HS30-H

An INCH!? I'm having a hard time getting my head around this. How can there be a 1" gap when you try fitting the repro covers on the OEM FRP / moulded plastic fender extensions / 'sugar scoops', and no gap on the steel versions? Can you explain in more detail please?

I'm struggling to believe that those Facebook cretins are 'remembering' anything at all. I doubt that most of them would even be able to find Japan on a map ( presuming they knew what a map was for..... ). The elephant in the room with your "people don't forget" warning is that you and me ( citizens of the USA and UK respectively ) will be expected to take responsibility for an ever-growing list of transgressions. I'd say that Japan has been pretty well behaved for the last 70-odd years, and yet you still say that "people don't forget". So how many generations does it take for redemption? I think you and I will have a long wait......

Friends of yours by any chance? http://i.imgur.com/cnWV2.jpg Theres' a whole bunch of prequels too ( "Sins of the 18th Century" etc ). Got any skeletons in your national closet? Seriously, if karma payback is watching then we ALL better be looking in the mirror.

The Austin Healey 3000 engine is just a variant of the BMC 'C' series, which debuted in 1954 ( in the Wolseley 6/90 saloon ) and was the product of the Morris side of BMC, rather than the Austin side. I don't know what Austin "dump truck" you are referring to but the 'C' series was fitted to a wide range of BMC models over a long period, such as the Austin A90, A95, A99, A105 and A110, the Riley Pathfinder and Two-Point-Six, Morris Isis, MGC and Austin 3-Litre saloon. It was a decent, rugged and simple OHV design which gave good power when tuned. It won rallies and races. You can play the same "dump truck" game with the Nissan L-gata if you want to. How about "fire pump", "fork truck", "compressor", "industrial lift", "tug boat" and "dredger pump", for example? Donald Healey had very little to do with your car. Austin used his name under license.

Is it some kind of competition? I find this thread crass in the extreme, given the circumstances.

Don't fret. Due to one of those strange Darwinian incidences, more of the genuine 'HS30-H' models than genuine 'HS30' Fairlady 240Zs and 240Z-Ls seem to have survived. Time has turned the tables, and now your short nose 240Z-L is quite possibly more rare than a genuine 240ZG. Weird old world, isn't it? Anyway, love the one you're with....

Yes, lots of times. Had it at the red line in fifth with a 3.9 diff ratio and 580mm tall tyres, both on the road and on the circuit. Felt 'better' than any of my 'short nose' cars, for sure. No offence, but surely stock springing, damping and steering ratio of north American market cars will only make any high speed aero deficiencies feel 'worse'? Improve aero and stiffen up springing & damping / reduce steering ratio and the car will certainly feel more secure at higher speeds. This is true for short nose cars as well as 'Grande Nose' cars. To be frank, I have to admit that the attraction of the factory ZG look is for me more about what it represents than any real-world driving dynamics. So it's just as much about pure looks as anything else. Those looks - and the rather subjective matter of what they represent ( a factory-made homologation special, incorporating parts to make their factory race cars perform better ) - are the attraction. Real factory-built 'HS30-H' models usually change hands for more money than their short-nosed 'HS30' 240Z and 240Z-L brothers do. Same as when they were new.

Well, it's hard to make direct comparisons with it being so subjective, but - generally speaking - my GP Maroon ZG has always felt more stable at higher speeds than any of my short-nosed cars. By 'stable' I mean feeling less affected by drag and turbulence both when travelling in relatively straight lines and when changing direction / moving amongst other fast traffic. Hard to describe, but just a feeling that there was more stability - probably because there is less of an open mouth for air to grab hold of.... But, as I say, it's all very subjective. Similar effects can be attained by changing spring and damper rates, and steering rack ratio / steering arm ratio. To get the best out of the 'Grande Nose' you would want to fit it with one of the factory spoilers, to control air going under the car. You can fit front spoilers / splitters and other aero parts to short nose cars too, so its all a bit open to interpretation. It certainly doesn't hurt the dynamics of the car, but one of the greatest attractions of such parts is of course to replicate a rare and limited production factory variant that was produced and sold specifically to homologate the parts for use in motorsport. Alan T.

I already have a fair stock of ZG-specific spares, thanks. However, if Rahail splits the 'kit' and has any parts left over then I may very well pounce. Cheers, Alan T.

Looks like you need to top-up the weedkiller reservoir..... Did they re-badge the Prince G7s with 'Nissan' logos on the few G7s used post-merger? Does yours have a 'Prince' logo on the engine and a 'Nissan' logo on the VIN tag? Don't know if it is would be any help, but I have three versions of the A30-series factory parts lists which cover your car. Would be happy to send them to you if you need them? Cheers, Alan T.

Just to vouch for these parts, as I think they deserve it: Some of you may be aware that I own two genuine factory-built 'HS30-H' Fairlady 240ZG cars, and have had a deep interest in this particular model for a number of years. Don't want to blow my own trumpet, but I think I know what I'm talking about. I travelled to Rahail's home a few weeks ago ( I was buying some other parts from him ) and I looked closely at these parts - which he is now selling - so I have seen them first-hand. Most of them are genuine Nissan factory parts ( made by Kotobuki for Nissan.... ) and the lower nose - the largest part in the 'kit' - appears to be a superbly made replica, at least the equivalent standard to the genuine Nissan ( Kotobuki ) part. In fact, I believe it is an early example of Marguen Shokai's fine work. There are many cheaper so-called 'replicas' of the OEM parts on sale in Japan, but in most cases they are not the equal of the OEM parts in quality, fit or finish - let alone the rather more subjective matter of 'feel' The parts that Rahail has gathered however are excellent, and I will vouch for them ( and for Rahail himself ). I could not say that for the vast majority of 'ZG' copy parts that I have seen in the past. Hope that might help to reassure anyone who was thinking seriously about these parts. Cheers, Alan T.

Good to hear that you and yours are safe, Kats.

Can you take a photo of your engine number pad, and post it here? I'm interested to see it, as I've never seen one before. Also interested to see the oil pan / sump position ( front sump, or rear sump ) and the oil dipstick position in the block. But I don't see how your engine number could have been identified as having come from an R30 Skyline. What system would be used to track such things from the engine number? L28-engined R30-series Skylines are fairly rare beasts, too........ Makes sense to me. The 'R' could then be stamped in the gap between the 'L28' stamping and the block serial number at time of Remanufacture, and the 'X' on the end would preclude anyone from changing the number by adding to it ( same as Nissan did with body serial numbers in certain markets, to conform with local regulations ). Cheers, Alan T.

Here's a link to a great thread running on the viczcar.com forum over in Australia. Owner Adrian is going the extra mile to say the very least. Great stuff! http://www.viczcar.com/forum/index.php/topic,7360.0.html Alan T.

Here's a note for you to put in your records: THESE NUMBERS ARE MEANINGLESS WITHOUT THEIR PREFIXES. Everybody, PRETTY PLEASE!, state your PREFIX along with the body serial number.

My recommended Weber carburettor guru is Mr John Passini ( RIP ). His 1968-published books ( 1. THEORY & 2. TUNING & MAINTENANCE ) have been bibles to me. Here are some scanned pages from book 2, chapter 8, on the subject of spindles:

Isn't a Lybia part of a 'Lady Garden'...? I think you might mean Libya, yes? If they've got a list, you probably deserve to be on it just for that. I suppose we can look forward to the dregs of zcar.com pitching up here and stinking the place up. Oh joy.

I just saw on the BBC news that New Zealand's prime minister John Key has said "....we may be witnessing New Zealand's darkest day." Hard to know what to say in the wake of such devastation and loss. Be strong. Thoughts are with you. Alan T.