These vents can be retrofitted onto any year of Z from 1970-1976, and from 1984 up. See Hood Vents for Sale
Thank you for ordering my Datsun Z hood vents! These great looking vents are bolt-on replacements for the stock Z hood vents found on the 1977-1978 280Z. They are sized to fit exactly in the recesses formed in the hood, and are supplied with flush mount fasteners (which look like aircraft rivets but which can be easily installed or removed) for attachment. They can also be bonded and blended with body filler, riveted into place, or attached with body trim adhesive tape such as that offered by 3M.
These vents can be retrofitted onto any year of Z from 1970-1976, and from 1984 up (1979-1983 cars came with factory vents of different shape...I'm working on replacements for them), as well as any other high performance car that needs help venting out engine and exhaust heat from the engine bay.
For those who would like to use these vents on applications other than Z cars, and who need to know the dimensions: As measured at the flanges (seating surface) the vents are 7 inches by 16 inches. The opening at the back is about 5.5 inches wide by 1 inch high.
I developed these vents as an alternative to the fragile and therefore scarce factory hood vents. The design incorporates a sleek "cowl vent" look that actually has superior aerodynamic qualities.
At low speed or when idling, the vent provides an excellent exit path for engine bay heat. They are installed at the highest point of the engine bay, yielding superior convective flow ("hot air rises"). Since the fuel injection components, the intake air tract, and the mixture sensing equipment are all at the top of the engine bay, too, this cooling effect helps prevent fuel percolation ("vapor lock"), reduces intake charge temperature rise, and protects sensors, wiring, and plastic connectors from problems due to heat fatigue...the number one cause of engine problems in high performance cars!
From about ten miles an hour and up, the airflow actually reverses due to a high pressure area that forms at the base of the windshield (which is why the cockpit ventilation intakes were put there). This provides a stream of cool, outside air flowing down across all the vital engine parts previously mentioned, and out through the bottom of the engine bay (with assistance from high velocity, low pressure airflow under the car...Bernoulli effect).
These new hood vents go a step further in reducing a problem with the factory vents: Water intrusion. Even with the factory metal pan installed under the driver's side vent, rain water and road spray is able to contaminate the sensitive electrical connections of the fuel injection and ignition systems. And, with the pan installed, the vent on that side (the more critical of the two) functioned very poorly!
The vents are available in black or white paintable gel-coat, and non-woven, hand-laid fiberglass at $75 per pair. You can add a layer of woven cloth fiberglass for extra strength and great underside appearance for a price of $95 per pair. Carbon fiber with clear gel-coat is available for $149 per pair. Please note that with the clear gel-coat, small but visible imperfections in either the resin or the fiber may be present but do not affect the strength of the part.
