Genuine PS30-SB 'Fairlady Z432-R' refresh story in Gallery

[HS30-H]

If you have a few minutes to spare, please take a look at our fellow forum member take432r's Gallery photos:

take432r Gallery - Classic Zcar Club Photo Gallery

'take432r' is Takeuchi san from Japan, and his genuine PS30-SB 'Fairlady Z432-R' has been the star of many Japanese classic car magazine features. Takeuchi san has been refreshing the car recently, and has been adding some very interesting and informative photos to the above gallery. Please take the time to have a look at them, as they reveal many of the 432-R's subtle differences from the 'normal' 432, and of course all other S30-series Z cars. It's a rare treat to see a genuine 432-R in pieces...

The 'super lightweight' PS30-SB is the rarest of S30-series production models, and certainly the most valuable today. 'Less Is More' certainly applies here, and the 'PZR' ( in factory jargon ) hides many of its unique features - such as its super-lightweight body with thinner gauge panel pressings, whilst many others are not immediately apparent - such as its acrylic windows and 100 litre fuel tank, until you start looking a little more closely.

I've seen this car in the metal ( and plastic! ) several times in Japan, and it's one of the few S30-series Zs that I seriously covet. It's lovely.

Cheers,

Alan T.

[geezer]

Very interesting to say the least and you can be assured that this beautiful example has not gone unnoticed. I hope to see many more pictures of the process and refreshed car, knowing that I likely may never see one in person. It is a real treat and I would like to thank Takeuchi san for sharing this treasure with us.

[John Coffey]

Nice to see how they did the fuel tank mounting.

[spitz17]

Thank you for posting this Alan. Great to see!

[Marty Rogan]

It's beautiful! Doesn't even look like it needs to be refreshed.

I didn't notice any badging that identifies it as an "R" model. Is there anything on the car that identifies it, or do you just need to know what to look for?

Marty

[26th-Z]

Thanks for posting the pictures Alan! I'm sure I'll have more questions but first to mind is the underbody coating. Is that a coating? Black paint? And is it stock?

[AZ-240z]

This car looked very familiar, Alan. Finally found an article with pictures in my copy of "All About Fairlady Z" published in 2005. Also nice pictures, but text is in Japanese, unfortunately.

[HS30-H]

I didn't notice any badging that identifies it as an "R" model. Is there anything on the car that identifies it, or do you just need to know what to look for?

Hi Marty,

If you saw a Fairlady Z432-R in a Nissan showroom in 1970, you'd be able to recognise it from the following:

First of all you'd probably see a 918 Orange paint job, as all the 432Rs sold to the general public were apparently in the one no-option colour. Next you'd notice the anti-glare satin black FRP bonnet / hood, and the smooth all-chrome bumpers with no rubber trims and no trim holes. You should see plain steel wheels with no hubcaps ( the magnesium Kobe Seiko wheels standard on the 432 were an extra-cost option on the 432-R ) and a plain clear glass, untinted, windscreen / windshield. You should also see a satin black FRP rear spoiler - the ribbed type ( for extra sensitivity... ) - sitting on the tailgate. No badging other than 'Fairlady Z' and '432' ( and perhaps an oblong 'Nissan' emblem on the rear spoiler ), and there was no 'R' type badging or emblems. A side stripe kit might have been fitted.

Look a little closer and you'd see that the door window, quarter and tailgate glass was actually lightweight acrylic with a 'Nissan' heatstamped logo in the corners. Some - but perhaps not all - 432Rs had an FRP tailgate, with no gas strut ( just a steel rod prop ). Look around underneath and you'd see a full-length FRP undercover for the engine bay at the front ( the front valance subtly shaped, and with captive nuts, to accommodate it ), and the 100 litre fuel tank in the rear ( to homologate the 100 litre tank for JAF-sanctioned GT class endurance racing ). The front grille should be subtly different to the standard Fairlady Z / Z-L / 432 item, with a finer mesh.

Peering inside, you would see the spare wheel perched on the rear deck area ( the spare wheel well having been deleted to make way for that 100 litre fuel tank ) and a pair of hopsack weave fabric-covered FRP bucket seats ( manufactured by office furniture maker Ikeda Bussan ), and probably only the driver's seat would have a bolt-on headrest with a black vinyl cover. You should also see a Takata four-point safety harness on each seat. Had the new owner specified it - and paid the extra cost - a leather-covered 'Mach' three spoke steering wheel might be present, but if not then the standard Izumi pressure-moulded wood composite wheel. The plain black moulded urethane / rubber mats on the floor would sit on plain painted metal with no sound-deadening material on it. The diamond quilted vinyl interior covering - as seen on other S30-series models of the same period - would have no sound-deadening / insulating material under it either, although the trans tunnel cover would be plain unquilted vinyl. A thin urethane / rubber mat would sit on the rear cargo area. The firewall should have no sound-deadening mat on it either.

The dash would look a bit bare, as stock 432-Rs had a blanking plate in place of the clock. Standard 432-Rs would often have no glovebox lid and no heater / fan - although some buyers paid extra for them to be fitted. Proper 432-Rs would have no radio and no antenna. You'd see just one sunvisor ( for the driver ) and no day/night feature for the rear-view mirror, and no centre console. There would be no ignition key barrel on the steering column, as it was re-located to a bracket just in front of the gearstick ( to make it easier to reach when strapped in by the four-point safety harness ). Door panels should have simple woven nylon pull straps instead of arm rest / door pulls.

Looking in the engine bay, you should see no air box on the Mikuni 40PHH carbs ( just steel trumpets ) and no air filter box on the radiator support panel. You'd see an oil cooler standing in front of the ( aluminium ) radiator. You should see no brake booster either, as it was deleted to save weight and give better pedal feel through a brake pedal with a different pivot ratio to other models.

You would not be able to see those lightweight body pressings ( made from one gauge thinner steel than stock ) but they'd be there.

Apart from all that, it would be the same as the PS30 Fairlady Z432 standing next to it in the showroom...

That's the theory anyway. In practice it seems that there was some subtle variation in specs, and that buyers either specced the cars with a few extras ( heater / demister, glovebox, mag wheels ) or added them soon after buying. Many cars will have been modified down the years ( one 432-R even ended up with a G-nose... ) but the trend these days is to bring them back to a period-correct spec.

I'm sure to have forgotten something, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head. I find the cars fascinating, and I'm always learning new things about them.

Cheers,

Alan T.

[HS30-H]

Thanks for posting the pictures Alan! I'm sure I'll have more questions but first to mind is the underbody coating. Is that a coating? Black paint? And is it stock?

Hi Chris,

As far as I am aware, the stock 432-R would not have had any underside protection apart from body colour overspray over the stock primer. I think Takeuchi san's car was possibly protected later?

But each car must be viewed on a case-by-case basis. There seems to have been an exception for every rule. In the case of underbody protection, I should think the territory the car was going to would influence the spec. If it was going up to snowy Hokkaido, for instance...

Alan T.

[kats]

Hi Alan,

Thank you so much for creating this thread, I talked with Takeuchi-san this morning and he is very pleased about this forum, many people are seeing his car.

Takeuchi-san's Z432R has been restored by a restorer who has amazing skill, he is exceptional.Now progress is good, Takeuchi-san showed me some pictures the car has been painted beautifully, so we will see them one by one later.

Takeuchi-san told me that he checked each body panel when they are disassembled, he noticed there are various thickness of the panel. He said probably Nissan used some kind of liquid to thinner the metal by hand, quality is not same, the thickness is vary between 0.6 mm and 0.8mm .

He is impressed about frames under the each side of floors, the thickness is almost 0.7mm!! Our cars has 1.0mm for the frame is not it?

kats

PS: Alan, did you get the box safely?

[LeonV]

Fantastic pictures and info! Thank you Alan and Takeuchi-san for sharing.

[take432r]

All of you hello

I am poor at English. I cannot do good expression.

I inform it beforehand.