HS30-H

Hi Steve, Yes - those two cars were indeed "HS30" vin prefixed. One of them did the 1970 Motor Show at Earl's Court ( it was the the Datsun UK franchise stand ). Both VIN numbers still exist - one is undergoing comprehensive restoration ( HS30-00035 ) and the other has been a race car for many years ( HS30-00034 ) and may well be taking a fairly long holiday in New Zealand later this year, as its owner Mr Tim Riley has decided to emigrate........... Here's a pic of the HS30-00034 VIN: Alan T.

Enrique, Why would anybody want to flame you for having both? I think its a great idea. I've been tempted once or twice too. There are less than 10 roadworthy Roadsters ( SP and SR ) in the UK, and I was sorely tempted to get one a couple of years ago. I nearly did it too. Trouble is - I don't like cars that don't have a roof. I like sitting IN cars not ON them, if you know what I mean. I don't like seeing people sticking out of cars, and in fact if you can see them in one with a roof I'd prefer they had a full face helmet on too! Funny that. I must be anti-social or something. If I did get an SP or an SR, I know what would happen. It would have to be forced to mutate into a Fairlady S replica. Now there was a Fairlady worth having...................... Alan T.

Ben, That's a good point about the Fog Lamp wiring being taped off. On my first Z car ( a 1971 UK-market HS30 ) the original wires for the indicator lamps ( deleted from the front quarter valances and moved to the top of the front bumper ) were disconnected and taped back onto the front loom. The Fog Lamp connectors were also there and taped back too - but they still had proper connectors on them. I always thought that one of the poor design features of the S30-series Z was the messy routing and ugly appearance of the front part of the loom where it runs across the rad support panel. Its not that nice to look at through the grille, and its exposed to extremes of heat ( from the rad ) and a fair bit of weather too. Regarding those two cars that Datsun UK imported before the first real imports got going; they were brought in as display cars for the London Motor Show, and Datsun UK managed to register them without going through UK Type Approval. It was always possible to do this ( at least up until recently ) as the cars could be put through a very simple Single Vehicle approval - basically pretending that they were personal imports - and get them through that way. For "proper" bulk approval they realised that a change to a few details was necessary. Alan T.

Maybe its 'cos we are all ( supposed ) to be asleep at this time of night ( over here in the U of K that is )................... It's true though - not many UK-domiciled users on this site are there? You'd think there might be more than the 'true' Europeans ( French, German, Dutch etc ) seeing as we got more early Z cars here in the UK than they did in the rest of Europe put together. Funny that. Hats off to the Australians and New Zealanders, I say. Certainly giving the most bang per head here. 'Bout time I was in bed, Alan T.

Hello all, Sorry to pile into this a bit late. Enrique alerted me to the original post. I think that 2Many is right, and that Suleyman has misquoted the VIN number with an extra 2 in it. Suleyman, can you check that out and reconfirm? I've heard that some cars were exported to territories like Turkey ( also Greece and Cyprus ) and they were, in keeping with the custom in those countries, LHD - so it would have an "HLS30" VIN prefix. However, they would have been similar in spec. to the other European LHD export versions in having the 5-speed transmission and suitable diff. ratio. By all accounts these cars were quite highly specced in comparison to the USA / North American market versions, with the local importers sometimes specifying Factory "Sports Option" parts as standard and Japanese-market options like front and rear spoilers, passenger footrests and headlamp covers. This was probably an attempt to justify the high prices that they had to charge for the cars in their local markets, with very high Import Taxes and sometimes Import restrictions to contend with. These added up to make an imported Z car the same price on the showroom floor as a Porsche 911.................. These specialist-market cars are a bit of a minefield when it comes to identification and parts sourcing, and I've sometimes heard 'experts' saying that they were never officially imported into those markets. However, it seems that Nissan was all ears when it came to dealing with their importers and distributors in certain countries, and did knock out a few 'specials' for those with the better relationships. I can't help thinking that the numbers exported to countries like Turkey, Greece and Cyprus must have been pretty small. A friend of mine here in the UK owns a '72 car that he personally imported from Cyprus a while back. It was in great condition bodywise, and was RHD. I presume Cyprus drives on the left? Surely Suleyman's car will be pretty much rust free? Suleyman, if you could re-check your VIN number and get back to us it might help to clear this up a little. I am presuming that your car was an original import to Turkey when it was new, and has not been brought in from another country? Regarding missing switchgear and their associated lighting, if we can establish exactly what you need then there might be a chance that I can help you. I have a fair few bits and pieces knocking around in my garages and seeing as London is closer to Turkey that anywhere in the USA or Australia then it might make more sense for me to get them to you than anyone else? I'm sure I have the illuminated rear-window defogger switch and stuff like that. All the best, Alan T.

Hiya Steve, Good to hear you came out of your Z31 encounter ahead. Actually, I had some good times in a nicely modified Z31 while I was living in Japan ( mainly in the passenger seat though! ) - so I'm not that scornful of them. On the "280Z" series nomenclature conundrum, Yes - you can ask the advice of the Almighty! Course, I'm agnostic. Or maybe even an Atheist. Or maybe even anti-Theologic. Beware of false prophets. Hope you won't be calling off your holiday because of the impending apocalypse. We've already had some of our Japanese customers call off their European trips scheduled for mid-March because their company insurance won't let them fly............... All the best, Alan T.

Hi Mr C, Yes, I think the HLS30 "280Z" was basically a USA / North American market-only version. We certainly didn't have it here in the UK either. I wonder if there were a couple of other places that got them other than the USA / North American market though? There's no such thing as Nissan gospel truth. I can't help thinking that I've seen something somewhere about a few very late S30 / S31 series cars going to Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Outer Mongolia or somewhere like that. Maybe I was hallucinating or having an LSD gear-oil induced flashback............... Alan T.

Hi Steve, Good to see that you outed the Z31 ( hopefully you will have turned a slight profit? ). Also good to see that you got the books OK ( we never trust the Postman over here any more..... ). That's a good question about that reversion to "H" prefixes for the L28 engined cars ( after the "R" prefix for the L26 engined cars ), and its easy to see that it might easily cause confusion. Did you also notice that the later S30 models were called "S31" ( at least they were in Japan )? In Japan, the "S30" model type covers all of the iterations of S30 / PS30 / HS30 / HLS30 / RS30 / RLS30 / GRS30 / GRLS30 etc etc and usually includes the "S31" versions. Funny that. By all accounts ( from what I have been told, anyway ) there was quite a lot of confusion with regard to the RS30 / RLS30 models at the Factory, and the Japanese-market model got pulled at the last moment because it was found to have a real lot of trouble related to the fuel system and the new Japanese emissions regs. They did actually let a few out into the Home market, but then pulled it. This makes that particular model something of a rarity in Japan. After that, they started calling the Home market cars "S31" series. They never had the "280Z" model in Japan. Strange that they would revert to a previously-used code instead of doing the logical thing and making some kind of progression in the prefixes, isn't it? Maybe you should use your CB and put out a distress call.....? Nudge nudge wink wink! All the best, Alan T.

Hi Steve, George and Ben P, As far as I am told, that E mark sticker on the later European cars is related specifically to European standards of emissions control. The earlier UK cars did not have it, and I must say I did not know until now that some of the Australian market cars had it. I think I might dig into this a little deeper and see if I can get the SMMT ( Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders ) here in the UK to look at their records for these regulations and see what they can come up with. It might take a while ( they can be dinosaur slow ) but it will be worth putting it to rest once and for all. I guess we could chalk this up as more evidence of Nissan's slightly confusing policy with regard to the right hookers; it seems that there are many things that do not add up to common sense! I have no information on Australian regulations with regard to lighting and emissions, but I would NOT have thought that they fell in line with European laws! I suppose that Nissan may have got near to making a standardised spec. for the "Export" HS30 models towards the '72 / '73 period, and that this enabled them to divert cars to the market that they were needed in. In the case of the Export HS30 cars, this would I am told be AFTER they were made and had been sitting in Yokohama for a few weeks. In that case, it would make sense for them to have put the E stickers and other stuff on them regardless of whether they were eventually destined for Europe ( UK ) or Australia / NZ. The Japanese-market cars did not have any of the E markings on them. With regard to those "taped off" wires, I think I can confirm that ALL the UK-market HS30 cars had this phenomenon ( with the exception of the first two officially imported cars and a few strays ). This was because the front indicator lamps were found not to comply with UK Type Approval regulations ( too low ), and a hasty re-design was made necessary. This in fact delayed the delivery of the first batch of UK-market cars ( I think the first batch was diverted to Australia because of this? ) and the re-design included a whole new version of the front quarter valances without any cut-out for the indicators / side lights. UK-market cars were forced to sport rather ugly little front indicator pods on the top of the front bumper ( I believe that they were sourced from a Sunny model ). However, their re-design did not go to the extent of a full new loom section - and they simply taped off the unused wires. This has befuddled many a UK-market Z owner down the years, with quizzical looks and scratched heads as to the purpose of the taped off wires............ I'll let you know how I get on with the SMMT on those E marks. All the best, Alan T.

Yes Rolf, the spring question is an interesting one. In fact, its a real can of worms to open............... I don't have much data on the numbers for the HLS30 cars, but the part numbers for the Japanese-market cars make for interesting comparison ( if you like number-crunching on Nissan part numbers that is ). Take a look at these numbers: *S30 / HS30 Fairlady Z ( from 1969 ) 54010-E4104 Spring Front RH 54010-E4103 Spring Front LH 55020-E4102 Spring Rear - both 54010-E4105 Spring Front RH ( Air Con type ) *PS30 Fairlady Z432 ( from 1969 ) 54010-E4203 Spring Front RH 54010-E4202 Spring Front LH 55020-E4201 Spring Rear - both *PS30-SB Fairlady Z432-R ( from 1969 ) 54010-E4202 Spring Front RH 54010-E7200 Spring Front LH 55020-E7200 Spring Rear - both Naturally the 432 had stiffer springing than the normal S30 and HS30 models, and the 432-R had yet stiffer springs ( especially at the rear, because of its 100 Litre fuel tank capacity ). However, what's interesting is that "Air Con type" front RH spring on the S30 and HS30 cars. Fascinating that they should choose to change to a different spring on one side when Air Con is fitted. Must be a question of balance.................. Part numbers for FRONT springs are different on ALL models from side-to-side, whereas rears are always the same side-to-side. Somebody else will have to post up the part numbers for the LHD cars ( if anyone's interested to compare ) as I do not have them to hand. Does this answer any questions or throw up any new ones? Alan T.

Old School, George! And how the hell are you anyway? Must meet up some time when the weather gets a bit better, eh? Kind of ironic that we are just a few miles from eachother but communicating via a USA-based website, isn't it?! George, PLEASE don't mention the dreaded "S" word again ( you know, that S-a-m-u-r-i one ). Its a very rude word in our house! All the best, Alan T.

Actually................ On the seventh day, God made the 432R, and there was light. Everything else came afterwards, including the Works rally cars. Samuri Conversions and "BIG SAM" certainly DID NOT influence anything going on in Japan - quite the opposite in fact. The photo of the Orange car with Overfenders, wide RS Watanabe 8-spokes, a deep front spoiler / air dam and a black bonnet ( OK - hood ) is a typical example of what might be called an Old School Japanese street-tuned look. This grew up from a mixture of influences, but can be traced back to the look of the 432R and the Sports Option parts that were available from the Factory since the beginning of Z production. Its always been cool in Japan to use these parts, but over the years the look slightly mutated and you can see different ( and sometimes not very well done ) versions of it. The black bonnet / hood look started out as a matt-black or satin black finish for heat dissipation on race and rally cars. This is a difficult finish to keep looking smart, hence the gloss black version ( less effective at heat dissipation but easier to keep clean ). In a nutshell, this look is just apeing the Factory race and rally car look of the early Seventies - but with a little bit of a modern twist. If you want the REAL story of the Works rally cars then I suggest that you buy one of the Z books that contain a chapter or two about them. The best of these would be between "The Z series Datsuns" by Ray Hutton ( ISBN 0 947981 02 0 ) or "Datsun Z - Fairlady to 280Z" by Brian Long ( ISBN 1 901295 02 8 ), both of which have fairly good chapters on this aspect of Z history. However, the definitive book on Nissan's "Works" built race cars is still to be written.................. People seem to be getting more and more interested in the 'Japanese look' recently, don't they? I reckon its a good thing. Maybe people will start to realise that the Z has a Japanese history too. Alan T.

You are most welcome. I should imagine that the numbered plaque would indicate that JANSPEED themselves fitted the kit to the car. I can't think that they would want to endorse it in this way unless they had ensured the quality of the installation. It might be a good idea to try contacting them for their advice. As the kit was so simple I do not believe that it had any adjustment or external control, and that the distributor advance was pretty much the same as a stock engine. Best to confirm this with JANSPEED themselves or with sjcurtis and Ben, as I profess no in-depth knowledge of turbo installations that would be of any help to you. I've seen these kits on some UK cars and it does indeed look very basic. Owners report very good peformance considering its a bolt-on............. With regard to the JANSPEED kit and the numbered plaque, I have to be honest and tell you that I don't think it would increase its value significantly. Bear in mind its fitted to a 2+2 model, which generally speaking attain lower prices than 2 seaters do. I guess its worth whatever the most enthusiastic buyer is willing to pay for it. Alan T.

Don't worry 2Many, I'm not blaming you personally for the misnomer! The Fairlady Z ( S30-S ) and 432R ( PS30-SB ) bumpers DID have the drillings for the bumper guards ( we call them Overiders in the UK - you call them Bumper Guards out there? ) which were plugged with plastic grommets if unused. What they did NOT have were the little holes for the mounting of the rubber corner trims, so I think it is only two designs of bumper after all. Did I make it clear with my garbled ramblings that the Fairlady ZL ( S30 - "luxury" model ) and the 'ordinary' 432 ( PS30 ) DID have the rubber corner trims? It was the base-model cheapo S30-S and the stripped-out 432R that did not have the rubber trim or the holes to mount them with. All Japanese-market S30-series Z cars had the extra front corner rubbers on the leading edges of the rear bumper. This was a large C-shaped piece of rubber that had a slot moulded into it - enabling it to be push-fitted between the bumper corner and the body of the car. This was designed to stop pedestrians being 'hooked' by a passing Z in Japan's narrow backstreets. I think they work very well and give an extra mount for the bumper which is sometimes useful. Don't know why other markets didn't get them too. I believe that the Factory is still making a few of these trim-less bumpers from time to time, so maybe that's why supply is somewhat intermittent in certain territories. Did you know that the structure for the ordering / distribution and manufacturing of genuine Nissan parts for these older models is incredibly complicated and esoteric? My friend in Japan, who deals in vintage parts and is also a restorer, tells me that the system is enormously frustrating. He says that he has to order the parts from one of Nissan's subsidiary companies that deals with spare parts, and they pass the orders on to the Factory. Nissan actually sell these parts to their own subsidiary, and the whole relationship between the two is not as tight as you might expect or want it to be! The Factory gather together orders and when they have enough to do a small production run they contact their suppliers and make a little order. If the supplier does not have the time or the raw materials / moulds / tooling to hand then it gets shelved for a while. In the meantime, some of the original orders get cancelled - and the whole thing turns into anarchy. My friend tells me that he sometimes receives parts that he had totally forgotten about ordering as it was so long ago. He says that the lack of concrete and reliable information, and the fact that there seems to be almost no rhyme or reason to what turns up and what does not, is the most frustrating part of it all. Added to this, the new regime at Nissan is doing away with a lot of the old ways of the company - so when some parts become 'no longer available' it really will be true. In the meantime, when Nissan get enough orders on their books, they can produce certain items. I know its true as I've bought stuff in Japan that is no longer available elsewhere, and its not NOS or deadstock either. However, it seems that the communication system and the structure of the company determines that the Japanese orders get dealt with as a priority, which is just a fact of life I guess....... All the best, Alan T.

Hi to Ben ( Bpaccaud ), sjcurtis and the other Ben, The points-type ignition on the GRLS30 would be correct for that year and model. As it obviously started out life as an LHD-market car I will leave it up to the LHD-spec. experts to comment on what year the electronic distributors started to be fitted from the Factory. Bpaccaud, I would imagine that the symptoms you describe could be linked to almost any fault and not just something on the turbo conversion. However, if its running hot and likes the choke then I would be tempted to investigate that its not running much too lean. Has anybody been messing with the carburettor settings? By all accounts the Janspeed conversion is pretty simple - so not too much to go wrong. Don't quote me on that though............. I don't believe the Janspeed kit came with water injection, and I'm not sure what you mean about pressure regulation - but the Janspeed kit was a fixed boost system if that's what you mean. Steve ( sjcurtis ) - glad that you have practical expertise on this kind of thing as I certainly don't! I too remember the old RAJAY turbines, and do you remember brands such as HOLSET? I used to spy things like that on old diesel trucks and wonder what the hell they were............. Ben, Janspeed made a different and probably more sophisticated kit when the injected cars made it to the UK ( the S130 series ). Was a copy / similar design to that system also used in Australia? Maybe they licensed the design or something. I did Janspeed a dis-service by saying in my previous post that they were founded in the early Seventies. In fact, Jan Odor started the company back in 1962. Here's the latest information that I have if you want to contact them to ask for any data that they might still have: JANSPEED ENGINEERING LTD. CASTLE ROAD, SALISBURY, WILTSHIRE SP1 3SQ tel: 01722 321833 fax: 01722 412308 Good luck, Alan T.

Hi 2Many, Would that would be Nissan USA and Nissan Motorsports USA's catalogues by any chance? Nissan Japan and NISMO Japan don't seem to call them "euro" bumpers - so it must be an American thing. The thing that's strange about it is that over here in Europe we all got the rubber-trimmed bumpers like the Japanese market Fairlady ZL, and never the untrimmed ( and undrilled even ) bumpers of the Fairlady Z and 432R. That's what's daffy about calling them "euro" bumpers......... I reckon this must be an American colloquialism when it comes to bumpers. I remember when I used to hang around in vintage VW and Porsche circles many years ago, and the non USA-market ( and therefore somewhat sought-after by USA-based collectors ) bumpers were always called "Euro" bumpers. It makes sense for a German-made product, but not for a Japanese-made one! Alan T.

Hi Rolf, I don't think they sold many S30-series Z cars in North Africa and the Middle East, but the few that did sell there were probably 'improved' by the dealers. They would have specced them up with all sorts of extras and options to make them more appealing. Imagine all that sand getting in there! If any cars were sold with headlamp covers you can bet that they were put on by the local dealer. No stock models for sale to the general public left the factory with them already fitted as far as I am told. It was only the ZG model that left home with them already on. Alfadog, the stories about headlamp covers screwing up light beams are all true. Both my two previous Z cars ( short noses ) and the ZG suffer terribly in this department. Enthusiastic driving on twisty unlit country roads is a real nightmare, even though I have CIBIE H4 lights in the ZG. The perspex covers diffuse the light and you lose the depth of field that they should give on main beam. I really ought to upgrade. All the best, Alan T.

That sounds like a "JANSPEED" conversion from the late Seventies / early Eighties. JANSPEED were ( still are ) a UK-based company run by ex-racer Mr Jan Odor. As far as I remember, Mr Odor was born in Holland and came to the UK in the 1960's to work at famed Mini tuners Downton Engineering. He set up his own company in the early Seventies and became very successful - providing hard race parts and tuning gear for BMC products. He very soon moved onto Nissan / Datsun parts as he reckoned they offered more potential for cost-effective tuning. They used to have a very large inventory of Nissan / Datsun related tuning parts, but not so much now. They had a fairly close relationship with Datsun UK in the old days, and I have to say that the quality of their parts was very good for the time. The Janspeed turbo conversion used a Rotomaster turbine sucking through a single 2 inch SU carburettor, and they left the engine internals alone - so boost was limited to just 5psi. The kit also included an oil-cooler setup. Figures of 0-60mph in 6.6 secs. and 15.3 for the standing quarter-mile were quoted for an otherwise-stock UK-spec. RS30 260Z. Above figures and the photo below are from "The Z Series Datsuns" by Ray Hutton ( published by MRP in 1982 - ISBN no. 0 947981 02 0 ) which is actually quite a good little book. If you want to get in touch with JANSPEED I'm sure they can give you any data that you might need. Let me know if you want me to track down their contact numbers. Alan T.

My radar seems to be working.............. ( which is what I should be doing at the moment instead of checking out this site. Naughty naughty ). The genuine ZG did indeed come from the Factory with the headlamp covers installed. Anybody who has seen just HOW they are installed might wonder whether they really would want to install them with the same method. Its got to be said, the mounts are pretty agricultural. Luckily, if they are installed right you at least don't have to look at them. A genuine ZG without the headlamp covers looks pretty much half finished. I've seen some cars with aftermarket so-called 'G-nose' kits ( that don't look right anyway ) used without the headlamp covers, and they look most odd I think. On the same kind of tack, Mr K's yellow HLS30 ( a standard US-market car with a genuine Factory G-nose kit retro-fitted to it ) also looked a bit strange with the lower pan colour-coded yellow to match the body, and without any 'Overfenders'. The Factory accessory headlamp covers for the ordinary ( short nose ) cars were also attached to the body with the nasty fixing kit - just like those on the ZG. However, they are even more difficult to fit without leaving gaps because of the difficult shape of the sugar scoops. The sugar scoops on the ZG don't have that 90 degree angle to fit round, and are consequently easier to fit flush. In answer to Raron's question, they were NOT fitted as "Standard" equipment on any model - even in Japan - but they WERE a Factory-made option and were listed in the Japanese market sales catalogues from late 1969. I get lots of spiders and stuff living inside my headlamp covers, and water always gets in when you wash the car. Then they steam up. Look great though.............. Back to work................ Alan T.

Hi Majik16106, I've just sent an answer to the PM you sent me about this. Cheers, Alan T.

Egads Mike, What I meant was that they used both concurrently ( at the same time ) - with BOTH being 'readable' to the Japanese it was basically just a question of style. They just never BADGED the cars in Japanese characters, as its pretty much been traditional to badge vehicles, trains and even buildings in 'Romaji" for style purposes over the last half century or more. Naturally, it would make sense for them to make a lot of their literature in Japanese ( a mixture of all three Japanese alphabets with some 'Romaji' mixed in ) just so that people could read it. However - headlines, headings and large banner emblems could be in 'Romaji' for style purposes. The very old styles of Japanese numbering are usually only seen on things like restaurant menus and the like these days. I'm getting too wordy rappinghood again. Suffice to say that they have usually used Romaji for badging the cars, and a mixture of Japanese and Romanised English lettering / Arabic numerals for the literature and other stuff ................ The "Datsun" name was not usually used in relation to any of the Z cars in the Japanese market. Mentioning the "Datsun 240Z" or "Datsun 260Z" would usually signify an export-market car to the Japanese. Pronunciation of 'Datsun' in Japanese would be something approaching "Datto-san" ( say it quickly ) and of course, as mentioned before '240Z' would be "Nee-yon-maru Ze-to" ( with that soft "zeh" sound rather than "zee" ) and '260z" would be "Nee-roku-maru". '280' wpuld be "Nee-hachi-maru". Interestingly, I started to hear people referring to the new Fairlady Z ( Z33 ) as a "Ze-to san-san" last time I was there ( and I suppose they will be calling the Export version the "Ze-to san-go-maru" too.................. Do you mean you want me to dig out and scan up some "Datsun" logos in Japanese characters for you? It'll have to wait a bit, as its 2am here in London and I'm losing consciousness. Night all, Alan T.