HS30-H

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.

Aha, Some barking up the wrong tree going on here............... Pigsnuckle Public Library had a dictionary delivered last week, so I'm sure they had no problem spotting the fact that we were looking for a deliberate anomaly. Coastguard - Yes, its a 2 Litre alright so that's one line down. But that's "Overall Length" not wheelbase ( its got the same wheelbase as any other 2-seater S30-series Z ) - so that's another line down. 2Many - Yes, very good, you spotted that it is "reputedly" a Z432 ( from that PS30 chassis type ) although it COULD be a Z432-R ( PS30-SB ) as this was not differentiated anywhere on the tags or body number. 2Many and Zvoiture - don't get suckered by that "7-1" line. That's just Japanese tax code stuff. The "anomaly" is something that does not add up if you know a little 432 history.............. Come on, its easy! I just gave you a big clue! Alan T.

Good point Alfadog. But more to the point; why would anyone at Nissan want to BUILD a 280ZX?..................... Alan T.

Enrique, I just sent you a PM. I'll post pictures of the Parking Lamp Switches in my car later today ( I'll have to photograph them first ). Here's a snap of the earlier type ones to be going on with ( if you can see them ); Alan T.

Let's try another one. Spot the "deliberate" anomaly................. Alan T.

Lets round all those answers up together and get a rope around them once and for all; *HS130 = 280ZX ( Right Hand Drive market version ) *GRLS30 = 260Z 2+2 ( Left Hand Drive market version ) *GHLS30 = 280Z 2+2 ( Left Hand Drive market version ) Wonder what the right-hooker ZX was doing in your neighbourhood Zvoiture? Maybe another US Forces "Personal Import" job? Please subtract 100 points because I called MSA and asked for the answers ( but they didn't know either................ ). Alan T.

Zvoiture, thank you for putting me straight on that one. My mental GPS must have been playing up.................... I dialled in "FS5C71-A" and nothing came up, so I presumed there was no such thing. Alan T ( Pompous arse )

Well, they are not 1-off as in "unique" - more that they are built on a case-by-case basis for each customer / application. As for Spring Rates, I have a large choice and I'm still undecided. What with all the other setups I've had I now have a pretty large stock of springs in varying lengths and rates - from 180lbs up to 280lbs. However, I would certainly prefer to have a relatively soft spring rate with the dampers doing more work ( my previous setups ended up with the springs so stiff that the dampers were hardly having to do anything ). Colin Chapman - of Lotus fame - used to try to set his cars up with relatively soft springs and stronger damping. That's the theory I am hoping to benefit from. Anyway, the possibilities are endless when it comes to discussing suspension settings / types. All I can say is that the car I drove with this setup was the my favourite handling / riding Z so far by a long chalk. Alan T.

Well, the price I actually paid is kind of hard to break down. They are not an "off the shelf" item - they are put together as one-offs................ My friend had them made for me by BILSTEIN UK to his specs for Bump, Rebound, overall length of the tubes, Spring length and Spring Rate ( Springs were not in the photos ) as well as the Uniball top mounts and other mounting hardware. Additionally, he supplied the cores to get the work done so that I could recycle my LEDAs ( which should be saleable to someone who wants to use them for a street setup at least ). He needed some body panels ( including a whole right rear quarter ) to repair his rolled racecar, which I sourced for him along with some high ratio LSD-equipped R200 Diffs and a few other bits. We did a "Contra" so that the minimum of money changed hands, but anyone who wanted to get these done from scratch would have to pay well over $2000 ( USD ) to Bilstein, and that's in the UK - so presumably much more expensive to order the equivalent from your side of the "Pond". You would also have to send some cores over for them to work on, as Bilstein will not supply these. That might seem a lot of money, but don't forget that Bilstein chop off the whole tube and then add their own tube with all the workings in it. The valving is all specially chosen, as well as the Bump and Rebound rates and other data that is needed to put them together. Surely there must be companies in the USA that would be able to build a similar setup? I have no idea from who, but wouldn't there be the equivalent available on a special order basis? Having said that, it would probably not be considered necessary for street use by most early Z owners and might not even be thought necessary for circuit race use either. Having had several different setups on the car ( stock dampers with higher rate springs, then Tokico inserts, then Koni D-adjustables, then the Leda set-up with cut-down tubes ) and never feeling happy with any of them after having driven the gas Bilstein-equipped car, I thought I might as well bite the bullet and go for them. I thought it might be of interest to some people here who have never seen one of these "upside down" setups before. Its a little bit like the principle used on racing motorcycles. Alan T.

You can see just how thick the Rods have to be to contain all the valving. I have driven one of the Historic Rally Z's that runs in the UK series, which was also equipped with one of these setups. It was amazingly nice to drive, and I felt like the suspension was really in control of the car - which I never felt with the LEDA oil-filled setup. After a few laps of hard use, or even just a few miles of bumpy and twisty country roads, the LEDA setup would start to get overheated and cavitate - sending the damping all to pot. Fingers crossed that this should do the trick........ Alan T.

I've just picked up my new suspension legs that have been modified with a Bilstein gas "upside down" setup. The cost of the work was pretty frightening, but they DO conform to F.I.A regulations and they are apparently just about as good as you can get whilst staying within the rules. I'm going to "recycle" the setup that is currently on the car ( shortened oil-filled LEDA units that I was never happy with ) and hope that these will feel a lot better. These are what a lot of the Historic Rally guys are running on their cars here in Europe. Alan T.

Mike, No harm done? Certainly does not feel that way to me. I was on the receiving end of some highly personal insults back there, and I am surprised that what was said does not seem to have raised any eyebrows. I always try to keep things Z related, and my original post was merely pointing out that the site in question was not perfect. In return for an attempt at an interesting / entertaining / ironic answer to a question ( stating an opinion that was openly requested ) I get a personal roasting and all sorts of other irrelevant nonsense thrown at me. Not what I call No Harm Done. I try to have a sense of humour about myself ( hence the slightly self-deprecating posts sometimes, which it seems might have been missed by some of those tuning in ) but when it gets that personal I reach for the Duelling Pistol set. Pompous arse? Not so much of the pompous if you please...... Alan T.

The world IS flat after all................ OK, Beandip - here's my alternative reply to your originally posed request for comments; "Wow what a great site. I agree with everything you say about it. Thank you." Better? I'm certainly sorry that I seem to have personally offended you, but you will not make the situation any better by bringing up the IRA. That's a subject that you had better make sure you know what you are talking about before you start throwing it around in my direction. Oh, and thank you for winning the war. Replies in English please. Alan T. Take your seats Ladies and Gentlemen, this one is going to run and run..........................

Gentlemen, Beandip asked what others thought of that site, and I told it how I saw it. I think that's healthy. It was positive critique with an attached caveat, and I was hoping that Beandip was not just expecting more people queueing up to heap praise on it.......... kmack, I may very well send the guy an e-mail to point a few things out - but frankly I can't see him re-writing the site just for little old me! It would be a hell of a lot of work. Like I said, it contains a lot of useful parts interchange info. that will be especially useful to people who are looking to upgrade their USA / North American spec. HLS30 series cars. No personal disrespect to the guy - but he put the information on the WEB, and the way it reads through makes it sound like ALL cars were the same, when in fact he's only talking about one market version. I quite often have people contacting me to ask questions about cars and specs. that do not seem to conform to the template of the HLS30 series cars. This is because they are surprised to find that some details and specifications on their cars are not the same as the USA / North American market versions. They read sites like the one we are discussing, or read something like the Wick Humble "How To" book and then can't figure out why their car is somehow different. Quite often I get people telling me that "all early cars came with 4-speeds", or such-and-such a Diff. ratio was "standard" on 1970 cars. This is because they are believing that the USA / North American market models were all there was, and they cannot figure out why their UK-market HS30 or Japanese Domestic market S30 is not conforming to the data. Thats what I want people to understand; the S30-series Z car was a JAPANESE car that was sold in many different guises in many different markets. The HLS30 USA / North American market version was only ONE variant of many. kmack, I appreciate your restrained criticism ( like I say, Beandip asked for comments and that's what I gave. If he had not asked then I probably would not have taken the "bait"....... ) but please understand that I probably have just as much difficulty in finding accurate information and data as anyone else. In fact, I have had to arm myself with as many facts and factoids as possible in order to defend myself and my cars against the misinformed comments and accusations of people who really ought to know better. One of the best examples of this was trying to obtain proper insurance cover for a vehicle that is unique of its type and specification in Europe. There are no other genuine factory-built Fairlady 240ZG's over here in Europe - so as far as the insurance companies are concerned it "does not exist"! Thats the kind of nonsense that made me try to dig into the history of the cars and find out as much as I could about them. However, I've said it before and I'll say it again - there is still plenty that I do not know ( and may never know ) and I do not profess any different. I have been concentrating on the period race scene for "our" cars, and the non-USA market versions ( particularly the Japanese Domestic market models ) and my interest really lies with the Factory built race cars and all the Option / Race equipment that was offered for them. I really don't know that much about the USA-market versions as there was plenty to find out about the "other" market versions. I am always willing to learn - but if I see a mistake or misapprehension then I think its worth putting it right or at least pointing it out. Trouble is, it can lead to all sorts of finger-pointing and stone-throwing of the "Glass Houses" variety! Coastguard, I would have been tempted to "inform" that Nissan dealer about the wonderful performance parts offered by Nissan ( since the early to mid Sixties no less ) but I can sympathise with you walking out of the shop. That's sometimes how I feel up here on my soapbox telling the world its round and not flat, when all the books say it flat - so it must be true................ For God's sake don't cut and paste too much of my sermonising. If you stick it all together it might send me to eternal damnation in ZX hell!................. I know I'll never win any kind of David and Goliath battle against accepted / acquired wisdom. I just think that it IS worth throwing a few stones and hoping that Goliath will think a little about what he is saying. I know I don't stand a chance when I see a quote on "Zhome" to the effect that "The Z was an American car built in Japan........" - read 'em and weep! Alan T.

Eric, Give up now. The covers are not interchangeable. Forget it! Why would you want to do that anyway? Alan T.

That is a useful page / site for sure, HOWEVER - there is also plenty of disinformation and just plain inaccurate conjecture on there too.............. I'm sure that there is a lot of useful information to be gleaned for tuners and parts swappers who are searching through junkyards to find alternative parts, but I wish that people would research the facts a little better before putting them up on the web for the whole wide world to see. People ought to be mindful of the fact that they are using a global medium when they are putting up local-market information as gospel. This kind of information is what I would expect to see in the back of a local Z club newsletter. He is publishing things that will be of use to certain areas but are wildly inaccurate for others. Take the quote about 5-speed transmissions ( ".........Datsun SEEM to have made three types of 5-speed for the Z...." ) - this is probably true if you are looking at things from your back yard in Pigsnuckle Alabama, but it does not reflect reality. I would expect to read the word "SEEM" if I was reading a Stephen Hawking treatise on the shape of Time and Space - but not about Nissan trannies! What about all the Option boxes, and what about all the factory type codes! The quote about the LSD Diffs. also shows that the information is not properly researched, QUOTE: ".....Nissan only made a Limited Slip Diff. very late in the Z's life...." - this is rubbish. A Limited Slip Diff. was available from launch in October 1969 as a factory Sports Option part ( or stock on the PS30 and PS30-SB ) - but was not offered on the stock USA / North American market cars until much later on. Other markets also received cars with the FS5C71A transmission from the get-go, but just because the USA market versions had the 4-speed this does not mean that the 5-speeds did not exist................ I'm all for the free and unrestricted distribution of knowledge and facts, but if anyone is going to go to the not inconsiderable effort of putting a page like this up on the web then surely it would be a good idea to tell the WHOLE story, and not just a local snapshot of it through a metaphorical hole in the fence. Just like books and magazine articles, I think that anything put into print on a page ( and that includes the web ) should be taken very seriously and changed if any errors are discovered. In most cases, that just never seems to happen. Glean from it what you can, but you must try to take this kind of information with a big pinch of salt. It only applies to one market area and what the guy knows about it. This is not the whole truth and nothing but the truth by any means........... Alan T.

Guy, Hope you are not driving it in the driving rain we have had over the last few days here in London............. I went down to the garages today and fished out a good strut for you. Its still got lots of gas in it ( could hardly compress it ) and I brought it home with me. We had dinner together tonight and then took a romantic stroll down by the river ( actually I made that last bit up... ). Give me a call and we can arrange to meet up and I'll hand it over. Its got a few scratches on it - so you might want to paint it before you put it on the car. I've got a good 3.9 ratio diff. if you fancy getting rid of that super tall American one in your car at the moment ( that should wake it up a bit ). All the best, Alan T.

Hi Sean, I don't mean JUST the "HS30" series - I mean ALL variants of S30 series Z. I'd still like to see ALL the variants of the S30 series in one area at one time somewhere in Europe. I got pretty close to seeing it last year at the NISMO Festival in Japan, but no cigar. Any S130 series should be segregated, and so should any Z31 and Z32 series. I think that if the different types are at least parked up in different areas ( and not mixed up ) it would help a great deal. I don't think anyone benefits from them being mix-parked, and it just confuses the look of the event and comparisons between version are much better drawn this way than by having mixed series parking. I've got nothing against the other series models, but I don't see how anyone can think that they are all the same car because they are all "Z" cars. I think that you will find that the Z31 and Z32 owners will have a lot of trouble relating to the S30 series owners, and the S130 series owners will be confused anyway!................ Maybe the odd Z33 might turn up and it might be funny to see if the owner recognises some of the other series cars.............. As for me - just give me a gravel trap to spin into and I should be happy for the rest of the day digging all the stones out of the car. I would not fancy taking on the job of organising something like the dream show you are describing. I think it would be very difficult to please everybody and the temptation would be for it to grow like Topsy. I'd rather go to a smaller "Hard Core" event / meeting than something that tries to be all things to everybody. All the best, Alan T.

You probably will not need the Weber "Starter Devices" to be hooked up in order to get the car to start. As long as you are pretty close with your jetting and set-up, then a few dabs on the throttle pedal before turning the key will usually be enough to start a cold engine. It only takes a minute or less to get an idle speed that makes the car driveable ( as long as the rest of your engine is not too radical ) and then it should run just fine. The problem with the Webers is that the Starter Devices pull "on" from the front of the engine ( whereas the original Hitachi SU's pull on from the firewall ). Therefore you would need to fabricate something that loops around to pull from the radiator side of the engine, and the stock choke cable is not really long enough for this. You could possibly Frankenstein something up, but it would be MORE important to make sure that the Starter Devices were fully closing than to have them operating in the first place. You might be fretting over nothing, as a well-built fresh engine with proper compression and a clean spark will run very nicely without too much of a warming up. I used to run an L24 on 40DCOEs here in central London as an everyday driver, and had no trouble at all in starting with no Starter Devices hooked up ( I just diasbled them and made sure they were fully closed ). Give it a go. Good luck, Alan T.

Guy, Why didn't you think to ask me?! I have loads of stuff like that in my garages. Let me have a dig over the weekend and I will see if I can come up with a good one for you. I know there's more than one in there somewhere........... Are you now on the road with it as a daily driver? All the best, Alan T.

Fred, Guus is right - flat matt black will be a devil to keep clean and will degrade quite quickly. The Works Rally cars and some of the Works circuit race cars had more of a satin black finish. This was done originally to help with dissipating engine bay heat, but people had been painting bonnets black since the Fifties both the get rid of heat and also give their cars a "racy" image, like the race cars that they saw with them. Actually, flat matt black is probably better at heat dissipation but satin will last longer and not be so porous. Gloss black bonnets ( sorry, "Hoods" ) can look good on a street car, and it tends to look quite Japanesque. The original Factory FRP bonnets ( the Japanese call them "bonnets" too, by the way) came from the moulders in a gunmetal colour, and the correct finish for a Factory Works Rally car is the satin black outside with the original gunmetal colour applied by the moulders on the inside. Guus, I think your car looks better than Tony Fall's car too! Alan T.

Rick, I'm not going to try to explain myself. I might just get myself into more trouble.............. So I'll get my coat...................... Alan T.

By the way, I'm old enough to remember Americans pronouncing Porsche as "Por-shay"..................!!