HS30-H

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"..................!!

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.