Trex

Hi Ahhh ... a z owner in East Malaysia. Tell us more about your Z plzzzz.

idpearl How are you? I still have the gearbox from JAG 636. ;-) I see you are back in this part of the world. Mount Kiara has changed since you were here last. There is another red 240z flying around since you left. Its not JAG636. Driven by an expat who like yourself found a 240z to enjoy the Kuala Lumpur traffic.

Gav You take one and I will take the other. I am sure you need different hinges for the bonnet. PM me. Trex

Steve Here's mine HS30-103276 L24-183911 . Color - red. Year of manufacture 1973 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Cheers.

Hi Gav, Will have to wait till you can get the pix? Wonder how the works team ran their dual pipes. Probably straight through to the end. On a different topic, check out the 1974 Fairlady for sale on ebay. It is a 2 liter S30 RHD Jap spec car. It has a 260z dash, rear lights and the tailgate even says Fairlady 260Z. 1974 must have been a confusing year for the factory sticking 260Z parts all over their model types.

Hi Gav Heard you ran your exhaust like the works rally setup. Would be interesting to know how you did it and the sound it makes. Is it loud ?

Alan & Gav, Well my car actually came from East Malaysia (Sabah/Sarawak). It was owned by ex-royalties who by virtue of their status do not have to have their car registered or taxed. This explains the 4 year lapse of registration from the year of manufacture to the first registered owner. It does have a 260Z dash inside but and L24 engine which when cross referenced to the original registration card confirms that it is the original engine number. To further add confusion to the issue it has the 260Z tail lights as well.This probably confirms Alan's point of it being a UK market model made during the model type change over. Alan, I went into the Club S30 site, reading their monthly magazines. Not proficient in Japanese but some of the characters used by the japanese are similar to chinese. Would you know of the differences between the HS30 shell as compared with the RS30 shell. Looking at the two shells the only immediate visible difference would be the rear light panels. You mentioned different inner wings and thicker suspension legs. All the best Trex

Hi Phil, 103305, looks like we are close cousins. Got the info from the S30 club in Japan in one of their monthly issues. What bugs me is that I have a 260Z dash but an L24 engine. Then again maybe the previous owner had changed it for whatever reason. But what sparked of the query was when I read a book written about Z's that actually mentioned about the factory putting in bits of 260Z trim in the last 240Z's that rolled of the factory. That got me qurious. Well for sure the 240Z dash and 260Z dash are interchangeable.

I have a chassis number that says 103276 but is a HS30. I have did some search and the last HS30 made was in 1973 with a chassis number 103262. Anyone have any ideas. I have been told that the last 240Z's that rolled out of the factory had a miss and match parts that came from the 260Z's. Not sure if anyone can confirm this.

G-nose 2 by 2 In 1973 at the Tokyo Show a 2+2 260Z with a G-nose was exhibited to gauge public reaction. The vehicle never made it into production. The only 260z produced for the home market was a 2 by 2. The Japanese police, however did use a small number of 260Z 2+2s on the Chuo Expressway continuing a tradition established with the Z432. At the 1973 Tokyo Show the Nissan stand had a lwb 2+2 with a 2.6 lter engine and a G-nose. Several contemporary sources say it was meant for production. However it never made it to the Japanese showrooms. There were a number of reasons the main one being the oil crisis. Others were so that the two seater remained a pure sports car, whilist the 2+2 would be classed as a ' speciality car ' - the G-nose would not have suited the image. Shortly afterwards, on 17 January 1974, the 2 by 2 range ( knowwn as 2+2 outside Japan ) was officially put on sale minus the G-nose and with a 2 liter straight six. Orginally designed by Fumio Yoshida but finalised by Kiiro Nishikawa. 260Z - RLS30 - Production 1974-75 Market - USA Eng. L26 260Z - RS30/RLS30 - 1974-78 Market - Europe Eng. L26 260Z 2+2 - GRLS30 - 1974-75 Market USA Eng. L26 260Z 2+2 - GRS30/GRLS30 - 1974-78 Market - Europe Eng L26 Sorry but there is no such reference to a ZGRS30 VIN. Fairlady Z432 - PS30 Production 1970-73 Market - Japan Eng.S20 Fairlady Z432R - PS30B Production 1970-73 Market - Jp Eng S20 The R is 80kg lighter than the standard 432and actually lighter than the basic Z, despite having 100 instead of 60 litre fuel tank, as fitted on all production models including the 432. When it left the factory, except for deletion of the air cleaner the R had the same engine as the 432. An auxillary oil cooler was fitted and the R also had a different brake master cylinder without the servo and a brake pedal assembly more suited to racing. There were a number of other differences between the Z432 and the Z432-R, most of them in the interest of weight saving. The R has a glassfiber front apron and bonnet instead of steel and perspex windows to the sides and rear. Lightweight bucket seats were fitted, complete with a four point seat bely harness. The heater, clock and radiowere removed along with all of sound deadening material and unnecessary brightwork. Heavier gauge steel was used on the chassis members and areas under great stress, such as suspension mounting points but thinner gauge metal was used elsewhere - a recent check on ex-works rally car has proved this beyond doubt. Magnesium alloy wheels were listde as standard on the Z432 but the R left the factory on normal 4.5J steel wheels, leaving the customer to choose wheel/tyre combination. Dont you just want one ....... Alan T ( HS30-H ), didnt want to leave you out .... it is ironic that I was shown the ZG you have today when it was up for sale by the Japanese businesman. Couldnt afford it at the time being at University and running a 240Z on a students budget. Enjoyed the drive and wished I had the money then ... but on a positive note its rumoured that the wheel arch extensions were moulded and hence today you can get them in the UK Z scene. Dont quote me on this as it will obviously get someone in trouble ... the mother of all wheel arch extensions in UK. Fairlady 240ZG - HS30H Production 1972-73 Market Japan Eng.L24 5spd manual and 3 spd auto. Datsun 240Z - HS30/HLS30 - Production 1970-73 Export market L24 Fairlady 240z - HS30S - Production 1972-73 Japan market L24 Happy motoring .

Alfadog Would love the challenge but sadly there are more GTR Skylines in Malaysia than 240Z's let alone a 240z with a RB26DETT plus Brembo brakes and LSD's. Just to few 240Z's left around to cut up and have a go. A friend of mine in the half cut business will be glad to know that there are people out there in Oz ready to spend a lot more money on a RB26DETT conversion, say in a Z, than buying a Skyline GTR. His business has been slow lately so this kind of news might cheer him up and bring a smile to his face.

The labour rates in US and Australia are definitely 5 times that at least as compared to Malaysia but then again our import duties at 150% is much higher than US and Australia. A R34 V-spec GTR retails here for RM280K which is USD74K approx. But a half clip of a R33 GTR is about USD6.5k plus USD2K labour to fit and mess about and tune.

EFI or not ? This kind of questions will always split the members in the club. Some dont mind tweaking their 240Z's with the latest electronic gizmos on ignition timing and fuelling. There is no doubt that EFI by virtue of its technology will always be better than carbs. However,there are those who will by virtue of having a "Classic" Z car keep it to the correct period and performance upgrades will move towards cams and increase fuelling though carbs ( ie. triples ). So back to the question, should I go EFI on the 240z, yes if you want to have a more efficient, reliable and smoother engine. Infact why do you even need to stick with the L series engine with its OHC design. The answer is No, if you want to maintain the "Classic" nature of the car. Any modification would have to be of that period. Would the AC Cobra be a classic if it had a Lexus V8 inside ?

Smooth and relaible ... I suppose most of us get this from the car we choose to go to work in daily ...Camry's, Hondas and the likes. If you have a 240Z, the only step forward from the standard setup would be to the triples. Just tinkering and polishing the air horns would give you more enjoyment then checking the oil level in your Camry. If you want a EFI, then you might as well do it properly and get a Skyline engine, EFI plus turbo. But would you be doing any justice to the 20 plus year old chassis ... I suppose most people who go down this route couldnt afford a proper Skyline GTR and the next best thing they could afford is the engine but in time they would still aspire to owning a Skyline GTR. I am running triple Webers ... if they are setup correctly from the start they are fantastic ... all the stories of it going out of tune has given the carbs a bad reputation. It is just that there are only a handfull of tuners who really understand how they work. If you learn about them you will know that they are infinitely tunable. Triples - for the 240Z there is no other substitute ...

Alfadog, will sort the pics out soon. Currently work gets in the way of play. Welcome, Fairlady. Finally found a 240Z fan in KL. Email me your reg number via PM. Maybe I have seen your Z. We can meet up and have a drink and talk about Z's .. with your hubby of course. Wish my old lady would get me some .... I think secertly she is plotting to sell my Z. Watanabes to classic Z owners are like wasabi to the japanese. A must Have item as well as being hot items. Where can I get them ? Maybe a group buy for the club if anyone is interested. The last time I saw a set on this forum was for USD700 plus. Ouch !! imaging converting that to our local currency. Watanabes anyone ?

Gooday to you all down under. Looks like it would be more beneficial to hook up with the Aussie crowd with regards to the 240Z and 1600SSS as it looks like you guys are more active in the forum. I was lucky to spend my University days in Adelaide SA and had a 1600 as well as a 240Z when I was a student there although my very first car was a Honda 1300 S coupe. You know the one with 4 Keihin carbs and dry sump. Amazing specs for a 1300 it was fast. It is a shame that little is known outside Australia about the capabilities of the Oz tuners and specialists. I brought back a rear anti roll bar for the SSS and I can safely say its the only SSS here in Malaysia that has one. The 1600 has become a cult car in Australia. Having been all over the www in search of other enthusiast I have concluded that Australia has the largest and most enthusiastic following. Dad doesnt drive much now and the SSS now sits proudly with other exoticas in the garage that we have collected over the years. An interesting car which my dad collected is a 1968 Toyota S800. Its a 800cc air cooled two cylinder twin carb boxer engine. I saw an entry from Japan of this car in the Targa Tasmania this year. Will be going to my parents place in a weeks time and I will get the pics loaded.

Alfadog Looks like a stock standard 260Z ....

In response to those who are looking for more information on Samuri, I have put together some information which I have collected over the years from magazine articles about the legend behind Samuri Conversions. Acknowledgement and thanks to Peter Knivett and Classic Cars magazine. Back in UK Datsun were sick of continued references to the big Healeys but there was no doubt that the arrival of the 240Z in the UK in October 1970 was greeted with great enthusiasm by many who lamented the demise of the Healey two years earlier: the 240Z was the sort of car the MarkIV Healey might have been and it behaved in the sort of way that the next generation Healey should have done. Very few cars are famous to be known purely by their registration number. Only the works Mini Coopers, competition Jaguars and this car - the very first Super Samuri Datsun 240Z spring to mind. Why the Datsun ? Because FFA196L is a motorsport legend. It proved that a road legal Japanese sports car could take on Britian's best sports cars and beat then for nearly a decade. Interestingly, this success wasnt a big-budget works effort and ultimately can be traced to the skill of one engineer - Spike Anderson. He did more for Datsun's image and Japanese cars in general than any man before or since. Very often it takes one man to create a legend. With Mini it was John Cooper but with the 240Z it was Spike Anderson. As a Broadspeed engineer in the late 60's Spike had gained considerable knowledge of engine and chassis tuning mainly on Minis and big Healeys whihc he loved. Having left Broadspeed to setup his own company ( Race Head Services ) with two other engineers, one of his first jobs wasa humble Datsun 1200. Spike promptly christened the 105hp car a 'Samuri" - a deliberate misspelling as the correct Samurai name was owned by an electronics company. In 1973, Spike wanted a new car as his personal transport and purchased a Datsun 240Z registered FFA196L. Naturally it didnt stay in standard trim for long! Spike began the long and ongoing tuning process of FFA196L by gas flowing and matching the cylinder head ports of the Datsun 2.4 liter 150hp sohc six cylinder motor, retaining the standard valves and camshaft while the compression was raised tp 9.5:1 Next the standard carbs were ditched for a triple Weber 40DCOE setup. Then the inatke and exhaust manifold were made by Mangoletsi and later examples ran Janspeed six branch tubular manifold and exhaust. In this specification power increased from 150hp to 190hp. At the same time the suspension was improved to cope with the performance. By lowering the car 40mm and replacing the standard dampers with Koni items, chassis dynamics were improved considerably. Harder Brake pads were fitted to cope with the extra speed. As a final touch the distinctive Samuri paintjob was added consisting of red and bronze and a deeper front spoiler was added. Pretty soon the motoring press had picked up on the story of this new 'Super Samuri " 240Z as Spike had christened it. A number of magazines tested FFA196L and gave it rave reviews clocking 6.4 seconds on the 0-60mph dash and coupled to a top speed of 140 mph. Thats impressive for today, so you can imagine what it must have been in 1973! The only point criticised were the brakes which were considred inadequate to cope with the awesome performance. Even at GBP645 over the original purchase price of GBP2690, Spike soon had 15 orders for Super Samuri conversions and the business was underway. In the meantime Spike had responded to criticism of the brakes sourcing a set of vented discs and Lockheed four-pot calipers from a Range Rover which meant that the 14inch Wolfrace alloys were required to clear the bigger brakes. This raised the cost of the conversion to GBP1100. By now Spike was using FFA as the company demonstrator and as a competition car, using it in the 1973 British Hillclimb championship. Against purpose built racing lightweights the Super Samuri finished second in class at the end of the year, hinting at the 240z's racing potential. With that in mind, Spike hooked up with a couple of his customers amongst them the young Win Percy and acquired an ex-works 240Z rally car. This was converted to full race spec and christened 'Big Sam" which went on to achieve considerable success. In 1974 'Big Sam' was ready to race in the Modsports Cahmpionship but problems at the cas's Silverstone debut meant that FFA was pressed into duty instead. Against stiff opposition Percy won the class then Spike drove FFA home! That set the pattern for th'74 racing season with FFA used to back Big Sam up in the races no less than 12 times. FFA was always driven to and from the races in between doubling as customer and press demonstrator, development hack and Spikes own transport. Not surprisingly it had covered 35K miles bty the end of the year. Throughout 1974,75 and 76 many more Super Samuris were built and Spikes company was renamed Samuri. But in 1976 the company hit hard times and reluctantly FFA was sold to John Bradburn who continued to enter the car in hillclimbs and modsporst racse finishing 38 out of 39 events which showed the reliability of the car. Halfway through '77 FFA was back at Samuri for engine repairs. Spike persuaded John to part with it - undertaking to build a replacement car as part of the deal. Spike had big plans for FFA centered around a 2.6 liter block producing around 230hp. Spike upgraded the suspension to near race spec and fitted 8 x 14 Minilite wheels. Yet again FFA attracted press and helped regenerate Spikes' business which relocated to Silverstone in 1978. Throughout '78 FFA completed in 14 Modsports races always been driven to and from the circuit, yet it finished second in class. That feat was repeated in 1979, 80 and 81 but Spike clearly had an off year in 1982 as FFA only finished third in class. By now FFA had more than 175k on the clock, had completed in over 60 races, 20 hillclimbs and featured in 15 different magazine articles making it arguably the bets known Japanese car in the country.(UK). Unfortunately the early '80 werent kind to Datsun z's secondhand prices fell Spikes racing activities were curtailed as business dropped off leading Spike to let FFA go for a second time. By 1987 the 240Z was eligible for historic racing and the economic boom fo the time led to renewed interest in the Z. Spike with new business partner Kevin Irons built two new 240z's to race in the HSCC championship. Spike bought FFA back in 1988. After using FFA for promotional and club events Spike retired to Spian taking FFA with him. In 1996 the car was returned to England and bought in 1997 by a long termn Z fan who had it restored by Dave Jarman of DJ road race. FFA186L Super Samuri competition history 1973 British Hillclimb Championship 2nd in class 1978 Modsports Championship 2nd in class 1979 Modsports Championship 2nd in class 1980 Modsports Championship 2nd in class 1981 Modsports Championship 2nd in class 1982 Modsports Championship 3rd in class Sorry Mike for the long article. I could not brake your maximum permitted message length of 10000 characters. Only manage an appalling 7224.

Alan T, it never amazes me the amount of information you have on the Z even more so with the contacts you have established in Japan with people who eat and breath 240z's. Hence in the forum your views and opinions have always been highly regarded. I have always looked highly upon your replies and opinions from your puristic point of view. You must know from the various feedback and replies to the forum that you have a following of people in the forum who respect your views and comments, right or wrong personal or not. This in a way whether intentional or otherwise gives you automatic membership into the list of 'gurus' on this forum. To this end even though you have a right to express your opinion on this forum, personal views and judgements on Samuri may do more damage than just being a personal opinion. Imagine Mike giving his personal views on BRE negatively. For those who are mature enough to process these views and information it does not pose an issue. For those who are not so mature and easily influence, then the mob mentality prevails and someone will suffer. The end result being that there will always be a victim when the lynch mob arrives. Hence my defence for Samuri and the work with which Spike has done to earn him a place in the 240z history in UK. Samuri is a legend and there is a following who prescribes to it. The word 'hype' as used just reflects the discontentment or negative feeling towards Samuri for one reason or another. I suppose its easier to throw abuse as a spectator, at the boxer in the fighting ring then to be the boxer in the fighting ring. It was once written, what John Cooper did for the Mini in UK, Spike Anderson did the same for the 240Z in UK and Peter Brock ( BRE) for US. A Samuri fan ( who is not British ). Keep up the good work Alan. Best regards from this part of the world.

Well Alan T, it is a shame that you obviously havent met Spike Anderson the man behind Samuri. Samuri is not a hype and your secondhand stories do not do him any justice but then again you have a right to your opinion and it should stop there before the story telling starts. Whatever second hand knowledge you have of the man and his work doesnt allow you to tell stories. Maybe you should have a chat with Win Percy. Not everyone is lucky enough to come across a HS30-H chassis number and that should not put you in a position to comment unfavourably of people who made a difference with the HS30 chassis to better performance then the HS30-H. Port and polishing like how Spike explains it is a black art. Everybody thinks they know about it. To be little Spike's work in head porting is unnecessary. I have spent memorable times at his workshop in Silverstone and he was a true enthusiast of the 240Z's. I have also met Tim Riley as well and both of them deserve the recognition for the work they have done on the 240Z in motorsports. I am not British or anti-British or belong to classiczcars.com. I have met Spike and know where he comes from. Your personal bias and prejudice from your ivory ZG tower should remain that way and this should not warrant you to tell stories. You do a better job as a 240ZG historian. God forgives those that do not know any better and I hope that Spike will forgive you for your comments and story telling.