HS30-H

IMPERIAL sized studs? What on earth were you thinking of!? You are now officially OFF my Christmas card list......... Seriously though, I can see that they make a lot of sense. You get a whole new world of wheel nuts to choose from in that size too. Don't they do a 6 inch version? You could be like Queen Boudicca of the Iceni - rolling through the Roman army with sword blades on the wheels of her chariot. You could cut the tops off the cones on the Auto-X course. She did suffer from terrible unsprung weight problems though, and had trouble finding performance tyres for her 36-Inch twelve spokes..................... Like 2Many I'm a little concerned about your springs jumping off the perches on full extension. I've had this happen to me and it ain't funny. Mashes up spring perches and sounds really nasty too. I've seen suspension legs wired-up to limit extension as a cure for it. Some of the later Works Z rally cars used a system like this. Hopefully you won't experience a problem but with such a short spring combined with a damper that will extend a LONG way from where the spring is seated, you might have it happen to you. What dampers / shock absorbers did this BRE setup originally use then? Alan T.

One of them is a Pirate copy. HAAAAAAARRRRRR! Either that or these are the very rare Neck-car versions for a staggered ride height. Just put the short one on the left side of the car and make sure you keep turning left. I've got a little-used set of KONI D-Adjustables that I'll GIVE you to stop you using the pegleg Tokico. Please tell me you won't be tempted to fit it........... Alan T.

Hi Nate, I'd like to see you with a Z after all this time without one, but do be careful. Don't want to see you with a lemon, even if its a cheap one................ If there is rust in the floors then you can bet it will be elsewhere too. Make sure you have a good idea of what you are getting into. Probably the best replacement floor panels ( and other parts ) are made by Zedd Findings in Canada: Zedd Findings There will be others better-placed to give you advice relating to your specific needs for welding and repair shops in your local area - but I just wanted to give you a bit of encouragement mixed with a word of caution. Good luck! Alan T.

I AM the dishwasher in our house. A few years ago an automatic dishwasher would have been seen as something relatively unusual here - but perhaps not quite so much now. One thing that irks me about money issues here in the UK - and London in particular - is the huge rise in the value of property ( real estate ). I actually can't afford to buy even an apartment here in my own home town. There are people making enough of a living from renting out just one or two properties in London that they do not need a proper 'job'. That's crazy. Bus drivers, street sweepers, teachers and nurses are forced to live way outside the central area and have to travel large distances to get to and from their workplace. For the money that I pay out in renting my home, I could probably buy a relatively large house in a beautiful green area with lots of space - but I would have trouble finding work. I'm pretty-much painted into a corner. The same money would probably buy an even bigger place in the USA, and a bloody ranch in Australia. I probably earn a fairly good wage - but it just does not go far here in central London. Apparently, London is currently one of the most expensive places to live in the world. What has happened to my home town? Alan T.

Well, it certainly looks about the same. The original Tail Light trim panels were, however, in that unusual 'match striker' textured finish that's so difficult to look after. The hubcap paint, grille paint ( certainly on the mesh grilles ) and all those other little areas definitely look like the Anthracite colours mentioned above. However, I have no idea what the original colour name or its code were. I have a little pot of original Nissan paint that was given to me by a fellow ZG-owning friend in Japan. Its the correct gunmetal grey metallic for the rear bumper, front bumper, front lower valance and Overfenders of the ZG. The BMW and Vauxhall / Opel colours mentioned above are a near-as-dammit match for the original Nissan colour. Alan T.

Electric windows were an option on the Japanese-market Fairlady Z range from mid 1976, on the C-S31 and C-GS31 models. Technically, these were S30-series Z cars ( pre S130-series ). These models got a fair few electrically-operated gizmos, such as remote-operated fender mirrors. However, if this car is in the USA then I doubt that it is one of these - or has had the electric window parts retro-fitted onto a '73 model. They probably would not fit in the early doors. Alan T.

As Z Kid said, the old BMW colour called "Anthracite" is a good match. There is also an old GM ( UK Vauxhall / Opel range ) colour called "Anthracite" which is a good match. Colour code was "81L". If you can't find these colours, then look at old Porsche colours and you should be able to find something suitable. If you are looking for the "real" ZG colour, then make sure that you are looking at pictures of REAL ZG's. Most of the pictures you will find on the Net are of replicas, and who knows what colour they have painted them? The correct colour is a dark metallic gunmetal grey, and it originally had a gloss top coat. They should be 'shiny'. Good luck, Alan T.

Guus, Surely you don't believe that the blue car was a Works or even ex-Works car? If it was, then I'd eat my shoes. As I mentioned before, some drivers got the use of Works and ex-Works cars for certain events which they entered either personally or in the name of their sponsors. Mehta's drive in the Acropolis was a case where he used a Works-built car but under a non-Works entry. The SEARS tyre sponsorship was clearly part of this deal ( as it was when he used the tyres on the RAC Rally ). I would not believe that the blue car was a Works-built rally car because it just does not seem to have any of the little identifying details that so many of the Works-built cars had. Even when Works-built cars passed on to different ownership they tended to keep many of these little visual clues, quite apart from the known history of each chassis. Nissan's Works rally cars were ALWAYS painted red as a base colour, even though some of them later changed colour or had other colour patterns / sponsorship added on top. The blue car just 'feels' to me like it was painted in a Factory colour. That's why I think it started its life as a standard road car. I'm with Rolf on this one. Guus, do you concur? Alan T.

Yes 240znz, I agree with abas that it looks as though a previous owner decided to update the car by cutting out a gap in the round pressed holes of the rear deck, and installed some of the later style toolbox lids and hinges. On the early cars, this space was effectively a 'dead' boxed section, and I would guess that the designers decided later on to make better use of it by making it an accessible storage area. Looks like the PO installed the correct fine diamond padded vinyl lining too. All the parts are from a later car. 240znz - can I see from the photo that your car has CLOSED pressings in the vertical panel behind the rear seats? ( I mean the sheetmetal that effectively forms the side of your 'new' toolboxes that is immediately behind the seats ). Mostly you tend to see the square pressings 'open' ( ie - you can see into the box section that now forms your toolboxes, as the squares are actually punched out of the sheetmetal ) and not closed. This section is covered by diamond-stitched trim normally - so most owners would not necessarily know if the panel was punched out or not. Anyway, I have seen both punched and non-punched panels on early cars. From what I can see, your car seems to have been the plastic toolbox type with NO square punched holes before it was modified. Interesting that this too is a detail change to the bodyshells of early cars that is pretty-much never discussed. Frankly I would not worry too much about the toolboxes. Think of it as an interesting piece of character for your car, and don't lose sleep over it :classic: Alan T.

Does this help? The plastic lids are nos 32 & 33 on the diagram. Alan T.

I think I need to sleep too - I'm obviously falling into too many holes in this story! The black and white photo is supposedly of Raudet & Sausset on the 1972 Bandama. I don't have any info that points to that car being ex-Works ( which is the main point that interests me ). I have a report of the 1974 Bandama that says that Mehta and Billstam were in an ex-Works ( Safari? ) Z - starting no.7 - and registered TKS 33 SA 4081 ( interesting car, that one ). Let's look into it further when we are wide awake. Alan T.

So there were two 240Z cars in the 1973 Bandama according to our pictures ( they are definitely different cars - agreed? ) and I think Raudet must have been in the car in the black and white picture ( presumably red and ex-Works ). So who was in the blue car? Was that actually Raudet? If so, who was in the other car ( obviously not Mehta if he was in a Bluebird? ). This is a difficult one.

Guus, Do you think Raudet might have been in the blue car? As far as I have read, Raudet was in an ex-Works car ( ex-Safari ) but I have not seen a clear picture of it so I was doubtful. Lots of cars were ( and still are! ) claimed as "ex-Safari" when they never even went near Africa........... You are doing the right thing by looking so very closely at the details of the cars in the photos. A lot can be deduced from this. However, I've been tripped-up many times by pictures being mis-captioned or even being from a completely different event. The usual problem is race reports and features that use pictures from the previous year's event to illustrate the latest news! Most misleading. Our mystery deepens I think................. Alan T.

Good points Rolf, Shekhar Mehta ( and some other 'Works' drivers ) sometimes entered rallies using Works cars that were on loan to them, or were entered by the local Nissan / Datsun dealers. These entries were not classed as full Works entries, but they sometimes used Works cars or Works-supplied equipment. Sometimes this allowed them to use equipment from their own private sponsors. I remember one case where Mehta used 'Sears' brand white-band tyres on an ex-Works car. The blue car is immediately suspectable as a non-Works car because of its colour. It looks like a standard Nissan colour rather than a respray. The prominent Cibie sponsorship is also suspect, and I don't see any tell-tale details on the car that would suggest that it is ex-Works or carries Works parts. Can't see the wheels in Guus's photo. What with the Bandama having so many French connections, your suspicions of a French privateer entry could well be accurate. As far as I was aware, the car that Mehta and Billstam used on the 1973 Bandama was red, and was an ex-Safari Rally Works car. Has Guus discovered an interesting privateer entry? Alan T.

Hi Guus, That's an interesting photo! The only photo I have seen of the Mehta / Billstam 1973 Bandama Rally Z shows slightly different details. Biggest difference is that in your poster photo the Cibie Oscars on the front of the bonnet are very easy to spot. On the ( black and white - and not so clear ) photo that I have seen, these lamps are just not there. I can't quite make out the race number on the door of the car in the black and white photo - but it looks different. The front spot lamps ( four of them ) look like they are higher ( behind the cow catcher ) and spread out further. I guess there is a great possibility that they could have moved the lamps during the rally. Maybe because of damage or function issues? I'm wondering whether these photos are of the same car on the same event, or of the same car on different events, or of different cars on the same event, or of different cars on different events. My head hurts.:stupid: Alan T.

OK Fred - since you invited me.............:cheeky: I don't understand about the word "offer" in the phrase. What is on offer? Who is offering? Anyone looking at that page already knows that they are there to have something offered to them. No? If I were a customer who was looking for the logistics services of this company, then I would have thought the phrase "Our logistics will move you" or "Our logistics services will move you" would be a nice pun that still gets the point across. But then, as an Englishman, what would I know about English? Alan T.

Go for it Guus, I'm sure you can make a really accurate replica. You should be able to gauge the size and shape from referencing your pics and mine. The aluminium plate is quite thick ( maybe 1.5mm? ) and not as thin and easy to bend as you might think. I'm sure you can buy sheets of the silvery-white reflective background to stick on it, and the black border and letter are probably easy to get computer-cut and carefully stuck on. Bury it at the bottom of your garden for a few months and then dig it up. A quick wipe, and it'll look just like the real thing!:classic: Alan T.

Hi Andrew, Ah, Bournemouth. The English Riviera. I've had some good times down there. Its a bit closer than 3000 miles that's for sure! I've always found that the Bournemouth and Poole area had a real lot of serious car freaks. Lots of really good Rods and Rod builders. Is Dorset the British California?!........... I can understand your sentiments for wanting to keep the original engine in the car if possible. Its such an early car ( in comparison to the average UK car ) that it has to be worth thinking along these lines. However, you can still pep it up a little and have something that's very satisfying to drive but still tractable and relatively docile. I always think that its worth taking advantage of this country's so-far lenient laws with regard to modification of old cars. This will free up your options on the spec. of the engine. I'll PM you my direct e-mail address and we can take it further. I'm sure I have some parts that you might be able to find a use for. All the best, Alan T.

Hi abas, I'm based in central London - so a little closer to you than most of the people that frequent this site! Maybe that will be useful. If you are determined to save the original L24 block that came with your early car, then Steve's ( sjcurtis ) advice to have the damage assessed by a professional machine shop is going to be the only way to go. I don't think you can do anything with it until you know where you stand. Maybe its beyond saving already. Alternatively, I have just about all the parts you would need to build up either an L24 or L28 engine. I have blocks, cranks, rods, pistons and cylinder heads. I have these items in component form as well as assembled heads and short blocks. Once you decide what route you want to take, then I can possibly help you out with any mechanical parts that you might need. Going for a fairly peppy L28 build up might not be as difficult or expensive as you think. All the machining work you might need, as well as the cost of the rebuild parts like bearings, gaskets and piston rings etc are going to cost just about the same whether you are building an L28 or an L24. I've even got some good used and new performance parts that you might want to spice it up with. I think the hardest part for you is just deciding which way you want to go. However, most mechanical installations can be reversed - so you could take the car back to a more original spec in the future if you wanted. Body, paint and trim are slightly different in that respect. Good luck! Alan T.

I'll down it in one! The next one's on me. :classic: Alan T.