I'll probably be building up a project page on another site, but I thought I'd post this information in case anyone is interested in this stuff.

I managed to acquire a wrecked 350z (I drive a Brickyard as well) for a really good deal. I"m not sure what I'm going to do with, but I did put an ad out to see if it will sell. In the mean time I've been cleaning it up and trying to learn as much as I can about these cars.



Today's lesson is about airbags. Note that all examples come with the bag itself cut off for easier viewing. Canadian 350z come stock with all 6 airbags (2 up front, 2 seats, and 2 curtains).

I previously thought curtain airbags weighed a lot and somewhat hindered performance like sunroofs by placing a lot of weight up high. First pic shows exactly where the airbag cannisters are. The surprising thing is how light they are. Being a mountain bike weight wennie, I had a scale nearby so I weighted each. 800 grams (little under 2 pounds). Add the missing fabric (which I cut off) and the weight might be just under 3 lbs per side. Not bad!



Next surprise was the seat airbags. When these things go, they don't just pop that little plastic cap off, they tear a lot of the fabic as well.



Finally the passenger dash airbag. Ever wonder how it deploys? There's no etching outline in the dash or anything. Perhaps the etching is on the underside of the dash panel because two little hinge doors blast through the material.

 

Cool pics, thanks!

 

check out wreckeddeal.com, they have few wrecked Z's. you need to know how to put stuff back together ... they had a nice one for like 10k, not sure if they still do, but they have others. good luck

 

Thanks for the reference.

I got mine for $1600 Cdn including flat bed towing, keys, and a clean title.

Thanks for the link. I have a feeling if I do keep it, it won't quite be going back together in an OEM fashion. I'm thinking of making a Solo2 weapon with it. We have a class in Canada called 'D Mod' where pretty much anything goes.

 

Hows the motor ? does it still run? IE can you pull the motor and build it?

 

Thanks for the info. I always wondered about the airbags....

 

The motor appears to be fine. The car sat for a few months so I was a little worried of the piston rings rusting in the cylinders.

I contacted an earlier owner and thankfully he used Mobile 1 synthetic. Lucky, considering the motor only has 17,000 km (about 10K miles) on it.

I took a ratchet and 1 foot helper bar to the main crank bolt last night and was able to rotate the motor a few degrees. I haven't started it yet because of coolant issues. Should I keep the car I will for sure start it up.