240z cartoon

[Doug]

Speaking of models, does anyone know where in Oz I would be able to get a zed modelkit, dealers, big model/hobby shops? Suggestions appreciated.

Oh and in Vic if that helps.

Doug

[Alfadog]

Alan,

Sorry for the late reply but somehow this thread has avoided me somewhat..

I saw a few old Z's and Skylines in a small article in a magazine and they were selling for around $10,000-$15,000 US....... which I thought was expensive seeing as here you'd buy an almost perfect 240z for around $6000 US. Alas, after seeing how much they're worth in Canada and the UK, Japan doesnt seem so expensive after all

You're exactly right with that misconception business. I kinda forgot that some people in Japan are NOT business men who want the fullest and latest of every technological device...

I always had the idea that the Z432 was the superhot version and that it would be considerably better performing than a 240z. Is this true or just another misconception I have made up... ?

I saw your pictures in the galleries, it's absolutely stunning and the bucket seats are very nostalgic. I like! There's something about black wheels which really does it for me too.

[Cuong Nguyen]

Hi Alan, I'm very impressed that you have such a fine zed!

I have owned 5 zeds so far (all 2 seaters) and my current car (the first one that I purchased) is a '73 240z.

It has gone a full bare shell rebuild with the aid of a rotisserie. The engine is a RB26DETT from the Skyline GTR. This link will show a picture of it:

http://www.classiczcars.com/photopost/index.php?photo=349

I have a passion for early zed cars and find your current project of extreme interest. Would you be able to post pictures of it on this site or send the to my email at nguyenxcuong@hotmail.com

Regards, Cuong Nguyen.

[HS30-H]

Hi Alfadog and Cuong,

Thanks for your kind comments.

Alfadog, you made some interesting comments about values again. I think that if you look at it globally, the prices of these cars are on the up. HOWEVER, I think that we will see more separation in prices linked to condition soon. In the UK, there are many cars that are changing hands for around £3000 to £5000, and many people who are buying an early Z for the first time seem to expect to find a good one for even less than that. In my opinion, even these £3000 to £5000 cars are in reality of a LOW standard. They might look good on the outside, but if they are original UK market cars then they are almost always showing signs of extensive welded repairs ( often leaving the chassis / unibody out of alignment ), badly repaired crash damage, and lots of plastic filler in the body. Added to this, there are MANY cars that have incorrect parts, bad-taste modifications or just plain bad maintenance.

The better cars are actually changing hands DIRECT ( ie, outside the "For Sale" ads in the classic car magazines ) and they are going for higher prices than people realise. Some cars are being advertised at very high prices ( like the one that started this thread! ) but the owners seem to settle for a slightly lower price in the end. The point is that the BEST cars will always change hands at a high price, and in this country ( and the rest of Europe too ) there are just not that many GOOD cars out there.Seems that the rest of the world ( mainly thinking about the USA and Australia ).

Your perception of the Z432 as a fire-breathing monster is a bit like mine was until I drove one! In reality, it has only a very little more peak power in standard form than the L24. Tuning the L-series engines brings quite big results for not much work and not very much money, but tuning the S20 is a high-cost exercise that yields little bang-for-buck. However, top tuners can get pretty good power from them ( and the factory were getting more than 250BHP from their injected race engines in the early 70's ) and the engine is a REAL thoroughbred. When I drove a 432 in Japan recently, I was reminded of what a good combination the S20, five speed trans. and 4.44 LSD combination is. It makes a real drivers car. and the gear ratios seem really close ( because of the 4.44 ratio diff ). Because the engine will happily spin up to 9000 rpm and still make power, it sounds and feels as though you are in a race car, even though you are not actually going all that fast! A tuned S20 just SOUNDS amazing though................

Cuong, your car looks mighty impressive in the photo! I have seen a few RB-engined S30 bodies in Japan - but most of them were normally-aspirated and the smaller-capacity blocks. To go the whole hog and fit the full RB26 in turbo form deserves a medal. Looks like that cage should stop the car twisting up like a rope when you get traction!

I will e-mail you some pictures of my Z432-R "replica" project to your private e-mail address later this week. I have to say that it is a very large kit kit of parts at the moment, and the body has only been painted on the inside ( not outside yet ). Look out for a message from me later this week.

All the best,

Alan T.

[Alfadog]

Mmmm... interesting!

I'd also like a few of those pictures of the replica you're making if you wouldnt mind...

[dohc]

Hey Doug,

The best place in Australia i've found for plastic models (and quite a few die cast ones) is Sherriffs Mini-Cars Pty Ltd in Baulkham Hills NSW.

The guy who runs the show is Geoff Sherriff and you can call him on 0417 647 649. He does mail stuff out but I haven't tried that yet. Last time he had a stall in Adelaide (at the Royal Show) he had a couple of Fairlady Z models, I just couldn't afford them at the time. Pity now I look back...

Anyway, give him a shot.

Cheers,

Ross.

[Gav240z]

Hey guys I am still downloading this movie but from what I've seen it's cool I read through the whole post and thought I'd add some of my 0.02 cents. Firstly I've seen the earliest 240z no wait touched the earliest Z it's number 44 I believe and it's orange and in good condiiton full restored If I had the money I'd buy it.

Second in Gran Turismo it's a Fairlady 240zg with the full ZG kit. You can also find the original Skyline GTR in the game too.

Recently I've been looking into the original 240z's sold in Japan and I really wanna restore my 240z with a gnose and am considering the wheel flares etc. I just love sometihng about them. I mangaged to find some rare ZG pics from jap webpages which i was reallly pleased about.

THe more I read about these cars the more I love them there is so much about them that makes me wish I was born 40 years ago.

I also bought 2 model Datsun's recently both ZG's one is made of metal and is 1/24 the orig size and pre assembled cost me $110 AUSSie bux the other was a kit you can make yourself and paint it from the shell up I ran out of paint but so it's not done yet. Will post pics when it's done.

That's it I'm done braggin'

Gav,

[dohc]

Hey Gav,

Do you know where or how to get a Gnose from in Australia? This goes for the flares as well?

The only place I can find in Adelaide that has anything to do with Z cars is "Adelaide Z Cars" and I know more about the carbs and other bits than them!

Cheers,

R.

[HS30-H]

Gav,

You'd better be careful about what you say regarding early chassis numbers - its a real minefield.

We have two cars here in the UK with "HS30" chassis numbers in the low thirties - but that does not mean to say that they are older than for example an "HLS30" chassis number in the low thirties, or any PS30 or S30 chassis number in the low thirties.

Nissan gave body / chassis numbers to different chassis types of the Z range in parallel. Hence you would theoretically be able to find the following cars out there in the ether:

S30-00240, PS30-00240, HLS30-00240, HS30-00240 etc etc.

That does not mean that an earlier number definitely precedes a higher number, as the model-type build date has to be closely examined........ If the early car you saw was HS30-00044 then it does not mean that it was built before the S30, PS30 or even HLS30 chassis numbers that have higher numbers. The HS30 chassis types started mainstream production in early 1970 - so that would make it quite a long way down the line ( somewhere within the first few thousand rather than in the first fifty ).

As for the Fairlady ZG - I have a genuine one here in the UK. Please do not think that its just a case of bolting on a few bits to make the ZG specification! The "ZG" style bodykits that you can now buy in Japan and the USA are nothing like the real thing I can assure you ( although the five-piece front end kits from Japan make a better job than most of the kits available in the USA in my opinion ). You might like to make a note that the genuine ZG ( factory variant "HS30-H" ) even had different bonnet hinges to the standard bodied cars. And if you fancy fitting a ZG-look body kit to your Z without the "overfenders" or headlamp covers, then you will end up with neither fish nor fowl.............

Please note that only a genuine factory built Fairlady 240ZG ( HS30-H ) can be described as a ZG. Simply bolting on some parts will not make it something that it is not, even though it might look like it. If this was the case, all those Ferrari 250GTO "replicas" out there would have to be called real ones......

I advise you to go the whole hog and try to make it look like a genuine ZG ( with the overfenders too ). Don't forget the gunmetal-painted rear bumper ( with rubber strip between the two corner pieces ) and you must have a set of humungously wide wheels and tyres too, even though the genuine cars left the factory with standard steel wheels and the dustbin-lid hubcaps. But please don't think, like some people seem to do, that you have a genuine ZG. It will only be a replica.

I get touchy about this subject, as you can tell!

Good luck though,

Alan.

[Gav240z]

In Aus I know that you can get a gnose from a place called Zworx based in melbourne they go for around $700 and there the 7 piece replica not the yukky 3 piece that Zshop sells well at least I think they sell that one.

I don't have the number on me but if you wait I can post it up when I'm at home for you so that you can give them a call the guys name is Warren.

By the way I take no offence to how picky you are about originality HS30-H. If you can guide me about how to make mine the genuwine replica then do so I'd appreciate it.

[Alfadog]

Genuine replica??? Now if that aint an oxymoron....

The only way you'll get a genuine ZG is if you buy a genuine ZG, like Alan did.

Perhaps you didn't realise that these "bodykits" if you like were available straight from the factory. I'm sure Alan could explain the ins and outs of the stock ZG stuff in another small novel if you'd like hehe

[Mr Camouflage]

I wonder how much a genuine nissan/datsun g nose, flares, and rear spoiler would cost from a nissan dealer? or even if they are available?

Isn't that why people buy non geniune parts, to save money, or because you cant get them anymore.

Mr C.