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Is this the correct door for my Early 71 240Z


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Got this car a while ago, the drivers door fits weird and has a gap near the fender also seems like it sits farther inside the door jam. I have not tried to adjust the door or the fender to close the gap yet. Is there a adjustment to align doors or is this the wrong door for my car.

 

My car was originally Blue but this door is Orange like someone has changed it. The inner part of the door looks like a 240z door compared to a 260 or 280 as far as the sheet metal cut out holes.

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Visually and hinge-wise, the 260 and early 280 (75/76, NOT 77/78) will bolt right up to a 240z and vice versa. The main difference is going to be the inside. They used different panels and armrests as well as a different style door panel clip. 

 

Doors are pretty tough to line up properly and most people seem to have issues getting a comfortable latch going. Remember that the tolerances on these cars are nothing like modern cars and swapping doors will likely require you to do some work to get them to line up the same. Also, these cars originally came with door hinge shims which seem to help. 

 

https://www.zeddsaver.com/products/datsun-z-door-hinge-shims

 

Honestly, it probably wouldn't be terribly difficult to make them or just use generic panel alignment shims instead, but having something that's close to OEM spec always saves you trouble. 

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Looks about the same as the issue I'm having on mine. Still haven't found an exact fix for the latch side. I'm confused by the excessive gap on your hinge side though. Hopefully someone else has experienced the same thing.

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Just like  Zetsaz states above, the doors from different years are interchangeable.   Both the door lock striker and the door hinges are adjustable.  The striker can be adjusted, both up/down and in/out.  The hinge part that is attached to the body can be adjusted while the other part of it that is attached to the door is stationary and can't be moved.  Hint....A little goes a long way.  Start with the hinge bolts.  Loosen and move the hinge just a little, up/down then in/out,  until you have a good fit.  Then move the striker until the door closes properly.  This job requires patience and a "trial and error" attitude.  Just take your time.   Also, If your hinge pin is very worn, you will need to replace it for a proper fit.  They are NLA from Nissan but pins from another American car will perfectly.   I used them but don't remember what car they came from.   I remember getting them from the dealer parts dept.  Do a search here on the site.  There is a post discussing which pin to order. 

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13 hours ago, Mayolives said:

....   Both the door lock striker and the door hinges are adjustable. 

 

The striker can be adjusted, both up/down and in/out. 

 

The hinge part that is attached to the body can be adjusted while the other part of it that is attached to the door is stationary and can't be moved. 

 

Hint....A little goes a long way.  Start with the hinge bolts.  Loosen and move the hinge just a little, up/down then in/out,  until you have a good fit.  Then move the striker until the door closes properly.  This job requires patience and a "trial and error" attitude.  Just take your time.   Also, If your hinge pin is very worn, you will need to replace it for a proper fit.  They are NLA from Nissan but pins from another American car will perfectly.   I used them but don't remember what car they came from.   I remember getting them from the dealer parts dept.  Do a search here on the site.  There is a post discussing which pin to order. 

 

+1

The only thing I would add is:  the gap at the front of the door and fender may also require repositioning the fender itself.  Get the gap at the back of the door set correctly to the rear quarter and get it aligned to the body line and latching correctly.  Then, move the fender to correct the gap at the front of the door if necessary.

 

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9 minutes ago, cgsheen said:

 

+1

The only thing I would add is:  the gap at the front of the door and fender may also require repositioning the fender itself.  Get the gap at the back of the door set correctly to the rear quarter and get it aligned to the body line and latching correctly.  Then, move the fender to correct the gap at the front of the door if necessary.

 

cgsheen...............You are absolutely correct.  Correct positioning of the fender can be a big part of the process and it can be moved about a bunch.  I didn't think about it in my response. I guess that I'm losing it in my old age!

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  • 7 months later...

Here we are months later and I'm just now getting around to working this door, it's coming off for bodywork as I will be painting the car this winter. If the door needs shims where do they go?

 

With the hinge bolts all loose at the body I can lift the door up and down, forward and back and I have the fenders off. Looks as if there is still a bit of a gap at the back of the door to quarter when pulling the door as far back as I can. Do you guys ever shim at the hinge to door location?

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  • 5 weeks later...

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