My two swiss S30Z Fairlady Restoration build thread

[JDMjunkies.ch]

I got hands on a rare 3N71A/B Automatic transmission Manual. While i don't have an Auto-tranny and don't really need this manual, there is a reason i couldn't resist.
This particular manual is not a standard workshop manual, but a Training manual. On the first pages, the employee who got the training from Nissan People, wrote down the story of the training and how it went.

 

If you look close on the Cover page, you see that the Name of the Company is "Fehlmann Motor AG", which is the predecessor of Datsun (Suisse) SA.
The Instructions are written very detailed by the trainee in german and full of personal notes.

 

Definitely a unique item.

 

It also contains a few memos from later years where the company is already called Datsun Suisse, with names of the involved employees and information about upcoming technical bulletins they plan to write, and spare-parts they've ordered from Japan and the 3 weeks delivery time.
Nothing really relevant to my project, but a pretty interesting piece of Datsun Switzerland history..

[JDMjunkies.ch]

Today i got a few interesting documents again. Let's start with the Z-specific stuff. An original Toolkit bag packing slip / Content slip:

I will use it to make a nice replica for my original toolkit (which came with some missing tools and without the toolkit.

The one above came from an original "final spec" European 240Z and is different to what i've seen for Sale in the USA. But it might be possible that the slip has changed over the years and that later
spareparts came with a different slip. Picture below shows one for sale in america by zeddsaver.com:
  

Then i got an original 1982 Datsun Switzerland catalog:

Not really interesting for me, but it contains the 280ZX and some other nice cars and i will use it for my datsun suisse documentation (coming soon).
 

I mainly got it because it came together with this nice piece: The March 1972 geneva automobil Salon "Newspaper" Called the Datsun "Red spot"
It's of course all about the cars, but it also contains some nice figures and facts about datsun switzerland (more on that coming soon),


Some of the cars, the racing efforts of Nissan / Datsun, The nissan switzerland / FMG Warehouse, etc..

And also advertising for some of the cool apparel you could order from them... A pretty nice piece of datsun switzerland memorabilia...

[JDMjunkies.ch]

Slightly delayed because of holday season and the current COVID situation, but i just got some pictures from the blaster, and a note that the chassis is done. They blasted the whole car with non abrasive plastic media, which doesnt warp big thin surfaces. Where abrasives were needed, they added a bit of sand to remove rust and bondo (partially). The sticker underbody protecting-stuff was removed by dry-ice blasting...

 

You can clearly see the many repairs on the inner front fender and Air channel and the ton of bondo remaining on the LH rear quarter.

 

Luckily the engine bay looks nice at the first view, but i have to inspect closer once it's back at my place.

 

This is the side that has already been finnished by the bodyshop (the brown stuff is remaining seam sealer...)

 

this is the undone side. Luckily i have a NOS spare roof and rear quarter in stock to fix this. Meanwhile the chassis should also be primered with a weldable primer. In the next days they will return it to me and then i'll take some better pictures and a closer look at all the details... Just a little tip from my side. If you ever do a full restoration like this. start with cleaning the chassis. not like me who started with the bodywork just to blast the chassis when half of it was already done. well you learn new things all th e time - and that's what makes a project like this so much fun 🙂 More coming soon....

[grannyknot]

Beautiful, so much nicer to have clean metal to work with.

[JDMjunkies.ch]

6 hours ago, grannyknot said:

Beautiful, so much nicer to have clean metal to work with.

Indeed, also i don't have to pay the bodyshop for cleaning before he can do his actual magic now...

[Namerow]

Would you be willing to share with us the cost of having the car media-blasted?  Pricing info for these types of large-scale procedures (blasting, chemical dipping, etc) helps others to develop a plan and budget for their restorations.

[JDMjunkies.ch]

Today i got the delivery from the guys at Sandstrahlen-plus.ch which i can really recommend if you're in switzerland...

They had my complete chassis blasted (except the roof and a few areas i will replace anyway) and primered.

The job is very nice if you ask me and it looks so much better with all the car in one colour, rather than twelve different layers of primer, bondo, paint, rust protection, etc.. in various states...

Remember, this is how it looked a few weeks ago...

Luckily the process didnt' reveal any new problems, only the bad repairs of yesteryear and the rusty spots i already new and have replacement panels for...
$

I also made this little "unboxing" gif whlie unwrapping the car and thought it was fun to share...

[JDMjunkies.ch]

Thanks to Covid-related home-office and the fact i save an hour of driving from and to my office everyday, it seems like i have too much free time to search for Datsun related stuff... Therefore i've collected a lot of cool documents lately.

The first delivery consists of a lot of Colour sample charts, many marked as "For europe" unfortunately not Z-related, but the came for free with the rest and they're cool nontheless...

Then i've got the L6 service Manual in German, which might come in handy for me, since it's my native language...

That "Technical Training" Paper folder contains an empty Sample of a warranty report (from one dealership workshop to the Datsun switzerland headquarter) and a manual how to fill it correctly, as well as a few examples (most probably from a training at the swiss Distribution center):

Also got this 1972 swiss service warranty booklet. I really like the style of it. Every service you rip out the page and cross all the jobs done, but on the small leftovers theres a stamp and a signature of the workshop who did it.

One of the big green folders was empty, but three of them consist various technical bulletins for various cars in german / french, issued by Datsun Suisse SA / FMG. Written with a typewriter and nicely duplicated.

Two are from the early seventies and include information for the 240Z. One is from the 80ies..

The fifth folder is a Warranty Flatrate time folder, which lists various warranty flatrate times and Warranty codes for the different cars including the 240Z and C10. It is required to fill the above mentioned warranty report.

I usually don't collect stuff from other countries, but these American "Datsun News" Magazines from 1971 to 1974 were for sale for a nice lot-price, so i had to secure them.

The december 1971 christmas special issue has a nice comic of with the 240Z:

And a letter from "Mr. K"

One issue shows a few pages of a japanese factory tour made with american dealers in 1973:

Another one nicely shows how Datsun USA was organized back then. including the 10 (!) Car carrier ships that nissan used to operate back then:

Then i got another few documents. which included a few catalogs (they came with the pricelists i've posted earlier on my blog already)

But what is nice here is the 2002 Nissan Motorsports competition parts catalog (USA):

The German book About the history of Nissan. (check the picture at the bottem left,  how they used to load cars on the boat with ropes, before they had their own vessels...!)

And probably the rarest document (also not Z-related): An 1969 Datsun Switzerland press release folder, issued for the Geneva International Motor Show 1969, including price lists, car descriptions and instructions how to get a Press car for testing...

I have a few projects in the pipeline and I'm awaiting results soon, also awaiting a delivery with Parts and more Documents fom Japan, but thanks to Covid, everything is a bit delayed now. Looking forward to big news over the next weeks / months...

[JDMjunkies.ch]

Yesterday the post officer brought a nice little package to my door:

It contains a brand new (NOS) L6 Camshaft for the E88 Head. It is used widely in many L-series cars from what i understoud, but i still have to research all the details. It was for sale not far away and the price was ok, so i thought myself i better secure it...
I love the beautiful wrapping with the Nissan wrapping paper, etc...
 

It came with a (separetely sold) Set of Cam oiler blockoff plates and bolts for older externally oiled cams. I still have to check if i need those...

It also came with a "Cam bracket machining procedure when replacing with new cam shaft" Manual:
 

Here you see the typical "A" marking:

I have a lot of parts on the way, but due to Covid, everytihng is pretty delayed...

[siteunseen]

Great purchase!

It appears to be an "oiling cam" so you'll need those block offs.

here's some specs from our friend @240260280

https://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/cam/index.htm

[JDMjunkies.ch]

Lately i've been purchasing a lot of stuff for the project and related documents and automobilia. Just when i got additionally offered a complete lot of documents from a big collector. Due to covid related delays, the different orders from several weeks and months ended up arriving at my place all within a few days...  If you look at the picture below, quite a lot of stuff! Some things just came with the lots, and i will not keep them, even if nice stuff though. Nevertheless, here's what was in my mail yesterday. In the next part of the story, i will show you a huge pile (two cars and a trailer full) of nice parts i picked up yesterday from an old barn...

So what was is all that? First a bunch of swiss Datsun memorabilia: including a vintage swiss datsun plastic bag, sales window cards, spare-parts bag, patches, a beer coaster, folders, matchstick boxes, etc...

One of the coolest parts here is definitely the 1971 Geneva International Motor show press release folder, including the 240Z and information about the Z beeing shown at their booth.

But what is even cooler. The press release states you can order Lithographic master plates from Datsun (Suisse) SA, for your own catalogue production, and it came with one of those lithography master plates. With exactly the same picture as shown in the press release and which is also used in some of the official swiss Z-documentation:

Then i found another press release. This time from 1972, about the introduction of the 240Z in switzerland:

From germany, i got a set of service manuals and a parts catalogue, which somehow seem to be photocopies of original ones. Not sure exactly who made those, since they're quite good quality and have an "official" feel to them. Maybe Datsun / Nissan germany replicated them themselves?

I collected also a bunch of magazines, which include stories of interesting cars that are not your standard Z-car tests:

An original swiss 240Z magazine ad (also seen in other countries with the same picture, but different text)

Various random Datsun and Z-related magazine tests:

A bunch of vintage Z and ZX related parts catalogues (Some of the companies do not exist anymore, or have different names now...)

A set of japanese S30 and L-series related Mooks (Magazine books)

Including this nice Nostalgic speed motor calendar (Sorry for the blurry photo)

A bunch of key holders. Not sure if any of these where officially released by nissan or if all of them are 3rd party stuff.

various stickers

Sew-on patches and a little C110 Skyline Kenmeri Diecast car:

Various User manuals, dealer list and empty document folders from the austrian datsun Import company (which does not exist anymore):

Various apparel and a Datsun banner:

Japanese nissan chronicles and history books:

Which seem very informative, but still have to go through them:

The japanese fold-out sales brochure for the Fairlady Z:

Some new (re-issued) Tomei vintage stickers:

A japanese Fairlady Z Parts catalogue:

Random parts and bits for my project:

And the cooles part: The "Breadbox" triple mikuni Airboxes, which where used on some of the works rallye cars, and where also optional "competition" equipment.

The ones i got are japanese MS Kubo replicas with slightly different locking mechanism. Original ones are rare to find and expensive. And since i'm not even sure if i can install them here street-legally, i decided not to go too crazy about finding original ones. But then i still liked them so much, i had to have them. Here's a picture of the competition parts catalogue, listing the original ones:

 

Stay tuned for the next part of the story, which includes a Barn and loads of stuff. but now i need to sort through all the parts first and take nice pictures 🙂

[JDMjunkies.ch]

Disclaimer: Nothing in this post is for sale - Do not ask me, thanks!
What qualifies something as a "barn find" has been discussed previously. But nevertheless, i found these parts covered in dust in an old shed. They were not exactly "forgotten about", but stored there in many years. The story behind them unfortunately includes a bit of human tragedy. After many years, i was the lucky one to buy the whole lot. Well sort of. Since i'm not exactly a hoarder and did not want to have many more parts of those i already own, i made an agreement with a Friend who basically bought the whole lot and i was the one to handle it. In return i got some rare, free and much-needed parts from the lot.
So let's start: A while ago i learned from a nice gentleman and z-owner who had some small parts for sale. After some first talks, it turned out we had the same interests, and then he told me about what he had in storage - and it was much more than i had expected. Since his z-restauration is completed now, he doesn't need the parts anymore and was willing to sell them. Talk about good timing! After some first parts viewing, assessment, calculations and negotiation with all of the stakeholders, i was able to make a deal. This is the little shed in some swiss countryside....

Most of the parts where stored in the upper level and only accessible via an unstdeady ladder. But hey - who cares if there are NOS genuine datsun parts?
I was initially only interested in the sheetmetal parts, mostly the datsun original parts. But they were only for sale as a lot. Well and then we agreed on buying the whole parts Lot including all the used and aftermarket parts too, so he could clear out the whole stock at once.

Last weekend, i was finally able to pick up the parts. First we had to get everything down from the roof-level and outside.

And then put it all into two transporter-cars and an additional trailer:

So the last days i spent in my garage sorting through all the parts. I made three piles. Left is used original Parts, Center are aftermarket parts and right are NOS genuine Datsun / Nissan parts. On the wall to the right you can see some additional big items...

Which includes some funky window louvres, a used hatch glass and a new aftermarket Windshield:

Additionally a set of Doors, hood and hatch from a donor-car:

The "holy grail" is definitive the NOS parts lot which includes air-channels, complete front inner fenders, a set of front valances, frame-rails, hubcaps, weather strip, trim pieces and many small bits.

These are some of the parts that will end up on my build, if required. I've been looking for those for many years now, so i'm quite happy i finally found them!

The used parts lot included everything from an uncracked dashboard to original steelies, radiator frame, Headlight covers, an A-type 5-speed transmission, Euro-spec front spoiler, Euro turn signals and much, much more...

The aftermarket-lot included a lot of older, but unused parts from all kind of sources. A complete Hood, 3 front fenders, inner and outer rocker panels, rear lower corners, door repair panels, rear arch repair panels, a set of vintage Koni dampers, Aisin-seiki clutch cover, brake shoes and much more... It has been an exhausting but also very fun and satisfying journey to get all those parts. They're now safely in storage and will end up on some pretty nice restauration projects, which deserve such nice parts!

So again, none of the parts are for sale. All of them have either been sold already or are for my own build. Sorry..