HS30-H

Hi there Dero, Is your username short for "Derogatory"......................? Calm down and think about it this way; This whole debate about who is right and who is wrong is missing the point. Naturally Americans will use their local pronunciation, just as ( arrogant? ) Englishmen like myself will use their own local pronunciation. So will all the other nations of the world, won't they? Its like the difference between English pronunciation "Paris" and the French pronunciation which sounds like "Paree". Naturally, the French version must be regarded as the original - but we are not really "wrong" to pronounce it differently in English. But surely the whole point here is that the S30-series Z ( the FIRST series of Nissan / Datsun car with the "Z" nomenclature ) is a JAPANESE car - so only the Japanese pronunciation can truly be correct. Arguing the difference between the English, American, French, Australian, New Zealand and who knows where else's version seems rather like contemplating the tits on a bull............. Can't we all see this without starting flame-offs? Alan T. ps - don't ask me to romanise the Japanese pronunciation of the letter "Z" accurately - as it can't really be done. The closest you can get to how they say it is "ze-tto", in two syllables.

George! Don't molest it - its a "Neo Classic"!.................. You might find that the diff. is not the same as the one in your car. The later R180 had a different sized Crown Wheel, and its not a straight swap ( although I am no expert on these "late model" cars............. ). Good luck, Alan T.

Hi Steve, Talk about synchronicity! I had a friend asking me about sourcing an E31 head for him just this morning. Would you be able to ship to the UK? Naturally, we would pay all of the charges. US postal service would be able to do it I think ( I am fairly sure that the weight would be OK for a "surface" freight delivery, but maybe not "Air" freight ). Don't need it inspected. Sure its probably OK. I'll send you a PM. Best regards, Alan T.

Here's a pic of what the rear floor area looks like at the moment:

Alfadog, The "other" car ( an early 1970 Fairlady Z-L that is metamorphosing into a Z432-R replica ) is now in the queue at the body shop awaiting paint ( 920 Gold ). It probably will not get painted before Christmas now - but that suits me as it means that I will not have to pay for the paint job until its done! I've also got lots of money to find for other parts of the project ( like a full rebuild, including new cylinder liners and pistons, on an S20 twin cam engine ). I've already got a ton of special stuff for it, but its all stashed away awaiting the return of the rolling bodyshell. It's going to have a replica of the 100 Litre fuel tank ( I was given a present of a super-rare 100 Litre tank gauge in Japan ) and it already has the spare wheelwell deleted and the flat floor to make room for it. The idea is to make a 432-R with all the trick bits, but at less than a quarter of the cost of a real one. There are myriad differences between a PS30 and a PS30-SB, let alone between a PS30 and an S30 - so hunting them all down or replicating them is like archaeology ( or Carchaeology, as I like to say ). All this and "her indoors" still does not know about the project yet!......... Regards, Alan T.

Hi Sean, Fred just prompted me to reply to this question in another thread by asking if I would attend such an event, so here goes. First of all, one of the main reasons that I am a fan of this site ( the "Classic Z Car Club" as it is now called ) is that it specifically caters for the S30 series Z car in all its variants. The bias is certainly toward the HLS30 USA / North American market version, but that's natural considering where the site was set up and is run from. For me its perhaps one of the best sites out there dedicated to the early Z cars, and I particularly enjoy seeing the input of the Australian, New Zealand, France, Belgium, Germany, Canada and other non-USA based participants. I like they way they balance things up a bit and remind everybody that the internet / web is a global arena, as well as the fact that the S30-series Z cars were sold in other markets than the USA............... Whenever I have been to any Z-related car meetings in the UK, they have usually been a mixture of a few S30-series cars dotted around between hordes of S130, Z31 and lately Z32 series cars. I really do not feel that I want to see this; I feel that the S30-series cars have little in common with the S130-series, let alone the Z31 and Z32. This is why I am not a member of the "Z Club of GB" / "Z Club" or whatever it is called: I think a club with this broad a church is just plain silly. I don't mind parking up in a field with such a mixture, but I think its far from ideal. I would prefer it if there were some sectioning-off or delineation between models, but I have noticed that this seems to create friction and accusations of "snobbery" are sometimes heard. The JAE ( "Japanese Auto Extravaganza" ) event here in the UK has certainly grown into a real Frankenstein. Again, a broad church ( any Japanese-made car?!? ) has spread the theme too thinly, and confusion reigns. This year the event was overpopulated by what some of our American friends would call "Ricers" - revving their stationary cars so that the wastegates popped open ( whatever that proves? ) and sporting audio systems in some cases more powerful than their engines. Not a place that I wanted to be......... Not that I don't appreciate a good, well-tuned and tasteful modern car. When I was living in Japan I participated in alfresco events and ( naughty naughty ) streetracing / posing, as well as officially sanctioned events. Here's the rub; I want to see and be seen with the "cool" cars and cool people. I want to talk with Z owners who know what they are talking about, and trade parts / stories with like-minded souls who know where I am coming from. Actually, not only Z owners; at the JAE this year I felt I had more in common with the guy who came in the mustard coloured 510 with black eight-spokes. You are also likely to see me and my car parked up in the paddock at a VSCC or HSCC race meeting, or taking part at an Austin Healey Club track day - so I'm not bothered about things being Z or Japanese-related. So if anyone organises an event called "Zutopia" in Europe, I would be concerned that it would cater for too broad a church and the early cars would be swamped by S130 or later models. I would prefer something with a stricter door policy. The old motto of the Brooklands race circuit from the 1920's comes to mind; "The Right Crowd, and No Crowding".......... Regards, Alan T.

Fred, Are you sure its black? My data says that the original ones were always chrome. They had little hinges on them so that you could flick them up and out of the way too. Maybe somebody decided to Paint It Black? As far as I can tell, I don't think that your car should have had one fitted by the factory. The floor should tell the truth though; so check if it has the original spot-welded on reinforcements or not. As for your question about a "Zutopia" meeting in Europe, I will answer this in Sean's original thread. See you over there......... Regards, Alan T.

These cars are obviously the result of very serious accidents. Either that or mindwarping drugs ARE available in Japan after all. Be careful Cuong, this kind of thing might give the people at HybridZ some "bright" ideas. Come to think of it, I wonder if I could blend a shooting brake "Woody" body onto the back of my parts car. That would make a great tow vehicle. Finally I would be able to get my toolboxes in the back of a Z................... Alan T.

Hi Fred, Has the car got the spot-welded reinforcements on the floor where the mounting goes through? I wonder if a former owner installed it or the factory made some European versions of the HLS30 with the footrest in???? That ribbed rubber is probably unobtainable from Nissan now ( I don't have a separate part number for it ) but its really similar to the material that some car floor-mats are made from. You could cut it and wrap it around the top bar, and try to glue it on securely. Why are you powdercoating it? I think the original finish is chrome ( at least it is on both of my cars ). Regards, Alan T.

This is what they look like:

Dazza, The 75500-E4100 "arse'Y-FOOT REST, assistant" was standard on Japanese home-market Fairlady Z-L ( S30 ) and Fairlady Z432 ( PS30 ) models, and an "Option" accessory for the Fairlady Z ( S30-S ) from launch in October 1969. It was also standard on the Fairlady 240Z ( HS30 ) and Fairlady 240ZG ( HS30-H ) when they were launched in October 1971. Japanese "Home" market models of S30-series Z had the reinforced holes in the correct position on the passenger floor - so that the footrest could be a bolt-on if selected. This is one of numerous differences that the Japanese home-market model bodyshells had compared to the "Export" models. Your question about this footrest and the "240Z" would seem to be enquiring as to whether any "Export" models of HS30 and HLS30 had these fitted as standard. The answer is "no" - to the best of my knowledge they were only ever on the Japanese home-market models. I have seen some fitted on Export cars - but they were later additions by the owner, and did not have the correct reinforcement to the passenger floor area around the holes. Nick, I have not seen the Microfiche CD, so I cannot comment apart from saying that I believe it refers mainly to the HLS30 USA / North American market Export cars. The digital photo above, and the information that I wrote, comes from one of the Japanese parts catalogues for the S30 and PS30 models ( NISSAN MOTOR CO. LTD. publication no. C-187 ) which is mainly in Japanese. It does not cover the Export HS30 models ( although the Japanese home-market HS30 series cars are covered in publication no. C-236 and these have many similarities with the early Export HS30 models ). These parts catalogues ( they are not workshop manuals ) are invaluable if you have anything other than an HLS30, as they contain a wealth of information and all the original part numbers. They even have a lot of the Competition and Sports Option parts in them. My Z432-R replica project would struggle without these as reference. All the best, Alan T.

Hi Nick, I'm also putting an early RHD car back together at the moment ( although mine is an early '70 Fairlady Z-L ). The Factory parts catalogues are useful for seeing what goes where, as they have lots of "exploded views" and of course all the part numbers. I have taken a digital photo of one of the relevant pages that might be of help to you. Here are the part numbers of what you seem to be looking for: *32 ( 74670-E4101 arse'Y-COVER, rear floor "A" ) *33 ( 74675-E4101 arse'Y-COVER, rear floor "B" ) *34 ( 99619-E4101 BELT-tire stopper ) *36 ( 99751-25700 arse'Y-HOLDER, jack ) If you have any other problems I might be able to help. Good luck, Alan T.

Steve, That one was too easy for them!............. As its equipped with the full aircleaner assembly its NOT a 432R ( PS30-SB ) which came from the factory without. This kind of challenge might be fun. I think I will have a scope and see if I can post up a really hard challenge for identification. HALZ, you are right; the Japanese government was ( and still is ) trying to keep a lid on engine sizing by taxing different capacities different amounts. To go over 2 litres was very costly for the man in the street, so the car manufacturers kept domestic market stuff smaller. Mind you, the Japanese road network in the late Sixties and early Seventies was still very basic - so there were not many places to use anything more powerful......... Ash, the S20 is not a DIRECT ancestor of the SR20 ( although the appellation sounds almost the same ) - but you COULD think of it as part of the family tree. The S20 was ( and still is ) a legend in Japanese motoring history, and won many races in the Skyline. Actually, when Nissan launched the Z432 in October 1969 they described the car as a "Fairlady Z with a Skyline GT-R engine". The GT-R had the engine for more than a year before the Z432. Cuong, strictly speaking the carburettors are actually "MIKUNI" ( who licensed the basic design from SOLEX, but made their own design improvements ). They used both the SOLEX and MIKUNI names together on the carburettor bodies. The S20 was a very complex engine for the late Sixties, and was most certainly NOT based on any other production block ( sometimes people say it was based on the L20 block, which is not so ). It even had cross-bolted mains and a "girdle" that fitted over the crank to strengthen the block. Basically it was a race engine that was detuned and softened for road use. Keep 'em coming Steve! Alan T.

Rick, PTSD would have been getting off lightly where S130's are concerned......... Your comment about being shot at by VC ( you must be an old codger!? ) reminded me of something. I went to visit a Z-owning friend of mine in Japan last year, and he lives well out in the "sticks". I was introduced to his 89 year old father, who told me that the last time he was this close to an Englishman he was looking at him through a gunsight............. I didn't ask him the outcome of that one, but I kept an eye out for him during the rest of the evening! Regards, Alan T.

I still have not got over it. Its not something that I like to talk about too much. Almost as bad as that time I nearly bought a 280ZX. Very traumatic. Alan T.

I'd like to stick up for Rick's last point, as I think its a good one. However, I don't think that anything should be deleted ( unless any information it contains is plain wrong ) - rather that the parties involved in the posts should try to "tie up" the loose ends. I can be very frustrating to see threads that end with a cliffhanger and then go dead. Sometimes these threads would be of great help if only the conclusion could be reached. Sometimes people see these old threads and revive them by posting replies ( I know I've done it myself when not paying attention to the date of the last post ) and this feels something like being attacked by a dead sheep............... So maybe a little guidance on posting etiquette from the powers that be is in order? I don't contribute or participate in any other sites like this one - so I'm sure that I for one could do with a little help on what to do and what not to do. I certainly do try to make sure that any threads or posts that I subscribe to are not left "hanging" wherever possible. Regards, Alan T.

Hi Fred! I'd be surprised if it had indeed been done before........ The main reason is because I believe the 8.32 Thema is Front Wheel Drive, and the engine is transverse. It'd be a whole lot of trouble converting it back to North-South, and a proper longitudinal Ferrari V12 with a transmission attached to it could be had from a specialist Ferrari breaker ( and I know there's a few of them out there, as Ferraris do get crashed or beyond economic repair ) for not that much money....... I bet the HybridZ site would show up evidence of the RWD Ferrari V12 engine having been put into a Z ( with a 250 GTO "replica" body on it ). Anythings possible over there in HybridZ land. The 8.32 Thema is a real "sleeper" though, and it boasts massive torque - so don't be fooled by the fairly low numbers of the BHP figure. My daily driver is an Alfa Romeo 156 2.5 V6 24V ( Sport Pack 3 ) and the engine is really pretty. Sounds good too, and has a close-ratio 6 speed transmission. Trouble is it's transverse and front wheel drive! I don't know what you have for breakfast Fred, but I like what it does to you! Keep taking the medicine....... Regards, Alan T.

Hi Beandip, I already told both you and the owner of the car what that is, both in replies to your original posts and in PMs and direct e-mails to both of you. What's changed since then? If there is something specific that you want to know about, then let me know and I can maybe help you - but other than that, as I told you before, its nothing "fancy"................ The L20 was offered in countless different versions in many models other than, and as well as, Zs for the Japanese home market. You should not be surprised that it revs so well - it has an extremely short stroke! The Y70 head is nothing special ( as I told you before ) and in fact is not even one of the desirable heads with more performance potential; its a fairly late iteration of L-series head that was low-emissions related, and not a hot tip for tuning work. The earlier L20 with the E30 head has a better combustion chamber shape. I have always been slightly irritated that people tend to dismiss the smaller capacitied Japanese home market Z engines as vastly inferior, even though they usually have never driven one. In fact, many of the higher-spec. Japanese S30-series cars with the L20 engine and five-speed transmission drove better than the USA / North American spec. models ( which lost all their 400cc advantage by mating it with a four-speed and a very low diff. ratio ). As you say, the L20 can be very revvy - and this can be quite a sporting characteristic with a relatively close-ratioed five speed trans. and 3.9 diff. ratio. Don't forget that the Japanese home market also had the choice of the L24 engine from October 1971 onwards. That left them with a relatively wide choice of Z variants from cheapo L20 and four-speed equipped "cooking" models with no carpets or hubcaps, right up to the 240ZG and twin-cam 24 valve S20-equipped Z432. That's quite a different situation to the rest of the world, which tended to get one market-specific model and no choice other than paint and interior colour. The USA / North American market version looks quite a spec. compromise in this light, with its 4-speed and diff. ratio................. ( its hard to resist the temptation to poke a little fun at this version whenever the opportunity arises ). There is a lot of disinformation and ill-informed hearsay out there in cyberspace about the rarer variants of Z engine. I was absolutely amazed to read on the HybridZ site that people were posting nonsense about the S20 and LY Crossflow engines, and the O.S. Giken TC24 twin cam conversions. These ranged from posts saying that the S20 was a twin-cam cylinder head that Nissan put on the L20 block ( totally wrong! ) to comments on the LY Crossflow head being a twin cam ( it was a single cam ). They even get all three mixed up and nobody sorts it out for them. All this must have come about because there is very little literature out there for people to learn from; any Z-related books or magazine articles in the English language are usually poorly researched when it comes to these rarer variants, and these are usually the very writers who dismiss the 2 litre engines as some kind of inferior nails. If the engine ( or whole car? ) came from Japan in anything other than "new" condition, then it may have been improved or rebuilt over there with a compression ratio increase and / or a camshaft change. This is quite often enough to wake one of these engines up and make it seem quite peppy. But if you think its something special, then think again. Sorry to repeat it - but its actually quite "normal" in Japan.......... Regards, Alan T.

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Hi Fred, Guus, 2Many, ozlime, beandip and everyone, Like so many things, its been done in Japan before. You used to be able to buy a kit for quite a lot of Japanese "Classic" cars - although it was pretty expensive. The FCR carbs cured all the tuning problems that Guus mentions, and I believe that they work quite well. The following pictures are of C10 and C110 Skylines with the 6 FCR's on L28 engines. Sorry I could not dig up any S30-series Z pictures with the FCR's. Alan T.

Yes Ash, I know where to get them from. Trouble is that they are not that cheap ( especially considering that they are "just" bare FRP mouldings ) and I am not sure that they would line up with the nose that you have already got on your car ( it will depend on how accurate it is and where it came from ). I better take this conversation off the forums and send you another personal e-mail for the fine details. Cheers, Alan T.

Hi Biker, I'll send it to your e-mail address, as it is too long ( wide ) to fit on these pages without messing about ( and I'm not computer literate enough to sort it out ). It's not "secret" information; its data that Nissan had available and has been reproduced in a lot of the tuning books and Sports Option parts lists. Anyway, I'll mail it to you. Ash, That deal sounds good to me. A proper race-version of the "B" box with the dogleg shift pattern and direct fifth ( non overdrive ) is a LOT of work to put together. Cutting gears is also not cheap, and there will be a lot of fabrication involved in making the shift forks and rails. If you firm up the spec. with this supplier and you are sure that he can do the job successfully - then I would be interested in a couple of boxes myself. Let me know how it proceeds. This might be a way for you to finance your own project. Regards, Alan T.

Alfadog, if its me you are calling then forget it! My interest does not cover late model stuff like the Z31. Even the S130 is late for me. However, the 200ZR is another one of those interesting Home market special editions that they never offered to the rest of us. Its certainly a great organ donor for the Hybrid Z guys. By the way, Alfadog - maybe your family would like my new daily driver; A.R. 156 2.5 V6 24v Sport Pack 3. Silver with red leather, bought to replace my 155 2.0 16v Twin Spark which I plain wore out. Regards, Alan T.