Skyline boxes in a 240z

[Gee]

You are in Oz as well? Why does your location say UK? Where do I get these VIN details so I can check the car when I look at it? I know nothing about the "anorak" side of things (i.e part numbers etc), but I do know how important it is when buying a car.

The dash is apparently cracked and the centre console is missing. It also has an unoriginal rear bolt (or something) and instead of having one (as the early cars have), it has two.

It also has 260 seats and the clock has been replaced with a non-original part - all things I guess I can easily replace over time.

It does have a high-compression motor - was this different to "standard" motors??

I believe that whilst at the moment originality is not as important as it is say, for an Austin-Healey, MG, Triumph etc. it probably will be in the long run and I'm attempting to get the most original I can for the money, hence these annoying questions!!

[HS30-H]

Sorry Gee - I meant to say that YOU were in Australia as well as the car ( its well past my bedtime and I've probably stopped making sense! ).................. Yes I'm in London, England, UK.

You'll find the VIN number stamped on the firewall sheetmetal inside the engine bay. Its situated above the brake booster and master cylinders, but you might have to push some wiring and the screenwasher hose out of the way to find it ( its up quite high ). Give it a rub to make sure you read it right.

If it says "HS30" then a number, you know you are dealing with a right hand drive "240Z" ( which will most likely / almost certainly be an Australian market car, and therefore not made in 1969 ). If it says "S30" then a number, its a Japanese market car ( and therefore possibly 1969 ).

If its says "PS30" and then a number, send me a PM and don't tell anyone else about it! ( it would mean it left the factory as a 432 with the S20 twin cam engine ). I'll get the first plane out there. Not very likely, that one.

If this was a bet, I'd have my money on it being an early ( possibly very early 1970 ) Australian market car. I think this would explain the vendor saying it had the "high compression" engine ( actually because the very early cars were fitted with the "E31" cylinder head. You can check the engine spec by looking for the block number ( stamped on a raised pad towards the rear of the block on the spark-plug side of the engine ) and the head casting type ( cast into the head near the front of the engine, in the area of the fuel pump ).

There should also be an aluminium tag riveted to the inside of the engine bay ( near the base of the driver's side strut tower ) which also has the VIN number on it, but may well be missing.

Maybe the owner is talking about the "rear box" ( muffler / exhaust box ) being non standard? That's the only thing that makes sense to me being two instead of one ( two pipes or two boxes maybe? ).

A cracked dash is probably par for the course, I'm afraid. However, I know people who have spare early consoles if you ended up needing one. These are minor details in the grand scheme of things. Its the body that needs to be a good building block to start out with.

Interesting that the clock has been replaced with what the vendor thinks is a "non-standard" item ( I'm now going to go to bed thinking it MIGHT be a PS30-SB Fairlady "432R" with dual exhausts, no centre console and the Rally clock - eek! ).

If you have any questions on VIN numbers and other trivia, then don't hesitate to ask. There's a few of us on here who are "anoraks" and love that sort of thing.

Good luck,

Alan T.

[Gav240z]

Umm where did u say this 69mld 240z is???:classic:

If it's a 432R then your a lucky lucky bastard and I hate you .

Alphadog I'm not sure if I want anything for the gearbox as I don't know if I'll be selling it just yet.

How much were you looking to buy it for?

Alan did all of the PS30 Z's with the S20 have dual exhausts fitted to it as a matter of course? I was under the impression that this was a feature of the Works Rally Cars.

Thanks

[Z Kid]

2 rear bolts?

The guy is probably referrign to the fact that he has fitted a later 260Z hatch, and it has 2 rear struts not just the one?

This takes away the cool vents in the rear of the hatch, a distinguishing feature of the early cars? If this is the case, is it maybe a later body shell with early car used as a donor?

Just check, then check, then check again, if I'd known more, I would have done a whole heap more checking

[Gee]

Apparently the car is #131. I thought the first 500 went to America? Interesting...

Anyone got any interior shots of the 432 zeds/different exterior features? Better still, anyone know of any really nice zeds for sale in Australia (2 seaters only)???

[Alfadog]

how much do you want to spend?

-> email me

[HS30-H]

Hi Gee,

Sounds like this particular car is no. "HS30-00131" - which makes it the 131st "HS30" ( RHD "240Z" - in this case Australian market ) to be assigned a body number.

Please remember that the "HLS30" VIN prefix cars ( most of them were the USA / North American market LHD "240Z" models ) had their own set of build numbers, which run quite seperately from the "HS30" / "PS30" / "S30" series cars - which all had their own set of numbers.

That means that theoretically there would have been the following cars with the following numbers:

*"S30-00131"

*"PS30-00131"

*"HLS30-00131"

*"HS30-00131" ( "your" car ).

So it doesn't mean its the 131st of ALL early Z cars, it means its just 131st of the "HS30" VIN prefixed cars.

Australia got most of the first few hundred of the "HS30" series cars ( although #33 and #34 were brought to the UK for publicity / show purposes ) - so this particular car is one of the first batch of Australian imports.

When you go to see the car, I would recommend that you still have a good look at the VIN number on the firewall and make sure it says "HS30-00131" as the vendor seems to be implying. Like Z Kid pointed out above - anything could have happened in the last 30 years and another car could have donated parts or even its whole shell to this car. Z Kid's advice to check, check and check again is very sound.

Is "bolts" a local Australian term for the rear hatch struts? The only thing I could think of last night was exhausts or exhaust pipes, but Z Kid's suggestion makes much more sense now. If it has lost its original "vented" rear hatch ( which would have had a single gas strut ) it could be replaced - but it might be a good bargaining point.

Gav, when I said "dual exhausts" I meant the twin-pipe system that ended in the one-up-one-down rear box as fitted to all S20-equipped Z cars from the Factory, and offered as a Sports Option part in Japan for all other models. This was two separate pipes right from the exhaust manifold exit, and the two pipes only rejoined in the rear box. I didn't mean the full straight-through twin pipe system with megaphones as fitted to the early Works Rally and domestic circuit race cars. Sorry to be vague and cause confusion. Gav - I think you were probably thinking along the same lines as me when Gee wrote a description that sounded like a 432!.................

Gee - if you want info / pics of the Japanese market Fairladies ( including the 432 & 432R ) then send me a Personal Message from this site with your e-mail address and I can send some pics direct to you. Otherwise, there are a few pics in my Members Gallery section that might be of interest.

Do let us know how you get on. If you end up not getting this particular car then maybe you could pass on its details to other Australian members here who might be interested.

All the best,

Alan T.

[Gee]

Thanks for the help guys,

I mean bolts as in "nuts and bolts" not the pneumatic lifter that holds the tailgate open. I think an anorak has already gone over the car because the seller could confirm things that he didn't know before people started looking at it.. i.e. 20mph speedo etc.

Still, it's been owned by an older guy for 15yrs or so, so hopefully it hasn't been thrashed TOO much

:classic:

[Ben]

There are not many of the 'first 500' Aussie 240Z's left alive.

I'd like you to get it & bring it back from an undeserved demise...

The FS5C71A & 2-piece tailshaft that belong to the S1 240's are very hard to find here.

The C110 has an FS5W71B gearbox (the W stands for wide & the C in the Z box stands for close).

Sorry for the abruptness - trying to concentrate on too many things.

PS - Alan - love the video:love: :love:

[DREAMZ]

Hi guys, all this talk about gearboxes has me wondering. I have a march of 71 Z which makes it a series II car. Should it have an "A" or "B" type 4spd. Currently it has an S-bend shifter in it which seems too far forward in the trans tunnel because a previuos owner notched out the metal and the console for third gear. According to my genuine factory service manual it should have a straight shifter. I questioned a couple of z enthusiasts here in the States and have been told not to bother switching back to the proper trans. Is this true and if so when did the the S-type shifter start being used. I would like to get a console to fit this shifter. Or, is there a direct bolt in five speed I can swap in. Thanks, any help is much appreciated.

[HS30-H]

Hi Ben,

The KPGC110 GT-R had the "C" for 'Close' ratio version of the "B" type box, and the others had the "W" for 'Wide" in a 4 or 5-speed version ( or Auto ) then.

Those 'Close' and 'Wide' ratios were offered as "Option" box ratios for the Z in the USA through Datsun Competition, and these are often confused with the more serious Direct Drive Option competition boxes with the 'Dogleg' shift pattern. Its easy to see why this confusion came about.

If they had given the USA / North American market cars the 5-speed from the very beginning it probably would have been better for everybody!

I didn't know the "A" type 5-speeds and the two-piece props were scarce in Australia. We have what seems to be a fair few knocking around over here in the UK ( usually liberated from scrapped cars or discarded after the installation of a "B" type box ).

Ben, I'm still trying to gather more info on the GT-X E.S for you, but its taking a lot of tracking down. My Nissan / Prince car spotters manual only gives it a very basic mention, but I know I've got something else on it somewhere. I'll keep looking.

Glad you like the video. Good stuff isn't it?

Gee - I'm still not clear what those rear "bolts" are ( ? ) - any chance of an update?

If the guy has had the car 15 years it sounds better than if he was just giving up on something he bought recently, but I guess you have to judge the car from what you see.

All the best,

Alan T.

[Mr Camouflage]

Gee. What state are you in?

Did you buy the 240z yet?

If its in canning vale WA, I doubt the same old guy has owned it for the last 15 years. There seems to be a little "operation" going on there.

The only difference between a 240z and a 432 to look at them is the badging, "Fairlady Z 432" for the 432 and "Datsun 240Z" for the 240. Lift the bonnet and its a different story. They weren't sold in any other markets than Japan as far as i know.