Hello from the UK!

[jerz]

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.

[RIP260Z]

See post 7 for HS30-H take on the UK front indicators. Nissan UK show car has them on the wrong way. Its also missing the front bumper overrider blanking grommets which are available if you know where to look.

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6012&highlight=uk+front+indicators

I will have to check to see if the maroon car is still around...seen something somewhere...

[jerz]

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.

[HS30-H]

jerz,

Welcome from a fellow south-east Englander here.

I'd like to compliment you on the shut lines of your car, which looks like a really good one. In my opinion, the UK market RS30 models are some of the nicest all-round packages in the whole S30 range, and make excellent all-round road cars. Pretty rare too.

Those Hitachi carbs are subtly different to those seen in other export markets, and don't really deserve half of the bad rap that they get by association. I believe RIP260Z is crusading on their behalf. Last time I visited him he had a couple of sets on his living room table!

Cheers,

Alan T.

[jerz]

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!”

[RIP260Z]

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.

Ooh, you are too kind sir!! Too many S30's in the UK have been modified (not a bad thing) but unless a few owners adhere to the original look, a little bit of the cars authenticity is lost. We see threads on here which are a great read about having the correct metal badges for example. I don't see why the flat tops should be any different. They are part of the S30.

Jerz, the 260z should be on the road in a couple of months if things go to plan, so some point in the summer I will come and see you.

[jerz]

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.