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1978 280Z FACTORY convertible!! Looking for some info


chuckc

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First I may not have all the info and that is why I’m here. So if you have any incite please let me know. I have a 1978 208Z factory convertible. As I understand it Nissan partnered with a company in Fort Lauderdale FL to build 180 convertibles. The VIN is HLS30447207. I was unable to find a decoding software that could tell me more about it. Then I read on here Nissan didn’t do a very good job of keep records. The fender kits are off of Jim Cook’s GTP racing car. Here is how the car came into my family.

When a local Datsun/Nissan Dealer heard Nissan was going to be making a limited production convertible from the Factory he jumped on it. (Dealer in Bremerton WA, Mr. Hayjax.) He asked my uncle to get involved as he was a top mechanic in our town. The car was ordered in 1978 and was not delivered until 1980. From there they put about 15K worth of add on’s to it. My uncle built a turbo motor using a intake manifold from D&M marine. Later communicating with Air Research (as they were trying to build a turbo kit for it and couldn’t figure it out) Air Reasearch got a hold of a intake and started building them as my uncle had the turbo already dialed in. From there they put some (at the time) trick suspension on it, the fender kits from Jim Cooks previous year race car, and a few other mods. The car dealer decided he didn’t want the car and sold it to my uncle. It has since been passed down to me. It still drives and when the turbo kicks in flat hauls the mail! If you have any more info on these please let me know! I’m excited to learn more about the history, and to know what we really have. Is this a collectable? Is it worth anything? Or is it just another car that will be passed down to my son? Thanks in advance for your input and I look forward to this online community!

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Thanks for sharing the article! Obviously that was the people that did the conversion. And yes it is a convoluted story! I’m going off of memory, and some stuff that my uncle wrote down before it was passed down to me. Thanks for sharing!

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Very nice but the "factory" is in Japan, not Ft. Lauderdale. Unless you are talking about the Griffith factory, it would be inappropriate to imply that Nissan Motor Corporation had anything to do with the conversions.

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Very nice but the "factory" is in Japan, not Ft. Lauderdale. Unless you are talking about the Griffith factory, it would be inappropriate to imply that Nissan Motor Corporation had anything to do with the conversions.

I understand that the factory is in Japan. However, that’s exactly what I’m implying as this was the info I got. That’s what I’m trying to get hard info on. The way I understand it is, the “factory” teamed up with this company to build 180 Convertibles for participating dealers in the US to “test” the waters for a convertible. Then again the info given to me from my uncle my be 100% wrong. But he has had the car since new. That’s why I’m looking to you guys for more information. Thanks again for the feedback!

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I'd say you've been somewhat misinformed. Here is an excerpt, taken verbatim, from Michael F. Hollander's 'The Complete Datsun Guide' published in 1980.

Frank Boulton has been a Datsun enthusiast for years. It so happens that he is also a Datsun dealer in Miami, Florida, where the weather gets rather warm. Frank loves open top sports cars, so naturally, he wanted one of his own. Being a Datsun dealer, he also wanted something to draw customers to his show room. So, Frank Boulton set his staff to work and came up with the Griffith Z roadster, a modified Z car with a solid trunk lid instead of a hatch, and a removable soft top. Boulton Motors at the time of introduction said they would build one for anyone for $3200 plus the cost of a Z car to be converted. Thus, the dream of enthusiasts came to fruition, not in Japan, but in sunny Florida.

The Griffith Custom Coach Company of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, performs the actual work on a Datsun Z from Japan. The car is reinforced in the rear bulkhead area, undercarriage, and windshield frame to overcome the disadvantage of cutting the integral unit-body of the Z. The luggage compartment permits stowage of the cloth top and bows, as well as luggage. When the trunk is opened, a courtesy light comes on, illuminating the fully carpeted compartment.

The Griffith Z has brought the styling exercises of Nissan to life in a spectacular way. For the Z car enthusiast, it may be the ultimate sunroof.

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Neat ! I hate the square headlight look on these and the ''junk trunk'' ,

but different overall . Do you have pics with the top up ? :)

It is different... :D I do not have any pics with the top up. I can put it up and take some when I get time if you would like to see it. They also put Real Dayton wire rims on it that were $1,000 each. Not my cup of tea but is what it is...

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I’m excited to learn more about the history, and to know what we really have. Is this a collectable? Is it worth anything? Or is it just another car that will be passed down to my son? Thanks in advance for your input and I look forward to this online community!
Tough to answer the question of worth or collectability....Yours has been considerably 'customized' over what the Griffith Custom Coach Company did with them in 1978 to the point where it's really no longer what they were producing.
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The way I understand it is, the “factory” teamed up with this company to build 180 Convertibles for participating dealers in the US to “test” the waters for a convertible. Then again the info given to me from my uncle my be 100% wrong.
The was no plan to 'test the waters'. The decision not to build convertible Z's was made in the late 1960's before production ever began. Where does the number '180' come from? I've never seen anything to support that more than a handful of therse were ever made. Here's another excerpt from the same book I quoted in the pervious post that addresses (and refutes) some the the rather ancetdotal information you've attained:
In its styling analysis of the Datsun Z car, from prototype through perfection, the book Fairlady I, published in Japan and written by Koichi Inouye, shows factory photos of many of the prototype sports cars designed b Nissan as logical successors to the 1600 and 2000 sports roadsters then being sold both in the U. S. and Japan. Through the prototypes runs a constant theme. There would be a closed coupe, but also there would be a roadster and a Targa-top version of the soon to be famous Z. It was not to be. Federal rollover standards and the lack of major sales of open automobiles in the United States forces the decision not to construct either of the open versions of the Z car.
Edited by sblake01
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The was no plan to 'test the waters'. The decision not to build convertible Z's was made in the late 1960's before production ever began. Where does the number '180' come from? I've never seen anything to support that more than a handful of therse were ever made. Here's another excerpt from the same book I quoted in the pervious post that addresses (and refutes) some the the rather ancetdotal information you've attained:

Looks like I may have got some bunk info! Thanks again for sharing!

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