[cypressdowns]

I hope i don't seem too ignorant to you all. I am a z-owner, just a 300zx owner at present. i had a 280zx and a 240z (for a short time). My ignoramous question is this: what is the difference between all of the bodies of the "z's" from the 1970 240z all the way up to the 1978 280z? I know the differences between the engines, etc. I just want to know the meat and potatoes. When you get rid of the obvious: the bumpers, the wheels....then you have DOORS, HOODS, HATCHES,FENDERS, etc. and I'd like to know if they are all the same, or at least all interchangeable. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Brian

 

[z_man300]

check out carfiche.com. They have a section for the early Zs that'll allow you to compare away on parts interchange

 

[JR]

This is a good subject, because I'm a bit unclear on where the 260 stands. Far as I know, the 240 through 280s share the same basic body. Fenders, hoods and (I think) rear hatches are interchangeable, but the cars diverge slightly around '74. Here are some differences besides the obvious bumpers: floorpans are different (or at least 240 replacements and 280 replacements are sold separately), door latching mechanisms are different for early 240s and the rest of the line, tail light setup is different. 240s also are much lighter because they don't have things like crash protection spars in the doors, and the 5mph shock absorbers for those massive bumpers. Grills are different. Turn signal placement is different. And of course, the fuel delivery system is completely different between the fuelie and carb cars. Also, when you get to the 280s, the '75-'76s carried a full-size spare, while the '77-'78s had a small spare. This means the area under the rear carpet is different in these cars, as are the gas tanks. There are also more subtle diffs (and many inside the car — dashes, door panels and seats are all different), but I think those are the main body ones. Where I'm unclear on the 260 is that there is an early (with small 240Z) bumpers and a late (with big, '75-like bumpers) one, both 1974-year cars. I don't know if they differ body-wise, though.

 

[Brian 72Z]

For the most part, all 70-78 body parts interchange. The door latches changed, as did the placement of the handles and such inside so swapping doors is difficult. I think one version was used 70-74, then 75-76, then 77-77. Vents were added to the hood in 78, but they can still be swapped across all years. Some really early cars had vertical defrosters on the hatch, and there was some sort of a difference in the hatch vents on the 70's and maybe 71's. They will still swap all years though, I believe.

 

[RobH]

This site will answer some of your questions <www.zhome.com/> look under
History-FAQ's, this explains the 70/71 diffs and if you dig around you probably will find other valuable info there.

Enjoy