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Bad Dog Parts has been working on several new parts and before they are offered for sale, we need your help getting the fitment dialed in. For these parts we would ship a prototype to a willing Z owner who would trial fit it on their Z and report back to us any modifications or changes required to ensure they fit correctly. In return we would provide a free set for your efforts. Here is a list of our current prototypes: · 280ZX frame rails (coupe and 2+2) · 280Z frame rails for aftermarket floor pans · 280Z optional rear frame rails (for stock and aftermarket floors – similar in design to our optional 240 rears) Note: Pictures of these parts will be posted once the Design Patent application process has been completed. As our rails are made from 13-gauge steel we recommend folks who want a stock thickness rail to get them from Zeddfindings instead. Ours are made for those you have added more HP, torque or drive their cars hard. In addition to these we also have several other parts close to final production fitment in the next 30-45 days: · 7-gauge frame rail prototypes for S13 and S14 drift cars · 280Z seat brackets · Toyota Tacoma (Standard Cab) frame rails reinforcement pieces If you wish to assist us please send an email to: john@baddogparts.com Let us know the part(s) you can test fit and the year of your Z(s).

Maybe Z cars without the hole are worth $310,000.00 ?

Just my thoughts on displacement: when it comes to racing, I’d imagine it would be a real challenge to enter a car with a 2400cc engine into an “under 2000cc” class. Going the other way: enough displacement will usually usurp most technology advantages, which is the reason that pretty much every model of car can be made to go faster with an SBC transplant. I’d venture to say It’s probably why they have classes, rules, and regulations to begin with.

Well good news, the engine started today with no real dramas (just a faulty electric fan relay). Running a bit lean and my engine builder was a bit concerned with the whine from the twin idler set up. But according to Dr Google thats normal and all seems happy. Off to the dyno in a few weeks and will report back then.. In the meantime heres a couple of videos Video engine starting today https://youtu.be/8HT150MspWo Few good revs https://youtu.be/EpZ9BPRo5xk Cheers Mike

Oh look! Progress.... The door panel was badly damaged and the fine amount of finessing it back to flat is a slow process. The quarter panel weld joins are fairly straight forward.

Well this is a very early 1972 near me. It even has the vertical rear defrost from the 71Z. And it only has 2,600 miles on it. Makes the subject 71 green Z look kind of long in the tooth. Only downside I see is that it is an automatic trans. And brown in color.

That hole is critical to establishing the perfect front/rear weight ratio of the Z. ?

I spent the day cleaning grounds and power connectors and worked my way around to the dim P/S headlight, I cleaned every connector and couldn't figure out why it was still dim. There was nothing left to check so I had a look at the fuses, Bingo, all of them were original and so oxidized that there wasn't much current passing through. Replaced all of the fuses and it fixed the headlights but blew the ignition relay, water had leaked into it at some time in the past and it was ready to pop, I guess it wasn't use to full power. Whiteheads had one to sell so I'll give that a go tomorrow and hope the next weakest link doesn't show up. So the car has a Stage 2 DatsunSpirt engine with only 5,000 miles on it, the car itself has 95,000 mi. New 16" Panasport wheels with Toyo Proxies , new complete exhaust system but WAY too loud so I'll install a resonator and see if that will bring it down. The 3.54 diff has been overhauled and a full poly bushing kit was installed. I think we'll be removing most of the poly and replacing with rubber. Tim has lots of plans and ideas for the car but they are evolving and changing from day to day, I have encouraged him to just drive the car as it is for the spring, summer, fall season, then in Oct. we'll sit down and draw up a plan, I have a feeling his list of wants are going to be very different in the fall. He has wanted a Z since he was a kid but has never driven one so this is going to be lots fun.

That is exactly what came out of 26th and 27th. Its not cheapo-flimsy tape. It is an embossed vinyl fabric, but it is glued into the cover plate recess.

But that is my point, the UN has no smog pump/anti-emissions devices and also a different distributor.

Rockauto is my favorite spot to go just to see what's out there. Lots of long cylindrical choices, some are probably the same pump rebranded. One Beck Arnley. https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/nissan,1976,280z,2.8l+l6,1209226,fuel+&+air,fuel+pump,6256

Here's the rear deck of the 10/70 L20 240Z, is this the insulation you are talking about. It also has the screws in the bottom of the door panel like the Green car on Bat. I noticed the Z432R have them as well.

Yes Alan , we set an iPad and nice burgers for the show . I had a lot of fan , thank a lot !! Kats

No kidding. I'm getting phone calls from friends all over the country. This auction caused quite the stir.

I thought you were Dimwit #1 and I was #2, I'll tell you what, I'll wear the crown this year and you can have back next year, deal?

Many of my friends in Japan we’re amazed by this green car . So many people were watching at the auction, I am sure the winner must be very happy obtaining the incredible car . Here are some pictures of A/C of Fairlady Z . The 110 Red car is the one which I showed before , totally original , untouched , beautifully maintained like the green BAT car . Kats

Thanks ! It will be a dream. I will take you up on this the next time I am in Japan. My only connections to the 432 is a mirror I picked up on Ebay and a 432R toy car I just got in the mail last night ?

You just moved the goal posts. We were naturally restricting our comparisons to what was available on the showroom floor (hence the HP vs PS comparo) and how do you compare individual race-prepped engines without knowing to what level, what purpose, they have been prepared? Casino. Finally, how are you going to get a 2.4+litre car into a race class that is limited to 2.0 litres?

Hi Roo , it is a nice early Fairlady ZL , for me it is surprising to see it outside of Japan . About the sound deadening , ( I am talking about at the rear deck ) at least up to summer of 1973 , Fairlady Z series don’t have the sound deadening on the rear deck .On the other hand , looking at my 03/70 US 240Z , there is already the sound deadening on the rear deck . Talking about US and Canada 240Z , I believe only 1969 and some January 1970 cars don’t have the sound deadening at the rear deck , after that it applied for all the US and Canada 240Z ... How about other market S30 cars ? Z432 -R is a Spartan model , Z432 is a gorgeous model but it’s got a lot of performances features . Alan ‘s explanation is perfect , we can’t compare cars only looking at engines . Z432 has a complete sports package , and orchestra sound from the bonnet ! I am sure everyone will be pleased once they drove . I think only rival “ in stock configuration “ will be an Europe model , harder suspension set up , five speed , spoilers and magnesium wheels are standard but no LSD . Toleration of water temperature when racing in a track , S20 will do much better than L - series engine because of the design of water flow of the S20 ‘s . Also the cross -flow configuration will bring a better heat treatment for avoiding percolation , Z432 (Z432-R) will have an advantage for doing some laps , For a Long range journey, I will take Fairlady 240ZG . Lets say more than 200 -500 miles trip , you can move from A to B without fatigue, with minimum time . I did so many of this , G-nose effects is superior which of Z432 will do .Europe model will do close to the G-nose because of their spoilers . From the test report , G-nose gives maximum effect when the car has a rear spoiler , this is important. Kats

For documentation of HP and torque specification, we would be better off looking at what we know from history: The L24's torque when racing off line made it better for racing than then S20. The S20 was better for maintaining a higher-end speed when lapping with no one on the track. This was stated by a racer who had the privilege to race both cars in Japan 1970. These are from race prepped engines. However this seems very reasonable as the larger displacement of 2.4 vs 2.0 will give more torque, and the extra valves and crossflow of the 2.0 head will breath better at high rpms. There is an excellent thread showing that the L24 beat many S20 fitted cars on its first racing outing. The fact the USA market also got the 260z and 280z shows that Nissan was addressing the HP/Torque addition of drivers there ? But still I would rather have Dimwit #1's BMW fitted Z ? @grannyknot for the extra torque and HP!

Taking the implications of your first sentence to its logical conclusion, each North American dealer had their own version of the '240Z'. This is, of course, nonsense. I like your "same power" for the L24 vs S20. If you honestly think the retarded-timing, anti smog-equipped L24 in the HLS30U was kicking out the same as the S20 then - as we say over here - I have a bridge to sell you. It would be fun to have a theoretical race. Lets pick a race track with some corners rather than a drag strip. How about the old Watkins Glen? Or maybe Suzuka? You can have a 1970-spec HLS30U (complete with smog pump, 4-speed trans, 3.36:1 open diff, Amco towel rail bumper add-ons and rear window louvers) and I'll choose a 1970-spec PS30 (I could have chosen a PS30-SB, but I'll be nice) with its close ratio 5-speed Servo-synchro trans and 4.44:1 LSD. No gew-gaws on the 432 as - buying in Japan - the buyer gets to spec the car rather than the dealer. Lets race... Now I don't claim to be a race car driver, but I've had lessons. Hopefully I was paying attention. Don't know your pedigree, but I'm willing to bet there's a good chance that I'll lap the track faster and smoother than you will. Because its all about the PS30 package. You think different?

I've long wondered - when all overheads were factored in - just how much Nissan made on each HLS30U/UN/UV in, for example, 1970. There might well have been occasions where their selling dealers were making more per-car than Nissan Japan were getting back. No doubt the dealers were happy. Maybe that was part of the thinking...? We've talked about it in the past, but I still think that at least TWO models of '240Z' would have been suitable for the North American market; One 'Hot' one, and one 'Deluxe' one. Nissan themselves could have loaded the Deluxe with all sorts of fun stuff to charge more for. Like carpets, for instance... ?

Nice work. Those fuses have given their all. I did the same thing on my car a while ago... Tossed out all the old fuses and cleaned up the fuse block fingers before installing the new fuses. A little contact lube on the fuse block fingers. I would also recommend pulling apart and cleaning all the connections between the firewall harnesses and the console. You know... All the connectors that get corroded because the heater core leaked on them ten years ago. Good luck with the project and here's hoping there aren't too many gremlins hiding under the newer paint!

Here's the setup in a L20 Japanese delivered S30.

Nice read and some interesting data: https://translate.google.ca/translate?sl=ja&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ssfalcon.com%2Fhihou%2F3.htm

You make a number of good points, Alan. How ironic then, that Datsun dealers tended to prepare their cars with a number of various options, adding cost, and STILL couldn't keep up with demand. If nothing more, I would contend that Nissan really missed their projections of sales.

Charles, It's the RHD-specific layout as fitted to RHD production cars. Since the RHD heater/blower system (including the 'chimney' air inlet in the lower cowl part of the bodyshell) is RHD-specific and will not fit/work in LHD layout, it stands to reason that an LHD-specific version of factory aircon would be designed to fit the LHD layout. I can't show you a picture of an LHD-specific version because an LHD-specific version never made it to production in 1969... My point about the nascent air-con hose cut-outs in the firewall jute pad of the green BaT car is that - I'm willing to bet - they indicate that LHD-specific factory aircon must have been on the cards until quite late in the design/engineering processes. If not, why include the cut-out templates in the LHD-specific (it won't fit RHD) firewall jute pad? We know that there was a certain amount of de-contenting of the very first deliveries to North America, and - granted - some of the details will have been regarded as 'won't be missed', 'not necessary' or 'too expensive'. I believe there was a Tug-O'-War going on between NMC USA and NMC Japan over how to keep costs down whilst still making profit with a very competitive selling price. There were also - clearly - efforts made to simplify options and limit differences to the U/N/V variants which would help to maximise daily production volumes. I think factory aircon for North American market variants was a victim of all this. The wider point is that all the 'Made For USA' and 'Designed for USA' talk is not the whole story. Anybody who looks at these cars closely enough must realise that 'Made for Japan' and 'Designed for Japan' also happened, and so did made/designed for Australia, NZ, NL, Belgium, France, Germany, Portugal, UK, Scandinavia and others. S30, PS30, PS30-SB, HS30, HS30U, HLS30, HLS30U/UN/UV were all designed/engineered at the same time. That's why Nissan called it the 'S30-Series' at launch. It's a family.

Fully integrated factory air conditioning was part of the 'original' design for the S30-series Z. There's a chapter on the system in the November 1969-dated Nissan 'Service Shuho' booklet. Here are scans of some selected pages: But.... "Designed For USA" / "Made For USA", right....?

You could order air conditioning from the factory in 1970 on Japanese delivered cars.

I guess my hole is further up the evolutionary ladder as it has no threads ?

It was a Nissan product, not a Katayama product. Personally I would congratulate ALL the people at Nissan - even the guys who swept the floor and the ladies in the staff canteens - for doing their bit, however small, in making great products. And I would include everyone at Nissan Shatai, as well as all the component manufactures at companies like Niles, Koito, Toshiba, Yuasa, Mitsubishi, Ampco, Tokico, Everwing, IKI, Izumi, Bridgestone and any number of other companies who were making parts which were small pieces in the jigsaw puzzle which made these - and other - fine cars. I've been lucky and privileged enough to meet some of that generation of people who made these cars - some of them parents and relatives of good friends - and I am full of admiration for their work. I'd rather thank all of them than just one man.

SCCN = Sports Car Club of Nissan TMSC = Toyota Motor Sports Club PMC-S = Prince Motorist Club Sports etc These are all manufacturer-linked racing club organisations. SCCJ was different because it was a national racing club organisation, and not single-brand affiliated.

I believe I have one. More on Tuesday when I get a chance to get back into the shop.

Must be an elitist Liberal conspiracy.

My 77 has that hole. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey Bart, enough of the passive-aggressive crap, eh? He was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame for his successful career, not because he urinated 24 carat gold.

I think they're very biased viewpoints, ones not knowing or not willing to acknowledge the whole picture.

Certainly not all employees at Nissan were involved in the development of the Z...

Quite apart from the not-advisable-in-USA/'unsafe' hand throttle being part of the original signed-off design and making production, I wonder whether more than a very few of the people looking at the (wonderful!) photos provided for this auction wonder what the blanked-off double switch on the right of the rear window defroster switch was originally provided for? They are, of course, for the left and right parking light system switches. #S30-Series

The other interesting thing about the above photo is the tab at the top of the accelerator pedal for the throttle lever cable to attach to and also the bracket on the bulkhead. It seems you would still be able to retro fit the original components. I wonder when they deleted these tabs and brackets from production for US cars.

While we are on the subject, I'm wondering what the BaT 'experts' think when they looked at this particular car's photos (or their 30+ other cars...) and see something like this: Clue: I'm talking about the two pre-stamped round cutouts (unused) on the firewall jute pad. "Designed for the USA", right?

SpeedRoo, it was actually a piece of embossed fabric tape adhered to the cover plate.

1. The Flying Feather was conceived and engineered by Ryuichi Tomiya, and manufactured by Suminoe. Katayama was a friend of Tomiya and promoted/advertised the product. It was not a Nissan product, so I don't know what "at Nissan" means above? 2. I think you mean the SCCJ (Sports Car Club of Japan) which was started by a like-minded group of individuals, not just Katayama. 3. As above, an event that the Japanese auto industry agreed it needed, and was put together by more than one person. 4. Participation in the '58 Mobilgas Round Australia Trial was originally the idea of Yasuharu Nanba. 5. So did quite a lot of other people. Soichi Kawazoe in particular. 6. Did he? Are we to suppose that - Nissan having sent this (SPL212?) to the United States - it would not have been sold had it not been for Katayama? 7. OK.... so nobody else was doing anything of any consequence then? None of the above is any attempt at the diminution of Yutaka Katayama. What I'm really saying is that people tend to put Katayama in the frame for things that were often team efforts, and/or conceived and executed by others, and/or including Katayama.

He's not doing very well with the 'expert' part. He seems to be convinced that headlamp covers were "aftermarket only" (they were a showroom option in Japan from the beginning of production, then standard equipment on the Fairlady 240Z-L from October 1971, and always available for Export markets should you wish to purchase from Nissan) and that stripe kits were "aftermarket only" when - again - they were a showroom option in Japan and offered, with a factory part number, for other Export markets. If he's got 30+ of these cars then he can't have been looking very closely at them or the stories behind them.

More prep booth mods: Blast gates !!! ? Bent some quick sheet metal flanges to keep them compatible with the Adult Meccano and bolted them up... Sealed up with more Tuck Tape on the inside to prevent air leaks .... Good to go ...

I've been giving a lot of thought to this car and with the girlfriend off visiting with daughters I have a rare opportunity to chime in on a weekend. This is a VERY NICE Z indeed. It appears to me to be completely original, all 4 tie downs, except for the missing air filter housing decals. Two very positive, in my view, aspects. One, no add-on A/C. Two, It looks like it wasn't undercoated. Yes, your honor, I undercoated lots and lots of Datsuns of every stripe during my dealer days. Why not, we got paid 3 tenths of an hour labor for every one we coated and, in a perverted way, it was a bit of fun.. We're going to see more such Zs in the future due to a syndrome I call Aging Out and this car is a perfect example. Over the almost 40 years I've been in business I've been lucky to include in my customer base a large number of original owner cars. The owners of these cars are now almost to a man, no women in my group but I'm confident they exist, well into their 70s and beyond. In the last few weeks I've been contacted by a couple of these chaps or their relations about the best way to sell their Zs. I've also heard from a reliable source of other such situations. No, I'm not going to tell anyone about the details as I keep such conversations private but I think you get my point. I don't remember why I did this but when I had one of these originals on my greasy hands I took lots of pictures and wrote lots of notes. I've been lucky to have restored a few unmolested cars and of course did the picture and note thing for those projects. I can assure you there is nothing neat and tidy about this info! I'm bringing this up to address a comment I read suggesting someone put all of the original info into some sort of book, print a lot of copies, put them up for sale and wait for the the big bux to roll in! As Rod Stewart sang, "shows how wrong you can be". I can't even convince customers of the importance of owning a factory service manual! Yes, BAT is full of characters with nothing but time on their hands and the need to establish some sort of reputation as the definitive source of Z car info. There's even one character who has an extensive criminal record of fraud, OUCH!

Revive Jalopy in Japan is a great source for items like that. Here are some Revive Jalopy radiator hoses on my 432-R replica project car:

@26th-Z M69 cars have also no rear window defroggers. Very special that my HLS30-00023 has been very close with your HLS30-00026 on the production line. Here is the engine for #23

Engine all in, oil pressure good, ready to fire up next week.