HS30-H

Hi Kats, You put your points very well. Hats off to you for doing it in English too......... At first, it seemed to me that you were implying that the S30-series Z was designed "as" a LHD model primarily, and a RHD secondarily. I'm sorry to say that there are many people who believe this to be true! I would agree that Japanese historians / journalists / enthusiasts are perhaps somewhat lacking knowledge on the "world" view of their car industry in the post-war period ( although whenever I see a Japanese book or magazine article on the S30-series Z, it seems to me that they usually DO mention the LHD export versions ). However, they are certainly no less uninformed ( and sometimes downright wrong ) than the "rest of the world" ( read; "English speaking" press here ). You will STILL find magazine articles, even books dedicated to the subject, written in the English language, that get SO MUCH wrong about these cars. They are still even preaching the big myth that Albrecht Goertz designed / styled the car. In many cases they have NO IDEA that the S30-series Z was sold in its Home market with so many variants, or that it was raced and rallied with great success outside the USA. I was another of the mis-informed masses until I first went to Japan some 15 years ago. I then started seeing that I was not in command of the full facts about this particular car or the Japanese car industry of the Twentieth Century in general. My eyes were really opened to the excellent models that were available in Japan but unheard of in the rest of the world. I made great efforts to try to learn about all this, and since then I have been learning all the time. Its a massive task, and I will never finish it, but I do want to try to find out as much as possible - and I always try to promote the Japanese "side" of the story where it is necessary. I have to say that the best part of 35 years of the WRONG information about the S30-series Z and its design process is now committed to "history", and it will probably take another 35 years to overturn that. Recently, I have noticed a slow but sure reappraisal of Goertz's involvement in the project - but its nowhere near strong enough to dispel the myths that he himself has created and maintained. I really feel sorry for Mr Matsuo, and I have pretty much lost respect for the people that should have protected Nissan's history and heritage, and defended Matsuo and his team back when the silly stories started. The design change from four-cylinder to six, and its consequent enlargement of the body, happened quite early in the design process. What interested me was that they actually did not seem to have total conviction that the car could sell as well as it finally did in the export market, and that there really WERE so many compromises in the final LHD version. The point about the "cost-cutting" and use of generic / shared componentry with other models is actually just good sense; so much of the Japanese car industry's success in exports through the '60's and '70's was down to having a good product AT THE RIGHT PRICE. An aid to that was that the Yen was so weak in foreign exchange during that period. What Matsuo and his team were having to face up to is something that ALL car manufacturers now have to take account of. I know that the British car makers of the '50's and '60's had to face the same task, and people would be surprised to know where a lot of the componentry came from ( the engine of the Triumph TR2 for example was basically a tractor engine...... ). What impresses me is that they made such a good job with what were components from a very diverse range of models, mixed with some key type-specific designs. So, here's me and a few others trying to tell the English-speaking car world that they should not necessarily believe all they read or hear, and there's Kats in Japan trying to do the same thing in reverse! I must say that I do honestly think that the situation in Japan is better than in the rest of the world. At least they generally have an inkling that the S30-series Z sold incredibly well in the USA and North American markets. I still meet and speak to Z enthusiasts who have NO IDEA of what went on in the rest of the Z world, or that the Japanese market arguably had the better choice of models / variants to suit all tastes and pockets. The rest of the world pretty much got one market-specific specification on a take-it-or-leave-it basis ( exterior colour was the only choice offered in the UK market for example ). I think that you can almost see Nissan's realisation about the needs of the rest of the world from the mid-'60's; a whole host of models suddenly appeared towards the end of that decade that really hit the spot and proved a success in the export market. The 510 Bluebird was a world-class car, and I am still amazed that it hardly seems to get the recognition it deserves. If it was French, German or Italian the car journalists would still be praising it as a milestone design. I think that there still has to be a lot of prejudice against the Japanese out there that goes hand in hand with ignorance. I saw and spoke to Mr Matsuo at the Nismo Festival again last Sunday. The poor man was making his own way around the event in the company of a friend, and in no way seemed to be looked after as any kind of VIP by the Nissan or NISMO top brass. It was mainly "us" Z enthusiasts who noted his presence and crowded around him, or showed any kind of reverence. I guess the fact that he left the company such a long time ago means that he now has to fend for himself. If I were at Nissan, I would make a great effort to re-recruit him and make him some kind of advisor. Stranger things have happened; look how close Mr K. is to the company again ( he's having the last laugh at all those beancounters who showed him the back door all those years ago ). Maybe Mr Matsuo would not be happy about such an offer, but it would be nice if Nissan asked him. Its interesting to note that many of the new magazine articles and books in Japan on the Z33 are interviewing Mr Matsuo about the "original" Z, but I have yet to see the man's name mentioned in any story about the Z33's "DNA" in the English language. Very sad, that. Kats, I completely agree that the design process of the S30-series Z was influenced by the intention to sell it as a LHD export model. They could not have ignored this fact, and would have been keeping it in mind right from the beginning. They could not have done otherwise. What I want to defend against is the assertion that the S30-series Z was designed PRIMARILY as a LHD car, and that the RHD versions were in some way second-best. Just as I said in my previous post, it could be argued that Nissan made a great mistake in NOT designing the car primarily with LHD in mind ( surely some LHD customers would have complained about the positioning of the handbrake at some point!? ). The fact that such a huge percentage of sales went outside Japan would not have been such a surprise, especially since the Japanese economy and road system of the period made the Z look the equivalent of a Ferrari today. I have met many Japanese Z owners who saw the car when it was new and immediately wanted one - but were not able to realise their dream until later. I have to say that the situation in Europe was perhaps only a few years ahead of Japan at that point. We had lots of exotic cars coming out into the showrooms that only a very few of the elite could afford to buy and run ( example; E-type Jaguar ) - but it was good to dream whilst we exported in quantity and reaped the rewards in foreign currency. I think this is pretty much what was happening in Japan too. I want to defend against statements like the one I saw on zhome recently, which imply that the LHD version of the car was the primary concern of Matsuo and his team, and that the S30-series Z was designed "for" the USA / North American market. It even goes to the point of saying that the car was an "......American car, designed and built in Japan........". That's the kind of skewed view that I find it unbelievable anybody could really believe is near the truth. It would have made sense for Nissan, Matsuo and his team to be thinking along those lines ( if they had, they might have made a better job of the ergonomics on the LHD version ) - but I think its quite wrong to think that they DID. Whilst I agree with much of what is on that kind of website, it really does seem to take a very strange view about this point. I can see faults on both sides ( being neither Japanese nor American ), but I completely understand the Japanese viewpoint and think that it is natural. The zhome opinion is much more difficult to even get near to agreeing with. Best regards, Alan T.

Hi GunnerRob, Thanks for the nice comments. Its makes it all worthwhile when we see a good result in the end. I can vouch for Kats and his generosity, as I have personally been on the receiving end of it too. He should should work for the United Nations - we'd have world peace in no time. Regards, Alan T.

Kats, you might find that as this is a US-based and largely US-populated site that you do not need to tell everybody what they already think to be the truth. Personally, I take the opposite view to you. I think its quite clear that Nissan aimed its sales of the S30-series Z at its biggest potential market ( the USA and North America ), but there is NO WAY that the S30-series Z was designed primarily as a left-hand-drive car. It is beyond doubt that Nissan designed and built most of the components in the S30-series Z to suit a right-hand-drive layout. The left-hand-drive version was a variant on the RHD base. If you want evidence for this, try thinking about where the handbrake is situated ( or emergency brake / side brake - depending on where you are ), or where the inlet and exhaust manifolds are situated on the engine. Does anybody have any real conviction that the LHD layout makes more sense than the RHD layout for these cars? I'm sorry - but if you want to believe that Nissan built the S30-series Z with a mainly LHD version in mind, then you would have to say that they messed it up! To aid my defence, I would state the examples of the UK-based auto manufacturers ( such as MG, Triumph, Jaguar et al ) who always knew that their biggest chance of major sales was to sell well in the USA. This is back in the days of "Export Or Die". They made LHD versions of their cars, but there is NO WAY that they designed them primarily as LHD cars. You would have to say that this was in fact a great mistake; if they HAD put more thought and effort into the LHD versions then those companies might have still been in British ownership today........... Nissan made a pretty good job of the LHD version of the S30-series Z, and people like Yutaka Katayama may well have preached the story that it was designed "for" America. However, I would much rather listen to an Engineer than a Salesman ( and lets not forget that Mr K. was naturally going to tell America what it wanted to hear ) and I don't think that you will hear any of the engineers involved in the project saying that the car was built "for" the American market in any engineering sense. If it was, then how come they compromised the LHD version so much over the RHD version? I have often toyed with the idea of starting a thread here that asks what people believe to be the truth about the RHD versus LHD debate. However, I very soon thought better of the idea as it seemed clear that asking a 99% LHD based audience a question like that was going to elicit just one type of answer! But seeing as Kats has kind of opened a debate about it, how about it? Any comments? Who agrees with him, and why? Simply citing the numbers sold will not swing it, as quantity does not mean anything. If it did, then most of the UK-manufactured sports cars of the '50's and '60's would be in the same position. What we are talking about here is cars designed in a RHD market being sold in a LHD market, and that is something that Japan and the UK shared in common. I can't think of even one of the big-selling UK manufactured sports cars that worked better or made any more sense in LHD form over RHD form. Its just natural, and as I say, could arguably be seen as a big mistake on the part of the manufacturer. Kats may be seen as something of a rebel in Japan. I don't think that there are very many Japanese historians or enthusiasts that would agree with him that the S30-series Z was designed "for" the LHD export market. Its somewhat ironic to have an Englishman debating with a Japanese gentleman over these points, when the Englishman is fighting for the Japanese corner! I personally know only too well about cars originally designed as LHD not working very well in their RHD versions; I have owned several Alfas and Lancias that had terrible ergonomics in RHD form in comparison to their LHD iterations. I know that these cars were designed primarily as LHD, and that the RHD was something of a compromise. I see the S30-series Z as a car that went through its design process primarily as a RHD, with thought paid to a LHD version secondarily. How else can you explain how it turned out? The new "Z33" is the opposite; I think they have shown all the way through that they were thinking of the LHD form primarily, and the RHD secondarily. I don't think this happened with the S30-series Z. Looking forward to a probable barrage of disagreement.............! Alan T.

Hi DRECORD, Don't want to rain on your barbecue whilst you are still enjoying it, but the PS30 Z432 had the same mesh grille as all other early Japanese Home-market S30 series Z cars. What you have found is actually a Japanese Home-market mesh grille common in all the S30 Fairlady model variants ( except the HS30-H 240ZG ). They are still available in Japan ( I was in a specialists in Japan last week and he had a stack of about 12 in the factory boxes ) so they are out there. The trouble with Nissan at the moment is that they are telling different stories to different people. My contacts in Japan tell me they can get most parts if they put an order on a waiting list and then get patient. When Nissan have enough orders they put them together and make an order with the supplier for that part. Naturally, we know there are some items that are now unobtainable - but it seems that the Japanese specialists with the better contacts in Japan are able to get things that we outside Japan are being told cannot be had.............. The mesh grille ( to my mind ) looks a LOT better than the bar type grille. Hope that you enjoy it, but please make sure that you correctly identify it as a Japanese Home-market grille - and not specific just to the 432. Regards, Alan T.

Hi Enrique and Kats, Looks like a good result for our little carchaeology expedition...... Kats - your drawing was very good! I think it confirms that the Fog Lamp Switch was just about the same shape as the Hazard Lamp switch, but just with a different symbol on it. Enrique - I think that thought about the reversing of the symbol for LHD and RHD might be a red herring; I don't think they would have done it unless they did the same thing with other switches and their symbols. I shall keep a look out for a switch just like Kats - but don't hold your breath! It seems they are pretty rare now................. In the meantime it might be a good idea to try and modify a Hazard Lamp switch, as you say. Yes - the three meters on top of the dash were juxtaposed between the RHD and LHD versions, so that the clock was always furthest away from the driver. Enrique - I recommend you put Kats on your list of most interesting contacts. He is a true detail fanatic and is rather singular in having an absolutely cracking early HLS30 that he had restored in Japan. Most HLS30's that made their way back to Japan were bought as cheap but rust-free donors for modified or non-standard projects, and change hands for much less money than a similar condition RHD car. Kats's car shows his fanaticism for period-correct detail and I am sure would be a top-dollar car anywhere in the world. I'm sure he will put some more photos of his car up on the Members Cars section of the Gallery, but if he comes over all modest I will scan in some pictures from a Japanese magazine article that I have on it. Its a peach. Alan T.

Hi Kats, Good to hear from you. Hope that you will be around here more often. For Enrique's delight - here is the picture of the Works rally car dash with its supplementary switches. I think that's no less than FOUR of the factory switches in the centre there................ This particular car is now under restoration in the UK, and competed as a Works entry in the 1971 RAC Rally. I feel sure that these switches are the type that Enrique is looking for. I had at one point suspected that the C10 Skyline shape of fog lamp switch might have been the same - but after closer research it seems that they were quite a different shape entirely. With a bit of luck, Enrique might be able to find one now that he knows what they look like. What do you think Enrique? Do you think this is the right type? All the best, Alan T.

Hi Kats! How are you? I just got back from the NISMO FESTIVAL at Fuji Speedway and I was kind of expecting to see you there........ I thought that you might have been one of the people to ask about this question on Enrique's behalf. Seems that the Fog Lamp option was quite rare in Japan too, as I was not able to find one to photograph. However, I THINK I have a picture of what might be a factory Fog Lamp switch - and its on the dash of a genuine Works Rally car. I will hunt it down and post it up here. Nice to see that you frequent the site, Kats. Hope to see you posting more often. I saw the article about you in AUTOWORKS by the way ( very impressive! ). Just to fill everybody in on Kats' car; it has to be one of the best restored early LHD cars in the world. If he does not post any pictures of it through modesty, then I will. All the best, Alan Thomas.

Copyright problems. Many of the photos that I have are taken from books and magazines. I also have some original prints from the photographers themselves, which were REALLY hard to get hold of. Almost all of the images are copyrighted by the photographers or publishers, and I have to respect that if I am going to keep collecting them. Putting them up on the web without clearance is just not fair to the owners of the copyright, and especially to the photographers. Mike, I think you especially will know what I am talking about here? That picture at the start of this thread is a classic case in point. I think PhilUK saved it from a previous post of mine in another thread. I really should not have posted it in the first place, as it is not mine to give out. However, its such an evocative shot that I could not resist it. Now its already being thrown around in cyberspace without the photographer getting any credit or payment. I feel guilty. Having taken a few photos myself, I know how it feels to have someone pinch your images and not even give a credit - let alone pay you. Thats why I don't think its fair to put 'em up. Hope that sounds fair to everyone. I don't think any of us would like to work and then not get paid................. Regards, Alan T.

Hi Alfadog, That question's right up my street. At the risk of getting way off subject on the original thread - here's the answer: When the C110 Skyline debuted in Japan, Nissan launched a massive ad campaign in print, film ( at cinemas ) and - most memorably for the general public - television commercials. The television commercials were really lavish affairs for the time, and really broke the mould for the early days of Japanese colour TV. Even in the early 1970's the Japanese standard of living was not all that high, but people were just starting to get hold of some disposable income and easier credit. These people were the target of the Skyline commercials. The commercials featured a young boy / girl couple ( "Ken" and "Mary" ) who were not quite 100% Japanese-looking, but certainly looked like models. The commercials followed their exploits on romantic drives to photogenic locations in Japan through the seasons, and the whole thing was accompanied by a specially-commissioned theme song called "Ai no Skyline" ( roughly translating as "Skyline of love" ) which actually topped the charts in many versions. Ken and Mary became pretty popular characters with the general public, and Skyline sales really took off - despite the Oil Crisis. The print ad campaign spawned its own icons, as the umbrella mark and heart logo of the Ken and Mary ads became easily-recognisable icons. The Works Skyline race cars of the period even sported the logos. I've got the whole Ken & Mary TV ad campaign on video. Its about a half hour long in total. What a sad bugger I am. Alan T.

Hi Phil, You may have already noted the wave of apathy that greeted your post. That picture you put up was captured from one of my own posts some time ago, so I can tell you that not many people out there are all that well informed about the Japanese race career of the S30-series Z car, much less even seem to care! I have plenty more pics of the Japanese circuit race cars, and particularly of the "Works" circuit race cars. However, I'm not going to start putting them up here as its probably not the best thing to do. I would suggest that you start to build your own little archive of photos and start hunting down Japanese books and magazines on the subject. You will find a fair bit on the web if you are brave enough to investigate the Japanese sites. Don't expect to find them all in one place, as they are relatively rare images. In answer to your questions, I would honestly have to say that you will have to try to be as accurate as possible if you want to make your car look even a half faithful replica of the real thing. The headlamp covers without the stainless trim will not really cut it ( unless you paint them body colour and make them look like they are off a BRE car ) and I have no idea about the shape or quality of the GRP flares that Mike at MJP here in the UK sells. However, I would imagine that they are sourced from the USA. The closest thing to the "real thing" is still available in Japan, and some companies in the USA sell copies of them. You might like to look up "Classic Datsun Motorsports" who are based in the USA and sell probably the best replicas outside Japan. I am sure that you would probably prefer to try to get stuff from the USA rather than Japan. With regard to "air dams" and spoilers - you will find that the Japanese racers experimented with many many different types. The different regional squads of "Works" supported racers all had their own theories and ideas about the best way to execute this item, and even different cars in the same team had differing spoilers. They even started blocking off the radiator openings and leaving small ducts for cooling / induction. The Le Mans cars ( actually, it was only ONE car that ran in 1975 and ONE car that ran in 1976 - and they were both the SAME car ) were fitted with the ZG-type Group 4 aerodynamic body parts. The "Type B" version was used in the case of that particular car, with the extra large 3-piece rear spoiler, extra-wide "overfenders", "G" Nose and the bigger "Type B" front spoiler. If you are hoping to replicate the 1971 Japan GP race car driven by Tohira ( a full "Works" spec. SCCN car ) then the Le Mans car is the wrong thing to be looking at, as they were two different things. The proper aerodynamic bodied cars were a bit later. Most of the Circuit Racing "Works" SCCN cars were running with GRP Bonnets ( "hoods" ) and Tailgates, with Acrylic in all windows except the front screen. There were a few cars built with GRP doors, but these were outlawed in the regulations for the 1972 season. The front Wings ( "fenders" ) were almost always steel on the "Works" cars. A lot of the period feel from these Japanese racers comes from wheel and tyre choice. In a quest for more grip with limited tyre technology, they got fatter and fatter. Do not underestimate the width of wheel and tyre that it takes to fill up one of those "overfender" arches. Black or gunmetal coloured wheels are a must-do. Also remember that the factory cut and rewelded the rear wheelarch lips for clearance ( which you might not want to do ). Lastly, as I hinted at above, this kind of style has a limited appeal to the General Public and is much misunderstood. It will drastically affect the resale value of your car. If you are into it enough then you will not care ( personally, I love the fact that many people do not know what it all means - it makes it "your" secret, and only the cognescenti will appreciate it ) but if you want to turn the car back into money then it is something to think about. Good luck, Alan T.

Hi Enrique, Glad that helped a little. Regarding your further questions; I think you are right that neither of the switches was illuminated. Looking at the wiring ( although its hard to tell from Nissan's sketch ) it just doesn't seem that they can be, and the only illuminated switch I know of on early S30-series Z cars was the rear window de-mister switch ( which was probably illuminated as a reminder to turn it OFF as much as anything else! ). I should imagine that the toggle type ( "later" ) switch was pretty much generic in the Nissan lineup, and it looks very similar to the type of switches that I have seen in the C10 series Skylines that were contemporary to the S30-series Z. I'm off to Japan next week for the Nismo Festival at Fuji Speedway, and there are usually lots of S30-series Z cars in attendance. I shall look through a few windows and see if I can see any symbols on any fog lamp switches. Failing that, I know somebody in Japan who will definitely know. Will keep you posted. Regards, Alan T.

Here's some data from the Japanese Nissan Parts Catalogue ( Publication Number C-236 ) from 1972 which covers both the "early" and "late" types and references their changeover period. The picture attached shows the drawing of the two types of Fog Lamp Switch. Part no. 9 is the *25370-E4100 "SWITCH COMP. - fog lamp" Part no. 10 is the *25370-E8700 "SWITCH COMP. - fog lamp" Part no. 9 is the "early" type and no. 10 is the "late" type. When the Japanese market got the chance to buy HS30 series L24-equipped cars ( October 1971 ) in addition to what they previously had, the factory changed over to the "later" type switch. This was apparently because the console changed, and the console changed because the "B" type transmission was phased in. All the Japanese Home-market HS30-series cars got the "B" type box from October 1971. The corresponding hole in the sheetmetal around the shift lever was different, thus the console design was changed. Looks like the "early" switch was dash-mounted and the "late" switch was console mounted. Good luck, Alan T.

Rolf and Steve, Many thanks for your words of encouragement. Steve, that switch on the right hand side ( position 3 as you call it ) of my installed panel on the ZG is actually now redundant. If you look at the picture of the reverse of the panel you can see that the wires have been simply cut and tied off. The switch itself is identical to the Parking Lamp switch that is in the middle, but the actual position is marked by a "fan" symbol........ When my car came over from Japan, it had a lot of aftermarket accessories / nonsense fitted to it. These included an LED panel that indicated Oil Temp. and Water Temp. and a very nasty audio setup, as well as all sorts of other iffy bits and pieces. It also had an Air Con unit fitted to it ( one of the Factory types ) and the wiring for that was pretty ugly too. The Switch on the right was performing a non-standard function in connection with the Air Con. All that stuff came off and went straight in the dustbin. I saved some of the switches and other useful-looking Factory bits for possible recycling on other projects. So, at the moment its unused - but it is in fact another Parking Lamp switch as far as I can make out ( the wire connections / colours are identical ). All the best, Alan T.

Quote: "What I'm hoping to get out of this post, is that someone will be able to post either a picture of the ACTUAL switch,..........." - at least you got a front and rear picture of the switch. You don't seem to have been particularly pleased with what I came up with -which makes me feel I should not have bothered. Any kind of reply would at least have acknowledged some effort on my part................. Alan T.

Sorry 240znz, I must have missed that one first time around. My guess is that it was not a "real" 240ZG, but a half-replica. If you do not know the owner, then you would not be able to tell you about it - but I would have thought this might be a little confection that he put together himself. Major clues to it NOT being an original one are as follows: *Genuine 240ZG's have "Fairlady 240Z" emblems ( the one you saw said "Fairlady Z" - which would either point to the car being an S30 or S30-S that somebody put a G-Nose on to, or a New Zealand market car that someone put "Fairlady Z" badges onto ). *Genuine 240ZG's always had the fibreglass "Overfenders" when they left the factory. What about the one you saw? Of course, it is possible that someone could have taken them off if they did not like them ( I have seen this in Japan ). *Lack of Japanese-market mirrors makes it sound like a non Japanese-market car. The above would tend to make it look like you saw a local market car with an aftermarket G-Nose and "Fairlady Z" badges - which are actually wrong for a "real" ZG. Once a ZG always a ZG. Even if you took all the ZG-specific parts off a ZG and made it look like any other S30-series Z, it would still be a ZG ( HS30-H ) because that's what it left the factory as. This works the other way too; simply adding ( even genuine ) ZG parts to an HS30 does NOT make it a genuine ZG. A good friend of mine is just about to emigrate to NZ, and he's a renowned Z specialist / tuner from here in the UK. Once he's settled in I'll give you his contact details. He really knows how to work on these cars........... Hope the above helped a little. All the best, Alan T.

Hi Cuong, I don't think we would get many "students" attending the course ( even if I WAS qualified to lecture in it - which I'm not! ) - I think there are not that many of us out there who are interested in the true story of the S30-series Z from the same perspective as you and I. My "project" car is actually based on a Japanese Home-market Fairlady Z-L bodyshell, and as it was built around April / May of 1970 it has the features that I needed to build an accurate replica of a PS30-SB - which were pretty much all built on very early bodies. I have replicated the deletion of the spare-tyre well ( and inserted a ribbed steel panel ) so that the "correct" 100 litre tank can be used, and of course the body already has the non tool-box type features behind the seats. You would not believe the amount of differences between the ordinary L-series engined bodies and the S20 engined bodies, let alone the hundreds ( if not thousands ) of differences in all the other parts. As its only a "replica" I can get away with mixing and matching quite a few parts, but I really do want to try to keep as faithful to the flavour of the real thing as possible - so I'm trying to track down as many of the correct parts as I can, especially where they show. I shall post up a few photos in the Members Cars are in the Gallery - but its not much to look at yet. The body might be painted by Christmas, by I'm kind of hoping that it won't - so that I don't have to pay for it until January! Regards, Alan T.

Just in case anyone wants to crunch the numbers on these parts, here they are; *86720 - E4100 "FINISHER - floor console" ( "early" type ) *86728 - E4700 "COVER - finisher" ( "early" type ) *86720 - E8750 "LID arse'Y - floor console" ( "later" type for all models except Fairlady Z "base" model ) *86720 - E8751 "LID arse'Y - floor console" ( "later" type for Fairlady Z "base" model "S30", which had Parking Lamp system as Optional Extra ) *86723 - E8700 "GROMMET - parking switch" ( This to be used on 86720 - E8751 where Parking Lamp system is not chosen as an Option ). Here's the schematic from the Japanese parts list manual for the cross-over period, where both types are shown;

Here's the rear of the same panel. The actual switch mounts the same way ( screws at 10 and 4 o'clock ) so I would think that they are interchangeable between the "early" and "late" type panels.

Here's the "later" type in situ in the ZG;

Here's the "early" type in slightly out of focus close-up;

Right, I went over to the garages yesterday and took the ZG for probably its last run of the year ( putting it away for the winter now ). The rented garages are a good 30 minute drive from home. I had a dig through the parts for the 1970 Japanese-market project car too, and only managed to find the actual switch panel -not the switches themselves ( although I think I know where they are now that I remembered ). As far as I can remember Nissan used the same switches - but just a different panel. Therefore the actual switches ( they are a pair in one unit ) could be had from either the early or later type. Sorry Enrique, I do not think I have a spare of either. I took some photos which you can see below. The "early" type is naturally out of the console and out of the car ( the car is in the paint shop ) but the "later" type is pictured in situ in the ZG. Enrique, I'll send you some higher resolution copies direct. Alan T. Here's the "early" type panel:

Kerching! Cuong wins the cigar. Yes, the build number is way too high to be a genuine PS30 Z432. The factory usually claims to have only built around 420 PS30's ( including 432-R's ) but the specialists and owners in Japan know it was slightly higher than that. Probably closer to 460 or so. Nissan did another "funny" with the build numbers on the PS30 series and suddenly hopped, skipped and jumped a few bodies. Consequently, genuine late 1973 PS30's can be found in Japan with VIN numbers in the low 500's. Nissan don't like being reminded about it, either.................. My particular VIN tag is for my long-term project car; its an early 1970 Fairlady Z-L ( S30 ) which I am turning into a Z432-R "replica" - complete with S20 twin-cam engine, 100 litre fuel tank, flat rear floor and other appropriate period parts. The tag is just a bit of fun really - the build number is correct for "my" body, but PS30's never got into the 600's let alone the high 3000's. I'm guessing it will take a very alert Policeman to spot the difference, and hoping that I will be able to flannel him enough to get away with it if he DOES spot it. Coastguard! Shame on you! The S30-series Z was born with a 2-litre engine in it! Alan T.

Sorry Mike, Yes - these Parking Lamp systems were indeed for the Japanese "Home" market cars. It used to be the case that anyone parking a car on the open road outside a street-lit urban area would have to illuminate the offside front and rear corners of the car for safety reasons. Don't think its still applicable now. You could choose to switch on the left or right sides separately ( depending on which side of the car was sticking out into the road ) and interestingly there does not seem to have been any legislation about pointing the "wrong" way; I don't know about elsewhere in the world, but I'm old enough to remember laws here in the UK that made it illegal for a car to be parked up on the side of the road "facing" oncoming traffic - it always had to be the rear that was facing the traffic on that side of the road ( hence the red reflectors ). Sounds like you had the same thing in Australia. Interestingly, they were fitted to the more expensive models of Japanese Home market Z as standard equipment but the poor old "cooking" model Fairlady Z ( S30-S ) had them as an "option". Presumably owners who chose to keep costs down would have to make sure that they did not park outside street-lit areas. I've seen some of the corresponding tail lamp assemblies turn up on UK-market cars ( just not connected in the same way ). Looks like another one of those things where Nissan were running short of lamps and chucked on something "near enough". Regards, Alan T.