boyblunda

I have had a quick read of the postings on this thread and personally enjoy the investigation and speculation on historical matters such as this. I also think that it is important that these matters are brought to light and properly discussed at this point in time before even more more of the undiscovered pool of knowledge and events is lost to us forever. I sometimes wonder about the knowledge, photos, stories etc about our cars that individuals have in their possession but may never come to light. However, for future generations of Datsun owners and others who may question how a particular piece of history came to be written, the key to documenting history is the matter of verification. Requests for evidence and supporting documentation should not be taken as insults or queries about anyone's integrity but more that of a historian trying to nail down the degree of certainty that can later be used to support or modify / temper a conclusion. I sense that this is hard and frustrating when one the one hand there is someone who has seen something with their own eyes and on the other someone who may seem to want an additional degree of supporting evidence to enable them to authoritively make a statement in a book (hopefully Alan?). Art, I am certain that Alan would love to have an overwhelming amount of evidence come forth that would enable this matter to be verified. It is a shame that there might be little prospect of the dealer records being available but are any of the dealership identities able to be asked about the details of this matter? Thanks to all who have contributed thus far to this thread.

I would imagine that during the 70's there would have been an FIA presence in North America given that, in two separate years, rounds of the World Rally Championship were held in, I think, the USA and possibly Canada. From memory, the years were 1973 and 1974 which were possibly pre 280Z. I think North America had a quick fling with the FIA at the time but later resolved to go their own way due to difficulties associated with compliance. I am sure that a North American would be able to provide much more accurate detail than some dude in an armchair on a point close to the opposite side of the world.

The good thing about this sort of discussion is that varying view points and the supporting evidence is tabled while we have the documentation and people to make and verify statements. Maybe the answers to some questions will have to lie somewhere in a grey area and be able to be reviewed at a later date when more evidence comes to light. What is important, and very much appreciated, is that we have some extremely knowledgeable people willing to take the time and trouble to share the information and viewpoints they have, and in the process educate newbies like myself. On the subject of a register for 260Z owners, I thought I read two separate offers (from MikeW post 12 and Mr Camouflage post 30) to respectively initiate or expand a register project in the thread (Edit insert): http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17906&highlight=VIN. With regard to the Zhome HS30 register, I just had a quick read and note that there is only one UK based vehicle on that register - a Samuri conversion - and that all of the rest are from Australia and New Zealand. Not surprising maybe given that these are countries that have right hand drive but I would have thought that more people would have registered. A lot of Z owners must just drive their cars and do not bother with registering them - a shame as it could be an opportunity lost to maintain part of the history of these vehicles.

Hi Carl Just had a quick look at the link you provided and note that it is only for 240Z's. Is there another register for HS30 and GRS30 right hand drive vehicles?

This is excellent useful information Carl - thankyou for the trouble you have taken to check it out and post back. No doubt this is an example of one of the finer details in Zed history we have the opportunity to nail down now before the constant repetition of incorrect information creates a myth. Thanks again. Regards

Relisted again to April 10 Starting bid $4999 http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4627235169

Let me get this right, just when I thought things were difficult enough, we now seem to have an S30 280Z and an S130 280Z - the latter of which would appear to be what the minimally informed person off the street would call a 280ZX. This is great. I really enjoy the detail of information in such fine matters that is contributed by members to this forum. Carl - definitely no grief from me on ettiquette. I never thought you were trying to correct anything - more a matter of my own statements requiring clarification. BTW your thoughts about the North American 280Z bumpers are on the mark - and at an incredible estimated additional 150lbs in weight, according to the website retrieved by MrC, I can see another reason other than the visual for such a yuck reaction! Mr C - thanks for covering my butt with regards to the fact that there is at least one S30 280Z in Australia. It reinforces the thought that there will invariably be an exception to a lot of definitive statements. Zedrally, excellent move to split the thread and keep this discussion moving. Please, if anyone does have any details of 280Z's in Australia, do keep the postings rolling in.

Perhaps I should have said "heard of" rather than "know of" in my post. I have seen an imported 2+2 that was being dismantled in Perth and was advised by the owner that the doors were different in this car compared to the Australian models due to it being an imported second hand vehicle from Japan. It took the owner a few attempts to allow me to clarify the situation there. I thought the car had an L28 but I cannot swear to that now and even if there was an L28 in the car, it may well have been a substitute engine for the original. There was a period of time in the 80's when importing second hand vehicles to Western Australia and possibly to the rest of Australia from Japan and Singapore was popular and easy to do. The sporty type cars such as the Mazda RX7 were the most popular choice of import as they sold for a better price in Australia. The laws for importing second hand vehicles have changed since. A number of American cars found their way to Western Australia when there was a US naval base at Learmouth. We had several queries for parts for American cars, and I think that included Zed enquiries, from the Learmouth navy population at Perth Shockabsorber Centre who sponsored my rally car at the time. On the WAZ register we had a post about an HLS30 found in the desert. http://wazregister.com/forumframe.php However Mike, I cannot verify the existence of a single genuine 280Z in Australia at this point in time. It would be interesting to hear from others across the continent on this. EDIT : Thread on 280Z in Australia created by Zedrally http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20983

Advice taken and appreciated Carl - I sometimes struggle with fully understanding the ettiquette on this site but it does not upset me and this (ettiquette) I am sure is best discussed on another thread. Thanks for the additional information with regard to the L28 engine. You are correct in saying that there are many L28's floating around in Zeds in Australia and I would think that old 280ZX vehicles are most likely the source for almost every L28 in an S30 down here - some people wanted the larger capacity engine and others wanted a cheap second hand motor to replace the original tired engine. Other second hand L28's were imported from overseas and sold through wrecking yards and engine reconditioners. The only genuine 280Z's I am aware of in Australia were imported second hand from overseas. EDIT : Thread on 280Z in Australia created by Zedrally http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20983

Hey Guys, The person who originally posted this thread did not even mention the 280Z but in fact indicated they might be looking at the later 280ZX as an alternative acquisition to an S30. If I read it right, the original question was not to do with carbies vs fuel injection but more the relative price and availability of the S30 versus the 280ZX. I do think the ensuing discussion has been interesting and useful but is this a case where the carbie issue could belong in another thread? Anyone trying to use the search function for the topic of carbies is less likely to uncover this valuable discussion unless it has its own title. It is not uncommon to find L28 motors in Australian S30's but they are only likely to have been original equipment in used Zeds imported from overseas. Dee_Dee, if you did want the EFI gear to put on an S30 I can put you in touch with a local member who is selling all of that stuff as he has just bought triple webers for his car. Of my 260Z's, three out of four have the round topped carbs and I believe that on at least two of these cars they are original equipment. There are flat tops on my black Zed only. With regards to problems particular to the Zeds, rust is probably the major issue and there is plenty of information on where and how to look if you type rust into the search function for the site. Another issue might be whether or not you want a stock or relatively unmodified vehicle. Other problems tend to be those common to any 30 year old vehicle you might consider purchasing. EDIT : Thread on 280Z in Australia created by Zedrally http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20983

Hi David Not on your 280ZX query but if it is any help there is a growing group of positive and helpful S30 oriented people in Perth (Western Australia) who can be contacted on : http://wazregister.com/ If you look in their For Sale column you will see a few threads on vehicles that are currently known to be available and the members are sometimes circulated with details of vehicles for sale from people wanting to sell their Zeds. I have found this group to be invaluable during the short period I have been into Zed ownership. Regards

I have seen a good amount of discussion on previous searches for and sales of Z hubcaps and seen how spectacularly well some members have revived their old hubcaps. There is currently a set of four listed with only 16 hours to go that might be of interest to someone - currently bidding is at AUS$61 or approximately US$45: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4622981160 EDIT : Sold for AUS $101.50 Approximately US$75

A register of Zeds in Australia and New Zealand has been initiated and can be found on http://wazregister.com/index.php?action=viewdetails The 1970 HS30 vehicles reported by owners include HS30 00117 L24 015308 1/1970 HS30 00157 Not Known 12/1970 HS30 00219 L24 018018 1/1970 HS30 00280 L24 021364 11/1970 HS30 00306 L24 021698 9/1970 Verified above as accurate by Mr C HS30 00696 L24 301849 1/1970 HS30 00958 L24 042111 1/1970 HS30 00352 L24 021447 1/1971 A quick scan of the above summary of early cars reveals several inconsistencies that could be attributed to any one or number of reasons (including reporting errors) but there are certainly some VIN numbers and production dates that are not sequential. We can make of this whatever we want or speculate at will - and I would be interested in any light thrown on the above. However, as far as the auction vehicle itself is concerned, would not the production plate and the photo of the VIN# on the body indicate that this is currently one of the earliest recorded road going HS30's in Australia? The vehicle is obviously not stock but it may well be a tempting restoration project for anyone with a bent for early Zeds.

1970 240Z For sale on Ebay Low chassis number HS3000060 Matching numbers Car is in Tasmania http://cgi.ebay.com.au/DATSUN-240Z-HS30-1970-Chassis-00060-matching-numbers_W0QQitemZ4623385393QQcategoryZ102220QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

CBS Link & Type Dietrich into search http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/16/national/main1409832.shtml?CMP=ILC-SearchStories

Steve Definitely not an ignorant question as I have not found it easy to get an accurate answer to these questions myself when comparing references for Z cars in the North American, UK, European and Australian markets. References may not always be accurate as found in a compilation of magazine articles in "Datsun 240Z & 260Z Gold Portfolio" ISBN 1 85520 3952 Brooklands Books UK. The articles generally agreed that the dimensions for the 240Z were Pages 9, 21, 24, 31, 47, 57, 63, 69, 77, 172 Length 162.8" Width 64.1" Wheelbase 90.7" However on page 15 the length is given as 157" and on page 94 it is 160.8", and on page 102 it has grown to 166.8". I do not know why these articles would report such a variation on the length measurements for the same model. Colin Shipway in the Essential Datsun Z 240Z to 280ZX agrees wth the above generally agreed upon dimensions for the 240Z. In the same reference the articles written in 1974 agreed on the dimensions of the 260Z Page 111, 113 & 120, 139 of the Gold Portfolio: 260Z Length 169.1" Width 64.1" Wheelbase 90.7" while Russek "Datsun 260Z & 2+2" 1974, and the Nissan Motor Company Service Bulletin #266, 1976 quotes the length for the same car as 162.8" - the same as the 240Z. The service bulletin is I think written for European, UK and Australian Zeds. Page 123 149 of the Gold Portfolio : 260Z 2+2 Length 180.9" Width 64.9" Wheelbase 102.6" while the article on page 142, Russek and the Nissan Bulletin gives a length of 175". I think the difference between the articles and the Nissan reference here might be due to the extended profile of the bumpers shown in the article photos. Shipway gives the length of the 260Z 2 seater as 162.8" in the UK and 169.0" in the USA. He also describes the 2+2 as 175.0" in the UK and 180.9" in the USA. I have not seen any variations in the wheelbase dimensions given for the various models - it really only seems to be the length that has significantly different reported figures. Bumpers aside, the consistent differences between the 260Z and the 2+2 are obvious in the length of the car but what I have not seen raised or accounted for in the past is the 0.8" to 1.25" reported difference in width between the 2 seater and the 2+2 that is given in several references including Shipway.

This will seem like a dumb question to some but I am all ears at the above posts as some of our cars would likely not do sufficient kilometres to wear out a set of tyres within a six year time limit. Just exactly how does somebody go about checking the age of their tyres? EDIT: Found my answer in another current thread. Excellent information posted at http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20520

Hey Rick I can understand your disappointment but no need to be too sorry about this affair. From my own perspective I learnt quite a bit about key blanks for Datsuns, the differences in keys for Zeds (and Datsuns) between different markets, and then there were the separate matters of aftermarket fuel caps and the variation between what was supplied in fuel flaps between different markets. All of this information was value for me and the inquiry into key blanks continues. Good on your for your efforts - hope you get your deserved success elsewhere. Regards

Thanks for the helpful pics Miles. I know you have stated it clearly in your initial post, but I do want to clarify my understanding that it is the top key in each pic that you use as the ignition key, and the bottom key for all other purposes. This would be the opposite of what I have on all of my Oz Zeds and from what I remember of my other Datsuns although RickZ (from my own State no less) has posted that he has a single sided key that can open his doors. I have no idea why the Oz keys are different from elsewhere in the world and the reason given by Unkle for the change in USA keys certainly enlightened and interested me. A single key for all locks might be an attractive feature for some Australians buying new ignition locks. Unkle, can a locksmith change an ignition lock to suit a double sided key as shown in the upper part of the above photo OR would we need to purchase a full lock set for everything on the car OR can we buy an ignition and key combination and have a locksmith change the hatch, door and fuel flap locks to suit the new key.

My sincere apologies Unkle and I concede your points on the fuel cap and that keys are certainly much more in your area of expertise than they will ever be in mine. I have to profess that I have had some confusion over the keys advertised on Ebay as I could not see how those advertised seem to be suited to Oz ignitions. Sorry that my computer skills do not allow me to post pictures of what I have on one of my original ignition keys.

The only times that I was required to wear gloves when competing were in certain events where fireproof clothing and underwear were a requirement and the gloves had to conform to the same specifications. I do not know what the rules require you to wear in your arm of the sport Tomo but if there is such a requirement then check that out first so that you do not waste any money on something that is not suitable. I also played around with other gloves (because some of the good drivers wore them) and experimented with different fabrics and construction in an effort to get something that was an improvement on using bare hands. The bottom line was that I eventually gave up as I found it better to get the "right" steering wheel rather than play around with gloves. However, of the gloves I did try, I liked those that had no fingertips so that I had the palm covered but could still feel and grip with my fingertips. I tried a number of sailing and cycling gloves that complied with this basic construction. Kinchrome make a mechanics glove that looks like it might be worth a try. There are an infinite variety of gloves and steering wheels to be matched with your own personal preference in this matter. The type of driving might also affect your preference eg track versus rallying, time on course. What suits one person may not even be able to be considered by another. Good luck with your quest. There are plenty of current competitors in this forum to chime in with their suggestions.

Hey Rick, Where are you up to with getting your keys cut etc. This is what started this thread in the first place and I am sure that many people are interested in the outcome. Onya.

Further, with regard to the lockable fuel flap, these were standard, not aftermarket or an optional item on Australian market Datsuns during the Zed sales era. INSERT EDIT: I made an error here by not properly reading Unkle's post and misinterpreting the content in my response. Inaccurate off track responses do not help this discussion. Sorry. This might be one of these items where the location of the person posting onto a thread might need to be taken into consideration when evaluating the information offered.