Richard McDonel

I have a set of original 4.5 inch steel wheels, but I'm having trouble getting 175 HR-14 tires. One tire shop traced back the "HR" designation and said it would be 1.5 inches greater in diameter than any 14-nch made today. I'm trying to get my '71 240Z back as close to original as possible, and I have the original restored hubcaps and 4.5 inch steel wheels. Any thoughts, wisdom or suggestions would be appreciated.

ps photo

Back in December I wrote seeking wisdom on chroming and painting '71 240 hubcaps. Got many replies, thanks to all, and the 'caps now look great, with one tiny exception, that being the centre emblem. I have several, although all but one have the plastic mounting studs broken off. I've been trying to find new replacements, but without much luck. Motorsport Datsun lists centre cap emblems, but they are shown as 1 7/8" diameter, while all mine are 2 3/8" . Has anyone else come across this issue? Where we might find original matching pieces,? Or has anyone tried attaching the emblems with tiny screws or some form of crazy glue? With respect to glue, I question whether any fastener would be strong enough to hold in place hitting a bump in the road at highway speed. Would love to hear from anyone with experience on this topic.

Am refinishing hubcaps off my '71 Series 2. Like most old cars, mine has after-market mags, but now I have the steelies and want to go back to original. Chrome and paint the hubcaps need but what is the original colour - I tend to think it's just off black, tending towards dark blue, but is it flat or gloss? Many thanks, Richard

AZ240Z My learning curve continues! Never thought of looking for various widths of tape. Used what I already had in the rat's nest. All four are done, so I have left to do is go over everything one more time with a sharp knife and trim the excess bits. When I finally get it all done - provided it looks like a fairly workmanlike job - I'll share photos on this site. Cheers, and Happy New Year All, Richard

Cap't. Attached are two pics - one that I have had chromed then masked, and the other as it came off a parts donor. I got one set off a '71 and the other a '73. No idea what mixing and mingling in the 40+ years prior, but yes they are both quite different from the ones we've seen on other posts. Doing my best to add to confusion!

ps My caps are apparently a bit newer that CanTech's and include a chrome rim around each of the five vent openings. RM

Just to expand on the hub cap topic, as everyone can see from CanTech's photo, the hubcaps of the era are quite complex, with bits and strips of chrome spread over larger areas of paint. I'm trying to replicate that. My 'caps have been chromed and I'm masking all the areas that should remain as chrome as we move to the paint stage. Each hubcap takes me close to 45 minutes with tape and a sharp knife. With that in mind I have to wonder how those hubcaps were originally created at the factory. Hard to imagine Datsun taking that much time masking everything, and do such a precise job of it. I've never worked in a factory, so I would be interested in hearing the thoughts of others on how such a persnicity, apparently time-consuming job would fit into an assembly line. Cheers All on the festive season and best wishes for the new year!

CanTechZ, 2016 - Guess I'm a bit behind, but many thanks for the paint description. Love the job you did on your hubcaps - hope mine come out as pretty. Happy New Year!

Good question Namerow. I had two sources, the first an online hot-rodding site, the name of which I have forgotten. Being an on-line source, where everyone is an expert, I also went to a neighbour who is the owner of three autobody shops and has a personal collection of 14 (his wife thinks it's more) hot rods, antiques, customs, you name it. His explanation to me was that the two-part epoxy would adhere better to a scratched surface, and that the scratches would not show once primered and painted. The on-line source said use 60 grit while neighbour Dave suggested 80. As an aside I will also mention that Dave decorates three or four of his cars with Xmas lights every year and parks them in the front yard. Photos attached. Some evenings traffic gets pretty busy on our street.

G'day All, I'm still with hubcaps. Can't find the 2 3/8 inch original hubcap centre logo, but I'll probably just make old ones look as shiny as I can. So now I'm at the restoration of the hubcaps themselves. I've had them chrome plated and have now masked off the areas not to be painted. Expert advice from two sources in I'm to sand the to-be painted areas with 60 or 80 grit, then apply two-part epoxy. Fine, but, but what colour, it being a bit difficult to know what the original shade was. After 53 years it looks like flat black, but could that just be faded original gloss? Someone suggested charcoal. Any experts here? Many thanks

psd, No, you understand the question precisely. Sounds like your history with 240s goes back much farther than mine, so I should probably be looking at "D" centre pieces for my 'caps. Cheers,

Thanks for all the confusion guys! Odd that they would change the hub caps in concert with the gearbox rather than at a specific production date, model year or VIN. I guess I'll just take a chance and go with Z hub caps (sexier than the Ds). Don't imagine it would make or break my chances if they ever featured 240s at Pebble Beach!

Thanks for replying! Question though, I've not heard of the "monkey Motions" transmission. How do I know if that's what I have?

My car is a 1971 - HLS30 28726 to be precise. Are the correct hub caps those with D or Z in the centre. Thanks folks