does your Z have THAT smell?????

[Guest 400HP280z]

its been about 4-5 months since i last drove my 260. i got caught up with my other cars and hobbies and it just sat. i even put it up for sale . well today i get it the Z to move it and i sit in the seat and close the door ( i LOVE the low door handles) and see the 3 gauges smile at me and.........THAT SMELL. THAT OLD MUSCLE, SUPER CAR, ONLY IN A DATSUN Z SMELL. it made me fall in love all over again. i don't know what makes the Z's smell like that but i've owned 3 Z's and they all had THE SMELL. i've owned old camaros and even a vette and ONLY the Z has that special smell. its intoxicating.i'm back to working on the Z again, i even bought a beverly shear tonight to start on my rear bumper pan and am thinking of colors to paint it once its done. got to love it.

 

AM I CRAZY? or does your Z smell too?

[auxilary]

are you talking about 'i have 30 year old vinyl in my car' smell?

[Guest 400HP280z]

i like the way i describe it better

[Guest bastaad525]

mine smells of a mix of febreeze air freshener, armor all and burnt oil/exhaust fumes....

 

yeah I gotta agree no other car I've had smells like my Z

[Dp351zcar]

Gee my car does not smell at all, or it smells just like the garage. With no doors all the glass gone and the interior under the house there is nothing but metal in my car now.

 

Don

[tannji]

true... but I have an even stranger sense.... I swear that the Z exhaust has its own auroma.... one that my sbc Z cant replicate. I have commented about it to others, and they give a strange look, but I have had several older types agree.....

[Guest bastaad525]

hey I'm not an older type

 

Z exhaust definately has it's own smell. It smelled the same with my N/A carbed L28 and now with my L28et.... I've owned a few muscle cars and they had a much more sour rancid exhaust smell, like fresh sourdough bread... my Z's exhaust smells like nothing I can think of, but I'll always be able to recognize it!

[Kevin Shasteen]

are you talking about 'i have 30 year old vinyl in my car' smell?

 

I was thinking more along the line of the-my old Z has that 30 year old vinyl and "Dry rotted Insulation under the dash-Bacteria infested carpet from the Windshield/Glass/Rear Hatch W-strips leaking combined with exhaust into the passenger compartment" smell!

 

Kevin,

(Yea,Still an Inliner)

[Tim240z]

U guys gotta stop eating those double size bean and cheese burritos!!!

[akeizm]

Mine did smell like Rust Proofing for ages.

[zero]

Mine kinda smells like exhaust, but I love it.

[Pop N Wood]

Yeah, I agree. My Z has a very unique smell. My has been on blocks for a couple of years, and everytime I open it up the smell brings back the memories!

 

This came up once before, and someone attributed it to something specific. Can't remember what.

[RPMS]

"that smell" is probably a combination of mildew in the ventilation system, old vinyl, and degradation of the foam rubber componenet in the seats and carpet backing. Yesterday I opened up a 280 that had been sitting in a junkyard, and I smelled the same thing!

 

It's brand-specific, too. Old Mazdas have their own smell, which is similar to, yet different than Z's. I think you could tell what brand of old car you was sitting in, even if you were blindfolded!

 

I wonder if someone who has completely gutted and replaced/repaired nearly everything in their Z's interior can smell the magic odor anymore?

[zeeboost]

Yeah, I know what semll you're talking about. My stocker '77 had that "mildew" smell, and even after replacing the carpet, reupholstering the seats, and installing new weatherstripping, its still there. It must be a scent installed directly from the factory. Old Zpice perhaps...?

 

However, my v8 280zx smells nothing like the Old Zpice -- immediately when you sit down in it, you're overwhelmed with that fresh Gear Oil smell. Ahhh...now that's the stuff dreams are made of.

[zguy95135]

yea, I love that smell too, too bad it doesnt anymore (new carpet, seats, sound proofing) . The Z smell to me is similar to the old Mercedes smell.

[dot]

HA HA HA…You guys crack me up.

Ya mine smells like all of the above too.

 

Matt (Datsunlover) gets in my car last fall and the first words out of his mouth are “There’s that smellâ€.

 

The thing is, you can still smell it hours after you have left the car. It clings to you like a cheap cologne. Maybe we could bottle it?

[Dan Juday]

Mine has the heart of a Pontiac and smells like a GTO!!

 

G.T.O.: Gas, Tires, & Oil.

 

Stole that from my late great old mom.

[Guest gtmattz]

hey I'm not an older type

 

Z exhaust definately has it's own smell. It smelled the same with my N/A carbed L28 and now with my L28et.... I've owned a few muscle cars and they had a much more sour rancid exhaust smell' date=' like fresh sourdough bread... my Z's exhaust smells like nothing I can think of, but I'll always be able to recognize it![/quote']

 

hmm, im not sure if it was the old gas or what, but the ehxaust from my 75 280 smelled alot different from the fumes coming from the 305 in the 68 gmc... taking the plugged cat off and running it with the pipe open changed the smell quite a bit, but it was definitely different.

[Z-TARD]

Heres an odd thing: I went to the Nissan dealership and got a brochure for the new 350Z, and upon opening it up I could faintly smell something that smelled just like my 240Z. Probably just a coincidence that the ink they use smells like 30 year old Z, but it makes for a convincing argument that Nissan installed the old Z smell in our cars from the factory. Either that, or I'm developing a brain tumor.... "Does anyone else in here smell almonds?......."

 

 

Mike

[datsunlover]

Yah, I hope I didn't offend you Glen.. but it's that "Datsun" smell. No getting away from it! The day I went to look at mine, I said the same thing to my friend. "Hey.. it smels just like every other Datsun I've owned! And I've got into other cars of similar age, but it's NOT the same smell.. Maybe evry brand of car just has it's own distink'd smell to it after 30 years or so?