the holes plug welded. The latter looked much better.

Welcome to the forum. In my opinion, the best tribute you can give your friend is to keep the car original and maintain it with the same level of care the automobile has become accustom to.

California Datsun. It appears that California Datsun will remain for parts and Doctor Datsun will be for restoration services.

Given the 500 mile radius you desire, I would suggest contacting Doctor Datsun in Rancho Cucamonga, which is ~400 miles from Sacramento. https://www.doctordatsunrestorations.com Al, the proprietor, completed component refurbishing and final assembly of my '72. I was very satisfied with the quality of work and attention to detail. My other suggestion would have been Pierre Z in Gardena. However, it appears that health issue has forced Pierre to cease operations.

Maybe Z cars without the hole are worth $310,000.00 🤣

I concur. I've owned a number of Zs and none had anything screwed into that hole.

Originally purchased for $3,757 and sold for $310,000. Nice!

Interesting observation, Kats. I wonder if this anomaly can be attributed to degrading of the underlying seat foam over nearly half a century. That coupled with the driver's seat being primarily used and the vinyl has possibly conformed to the foam beneath it. Unfortunately, I can't test my hypothesis unless I can see the car firsthand and give the seats the Charmin squeeze test 😁 Perhaps I'll create a GoFundMe account and have forum members enable me to place the winning bid on this gem, so I can commence with proving or disproving of my theory 😎