PS: I checked the springs. The dimensions and the tags with the spring rates do not match with NISMO, so I guess they're from a 3rd party. But the dampers are definitely a nice freebie :-)

Edited March 17Mar 17 by JDMjunkies.ch

Due to some stars aligning, I was able to collect loads of documents for my Datsun project from various sources. Some of those documents are quite rare and some which I've been trying to find for several years now.

With this delivery I've been able to close a few big gaps in my archive, and this will definitely help me to write more complete knowledge posts in the future. Let's quickly go through what I got in the recent weeks:
First, I was able to obtain a 1973 Press release folder from the Geneva Auto show, where also the 240Z was shown. So far, I only had the French version, but now, finally a German version, which came with this really cool cover page:

I also got some missing Swiss price lists for my collection (free download of all of them here) and the "World of Datsun" brochure.

I have quite a collection of this "World of Datsun" styled advertising material, but i've never seen this one before. So it's cool to have it :-)

I got a few Datsun USA Service gauges / guides, which i think are quite cool:

It also came with this "Datsun Saves" Gas per mileage saver calculator-gauge. Which goes nicely with the original can and Ad:

I Also got an original Mikuni USA PHH Service manual


And a Box for spare needles and Jets (empty):

Found another full set of sports option catalogues. I didn't really plan on buying them, but I was the only bidder, so I got them for a good price.

The seller also had some other ones for sale, which had an even better price. So I couldn't resist:

Speaking of Sports options: I also got a bunch of Datsun / Nissan Motorsports / Competition parts catalogues from the USA:

And a few very early ones. The one at the bottom is from 1974 and came including a price list:

In regard to catalogues: I also got a bunch of Japanese market parts catalogues. Left the folder version and on the right the book version.

I've never seen one with the "Nissan" marked protective plastic sleeve still on it. Very cool.

I also came across an export market RHD (R-drive) Parts manual book for the 240Z / 260Z. So far, I only had the folder versions.

Speaking of folders. I was very lucky to find these Datsun / Nissan Service journal binders Vol.3, Vol 3. and the empty one on the right side:


Those folders on the left include loose early service bulletins of various cars and general information, but also the green Service bulletin booklets.

This makes my collection of 240Z Related bulletins almost complete. There are still a few missing, unfortunately:

I got also a later book version with the Technical bulletins in a book, and the Japanese Z-7, which is basically the same as the green ones, just for the Japanese market.

Now I think only the Z-5 is missing in my collection (And some later ones, which I don't really care about):

Also got these. The left is from a different car, but the right is a similar Service bullet in new design. I know this one was also available as a green booklet.

Also got some S30 related service manuals, that were still missing in my collection:

On the left you see the BW35 Borg Warner Service manual for different cars. And on the right side a Datsun USA Engine analysis book:

Then got a bit of random items. From top left to bottom right:
- A ZX Documents pouch (Came with some other stuff)
- Datsun USA Parts Name numerical number index
- 1972 Warranty and Service booklet
- Tokyo Motor Show 1969 original admission ticket (Where the S30 was shown to the public the first time)
- A service Technician record booklet
- Hayashi racing brochure


The Datsun Service technician was kind of cool:


It was issued in September 1972 to this technician and has several certificates and stamps of completed trainings inside:


And last but not least some random magazines. Like the Car Graphic one on the left.


It was issued when the RZ34 prototype was shown and has a nice story about former racing driver and Central 20 owner inside. 

I still have some small items which haven't arrived here, and will do a proper archive overview once everything is here, since some followers requested this.
And I also have some update on the actual car project. 

Edited March 17Mar 17 by JDMjunkies.ch

On 3/12/2026 at 2:32 PM, RIP260Z said:

My understanding, from looking at the CSP311 design, that the modelling clay was initially supplied in the early 1960's by Chavant, made with bees wax and is easily worked at 40 degrees c. And its red in colour, you can see red on worn bits of the clay model, the same material....?

@RIP260Z : In the meantime, I got the following photo from an 1972 Nissan Image brochure, which shows the designers (Tamura san on the left) working on an S30 clay model, that seems to confirm what you wrote about the clay above.
But to be honest, it's difficult to say if it's the same material. My model is mostly covered in paint and the small areas where it isn't are tricky to judge.
Many modelling clays are reddish, so this isn't a confirmation that it is an official Nissan Model, but it also doesn't deny it either.
Looking at the one in the photo below it is clearly a bit larger than mine and has many more details, while mine is a relatively rudimentary. But depending on the purpose, it maybe wasn't necessary to spend time on all those details.
BTW: I can see that Chavant is still active in the Automotive design clay supply business: https://chavant.com/industrial-design-clays

Edited April 1Apr 1 by JDMjunkies.ch

Those who follow the story of my Z's since the beginning, might know that this project started over 15 years ago, and since then, I never had a complete S30 that drives. It has always been a hobby of mine, and it was intended for myself to gain knowledge about car repairs, how they work and just enjoy building something with my hands. What was once intended to be a quick-fix over 1–2 years, quickly escalated in much more than I could ever imagine. And that in a good sense. I've gained many new contacts, knowledge and friends.

In recent years, however, I feel that I lack knowledge and experience to get to work on the more delicate parts of the car - like the body. I have given it to professional bodyshops twice, but it didn't turn out as expected. It took them much longer than expected, costed much more than originally stated and the quality was not up to my expectations. So I lost a bit of motivation. I thought about doing it myself and learning how to do it, but honestly, my work kept me busy in the past few years, so I didn't really have time to get into it, buy all the required tools, and so on.
But also, I have spent way too much on the car to stop the project and despite all the hassle and costs, I still love it. It just makes it more special, once it's finished.
Long story short. I have finally agreed to bring the car abroad to a real S30 specialist and get it done. Once we have settled the details and timeline, I will tell you more. But for now let's keep it like this.
Next week, I'll get a visit from the specialists to assess the car and discuss the details. I thought it's about time to prepare myself and the car as good as possible. So I went to my to-do list and wrote down every known issue on the body:

Took it to the car and checked everything in detail:

There are some minor areas which still need a bit of love.

There are some modifications which I'd like to incorporate, while at it.

There are some previous repairs which seem to be incomplete and need to be checked.

While at it, I also realized that there still was some seam-sealer here and there, so I took the opportunity and removed it. Which was a good thing, since I found some surface rust underneath at some points. So now this can be tackled before paint.

Now, I have a very detailed to-do list with about 40 tasks that need to be done for the body with photos, descriptions, marks on the car, and so on. It will be a challenge since it's sometimes tricky to fix a previous not-so-nice repair, but I'm sure I have found the best choice of people for this job, and I try to make it as easy as possible for them by finding NOS parts, like NOS cable mounting brackets, and so on.
I really hope to close this chapter now after so many years and go forward with the next steps. 

The good thing is, in the meantime, I have collected so many good parts, documentation, knowledge and also nice contacts. So while it won't be easy to finish this project, it will be definitely much easier than before.
I'm curious and excited to see where this story goes, but I really hope this gets a good boost now, which motivates me to get some stuff done on my side and prepare for the next steps. Fingers crossed.

I have read quit a bit of your journey and I love the amount of work you have put in over the years. I’m in a bit of the same situation but I try not to fall into the full blown restoration fase……

I try to do all the work myself but found out that bodywork is just not for me. For now my goal is to fix her up a bit, pass inspection and make her a bit more representable. After that I will modify her bit by bit and eventually have the body be restored by a professional. As you are also located in Europe I would love to hear from your experience with all the different body shops. I know there are a few S30 specialists here in the Netherlands and I heard some good things about restauration shops in the Czech Republic from my neighbor who had his Beatle restored there.

2 hours ago, Mitchel0407 said:

I have read quit a bit of your journey and I love the amount of work you have put in over the years. I’m in a bit of the same situation but I try not to fall into the full blown restoration fase……

I try to do all the work myself but found out that bodywork is just not for me. For now my goal is to fix her up a bit, pass inspection and make her a bit more representable. After that I will modify her bit by bit and eventually have the body be restored by a professional. As you are also located in Europe I would love to hear from your experience with all the different body shops. I know there are a few S30 specialists here in the Netherlands and I heard some good things about restauration shops in the Czech Republic from my neighbor who had his Beatle restored there.

If you're in the Netherlands, then you must absolutely visit S30.world. They do outstanding work and have a great museum in Buren.
What I have realized is that some people do great bodywork, but when they're not Z-specialists, they do not know the details. For e.g. my last shop was a VW specialist (like your beetle guys in CZ). But when they do not know all the little details, they will absolutely get some small stuff wrong, or need a lot of time to research details, which costs time and money.
If you, however, have a shop that is specialized on Z's, it will maybe cost you a bit more, but they know their cars in and out, have templates to make the correct sheet metal, and usually have a few complete cars on site to check some details.

So if I can give you one big advice, which i've learned the hard way from my mistakes: Bring your car to a Z specialist. As good as any other Bodyshop might be, they will never know the car as good as the Z-specialists. who knows exactly how to remove each panel, where the rust sits, and how to correctly replace things.

Long time followers might have realized that the project lost a bit of its original momentum. As much as I loved to take everything apart and attempt to fix it myself - at one point I had to realize that with life evolving and me becoming more involved my job, I simply don't have the time and energy left to spend every evening in my Garage. The Project was always meant to be a "learning-by-doing" project, but from that crappy rust bucket it once was, it has meanwhile evolved in an expensive quality build, and I also simply lack the knowledge to give the car love it deserves to become the good-looking, mechanically flawless, but also safe-to-drive car I look to own one day.
I had several setbacks over the years and I have definitely learned my lessons, but you've mainly seen me do small tasks here-and-there, rather than attacking the big chunks of work which are still to do. So I've been thinking of how I can solve this in the best possible way. Luckily I can count myself being a part of the S30.world team, and they happen to have the best S30 mechanics and restoration team in the world, in my opinion. The work they do is truly outstanding. Chris finally agreed to put the car on his project backlog, and recently he came to Switzerland to assess the car.
We made a first rough sketch of what needs to be done. 


Then this week, I flew to Budapest in Hungary to discuss a few other S30.world related things, but since it's also where they do the bodywork, paint, and mechanical stuff, it was great to see the team again and refine the plan with them.
We discussed many options and I still wanted to do a few things myself, but we agreed on the fact that they should do everything that is impossible for an untrained person like me to do properly in a first attempt.


So we agreed on the following:
- Put the car on the measurement bench and make sure it's straight.
- Fix some body issues that the previous body shops didn't get right, or messed up.
- Paint the chassis in factory 904 white, including cavity sealing, seam sealer, undercoating, blacked areas, charcoal panels, engine block blue, etc.
- Restore the engine (with a little twist) including the Mikunis
- Restore the original and competition adjustable suspension
- Restore the MK63 brakes install them with new brake lines, fuel lines, etc.
- Restore the 5-speed A-type Gearbox, differential, drive shafts and propeller shaft
- Install the roof liner, and difficult-to install a-pillar parts, etc.
- etc.


So the plan is that I get back a Car with an excellent body, restored drivetrain, sitting on the suspension and wheels. They calculated roughly about 11–12 months of work and I will go and check it out regularly. Starting point is expected to be in August / September 2026.


After that, my work will be to install electrical wiring (my specialty), finalize the interior and all the missing bits and pieces from the body, exhaust, etc. That still will give me 1–2 years of work, I guess.


Until then have plenty of work to do to prepare the car. I'll remove temporary installed stuff, attach other stuff correctly, find a few missing parts and prepare all individual items of the above list for shipping.


While it will be a lot of work, it will also be a lot of fun, I hope, and I'm really, really, really excited to see Gustav, Tom, Lesly and co work on the car.    

Recently, I've been quite busy with 240Z related projects and work, but not so much busy posting about it. Time for a little wrap-up of the last few weeks.
As my car will go to the body shop soon for some final work I'm a bit under pressure to prepare everything and find the missing parts. So first, I decided to remove all the parts that are not required for bodywork or which were only installed temporary.

I also removed all labels and stickers from the panel. Every hour of work that I can do, instead of the body shop is an hour less I have to pay. And honestly, it's not the type of work that panel beaters like to do, so I prefer to do it myself.

Like also removing some of the remaining seam sealer:

I was a bit surprised, to see how much rust was hiding under the factory seam sealer. Nothing to worry about, but I guess if you do a restoration at that level, make sure you remove it, clean it and apply modern seam sealer. I was also surprised to see the bad quality factory welds (including remains of welding rods, etc.) hidden under some of that sealer.

I also need to figure out many small bits and pieces and order what is missing. Time to go through my boxes of stuff I've collected over the years:

And figure out what goes where, and what needs replacement:

I was recently also quite lucky to buy some good lots of parts and documents, like this delivery from Japan:

And another one (note same books as in previous post, these are for a friend):

And a bunch of Swiss / French Datsun stuff from that period from France:

And another bunch of rare Stickres, which I've found in Switzerland, recently. I have most of them already, but some I have never seen before.

I was also lucky to find some quite rare and cool Parts for my Project, but I'll save that for another update soon. Promised.

Recently, I was very lucky and had the rare opportunity to buy something large, original Nissan and a big wooden crate arrived here a few weeks ago.

Inside was a pair of New-old-Stock (NOS) Left and Right Front fenders. Original Nissan parts still in its factory packing and with all the labels, etc.

But more about that in a second. First, I spent some time inside the car to remove all factory seam sealer. It's not something I had planned to, but once I realized that surface rust is hiding underneath (nothing critical), I decided to remove it all. It's not really visible in this photo, but I think I ended up removing a few kilograms of old brittle Nissan Seam sealer, totally!

Now that was done, and cleaned up, it appears like a nice base shell to work on, again.

The next job was to remove all body panels. Some were only placeholders for "good" panels, which I had installed as a test-fit to see where the body needs rework. So a lot of parts will get replaced, soon.

My first body shop working on the car "kindly" put some undercoating on the car's front right inner fender (which we never agreed on). Meanwhile, I think he had some leftovers from another project and just wanted to use it and charge it to me or so, also it appears he covered some not-so-nicely-done areas up with that.

So I spent a few hours with the heat gun and spatula, to remove all of that:

And here we go. That red stuff you see is a rust-protection primer, which is fine. But I wanted to avoid paying the next body shop for all the hours to remove it (And it's surely not a job they like, either):

I went through my collection of Body panels and decided it would make sense to have a EUDM and USDM front lower corner valances prepared and painted in the original color, so I can switch between the two looks at any time.

One corner valance appeared to be from a car without the EUDM front spoiler, so I had to ensure the hole is there, before they paint it (ignore all the wrong holes, the bodyshop will have to close those)

In my opinion, the shell and all panels are now ready to be test-fitted. I will have to place a fairly big order for all original Installation hardware. I was asked to install all panels with the correct ones, as some will be installed before the paint goes on, to maintain the factory look. 
Now back to those fenders. You might be wondering why I bought a set of expensive NOS panels when the car already had a set? Well, the point is that the green ones (special primer after dipping) had the bodyline removed by a previous owner who thought it was nice to have the car "clean". It took me a bit to realize that and now it was too late. It's possible to get the line back in, but it's a shitty job, and when the opportunity came to buy a set of NOS panels, i decided to go for it. Another few hours of bodywork saved.

Time to put them on the car:

Here you see the body line / kink on the new fenders, vs "cleaned" (unexisting) one in the door. 

Those aftermarket panels have come a long way since this project started, but nothing yet beats the look and feel and fitment of original Nissan Factory panels:

I have plenty of cool stuff in the pipeline, so stay tuned for another update, soon!

I've said this before and I'll say it again here: The Z's styling is fragile and does not tolerate 'improvements'. Whether it's deleting the bumpers, putting in Miata seats, or (as in this case) removing the swage line from the side panels, it just doesn't work.

Like the Chevrolet Corvette, the Z's biggest problem was its affordability. Both designs became inexpensive design canvases, left wide-open to low-buck 'interpretations'.

Edited May 26May 26 by Namerow

4 hours ago, Namerow said:

I've said this before and I'll say it again here: The Z's styling is fragile and does not tolerate 'improvements'. Whether it's deleting the bumpers, putting in Miata seats, or (as in this case) removing the swage line from the side panels, it just doesn't work.

Like the Chevrolet Corvette, the Z's biggest problem was its affordability. Both designs became inexpensive design canvases, left wide-open to low-buck 'interpretations'.

Yes, I agree. Over here (and I guess anywhere else) in the 80ies it was a cheap Asian car, that nobody wanted, so the owners were often young kids who couldn't afford their expensive dream cars like a 911 or so. Instead, they would buy a cheap 240Z, do questionable modification, cheap repairs and hack-jobs, install a high-power audio system, and do stuff like illegal street racing. So many of the cars weren't treated very nicely, until they started to become sought-after collector cars again.

Time for another long-overdue update: I've been busy working on many corners of my 240Z restoration project. Since it's mostly small works here and there, I wanted to save the work until I have enough together for a proper update.
I'm trying to use my time and money wisely, to ensure the car is ready to go to the body shop in August / September. So the first thing I did was to drill holes in my NOS fenders.

Some might say this is blasphemy, but I need those to install my NOS fender mirrors, which I really want to put on this car:

And then checked my NOS fender hardware:

Then I went through all my Boxes with NOS and reworked parts, trying to figure out what is missing:

Luckily, I've collected quite a few things over the years:

Nevertheless. There is still plenty of stuff missing. So I started up Excel and made lists, of what is still required for the body. Trying to source all the hardware:

I placed various orders and the first bunch of hardware already arrived from Nissan. It's surprising how many parts you still get from Nissan. Some really obscure plastic pieces, for example. But then most of the fasteners have been replaced by blue-passivated (vs originally yellow zinc) or blued (black) hardware. Which has the correct specification but wrong surface finish. Nevertheless, I'm getting there.

I also managed to find a bunch of cool, rare stickers locally:

Speaking of stickers. Kats managed to find me those. Which I've been trying to find since I got that RS-Mach wheel. Very cool and thanks a lot!!

While at it, I also was able to buy an early A-type five-speed transmission rear extension housing, which is not something you see every day. I had mine removed from the car (temporary test fit). so here you see my original one, vs the NOS one:

I also got a ton of new documents from Japan:

Some highlights are the Nissan Graphic customer magazine from the late 1969 and early 1970ies. There is not really much relevant stuff inside, but it features some cool photos and ads from the Z:

Another highlight was this folder with random Service Shuho bulletins:

While I already had most of the Shuhos. The folder itself is something I haven't seen before. It was all at a very low price. So I had to have it. And now I can store my Z-related Shuho's in that nice original Japanese workshop folder, as intended. There are still a few late ones missing from the Z-series, so I'm still trying to hunt them:

I also liked this late S30 / GS30 poster very much, and luckily, I had an old, fitting frame lying around, so I framed it and will hang it somewhere:

Today I got more rare documents, this time from Germany. That one green Bulletin was missing in my collection, and the Skyline stuff is for my friend.

Then I went to collect a few parts for my build Not necessarily the best condition but much better than what I have now. So now at least I have two doors with the body line still intact, and to somewhat straight EU-type bumpers. The lot also included some freebies:

I also managed to find a set of brand new correctly sized Butterfly flaps for my Mikuni carbs.

So, I packed them together with all the other Parts and the PHH's themselves

And went to my new Carbs guru. He is worth a dedicated story himself. But I tell you he's really passionate about carbs and has a long history, rebuilding carbs for anything from classic formula one cars to whatever obscure stuff he finds only, which he rebuilds just for himself for fun. Here is one of my carbs on his home-built test bench (part thereof):

A bit of original vintage Solex France goodness:

And here some Sanyo-Kiki Carbs from an Opel race car, which he rebuilt for his own collection:

He will now rebuild my carbs, and update me constantly, so expect some posts about that. I also just placed an order for some shiny new bolts so he can use those shiny bits instead of the faded old hardware.
Speaking of Shiny bits. My mate Stefan gave me a nice Box of NOS and used parts.

That included quite the load of (I think?) door switches, horn relays and other electronics:

Now I'm waiting for all these hardware orders to arrive. And after spending so much time in front of the computer, I'm very excited to continue work on the car itself. There is plenty of stuff to do until all the fasteners arrive and I can finally start with the Final assembly before the body shop, with all correct and "good" hardware. As usual, I'll keep you updated.