jerz

Mike, I read this thread with interest. My (UK from first registration) 1978 260Z coupe is equipped with a non-dipping rear view mirror. I searched through some UK brochures and almost all cars in these appear to have the dipping type. My owner's manual (see attachment), however, lists both a "glare-proof type" (day/night type) and a "conventional nonglare type". I have attached some photographs of the mirror which appears similar to the item you have, although the part number for mine (from my fiche, not from the part itself) is "96321-N3500". Regards.

There are reproduction strap insulators available for the early series S30 here: http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/34-1214

Texasz, I can't help with the first part number, but 27155-E4400 is a fan switch cable (see fiche scan) for cars up to July 1973. The fiche I have applies to right hand drive cars, so I am not sure if the same part number applies to left hand drive vehicles.

I read this thread with interest. My car is a 1978 260Z (UK model) and has a single rubber grommet to seal where the two heater hoses pass through the bulkhead into the heater assembly. The part number for this is 27197-U0100, but it is unavailable through the sources I have tried. If anyone knows where I can find one of these, NOS (or even two, as I know someone else that is looking), I would be grateful. The fiche scan shows, in blue, where the grommet fits, but it is not actually illustrated on the fiche itself.

Chris, I think you would have to weld in a couple of filler panels to the grille for it to fit your car because of the UK bumper-mounted indicator cut outs! I took another shot of the NOS rear panel in natural daylight this time (attached), but being a spring day here in the UK, it was overcast and raining at the time. If the sun comes out, I can take some additional photographs if you want. I am not sure if the rivets for the rear light finishers are still available new. My S30 parts book is confusing, but I would surmise that the rivet reference number would be 79909-E4100 or 90909-E4100. If you look at a scan of the appropriate page in the parts book which, bear in mind, is for RHD cars (if that makes a difference), the rivet part number (17) applies to cars up June 1972. There is, however, no superseded part number up to July 1973, which is the last date on the fiche. The other parts book scan applies to later cars, built from August 1973. Perhaps someone with a LHD parts book could help you better that I.

Chris, I do not know if these photographs help, but they are of a NOS grille and rear light finisher for a late UK model (1978) 260Z. They have been kept boxed, so should not have faded from the factory finish. The shade of satin grey paint used appears to be the same on the grille and tail light finisher. I can email the photographs to you direct if you wish.

Ian, Thanks for that! Yes, mine will be staying as near to stock as I can determine exactly what stock is. I think the problem for us being in the UK is that there are not too many cars that have not been fully or partially restored to use as a reliable and accurate reference point. However, I have learnt an incredible amount on this forum already and that is within a week of signing up here! I think I’m hooked! I have just added another shot of the car for anyone interested in the UK (late) model 260Z. Anyway, Ian, I look forward to meeting up soon.

Alan, Thank you for your comments. From your style of writing, I believe you also post on the UK Z-Club forum under a different username. I have to say that the fountain of knowledge on this site is incredible. I am embarrassed to say that I do not know a great deal about the S30 model, but I am very keen to learn as much as I can from people like yourself and others that have posted on this and the UK site. Ian has encouraged me to keep with the "flat tops" and shared a great deal of information in relation to these and other Z-related queries. When I bought the car it was always my ambition to find an "original" unrestored example in the best condition possible. I put the words "original" in inverted commas as a construction lawyer once said to me, how could someone truly say something is original if they were not there to witness it being put together! Anyway, I was incredibly lucky when I bought the car as the second keeper, who I purchased the vehicle from, had used it as a second car and purchased it at thirteen months old. I know the second owner garaged the car from the time of purchase and we still keep in touch to this day. In addition to being garaged from relatively new, when a major part on the car was renewed, the owner kept the old part for reference. This was incredible foresight at the time, as these parts can now be used as a pattern when purchasing new spares. Perhaps I am wrong and have not looked hard enough, but unless one looks at individual forum threads, there appears to be no database of parts photographs that can be used as a reference point for others restoring their cars. Perhaps something for the future? I have been trying to meet up with Ian for some time now (perhaps when the warmer weather comes along), but if you are in Kent and want to look at the car, I would very much appreciate your comments on it. Just out of interest from an earlier post on this thread, I have attached some photographs of an unused wheel and tyre. I would love to find out if this type of “classic” tread pattern tyre is still available somewhere, or if it is long obsolete. I did write to Dunlop's classic tyre outlet and this is their response, verbatim.... "We own the moulds to all these SP Sport Aquajet radials. We are slowly re-introducing the key sizes, and have already in stock the mini sizes 165/70R10 and 145R10, and the E type and Aston sizes 185R15 and ER70R15. The other sizes would be introduced if there is sufficient demand; next is likely to be 13” sizes as used on 60s and 70s Fords. The trouble with your size is that there are very few cars that use it, so there is unlikely to be the demand for us to produce a batch of them. If there is, it would still be a few years away I am afraid. They are obviously great tyres, and it would be nice to have a stock of all the sizes, but to be honest yours is the only enquiry for the aquajet in this size!”

Ian, That link is very interesting and I read it all through. Also some very interesting text relating to the year and month of manufacture too. Yes, I have seen the front bumper plugs for sale recently, so they are still available. They do not appear to be listed in the R-Drive fiche, though, and were NLA through Nissan UK last time I tried to obtain a couple! If we are talking about the same maroon car, I believe it is now fitted with a deeper front spoiler, but there is a picture in one of the Z books showing it as stock. I am pretty sure it was on Ebay (UK) recently, too.

Thanks everyone for your responses, Truly a Worldwide input to this thread, which is great! Hi Ian, yes I do know who you are; and we need to meet up soon! It interesting about the indicators fitting above or below the front bumper, as Nissan's show car 240Z, which was recently re-built by the Z Farm in the UK has them fitted under the bumper, too. I can see it gives the car a purer look. However, there are cut outs in the front grille to accommodate the back of the indicators, so I believe that factory fitting was on the top of the bumper, as in the brochure scans. Certainly some beautiful early Z cars, FilipeA and Zenioric, whichever indicators they have. With regard to the first couple of UK Z cars having the front quarter mounted indicators, I did read somewhere that they were originally destined for Australia, but that may be another Z myth! Ian, in relation to the maroon car in the brochure scan still existing, I know there is an original-looking car in existence in this colour with an "S" suffix, but the car in the brochure doesn't have a number plate, so very difficult to authenticate, I should have thought? I know up until 2003 at least, the red car in the brochure scan still existed, as I did a photo-shoot with my car for a Japanese car magazine and the red one was there. The same photograph from the brochure of the red car is used in a Z book and in the book the license plate has not been airbrushed out.

Ron, Thanks for the positive comments. I can definitely say that the front indicators were factory fitted. I have attached a couple of photographs of them close up, along with the Nissan boxes. I understand that the base metal is zamak, which apparently makes them very difficult to re-chrome using normal methods. The first couple (I think literally) of UK cars had the front quarter valance indicator lights, similar to the early US models. I am pretty sure the indicators are unique to the S30 range

Thanks for your interest. Here is a brochure scan illustrating the front of the late model UK cars. Indicators sit on top of the front bumper. The aluminium wheels are stock on later UK cars. Early types of this wheel seem to be unpainted in the centre cross, but later models are finished in a charcoal grey. I can take a picture of a NOS late model wheel for reference if anyone wants it. The centre caps are interesting too, with mine being iridescent blue like the caps in the brochure scan. There may be other colours available, possibly a slightly darker greenish blue shade.

Here are a couple of scans. The red car in an information leaflet actually has door mirrors both sides, whilst the maroon car in the 1977 brochure does not have any. Note stock aluminium wheels on later UK cars (as fitted to the 280Z Black Pearl), along with factory fitted front and rear spoilers.

Hi there, Thanks for the welcome Chris and gnosez. The Z Club site in the UK is very good and I am a member on there as well, but always very keen to learn more about the S30 range, hence my registering on this site, too. To answer your queries, the mirrors are standard and they are fitted to the driver’s and passenger’s doors (I am told that some cars were fitted with drivers side mirrors only). I think the cars were imported without the mirrors, which were subsequently fitted by the concessionaires before sale. So essentially, I guess, they are OEM, Paradat branded and manufactured by Autosafe. As far as I know they are common across a number of models in the UK Datsun range, not just on the S30. The car has an L26, but I suspect emissions legislation was harsher in the US than the UK, so the flat tops soldiered on here until introduction of the 280ZX in 1978, which had fuel injection. Bumpers, front and rear, are stock and continued up until the end of S30 production on UK cars. The license lights are mounted on the rear bumper and the panel over the license plate itself is a dummy. I will track down an original brochure and scan that as a reference for you. Regards.

Hi all, I have only recently signed up to this forum, but thanks already to Mike B and 26th-Z for sorting out a couple of NOS parts for me! From my brief visits to the site, it is great to see people with clearly the same sort of passion for their cars as I have for mine, along with an incredible attention to detail. My car is a 1978 registered 260Z coupe in 306 silver metallic (we did not have the 280Z here in the UK). From what I can work out, the car was built around October 1977, so it has the revised interior trim fitted, similar to the late model 280Z. I have had the car from 2001 and am the third owner from new. The car is stock, even down to the Hitachi flat top carburettors (ok, from what I have read on this forum, they are not particular popular - that being an understatement). However, in the interests of originality I intend to keep them on the car, as they do not have the emissions control hardware found in some markets, so I think worth persevering with. As for me, I live in Kent, with my wife and two young children; and work in London. I have uploaded a photograph of the car taken a few years ago, but that was probably the last time it was on the road. Regards.