HS30-H

Only a few - all of them Works - LY valve covers were Mg. Same situation for S20s.

First six photos are LYs, which are single cam. HTH ?

Like I haven't been considering it for the last 15 years I've been building it... A philosophically pragmatic 'tribute' I presume. Unless you have period interior and engine bay shots...? We live in hope. Final touch will be the 'Fairlady Z Export version' plate. Has to be done... ?

Personally speaking, I would not be surprised by anything that Nissan/Nissan Shatai (or any of their family of companies and suppliers) did in the early days of production, and/or in the switchover to superseded parts and new models. The principle of Occam's razor usually applies. I'm not saying it was total chaos, but those were heady days. We are well aware that there was always a certain amount of fettling going on, and we have seen evidence of repaired/re-finished (presumably initially rejected as substandard, then rectified and re-introduced to the parts bins) so I would never say never. The BaT universe for a car like this is - naturally - biased towards the North American viewpoint. But these are Japanese cars, and it's almost like some of those people forget that. The memories of somebody who sold these cars when they were new, or who has owned fifty of the same type, are always of interest - but I'd rather speak to somebody who was working on the production line. Or better still, many people who were working on the production line... A perfect example of what I'm talking about has just popped up on that BaT auction: Jeff Segan has just made comment on the rear bumper forward-edge rubbers, after somebody queried their absence on this car. He might need to tread carefully with a "not used on 1970 240Zs" type statement. It's a little like running with scissors... After all, what does "1970 240Z" mean. What month? What variant (HLS30U/N/V? HS30U? HLS30? How about Aus and NZ?)? You'll end up dancing on a pin. The E4100 rear bumper forward end 'base' blocks were seen - for example - on the SLE 0630-911027-U factory sales flyer in 1969 (you know, the red car without a clock, radio or antenna, and with cut-and-pasted emblems) and were a feature on Japanese market cars from the first days of deliveries. Applied somewhat haphazardly in Export market cars, they are perhaps a lesson for us in treating sales brochures as reference points and - indeed - any one of these cars with one-size-fits-all ideas about content and conformity.

Early 432 parts (E42). Don't chase them down without making sure they'll fit a 240Z air cleaner housing.

You'll be doing a lot of catching up, as I reckon I correct fifty of your mistakes for every one of mine you'll do me the honour of pointing out. Not sure you've thought very long about this. The fact is that a "replica" 432-R is a physical and intellectual impossibility, since - in the end - it all comes down to identity. Even if I went to the extremes of having lightweight PZR-style body sections pressed, welded them all together and got everything else spot-on (but still 'fake', right?), such a car could not be considered a true 'replica' of a genuine 432-R without replicating a 432-R chassis number. As that would be illegal, you're snookered. And I must say, this is pretty heady stuff coming from somebody who - just last week - was asking what panels were lightweight, and what panels were beefed-up, on a 432-R bodyshell.

If you're embarking on a voyage to define the nuances between real and fake, and all stops in between, I'll come down to the port to wave you off. It's going to be a long old trip... Oh and, before you sail, I'd be interested to see if you noticed (and can explain...?) the difference between 'replica' and 'replica project'?

Revive Jalopy in Japan is a great source for items like that. Here are some Revive Jalopy radiator hoses on my 432-R replica project car:

Glad you found it informative. For me, the BringaTrailer comments section is - once again - proving to be an echo chamber for many of the same-as-usual characters. One contributor suggested that the comments on this particular car be gathered up in digest form as some sort of reference material, but I don't see how that could ever hope to be accurate when so many contributions don't even get past the first level of moderation? Once again I see larger-than-life character 'Lstepp4re' apparently getting some kind of free pass to post incorrect statements. He's been wittering on about 'Nikra' exhausts (he means Nihon Radiator's 'Nichira' brand) and how Matsua (he means Matsuo) told him that the 240Z was 'designed for the USA', whilst also stating that "stripes on a Z are aftermarket". That would be news to Nissan, who offered them as a showroom option from 1969 onwards on Japanese market cars. There are also stripe kits - in three colours - with a K3110 part number prefix - in the factory R-Drive parts manuals. So of course he's wrong, but an attempted correction doesn't make it past BringaTrailer moderation. As the seat question shows, it's wise to look at ALL variants of the S30-series Z as a source of reference. If people are convinced that the "Made For The USA" mantra means they only need to look at USA market variants, then they'll never properly understand their USA market variant.

I think you're referring to the 'flip forward lever' of Japanese market Deluxe models? Here's an image from November 1969-dated factory literature showing the 'Deluxe' variant (Fairlady Z-L and Fairlady Z432) seats with the flip-forward lever: The Japanese market 'Standard' model did not get the flip-forward lever. North American market HLS30U, UN and UV models essentially got the cheaper 'Standard' seats too.

28th June 1970.

What I'm seeing is quite a lot of people not quite understanding the difference between the 432 and the 432-R. I think that will probably continue, just as it does in the classic Porsche world where Mr Average just won't have a deep enough interest to spot the difference between a 911S and a 911R at ten paces. I take your point about people tending to think that the rising tide raises all ships, but that's been happening across the rest of the S30 range with people wanting to believe that recent sale prices for early/'significant' 240Zs are pulling up prices of later 240Zs, 260Zs and 280Zs. They may even be right to some degree, but there are still a lot of those cars extant and available, which must suppress average values somewhat. That's not the case with extant 432s and - more so - the 432-Rs, most of which are known to enthusiasts in Japan individually (by chassis number no less), and there are not many hiding undiscovered any more. This will tend to keep prices high. I think it's fair to say that rising values of 432s and 432-Rs - along with other rare models like the 240ZG - have been of concern to long-term owners in Japan. People who bought their cars 20, 30 and 40 years ago are not necessarily rejoicing, and some may see high value as something of a burden due to unwanted attention (the wrong kind of attention...) and higher insurance implications with strictures on storage and use.

I think they call it 'Informed Inspiration'. The 'Grünvogel' method of strengthening a flat panel - check out the Wehrmacht-Einheitskanister - must have been in engineering text books for the Japanese engineers. On a fuel container it certainly serves to reduce 'oil canning' whilst also allowing expansion and contraction without putting too much stress on the welded seams. A little bit of genius.

So far I've only managed to get to the 6min mark, and it's already garbage. Typical mash-up of inaccuracies and viewed-from-the-USA prism of Japanese automotive history. Does it get any better after 6mins?

Questions like this are instances where the term '432-R' needs to be refined into 'street' and 'race' specifications. 432-Rs sold to private customers for registration and street use had differences from those sold for pure race use. In some respects it's wiser to treat 432-Rs on a case-by-case basis. Who is a "prig" and who isn't depends very much on your own viewpoint. You might like to take a peep in the mirror at your own "azz" occasionally.

The '#68' car was a factory race car, and the photos we are looking at are PERIOD photos from January 1970. Terashima san's car was a privateer race car, it went through several owners, was race-prepped and modified over many seasons (eventually ending up with a Grande Nose and N3020 overfenders) and the photos were are looking at now are RECENT. When Terashima san first got it, and when I first saw it, it had been fitted with a big alloy tank containing a JAF-sanctioned bladder conforming to regulations of its later racing years. Nothing like it had when it was first built and raced. Just because we can observe something on Terashima san's car today - and the hole-drilled dieting is a good example - it doesn't mean that it was originally like that, or that it had anything to do with Works team practices. External fuel tank venting was mandatory. Factors to be taken into account were fuel-slosh in cornering and venting away from heat sources. Obviously you don't want fuel vapour inside the cabin of the car either. Roll-over situations also.

They also call it: "... a competition-prepped version of the early 240Z..." Don't think they've quite got their head around how all this works.

Mr Richard Hell (and his Voidoids) told me in 1977 that I belonged to The Blank Generation. But I can take it or leave it each time... Hey. Never too old to meme. They are just captioned stills, after all. About those "faster" comments: Yes, they'll keep coming. And my daily driver diseasel Audi - all two tonnes, heated leather, tow hitch and Bang and Olufsen of it - would probably show any 432-R the way around a race track too. But so what? Those 'my car would...' guys are missing the point so far that they aren't even on the same map.

That's an E10.

Except that they didn't. It was nothing to do with Nissan. Haller and Schuller had got hold of an ex-Works circuit race car from South Africa (where it had been left behind by the Works team in 1973 with the intention of allowing a pair of local drivers to compete in remaining rounds of the Springbok Series, only for the series to be cancelled due to the Oil Crisis...) but it was not authorised by Nissan and they had no direct factory support. And Nissan were not happy that privateers were entering an ex-Works car at such a prestigious race. The car just wasn't suitable and, in Le Mans 24hrs terms, Hallers team was a shoestring effort. Easy for you to say now, but this was a period where such races did have participants who were - let's face it - out of their depth. Haller and his team had an opportunity (they only just squeaked into the starting line-up through the non-participation of other qualifying cars) and they took it. They were attempting to punch above their weight, but hampered by lack of replacement/spare parts and - ultimately - full knowledge of the details of the car. This was a rather special piece of equipment, but they had not built it and they had only limited knowledge and limited spare parts. They were doing as best they could manage. Despite their troubles, they were classified as finishers in '75. This allowed them a smooth entry to the '76 race, with the car rebuilt/refreshed, but still - inevitably - a lack of spares and running on a limited budget. It was to end in tragedy.

Terashima san's car. It's a 432-R. Hence the tailgate prop instead of a gas strut. It has one vent exiting on the top side of the RH rear quarter, and one vent exiting on the LH side of the rear panel. Both face to the rear of the car.

What car are you talking about?

Haller and his team had serious diff troubles throughout the race in '75. That's why you see the car with its back end in the air in the pits in so many photos. It delayed them greatly. As mentioned, the car was already well used when they got it and - reportedly - they didn't have all that much in the way of spares come with it when they acquired it.