When an S30 glovebox door sags on the broken hinges or the inner liner crumbles in your hands, it's a problem that can delay your restoration timeline. These parts have sat in cars for 4 or 5 decades now, and they've taken a beating from the repeated heat cycles, UV damage that comes through the windshield and thousands of open-close cycles. Plenty of owners don't learn how bad the damage is until they're already deep into an interior refresh, and that means they have to make quick decisions about replacement parts that can vary wildly in price and quality.
A proper glovebox repair matters. A loose glovebox door is going to rattle around every time you're on the highway, and when anyone opens it up, your whole interior just looks like it hasn't been taken care of. A missing or damaged inner box is even worse. Your wiring and the fuse panels will be exposed with nothing to protect them, and you won't have any usable storage space in there at all. You're going to run into problems that can spread to your whole dashboard assembly if you try to cut corners with cheap replacement parts.
Here are the restoration options for your Datsun S30 glovebox!
Table of Contents
What Goes Wrong with S30 Gloveboxes
You'll also want to check for cracks around the mounting points on the inner box. Sometimes the inner box is gone - the owners removed it over the years and never got around to putting it back in. The glovebox logo also takes a beating over time. Years of sun exposure will fade it to the point where you can barely see it anymore, and the adhesive backing breaks down too, which means the badge can peel right off the door.
These failures point to the same culprit - the plastic gets more brittle as time goes on. Sunlight and UV exposure will slowly break down the material, and this happens even if you usually park in a garage. There's also wear and tear from all that opening and closing of your door, day after day, year after year. After about 40 or 50 years, the plastic just can't take the same stress as when it was brand new.
Glovebox problems usually don't stop at just one issue - they start cascading into more. Once those hinge tabs break and your door starts to sag, all that extra weight and stress get transferred directly to the mounting points. This will crack the inner box, too, and it turns into a much bigger repair job. A door that sags will also make contact with parts of the dash it was never meant to touch, and this causes more damage the longer it goes on.
Before you order replacement parts, take the time to look over your glovebox and see what actually needs to be replaced. The hinge tabs fail more than anything else, so those should be at the top of your inspection list. Check the inner box itself for any cracks or missing pieces, and look at your logo to see if it's still in decent condition or if it needs to be swapped out as well.
Pick the Best Hinge Material Options
Plastic replacements will match up perfectly with the original look and feel of your car. And once installed, everything looks factory-correct and original. New old stock plastic hinges sound like the perfect answer on paper, and in some ways, they are. The issue is that even unopened parts from the 1970s have been sitting around for decades at this point. A part can be unused and still in its original packaging. But it's still been slowly aging for 40+ years. It's already become brittle and fragile by the time you go to install it in your vehicle. The plastic doesn't know if it's been sitting in a warehouse box or installed in a car - time deteriorates it just the same.
Metal hinges from companies like Motorsport Auto give you a permanent fix to the durability problem. Metal won't become brittle with age the way that plastic does, and it holds up against wear and general abuse much better over the years. Most owners like to upgrade to metal hinges because they want to solve this problem once and never have to worry about it again.
Aftermarket metal hinges can be a bit harder to fit right, though. A fair number of them are going to need to have some small adjustments before they'll fit right with your glovebox assembly. Maybe you'll have to file down one edge somewhere or adjust one of the mounting points a little bit to get everything to line up the way that it should. Not every metal hinge kit runs into this problem. But it comes up enough that you should be ready for it before you get started.
You can always build your own custom hinges from scratch if you have some metalworking skills (or know somebody who does). Custom fabrication gives you full control over how they turn out and lets you size everything just right for your own setup. Of course, it takes some time, and you'll need the right equipment for all of the test fits and measurements needed to make sure everything lines up correctly at installation.
Repair or Replace Your Inner Box
The inner box is actually the main component in your glovebox assembly, and it's what holds everything in place and makes sure it works right. When this part starts to deteriorate or fall apart, your glovebox door won't be able to close the way it's designed to, and the whole assembly will start to feel loose, unstable and frankly, pretty cheap.
Some cases show that the box only has damage in one area. Maybe a corner got cracked or a mounting tab broke off completely. What's nice is that you can repair areas like these as long as you're careful and you use the right type of adhesive. One point to remember, though, is that you're going to need to dedicate some time to this repair because you'll have to hold the damaged section in place as the adhesive cures completely.
Patching just turns into more trouble than it's worth when cracks cover the entire box or the plastic has gone brittle all over. A new inner box makes a lot more sense at that point - it gives you back that tight, sturdy feel, and you're starting fresh with material that isn't falling apart.
Quality reproductions are great products. But trying to get one to fit just right on the door can still present a challenge. You'll probably need to trim them slightly in a few places to get the edges and mounting points lined up the way they should. Cars come from the factory with small variations between them, and after years of use and exposure to the elements, each one has developed its own little imperfections and differences. Test the fit multiple times and check your alignment points before you drill any holes or use any adhesive that can't be undone.
Our Skillard box will hold up for much longer before cracks or warping start to show up. It uses better quality materials. The price tag is higher up front, and I get that. But it saves you money in the long run because you won't have to get back under the dashboard in a few years to swap out another cheap part that's already cracked or failed on you.
Badge Options for Your Car Restoration
Once you have everything else buttoned up, that little badge ends up being one of the most prominent pieces on your whole restoration. But after decades of heat and UV exposure, these logos have usually taken a real beating. More often than not, they're either pretty faded or cracked well past any hope of repair.
When it comes time to replace or restore your badge, a few different options are available that are worth looking at. One way to go is to search for a new old stock badge if one happens to be out there somewhere. Original parts like these do turn up at swap meets every now and then, and online sellers sometimes have them sitting around in their inventory. Another way is you can pick up a reproduction decal that's been made to line up with the factory specifications. The last option on the table is to send your existing badge off to a professional restoration shop, though it only makes sense if there's enough of the material left on the badge for them to work with.
Whichever option works best for you, the first step is always the same - you'll have to get that old badge off the door. After that much time, the adhesive underneath has probably hardened into a stubborn mess. A plastic trim tool is your best option here instead of a screwdriver. It'll slide right under the badge and pop it off without leaving any scratches on your glovebox door. One trick that makes this way easier is to warm it up with a hair dryer on low heat first. That way, you'll skip accidentally chipping or scratching any of the paint around the edges.
When it's time to install the replacement badge, the adhesive matters quite a bit. Most reproduction decals already have some backing attached to them, and a lot of owners stick with that. Contact cement is another popular option if you want something that's going to hold better - just brush on a thin layer, and you're set to go. You'll want to grab some isopropyl alcohol and wipe down the surface first, though. This gets rid of any oils or residue that might affect how well it sticks. Take your time when you're lining the badge up with the door edges. Once that adhesive makes contact, you won't get another chance to adjust it.
A fair number of owners will go with period-correct aftermarket badges when the original part is too hard to find. These aren't manufactured by Nissan. But they do match the era and general look of the car well enough.
For most restoration projects, it's a decent middle ground when factory-original just isn't possible.
Plan Your Budget for the Restoration
Budget matters quite a bit when you're working on this project, so decide what you're comfortable spending before you start to order parts. A restoration kit for the S30 glovebox will run you between $200 and $400, and the price depends on what parts you'll have to replace. Most kits have all of the parts that you'd expect - hinges, liners, replacement logos and the whole package.
Universal parts are worth looking at, too, if the price tag on the exact reproductions feels a bit high. A generic liner usually costs between $50 and $100, and with minor adjustments on your part, it'll fit your vehicle just fine. OEM reproductions have their appeal - installation tends to be easier since everything lines up just right, and the fit matches what originally came with the vehicle from the factory. Generic liners need a bit more work on your end. You'll do some trimming and take your time to get everything situated right. The tradeoff is that the price difference can be large.
The upfront cost is one part of what you'll actually spend, though. It depends on what you're working with. But you might need some adhesives that are formulated for older plastics since standard glues don't always bond well with aged materials. A few specialty tools can also help when you're trying to get everything lined up just right. Getting the alignment right takes some care, even with the right equipment and adhesives, and if the hinges refuse to cooperate after a few attempts, it's probably best to bring in a professional.
Shipping costs add up on you before you know it. One way to keep them under control is to order your hinge and liner from the same supplier and to place that order all at once instead of spacing it out. Suppliers know that customers want to save money, so they'll usually have bundle deals or combined shipping rates if you buy multiple items together. It just makes sense financially, and it saves you the headache of coordinating deliveries from different places.
Plenty of owners will break this project up into a few phases, and that's actually one of the better ways to do it. If the hinge is what failed on you, go ahead and replace that component first. The liner can wait until later, when your budget opens back up - maybe a couple of months later. This lets you spread the total cost out over time instead of one big expense all at once. Restorations like this don't need to happen overnight, and there's nothing wrong with whatever pace makes sense for your situation.
Build Your Dream Car
A working S30 glovebox makes a bigger difference on your day-to-day driving experience than many owners give it credit for. Most of the restoration attention goes to engine work or body panels, and that makes sense. But the glovebox is something you use all of the time - every time you reach for the registration papers or sunglasses or just glance at that side of the dash. Every one of the repair options out there can do the job, and the right one for you depends on what you're after with your restoration and how much budget you have to work with. Some owners want everything to stay period-correct to match that original 1970 feel, and others just want a solid fix that closes right and holds up over the years.
A broken glovebox that won't stay closed (or worse, an inner box that can't hold anything securely anymore) is a pain to live with. What's helpful is that the repair options are out there at just about every price point, and each one takes a slightly different strategy. Universal hinges are the most budget-friendly choice. But they'll usually need some adjustment work to fit your particular glovebox correctly. The metal replacement hinges cost a bit more, and they do a much better job of recreating that sturdy, factory-installed feel. The best option for your situation depends on how much damage your glovebox has taken and what you're willing to spend.
A solid S30 restoration gets both the looks and the mechanics right, and that's what makes these classic Datsuns so fun to bring back to life. Having access to the parts that were actually made for the 240Z, 260Z and 280Z makes the whole project just go smoother. At Skillard, we make custom parts for Datsun owners who care about doing it right - we're talking about bumpers, aluminum door cards, center consoles, spoilers and plenty more. Everything we make helps you build the car you've had in your head all along. You can check out our full catalog at Skillard.com and find the parts to keep your project moving forward. Your S30 needs quality parts that actually fit and work the way that they should, and the right parts will make the difference.
