HS30-H

Victor, Was my effort not appreciated - or did you not notice it? Alan T.

Hi Mike, So 'your' car was made in late very '73 / early '74 then? Now you just have to figure out where it was from the time that it rolled off the line to the time it got re-rego'd in '76 - right? Have I got that straight? Its a little confusing. If it was a '73-build it would have to have been in the last days of late December, I reckon. And its definitely an Export model GRS30 isn't it? Not a 2-litre Japanese-market model with an L26 installed later on in its life? That Tokyo Motor Show car was a famous clanger dropped by Nissan; right up until the release of the RS30 and RLS30 models ( including the GRS30 and GRLS30 "2by2" / "2+2" models ) the Factory had been toying with the idea of making the Grande nose standard equipment. They showed the 2by2 with the G-nose at the Tokyo Motor Show and then backed down on it. Lots of people now report it as just a publicity exercise ( it even made the cover of Road and Track magazine ) - but its true that they really were considering making it standard. As we now know, they dropped the ZG model when the RS30 and RLS30 came out. All the best, Alan T.

Hi Victor, You've found one of the Inspection Tickets for a component on your car. On S30-series Z cars, these were usually left attached to the complete dash assemblies, but found their way around the car and rested wherever they fancied once the string broke.......... The big writing on the outside says ( and forgive my romanised Japanese ) "Go Kaku Hyo" - roughly meaning 'Inspected', or "Passed". One the other side are a series of sections leaving spaces for information to be filled in either in handwriting or with a "Hanko" stamp: The top line is for the date, starting with the reign of the incumbent Emperor ( in this case Emperor "Showa" - who we knew as Hirohito ) and then the month and day. Just as a side-bar to this, the reign of Emperor Showa started in 1925 - so the date mark will signify the year of the reign. To get the year date that we use in the Gregorian calendar just add 25. On the right of that date section is a section for "Lot" or "Quantity". In the middle, on the left, is a space for the description of the vehicle model type, and to the right of that in two boxes, the part number and part description. Finally on the bottom left is a further box for description of the part function or other notes, and on the bottom right a place for the "Inspector" to mark his name or stamp his "Hanko" to sign it off. For completeness sake, the very small print at the bottom of the ticket identifies the printing company that made it ( in this case "Daiwa Press Ltd. Co." ) and the Form No. - followed by the date ( for this ticket, the 5th month of "Showa" 46 - so May 1971. See? Just add 25............. ). I can't see that its been filled in at all ( unless the writing has faded ) so somebody wasn't doing their job!................. These types of Inspection tags were usually attached to components and sub-assemblies that were supplied or put together by contractors, and then signed off by Nissan inspectors. If you dig around on old Japanese cars there are lots of things that can act as clues in identifying just when and where the components were made. I think its good fun to add all the evidence up and see the way that supply was being handled back at the Factory in the early Seventies, don't you? Hope that helped. All the best, Alan T.

Hi Steve, Yes - 35 is really bad. Its actually being restored with the help of a donor shell from the correct period, if you know what I mean. The Fog Lamps had clear lenses as far as I remember ( its so long since I clapped eyes on a set...... ) and they mounted in the pre-drilled holes UNDER the standard front bumper, quite close to the Over-riders ( do you call them that in Australia? ) but on the "inside" of them - if you know what I mean. From what I've heard from friends in Japan, they were not all that powerful or effective............. All the best, Alan T.

Mike, that must have been strong stuff you were drinking........ The 2-seaters and 2+2's went down the same lines, and NISSAN never sat on a 3-year supply of ANYTHING. The only time anything like that happened was with the 432's, when they pumped out a few more than they needed in '69 and '70 ( but that was for Homologation purposes - not commercial reasons ). How do you know this 2+2 is a '73 model anyway? What's making you say that? I can't believe it sat in Japan for three years without being used ( that's why thought it might have been a Japanese-market model that was brought to Australia privately and not 'officially' imported ). Some of us might think that the 2+2's are the ugly sisters of the family, but surely she didn't sit on the sidelines for three years before somebody asked her to dance? I think you ought to look under her skirt and see if she's got any tell-tale markings of Japanese-market origins. Knoworrimean? Christ, its nearly 3am. What on earth am I doing on here?!?!.... Alan T.

Hi Mike, Actually, I don't have any data to hand about when the GRS30's VIN numbers actually started from - but this one does indeed sound like it would be one of the "First of the Few" ( to paraphrase Winston Churchill ). Don't tell me you plan on saving it, as its such a rare survivor! How come its a '73 model ( I thought they started in '74? ) and it was not registered until '76? Are you sure it was not a private-import Japanese-market model, brought in as "nearly new"? Curiouser and curiouser. I'll never understand these bloody cars................ Alan T.

Hi Gee, Its possible that the one with the kph speedo was originally a Japanese-market car. It could have been privately imported into Australia at any point in the past. I know that there are a few of these stray Japanese-market cars over there. In fact they seem to crop up almost everywhere in small numbers, and sometimes without the owners realising what they have. If you want to check whether the kph speedo car really was a Japanese-market car - then there are a few little tell-tale details on the bodyshell that will enable you to tell one way or the other. Let me know if you want to know where to look. All the best, Alan T.

Hi Steve, Yeah - 35 is pretty rusty, but will rise again. Its now under full and comprehensive restoration and its owner is very determined. You know things have got really bad when the even the VIN number is rusted to hell............. The factory Fog Lamps are a very rare Option part, and I've seen good ones fetch very high prices in Japan. *26150-E4100 FOG LAMP arse'Y ( R.H. ) *26155-E4100 FOG LAMP arse'Y ( L.H. ) Alan T.

.......and here's a pic of the HS30-00035 VIN: Alan T.

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.