Sanchez Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Hello, I am looking for many ways to upgrade the safety of the S30. I have a 1973 Datsun 240z, no modifications beyond small things like the oil filter, fuel filter and air filter. I recently lost a family member in an accident and they were driving a top-safety pick, 5 air bag 2009 brand new car. Seeing how much damage can come out of whats supposed to be a top-safety car, I would like to make my car as safe as possible: 1. Racing style, strong seats 2. Racing 5 point Cam-lock harness 3. Air Bags if possible 4. Sway bars 5. Strut Bars 6. Any modifications you have made that increase the safety of your Z If you can please leave links to install info if applicable or leave your tutorial Thank You Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z240 Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 First, very sorry for your loss. There are just some things that a human cannot survive, no matter what safety technology is in place.The very best safety equipment is defensive driver training, emergency handling training, and a 100% commitment to safe driving. To make any significant safety improvements to a Z, you'de have to have a full race cage with 6 pt belts and a helmet with HANS reinforcement. Not practical for daily use.At the very least, ensure you upgrade your seat belts to modern standards. The rest is in your hands. All the very best for your family.Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMission Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Air Bags - Aftermarket, no way - so much technology is the sensor and timing system to even get close to doing a DIY on that. Seats and Harnesses are an idea, but if you flip wearing a harness, you really want to have a roll bar over you, as the harness typically won't let your body lean forward and you could damage your neck or bad quite easily as a result if the roof crushes in on you. Then, if you have a roll bar/cage, then you really want to be wearing a helmet anyways to protect your soft head against hard bars. Upgrading your brakes, tires, and suspension with modern alternatives and getting them set up right, combined with safe and aware driving skills is pretty much your best option driving something initially made in the 70s. No matter what, if you get T-Boned hard, or hit Head on in a Z, it's not going to turn out a fourth as good as any modern car. This solely due to the massive improvements in construction technology, materials, testing, and regulatory guidelines any car made nowadays has to have. Crumple Zones, Air Bags, Cross Beams, and on and on. You can really only make small steps toward increased safety in the Z. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Solo your Z-car with SCCA, drive a Volvo as a daily driver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLOZ UP Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) Most crash tests (in the US) are done at 30-40mph. If you are going fast enough (or the difference of speeds is large enough), no safety feature can save you. Edited February 22, 2012 by BLOZ UP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luseboy Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) What are you planning on doing with your car? If it's gonna be your DD, then things will be a little different than if it's an auto-x only car. For one, sway and strut bars don't really have any safety value to them, except that a sway bar may prevent you from flipping the car. Stiffer sway bars will also induce oversteer though which is a bit more of an immediate concern than flipping. Your Z comes stock with sway bars (I believe '72 is the first year they came with them), so you're looking into a performance bar then. Strut bars are more meant to stiffen the chassis during cornering and hard acceleration. Sure they may add some safety value, but I doubt it's anything significant. As others said, air bags are a no-go, without the other proper supporting safety features installed, the air bags may even be more dangerous than no air bags. Also, as others have said, taking a defensive driving course is really your best bet. I'm not trying to say that you'd be the cause of an accident, but merely saying that it will teach you how to get the hell out of the way! On my '73, I will be doing the following: Corbeau FX1 pro seat, Schrotch 4 pt. harness, and a properly installed kirk racing 4 point cage, with some foam around areas that might want to meet my skull. No it will not be as safe as the 2003 mini I currently drive, but at least it will be somewhat safe. I honestly really really hate to say this... but if you're looking for a safe car, the steel box from the 70's is not the ideal choice... However some things can be done to improve the safety of the car. That said, you will never come anywhere near having a car as safe as any modern car, that is, without a HUGE budget, a really knowledgeable engineer, a testing facility, and a whole lot of tinkering time. Edited February 22, 2012 by luseboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 No matter what, if you get T-Boned hard, or hit Head on in a Z, it's not going to turn out a fourth as good as any modern car. I was rear ended at 50 mph by a (drunk?) lady in a Firebird that didn't see me and never even touched the brakes in my first Z. She hit me right in the passenger tail light and that pushed me across the road into head on traffic, where I hit an Acura Legend at a combined speed of probably 50+ again. The head on impact offeset to the driver's side, and was hard enough that the car spun 270 degrees. The rear end pushed in about a foot and a half. The low nose of the Firebird meant that the impact was largely underneath the hatch. The tail end of the hatch was bent down, but none of the glass in the car broke. The taillight lens broke, but all of the lights were still on after the crash. The front end crushed quite easily up to the core support, then the frame rails tweaked off to one side a couple inches. The unibody was bent enough that the passenger door wouldn't open and my wife couldn't get out of the car. In one of those adrenaline fueled strength episodes I was able to open her door and get her out. My wife hit her head on the dash. I broke my nose on the steering wheel. All in all, I think the Z did pretty well, but I think I got particularly lucky in that the car that hit me had such a low nose. If it were lifted 4x4 my wife would probably be dead. I know Mike Kelly got rear ended by a big semi or garbage truck or something in a Z and lived to tell the tale as well. I really don't think they're that strong on a side impact though. I have a friend who was T-boned in his 510 by a truck that ran a red light. He had a roll bar, and that probably saved him because he took the hit right across the B pillar where the bar was. The door was pretty well smashed in, but the roll bar held up well enough that he walked away. He was pretty beat up but escaped serious injury. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanchez Posted February 22, 2012 Author Share Posted February 22, 2012 Thank You everybody. this is going to be my daily driver, and the fatal collision was a head on accident at 40 mph. I am upgrading the brakes and putting in strut bars, as well as some new seats and a new seatbelt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehelix112 Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I'll just state the obvious and say that you should get the stickiest tyres that make sense for the conditions you drive on. No point having amazing brakes if all you do is lock up and slide into whatever you were aimed at. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wedge Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Roll cage are dangerous on the road if you don't have a helmet. 5pts harnesses can break your neck because the retain you completely in the seat not stock seatbelts. There is no real way to prevent you from being fataly hit in the zed sorry even a top safety pick can't do it ... it will always depend on how the event happens. I'm am not trying to be rude or a **** I'm just saying that these cars are a contraption I love mine but I know that I'm no safer then on a motorcycle ....well almost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenState Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 The 280z doors have a side impact beam that the 240 doors do not and I think are a direct swap. If I'm wrong here, someone please correct me. Someone on here mentioned that 240 doors were only there to hold the paint in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 The 280z doors have a side impact beam that the 240 doors do not and I think are a direct swap. If I'm wrong here, someone please correct me. Someone on here mentioned that 240 doors were only there to hold the paint in place. Not a direct swap. The latches are different, and I think you'd have to do some surgery to make it work, and the 280 doors are probably 20 lbs heavier than the 240 doors too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Not a direct swap. The latches are different, and I think you'd have to do some surgery to make it work, and the 280 doors are probably 20 lbs heavier than the 240 doors too. Depends on the year. Late 280z, yes, the latches are different. Early 280z doors are a lot like 240z doors, enough so that they'll bolt up. I've got doors from a '76 on my '71, and they fit fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Depends on the year. Late 280z, yes, the latches are different. Early 280z doors are a lot like 240z doors, enough so that they'll bolt up. I've got doors from a '76 on my '71, and they fit fine. Thanks for the correction. I though they switched in 74. Guess I was wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 Schroth makes a DOT legal four point harness that uses their ASM system to keep from submarining in a wreck. It also helps to attenuate the load on the torso from an impact reducing the chance of a basal fracture. Roll bar, good FIA certified seat, the Scroth harness, subframe connectors, replace all the fuel vent and feed lines to Aeroquip push on hose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 (edited)  Door latching system switched in 77 and up.  They also made changes to the rubber door seals along the way but I think those are backwards and forwards compatible. Edited February 23, 2012 by cygnusx1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luseboy Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Schroth makes a DOT legal four point harness that uses their ASM system to keep from submarining in a wreck. It also helps to attenuate the load on the torso from an impact reducing the chance of a basal fracture. Roll bar, good FIA certified seat, the Scroth harness, subframe connectors, replace all the fuel vent and feed lines to Aeroquip push on hose. In my opinion, that particular schrotch harness is the only one to get if you're doing any normal street driving in your Z. It is the one I will be getting. I didn't even think about the subframe connectors being a safety upgrade... makes sense though. What's with the aeroquip? Haven't heard of it before... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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