Datsun 240k Gl 1977 Needing Advice Or Feedback?

[g72s20]

I dont believe (and please correct me if i'm wrong) the skyline C10 was available for sale in Australia at any time, as either a prince or a nissan, and definately not the GT-R.

The first nissan GT-R to be officially sold in Australia was the the R32 (Godzilla).

I gotta agree, but... (just for fun:devious: )... there was a GT-R type S20 engine sold from Australia in the mid 1980's:devious: :devious:

Mr Camouflage - I'm keeping :tapemouth :tapemouth :tapemouth about this topic.

Aaww come on Pete, don't be like that! You've fired up an interesting thread, and having fun (I hope:nervous: ) at the same time:)

Cheers,

Jim.

[HS30-H]

I gotta agree, but... (just for fun:devious: )... there was a GT-R type S20 engine sold from Australia in the mid 1980's:devious: :devious:

Jim,

I think you'll find it was a 432 type S20 rather than the more common ( ) GT-R type.

Whilst we are straying onto the subject of Prince products here, I thought you might be interested in the contents of my friend's shed. He used to drive this car to college every day back in the 1970s. When he graduated, he parked it up and bought a Z. It hasn't been on the road since. Good 'barn find' - eh? :classic:

[kyteler]

Alan, does that car have a dent in the left front guard, right at the nose?

[HS30-H]

Alan, does that car have a dent in the left front guard, right at the nose?

Not as far as I remember. Do you know the car / owner? Its in Japan, by the way - in case that wasn't obvious from what I wrote.

Unfortunately I didn't take any front-end photos - apart from the engine bay - as I couldn't get far enough away from it to get it in frame ( with it being face-in to the garage ). It was also bloody dark in the back there........

I took more photos of the car parked up next to it; a fairly unrusty Japanese-market HS30 'Fairlady 240Z' with some nice period accessories:

[g72s20]

Jim,

I think you'll find it was a 432 type S20 rather than the more common ( ) GT-R type.

Whilst we are straying onto the subject of Prince products here, I thought you might be interested in the contents of my friend's shed. He used to drive this car to college every day back in the 1970s. When he graduated, he parked it up and bought a Z. It hasn't been on the road since. Good 'barn find' - eh? :classic:

:cheeky: Hiya Alan,

Yair,... I know what it really was (is!) ..but I had to get the GT-R tie in somehowLOL ...No one else but you could have possibly tripped me on this:p

Thanks for the barn find photos. That Japanese climate is positively cruel to the classics:( Do you think it may live again?

[aarc240]

Couple of corrections there fellas.

The Prince Skyline S54B was sold in Australia from 1964 to 1967.

The NISSAN Skyline S54BE3 was sold in Australia in late 1967 and 1968.

Rumour has it that there were a few NISSAN Skyline S54BE3 units in 1969 although I have yet to actually see one with proof of 1969 sale.

Nissan PGC10's and later KPGC10's were sold in Australia (or at least in South Australia) in limited numbers, suffering from competing with both the 510 and the 240Z. From memory the KPGC10 was several hundred dollars more than a 240Z and didn't perform as well!

In South Oz the S54B in both Prince and Nissan guise actually sold quite well, quickly being recognised as a serious performer.

There were apparently NO GTR C110's sold in Australia for compliance reasons, although a very limited number of 240K KHGC110's were sold as GT's.

A genuine 240K GT DOES have the GT designation in the ADR plate, so if a supposed GT shows up without that in the ADR plate it ain't one of Nissan's 240K GT's.

Aside from the ADR plate, the intake manifold on one of Nissan's GT's is considerably different to the production 240K, along with a few other details.

[HS30-H]

Thanks for the barn find photos. That Japanese climate is positively cruel to the classics:( Do you think it may live again?

Actually, I reckon it looks worse than it really is. It is structurally sound, and very complete. It just needs a lot of time and a fair bit of money spent on it.

Hopefully it will live again. If not in the hands of the present owner then in the hands of somebody else. It has lasted this long in storage after all.....

I should imagine the soft trim parts would be the hardest part of a restoration on one of these?

[aarc240]

HS30-H is right, not too bad to restore.

Soft trim is not too hard and although a limited run for the correct upholstery pattern gets a bit expensive it can be done.

Back to TONYASAP, do a restore and then think about a mild modification program.

These are a nice car in ride and handling, keep that character.

If you want a ball-tearer pick up another car for just that purpose. How about an SR20DET powered 1200 coupe? I've seen one of these wild combos on the street on South Oz!

Completely unrelated but interesting that the S54 has the chrome trim divisions across the tail lights - we've got both with and without and no idea of which was used on what or when!!!

[HS30-H]

Nissan PGC10's and later KPGC10's were sold in Australia (or at least in South Australia) in limited numbers, suffering from competing with both the 510 and the 240Z. From memory the KPGC10 was several hundred dollars more than a 240Z and didn't perform as well!

Proper S20-engined PGC10 and KPGC10 models officially sold in Australia? That's a new one on me.

Or were they something else other than proper GT-Rs?

[aarc240]

Proper S20 engined!

I considered the PGC10 and then the KPGC10 became available from the dealer I was working through.

A LOOONNNNGGGG serious think about a KPGC10 back in '72, eventually abandoned the idea in favour of a 240Z.

The S20 was seriously attractive but I have a recollection of a price difference of something like A$570 in early '72 which was a LOT then.

[HS30-H]

Proper S20 engined!

I considered the PGC10 and then the KPGC10 became available from the dealer I was working through.

Like I say, that's a new one on me.

So, what happened to the cars that they sold in Australia? I presume some people actually bought them? Are there any left? If not - what happened to them?

Have you got any period press / advertising / sales info? Any other documentary evidence?

Call me a doubting Thomas if you like, but I've never heard of proper S20-engined C10-series GT-Rs being officially sold anywhere outside Japan. The only car I know of - and this is a huge exception, and quite a unique case - was bought by Ewold van Bergen in South Africa. It was a very early PGC10. As far as I am aware, that's still the only C10 or C110 GT-R outside Japan.

Alan T.

[sakijo]

Miles, how sure are you that "the Prince name ceased to exist" after the Prince-Nissan merger? Sure the Skylines sold as Nissans from then on but I would have expected a similar story to Australia in the way they handled badging and advertising. I'm not saying you're wrong, just wondering if you could expand on that a bit?

Lachlan,

I really don't know other that what I've read . . . . and that is once the merger took place, Nissan was the name and Prince ceased to exist in Japan. The Prince motorheads were still there, designing cars, the Prince division of Nissan was still there, and Prince designation on chassis numbers was still there (PGC10, KPGC10, PGC110, KPGC110) but the Prince name on the cars was kaput. No offense taken, just repeating what I've read.