HS30-H

Good morning Goncalo, I'll give the calipers to you. You just have to pay the cost of the postage from London to Portugal. OK? Send me a Private Message ( PM ) with your postal address, and I'll find out the cost of the postage. Cheers, Alan T.

Hi Goncalo, OK - we have established that you have the SOLID disc version of the MK63 4-pot caliper. Please make sure that you quote the part numbers of the SOLID disc version when you are buying parts. Some parts differed between the two versions ( especially the pads ) so please be careful. The last and most up to date part numbers I have to hand for the pads are: *41060-RS610 - PAD ASSY BRAKE - FR ( M59S compound ). These pads are NOT the same as the vented version ( they are shorter and have an angled cut at the front corners ). The other numbers that you quoted ( from the eBay auction ) should all make sense to Nissan or NISMO in Japan. If your Portuguese Nissan dealer does not recognise them then they do not have the correct information at hand. They need to ask Japan about them. I get this kind of problem here in the UK too. As far as I am aware, replacements for your non-vented calipers are not available. Only the vented version is available, and even these are in limited supply. To be honest, I would recommend that you consider reverting to the standard 2-pot caliper that originally came with your car from the Factory. I have a good used pair which I will donate to you. You can bolt these on in place of your existing calipers, and everything will match up. If you use a more modern friction pad material you might even find that they are more effective than your current calipers. That would be the cheapest and most trouble-free long term solution in my opinion. Alan T.

Once you have made sure whether you have the ventilated or non-ventilated versions, you can make some other decisions; If you have the solid, non-ventilated discs then they are the STANDARD discs that came on your car when it was new. This means that you could change back to the standard 2-pot S12 calipers if you wanted to go for a cheap, easy and Factory-stock application. I have some used calipers which I would be happy to give to you should you have trouble locating these in Portugal. You could just bolt on the calipers and still use the existing discs ( if they are in good condition ). Remember that this will make things far easier for you in the future - as the standard parts are easy to get, easy to look after, and when they are working properly ( with good friction pads ) they are quite adequate for a road car. If you confirm that you have the VENTILATED version, then things could become more complicated. The discs themselves are no longer available from NISMO or Nissan. Aftermarket versions are available in Japan - but again they are expensive. One alternative is to use a Peugeot disc and re-drill the four hub mounting holes ( I can give you the details for this ). Buying new MK63 calipers and ventilated discs will be very costly. You might therefore want to consider reverting to the standard brakes. In any case, the seal / repair kit is the same for vented and non-vented calipers. Maybe you should make the final decisions after stripping your existing calipers and checking the condition of the pistons and piston bores? The 'wire' that you asked about is just a safety wire that joins the upper and lower "R" clips together. The "R" clips lock the pad retaining rods into the caliper body. Your calipers should have the "R" clips present, but might not have the wire - which is nothing to worry about. I recommend that you go to your Nissan dealer and push them to get the seal / repair kits for you. They SHOULD be able to get them from Japan for you; they just need to be more creative with their communication to Japan. Don't let them tell you that they "don't exist". I get this all the time here in the UK; the UK Nissan dealers know almost nothing about parts that were available to the Japanese domestic market. The MK63 caliper was first fitted to the Nissan President limousine in Japan. You can tell them that! If you still have trouble, then I'll try to help. Alan T.

Hi napoleao, I don't think that you will want to rush into buying new MK63 calipers from Japan when you hear the price. I am sorry to say that they retail at over 80,000 Yen per pair in Japan, and then of course you have to add the cost of shipping and import duty etc...... My advice to you would be to try and repair / recondition the existing calipers. Usually they can be saved even if in quite bad condition, but the pistons tend to get rusty - and it is the high cost of replacement pistons that tends to make people scrap these calipers. Anyway, first of all I think you should make 100% sure whether your brakes are the VENTED or NON-VENTILATED type. I'm worried that you are not clear about the difference; it can be hard to see if the wheels are in place. Please take a look at these two photos. They show a VENTILATED type MK63 caliper and disc combination. Please notice that the disc is not 'drilled' - but that it is cast with the ventilation slots in between the two friction surfaces ( 99% of front brake discs on standard road cars are like this nowadays ):

Hi napoleao, Welcome to the site. It sounds as though your car is fitted with the SUMITOMO "MK63" four-pot brake calipers. Original part numbers ( for the Ventilated disc version ) were: *41000-A1281 CALIPER ASSY - Front - Right Hand. *41010-A1281 CALIPER ASSY - Front - Left Hand. These were the so-called "FIA" brake calipers, offered in the Nissan 'Sports Option' parts lists in Japan, and through Datsun Competition in the USA. They were fitted to most of the Works 240Z / 260Z rally cars, most of the Works circuit race 432R and 240ZR race cars, as well as many of the Skyline, Sunny and Violet race cars. There is a small possibility that you might have the NON ventilated disc version ( check to see if you have solid brake discs, or wider centre-ventilated types to confirm ). The part numbers for the NON ventilated type were: *41000-A1281 CALIPER ASSY - Front - Right Hand *41010-A1281 CALIPER ASSY - Front - Left Hand The seal kits are still available from NISMO in Japan. The kit is the same for both ventilated and non-ventilated types: *41120-68225 SEAL KIT - DISC BRAKE ( note that you will need one seal kit for each caliper ). If you have any trouble locating these, please let me know direct and I will do my best to help you. I have the ventilated MK63s on both of my Z cars. They are a very good upgrade over the standard brakes. Good luck, Alan T. ps: Limited quantities are still available in Japan if you want complete new calipers.

Eric, Can I urge you to think long, hard and slow about this particular car and this particular auction? You are a seasoned traveller to Japan, so you know what kind of price a fair to good GT-R-cloned C10 GT-X costs in Japan. I don't think this seller will have got this car for much less than the average market value unless it is in a condition that is lower than average......... Its the body you need to worry about. It might look quite nice on the outside, but other pics show tell-tale signs of at least some body rot, and repairing that on a C10 Skyline in the USA is going to be a difficult and costly job. Trim and detail parts on the C10 are also LOTS of money in Japan compared to the relative ease you have in sourcing parts for your Z. I'd also urge caution on the situation as a whole: No disrespect to the seller, but he's not doing himself any favours by posting up photos of the car in Japan rather than in the USA ( even though he says that he has already imported it..... ). That would ring alarm bells with me, and make me wonder whether this is another of those auctions where the car stays in Japan until the buyer has agreed to purchase it. We see this kind of thing in the UK quite often. In my experience, it almost always ends in tears or recrimination...... Your car is a lovely example, and if you took the time to sell it to right person you would stand the best chance of getting the right price for it. That would give you enough money to search for a GT-R clone in Japan to import to the USA yourself, rather than taking a huge gamble on something that may or may not actually be in the USA already, and which the vendor will not let anyone see anyway....... Sorry to be Devil's Advocate on this one, but I smell a small mouse - if not a rat. Cheers, Alan T.

Hi Gary, Just made some space. Fire away.

The same question ( asked in a different way ): "Cantilevered Engine?" thread I seem to recall at least one other similar thread within the last year, but I can't remember what it was called. Maybe try a search?

That's good. Nobody will be able to say "A Corellian vessel, made in the USA"... :bandit:

Editing for "clarification" Carl? You changed "arse" to asinine. I'd prefer to be an arse than a backstabber like you.

Personally speaking, I think I'll survive. Don't expect me to remember your username for longer than it takes to write this reply, though. I certainly don't think this is the worst thing in my life, but the subject is relevant to this site and its users. Thank you for pointing out that - in your opinion - thieving of photos is OK, but you draw the line at your personal identity and credit records. I'm sure that the members of this site will now how they stand with you. Those people really need to get a life don't they? In at least one case, they literally need to get a life. Perhaps you would like to suggest a reasonable ( respectable, in the light of the state of the World? ) number of photos and posts for each member, so that they don't offend you with their profligacy? If anything I have written bothers you, then I'm sure you will take your own advice and "get over it".

How dare people complain when some poor innocent Z lover steals their photos, eh? :cheeky:

So that makes it OK then? It was ON THE NET. Anyone could see it. A Google image search even showed it. :stupid: You mean no monetary gain, I presume? This too makes it OK then? I asked you ( politely I believe, and in a PM with no public fuss directed personally at you ) to remove those pictures from your website. You did not reply. The question of the "owner" of the images is a moot point ( especially in light of some of the other comments on this thread from members who appear to believe that once I upload photos to the Gallery on this site they are automatically not 'mine' anymore ) but the fact remains that it was the photographs that I took being present on your website without permission or even credit that caused offence to me. I notice you even cropped off the classiczcars.com watermarks.......... You didn't need to remove the whole site. You only needed to remove my photos from it. But what's the point of a website if you honestly believe that you are the only person who will view it? I don't get it. It's good of you to apologise, even indirectly ( a PM would have been more fitting, in my opinion ) but there is no "if" about whether what you did was right or wrong. All you needed to do was look at the bottom of every page on this website, and the copyright notice would have told you what you needed to know. Nice touch. Should be good for a spot of sympathy from the "75% of ( voting ) members" of this site who appear to think that what you did was perfectly OK. Alan T.

If I thought my 'rights' had gone out of the door once I posted pics into my classiczcars.com Gallery, then I would not post any pics whatsoever. Anybody who uploads pics to the Gallery on this site ( even the ones who dont give a "rats a$$" or a "flyin' fudge" ) has a right to expect that any misuse or misrepresentation of those pics will be met with the correct response from the site. I do want to "share" ( show ) pics for us all to enjoy, but if I thought that by uploading them to the Gallery on this site I was giving them away to be used by anybody and everybody, as and when they please, then I would NOT post any pics at all. Unless you have been faced with the reality of hijack and misuse of your photos you probably will not be able to relate to how it feels. Alan T.

I don't have a 'nude' lever pic to hand, but I have a pic of one as installed in a Works rally car. Maybe it will give you an idea of just how extreme these bends are. They are probably not far off 90 degrees ( twice ). Cheers, Alan T.

Hi Andrew, Congrats on getting your engine and box installed. Did you do it from underneath in the end? Nissan made a special gear lever for use when installing a 5-speed into the early 4-speed cars, and I'm wondering if this would do the trick for you? Part number was 99996-E3030 ( I think it was a "kit" - with the 5-speed shift knob included ) and at least up until a couple of years ago it was still available in the USA. I don't know if anyone else can help you on that? The bends needed are quite extreme, and of course you would also need to rechrome it. Maybe cheaper and easier to hunt down one of the ready made ones? Hope that helps. Cheers, Alan T.

Note to self: I must try to remember: repeats in low voice: "An American car, made in Japan..... An American car, made in Japan..... An American car, made in Japan..... An American car, made in Japan..... An American car, made in Japan....." etc

Yes! Or for the USA.

Nice one Alfadog, "No why-ning" That can be one of the 'rules' on www.classiczcarl.com Seriously though, anyone who thinks I'm poking fun at oversized Americans just for spite really ought to go back and look at the old 'Interior Ergonomics' thread and see some of the comments on there about Handbrake lever positioning. There are serious ergonomic ramifications for body size! I tell you what, I really don't get all this 'no bashing' stuff when all this 'no whining' crap is going on at the same time. If that's not bashing then what is? Makes me feel like Yusuf Islam :bandit:

Hi rudds67, I believe the plastic version of the "Fairlady" script emblems are still available from Nissan? Maybe your local Nissan dealer can help? If not, then maybe one of the American specialist restoration and parts shops? Sometimes they can be spotted on ebay. Original part number was 63805-E8725, but this may have been superceded by now.

Fat Americans?

Final word on the Handbrake lever positioning of the S30-series Z cars has to go to Mr Yoshihiko Matsuo. Matsuo san originally wanted to have TWO Handbrake lever positions; one for LHD configuration and one for RHD configuration. His original intention was for the Handbrake lever to be sited on the same side of the trans tunnel as the driver was sitting in both LHD and RHD configurations. However, many of the design details and features that he originally intended for the cars had to be dropped or diluted due to costing limitations, and his ideal positioning of the Handbrake lever for LHD cars was one of them. Quite simply, the beancounters at Nissan insisted on a 'default' position. The ideal position for RHD was chosen. As far as Matsuo san is concerned, his ideal position for the Handbrake lever was on the same side of the trans tunnel as the driver sits. I would have thought that the words of the designer himself would be enough to convince anybody, but seemingly not. Alan T.

rudds67, It would seem that you are now clear about what you are going to do, but I just wanted to clarify a couple of points on what the original S30-series Fairladies had in the way of emblems: *All the first-generation S30-series 2 litre cars used the "FairladyZ" emblem ( even the 432 ). *When the L24 engined models debuted in Japan in late 1971, they used the new "Fairlady" emblem with the "240Z" emblem next to it on the bottom of the front wings / fenders and on the rear hatch / deck. If they were fitted with a rear spoiler then the "240Z" emblem was usually placed underneath the "Fairlady" script emblem. NOTE that this "Fairlady" emblem is not the same as the "FairladyZ" emblem.......... they are two different pot-metal / mazak castings ( later plastic mouldings ). Sometimes people mix them up, and you see "FairladyZ" and "240Z" emblems on the sale car - which is technically incorrect. *The "Fairlady 260Z" model with the L26 engine was released in Japan and then almost immediately withdrawn from sale. There are differing stories about just how far some of these cars actually got ( I am told that some of them made it as far as actually being bought by customers, but as far as I know most of them never got further than the dealerships, and many of them never even made it out of the Factory ). They had trouble with the engines passing the new super-strict Japanese emissions laws of the time ( especially on the cars fitted with Air Con ). Most of these cars were then converted back to L20 engined "Fairlady Z" models, with their VIN tags and firewall VIN codes being overstamped and amended. So, technically speaking, there was never really any such thing as a fully-fledged "Fairlady 260Z" model. However, if you want to do something interesting and creative you could try to combine the "Fairlady" emblem ( not the "FairladyZ" emblem ) with a "260Z" emblem and make your own "Fairlady 260Z". As long as they line up correctly I think it would look "correct" and would certainly be in the spirit of Nissan's original intentions to create an L26-engined Fairlady. Good luck, Alan T.

Hi Chuck, I think that would probably have been a 'P-series' OHV six - maybe a P40? I know they were fairly high capacity ( nearly 4 litre? ). Can't be too many of them about these days? Nissan had a few other big OHV sixes in the early Sixties too, like the H30. They had some interesting stuff in their commercials, but I don't know too much about them. Nissan had the Y40 OHV V8 from mid to late 1965 too. Cheers, Alan T.