240Z: Transmission, Hatch damper & Hood hardware test fit

So, I have been busy test-fitting various parts on my Z again.

To set the alignment of the hood and fenders properly, I had all the hood hardware spacers, dampers and rubbers installed.

Next on the to-do list was the rear hatch damper, so I can work on the hatch without having that temporary wood rod as a not-so-safe hatch holder. Wile both dampers I had were still working nicely, the mounting brackets were worn out on both and both had missing or cracked plastic / Teflon spacers.

So after I got everything straight and assembled a temporary setup (I still need to find a good set of those plastic spacers).

I finally had it all installed. Works perfect.

It seems like that little-bit of extra-tension from the damper is required to have the hatch aligned properly with the roofline. I didn’t expect the damper itself would already fix the alignment, but I’m happy it does.
Now I only need to finalize sanding on the trunk spoiler and bring back the holes for the spoiler emblems. I also need to find a good rear bumper to test fit it. Mine both had a decent hit and are way too wonky to use them for test-fitments.

Then, some people were suspicious about that extra sheet metal on my transmission tunnel (I have the updated body version from 1972, but still the early A-transmission, so I suspect they added that sheet metal to cover the hole?). Even though it’s the original transmission of this car, it made me want to test fit it, just to be sure it all fits, before i paint the shell. So i had to assemble parts of the transmission first. Mainly the gear selector with the shift rod mechanism.

For simplicity, I only used the center section of my FS5C71A five-speed transmission, because that’s fine to test fit it. So I added the transmission bracket with the rubber insulator to it.

And installed (Bolts only temporary, as usual – please ignore).

And here we go. I can shift in all directions without hitting anything. But it’s still a bit close to the front. I need to check if I put the directional insulator between the transmission and the mounting bracket in the right direction.

And since I had an original center console lying around from my recent center console comparison i put it in there, just for fun’s sake. Even though it’s all only temporary test-fitting, it’s really fun and nice to see all the bits and pieces come together nicely.

I have already prepared some next steps on the interior, so stay tuned for another update soon.