HS30-H

I'm going to skip over the usual 'Mr.K' stuff. That's a whole topic on its own. Anyway... At 6 minutes in, Leno asks "...tell us how this Japanese-only model is different from the American version". Great, maybe some informative content specific to the beautiful example in front of them is coming? Jay Ataka starts to explain, but do I detect an edit? It seems cut short, and Leno starts talking about all that (same old same old) cliched Datsun vs Nissan naming stuff. Which - incidentally - is just not correct. Why would Nissan choose to use their precious 'Datsun' branding on something that might 'fail' in an Export market? No, it's much more complicated than that. So Jay Ataka explains that the car in front of them is an example of the "base model", but doesn't get time to explain that - at launch - Japan had four variants of S30-series Z to choose from. The point that the "base model" was the cheapest, but that a 'Deluxe' model was available alongside it, seemed to go missing. It would have been useful context for the outward appearance of the car. Leno says "I guess they studied all the American cars, or at least the cars sold in America", ..."because you see some Thunderbird..." (?!) .."you see some Jaguar, you see sort of Corvette..." (?!). First of all I don't see much Thunderbird (and I used to own a '65 Thunderbird, God help me) or Corvette in there. But anyway, what Leno sees (or what I see) is kind of beside the point. Going down that line of thought sets you up for the implication that Japanese designers and stylists were - that old cliche again - copyists. Its like nobody can bring themselves to believe that the Japanese team which styled the body of the S30-series Z was influenced by the same mid-Sixties automotive design zeitgeist that their contemporaries in other countries were responding to. They were educated, not programmed. I just don't see how anyone can say that the S30-series Z is in any way "for America" in terms of its styling. The 'Made For The USA' thing is arguably more about ergonomics and economics than anything else. And as for dynamics...

The latest episode (dated 20th February 2023) of JAY LENO'S GARAGE has just arrived on YouTube. It is titled 'The Beginning Of Z Cars: Fairlady Z', and features the 1971 S30-S Fairlady Z of Mr Jay Ataka: YouTube link A lovely car and a great opportunity to discuss the topic in accordance with the episode's title, but it doesn't go that way. It seems that Jay Leno didn't manage to comprehend the structure of the S30-series family through the stages of concept, design, engineering and production and - despite having a Japanese home market variant in front of him, he constantly refers to the American market. He seems somewhat.... confused. I think it's a missed opportunity. Jay Leno is a very influential broadcaster and his shows reach a wide audience. He entertains, but also informs. Not necessarily in any great depth, but he often touches on technicalities and historical context. This time he seems somewhat befuddled and insists - I think misguidedly - in viewing this specifically Japanese market Japanese car through the lens of the USA. In his introduction, standing in front of the car, he states "This is a car built for the American market". Well, no. This car was not... He then trots out many of the cliches relating to the early days of Nissan's exports to the North American market. "Not particularly durable", "smaller engines", "they weren't used to our super highways" etc. But all of that relates more to cars designed in the mid 1950s and the (somewhat strange) importing choices of Marubeni Corp. and early NMC USA. The implication is that 'Japan' didn't know how to make cars, let alone cars for the USA, but the truth is that Japan's industry was already embarked on a journey of rapid rebuilding after the devastation of the war years. Japanese designers and engineers, and the companies they worked for, were focused as much on Japan's rapidly changing needs as they were to any exporting concerns. Within a few short years the Japanese automotive industry (along with pretty much every other Japanese industry) was making better and better product for Japan. That journey was already well under way. The S30-series Z was an effect of that, not a cause. Leno then says "So this is a 1971 Fairlady, OK? When did it officially become the 240?". This is as good an example as any of the way the S30-series Z family is misunderstood and mis-explained. I have no idea how Leno and his team prepare for each show, but perhaps a little bit of briefing/scripting would have been useful here? It seems that he's starting out with a basic lack of comprehension with regard to the structure of the family, and - sorry to say this - but Jay Ataka's attempts to explain don't really help much. And that's at less than 4 minutes in...

My impression would be the opposite. I feel that any closed-end nut being used in rally type conditions (with servicing/wheel changes being carried out in dust/snow/mud/gravel) would run the risk of accidental contamination inside (small stones? mud?) during changes, with obvious negative results. I don't see any reason why open-ended nuts would be a risk to the wheel studs, so there must have been other reasons why they changed from open-ended to closed-end (and dome) nuts. This is serious rivet counting! Kevin's theory was that the dome-headed nuts fitted neatly into the classic wheel braces that were in use at the time, and which were part of the tool kit on the Works cars. If you look inside one of that type of 'spider' or 'flat four' wheel brace, you can often see a negative dome inside. Kevin thought that the dome nuts fit neatly into this without 'cocking' (risking cross-threading) leading to faster and more reliable wheel changes. It sounds feasible to me... In terms of Works circuit racing cars, in period photos I see both open and closed-end nuts being used. Inconclusive. Heres's a Works mechanic using said 'spider' type wheel brace on the car of Tony Fall and Mike Wood, on the 1971 RAC Rally:

Never say never. I should remember that myself... I think it is hard to discount it, knowing the provenance of your Works car. It may be the exception that proves the rule. I'm trying to think of any scenario(s) where a wheel using the classic tapered seat fixings might have been 'converted' to sleeve nuts, and have so far drawn a blank. I can't help thinking that it is more likely - citing Occam's Razor - to be original and correct for the car, and/or perhaps the whole '71 Monte Carlo Rallye batch (except RHD ex-'70 RAC car '694'...). The logistics of a Works team participating in a certain event dictate the it makes sense for all of the team cars to have the same method of wheel fixing. An event like the Monte Carlo Rallye - with tarmac stages, ice stages, snow stages and changing conditions between all three - requires multiple wheel and tyre changes. There would have been dozens of wheels - shared between the cars - with the Dunlop tyre trucks stationed at strategic points changing tyres on wheels, and team service cars out at designated service points carrying wheels and tyres to be changed according to the upcoming stages. Big churn. Obviously it would make sense for all team wheels to have the same fixing method/nuts. Even the ice note/recce/fast service team cars would follow suit. So without knowing for sure what the rest of the team cars used on the '71 Monte, I'd be reluctant to dismiss your sleeve-nutted wheels as 'incorrect'. There's even a slim possibility in my mind that they were something to do with the conditions on the Monte Carlo Rallye. Nissan's Works team had already contested the Monte Carlo Rallye several times before '71, so they knew what they were up against. There may have been some reasoning behind this...

I think this mount is related to the air filter housing of the fuel injected models, superseded in August 1974 by another design?

There was definitely an observable transition/evolution from open-ended wheel nuts to the chrome domed-end wheel nuts during 1971. Here's that 1970 RAC car (it is 'TKS 33 SA 696' by the way) again. Definitely open-enders:

Looks to be in A1 condition. Nice find! On an LHD car, where will you mount the Oscillator box?

My impression is that the 7x14" Kobe Seiko 'Rally Mag' wheels on your Works car are something of an anomaly, in that they use the same 'Sleeve Nut' style fixing as the OEM '432' Kobe Seiko mags. Of course, there was constant evolution within the specifications of the Works cars - even to the stage where there were differences between cars made in the same 'batch', and for the same event - so the concept of what may be 'correct' or 'original' for one Works car may not necessarily be applicable to another. However, I have a pretty good collection of wheels made by Kobe Seiko for Nissan's race and rally teams (maybe 40+ wheels now) and they all - without exception - have a steel insert with a conventional (60 degree?) taper to suit wheel nuts with the same tapered washer. At least six of my Rally Mag wheels came from the batch of cars built for the 1970 RAC Rally here in the UK, so they have some provenance. From what I can see of the wheels, they don't seem to have been modified from parallel bore 'sleeve nut' fixing to tapered seat steel inserts. The inserts look original, and match the later wheels in my collection. Looking at period photos and original Works cars, I see plenty of evidence of tapered seat fixing. Doesn't mean that they were all that way, but it looks like majority share to me. A couple more period photos, perhaps illustrating the destructive nature of top flight rallying (and drivers who insist on getting to the end of a stage despite having a puncture...). Tapered seats in evidence:

Another angle. Works 240Z maintenance. Period photo:

Two basic different types of wheel nuts were used between the OEM '432' Kobe Seiko magnesium wheels and the Works 432-R/Works 'Rally Mag' wheel. The (narrow) '432' type used what I believe is called a 'Sleeve Nut', with a long parallel shank and a corresponding parallel hole in the wheel. These centred the wheels on the studs by having a close clearance between the shank on the nut and the hole in the wheel, and clamping force was distributed by a thick washer on the outside face. Personally speaking, I don't like this fixing method. It always seems to raise questions of balance and poor centering. The (wider) Works 'Rally Mag' type used a conventional nut with a (60 degree?) tapered washer that was pressed on - but free to spin to the short shank. The wheels had a steel insert with a matching taper. Clamping force was distributed around the tapered washer and centering was 'automatic' via the stud-centric nature of the tapered washers. These seem pretty much fool-proof to me. I've got a fairly big collection of Works Kobe Seiko wheels (7j x 14" Rally Mags, wide 15" 4-spoke circuit racing mags and 6j x 14" 'Violet' rally mags) and all of them use tapered steel inserts in the wheels to suit tapered nuts. Works rally cars started off in 1970 with open-ended wheel nuts, but switched to chromed dome nuts soon after.

I can see your dilemma. Ultimately it is up to you, but as you already have a good quality Grande Nose and overfenders (very likely a genuine factory 5-piece kit plus genuine factory overfenders) and it was clearly fitted a long time ago, then maybe it would be fitting to keep it. Part of the car's story. On the other hand, you could sell on the Grande Nose and overfenders and use the money they bring as an assist in a return to factory stock 240Z-L bodywork. Maybe factory body colour (white?) too? Period/period-sympathetic modifications and updates would not be out of place. Glenn Chiou's gorgeous blue Fairlady 240Z-L is a great role model. In any case, I'd like to see more photos when you are ready.

The three models in the photo I posted (it is a page from the October 1971 'Z-4' #272 Nissan Service Shuho model introduction booklet) are the three that I have been talking about; the 'HS30-S' Fairlady 240Z'/'HZS'/'HZ-Standard' model is the one on the bottom. It had the L24 engine the same as the other two models above it, and is implicitly included in the "2,600" conjectural figure from the graphic that we have been discussing.

You are correct, 'S30' equals not just Japan... and therein lies a story (shall we go there, considering this story is often painted as the story of 'the 240Z'?). However, the graph/graphic you are citing refers only to the Japanese domestic market variants. No Export market variants included, because it is intended to indicate what was happening in Japan.

Where are you getting the figure of "175 cars" from for 1971? You seem to have left out the HS30-S 'Fairlady 240Z' ('HZS') model too. In my experience, it is safer - and better for everybody - if we follow the naming/coding structure of the factory, using their 'Katashiki' charts. They can be a little inconsistent if you track them through the different Nissan publications (sales brochures, service manuals, parts lists etc) but there is a logic to them which makes sense to me. Hence I refer to: *'HS30-S' Fairlady 240Z ('HZS') 'Standard' model. *'HS30-D' Fairlady 240Z-L ('HZD') 'Deluxe' model. *'HS30-H' Fairlady 240Z-G ('HZG') 'Grande Nose'/'Aerodyna' model. ...rather than terms such as "HS30L" and "HS30ZG" etc. Note that there are extra suffixes to denote such as Automatic versions too. This is just further conjecture, which is all well and good, but there really are no definitive breakdowns for the three variants of L24-engined models in hand yet. Kats believes - as do others, and at looking from what is left extant in Japan today as much as anything else - that the 'HS30-H' model was the best seller of the three. I'm inclined to agree. However we still don't know the hard numbers, so I believe it is a step too far to be putting numbers like "470", "235" and whatever else out there. Especially when you are extrapolating from a graph which was never intended to give such detail in the first place. Again, I'm going to point out that you have not included the 'HS30-S' Fairlady 240Z 'Standard' model. It would make a good candidate for rarity simply because its de-contented 'Standard' spec was a slightly ill-fitting piece in the jigsaw puzzle that was the Japanese domestic market lineup. So it had the L24 engine (meaning extra purchase cost and extra licensing taxation cost because it exceeded the two litre tax band) but came with a 4-speed trans and very few bells and whistles. Alongside it in the showroom would be an 'S30-D' Fairlady Z-L (conforming to the two litre tax band) with a 5-speed trans and all the bells and whistles (headlamp covers, radio, hubcaps, stopwatch clock etc, even carpets!) and it would cost the new car buyer less overall - and ongoing - than the 'HS30-S'. It hardly looked any different than the more expensive Fairlady 240Z-L, so it would perhaps have made a better choice than the 'HS30-S', hence painting the 'HS30-S' into a corner that made it a rare choice, I'd say. My advice is to just continue to research your car by looking at its details. There has obviously been a lot of customisation in its history, but you can pin down what is 'factory' and what is later addition/modification. Probably the best documentation of the car's original spec would be the Japanese title ('Shakken Sho') but I'm guessing it is long gone? You never know, some research into previous owners - particularly the person who originally imported the car from Japan - might provide some extra clues (it has been beneficial with my own Japanese market cars). Keep an open mind and perhaps don't try too hard to assign hard numbers where we don't know them yet. Fun isn't it?!

I don't think the graph was designed to be taken too literally (it is more illustrative of increasing domestic consumption in the sporting car sector) but nevertheless I think the numbers roughly correspond with the graph.

First of all, the chart (its from one of the Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. Japan 10 year report books) doesn't give a breakdown including PS30 and PS30-SB Fairlady Z432 and Fairlady Z432-R models, so they are not in that particular mix. The bars on the chart show total S30-prefixed production and the total (Japanese market only) HS30-prefixed production in proportion to eachother. Kats has marked in green the proportions of the HS30-prefixed cars at the top of the '71, '72 & '73 year bars. The numbers on the vertical axis are thousands of units. Secondly, the Japanese market L24-engined models (HS30-S 'Fairlady 240Z', HS30-D 'Fairlady 240Z-L' and HS30-H 'Fairlady 240ZG') were only sold from late 1971 through late 1973, and in parallel with the (four) Japanese market 2-litre models, so their uptake - being more expensive to buy and to own than two of the 2-litre models - was reduced. In fact, a fully optioned HS30-prefixed variant was a premium product in the Nissan showroom lineup. That explains somewhat why the proportions of L24-engined variants are smaller than the L20(A)-engined variants. As Kats pointed out, cashed-up buyers tended to choose the Fairlady 240ZG over the 'Standard' spec Fairlady 240Z and the 'Deluxe' spec Fairlady 240Z-L, probably because of its radical looks and the reflected glow of the factory race cars. By late 1971 the 432 and 432-R were already the best part of two years old, so not 'The New Thing'. The 240ZG itself was a 'Deluxe' model with all the bells and whistles of the 240Z-L, but the addition of that factory body kit, so buyers tended the leap-frog the 240Z-L. All these factors combined to make the 240Z-L a relatively rare choice then, and therefore a relatively rare car today. Yes, there are no hard numbers for the breakdown of HS30-S, HS30-D and HS30-H production. The chart that Kats posted is a rare clue to totals, but it doesn't give hard numbers. The Japanese Motor Industry Association kept records of year-on-year batches of chassis numbers, broken down by chassis prefix. Therefore we know the chassis number ranges for each year of production for the Japanese market HS30-prefixed variants, but not the sub-variant (S,D,H suffix) breakdowns. Such is the mystique - and joy - of the Japanese market variants.

Yes, I think I should probably sell them. However, a few things to bear in mind; First, I don't really want to split the pair up and secondly I'm a long way from you. Shipping cost would be high, as these things are long. Tomorrow I'll have a word with a freight broker I use to see if he can give me a rough quote on freight cost from UK to Canada. Stay tuned.

...and a 'late' LH 2-seater door: 80101-N3400 ASSY-PANEL DOOR LH

...and a pair of late 'Air Tube'/'Upper Chassis Reinforcement'/'Hood Ledge' panels: 64150-N4600 RH ASSY-REINFORCED HOOD LEDGE 640151-N4600 LH ASSY-REINFORCED HOOD LEDGE

A few more NOS parts from my 'stash' which - all things considered - are doing no good sitting in a dark corner of my storage garage. They need to find a home that wants and, ideally, really needs them... First up, 90101-E8300 ASSY-PANEL TAIL GATE 01-71 up:

I've got a lot of parts both used and NOS, but here are some that I don't seem to see all that often. Its a pair of NOS E4102 Inspection Lids: *63200-E4102 ASSY-LID BATTERY INSPECTION RH (from 05-72) *63201-E4102 ASSY-LID BATTERY INSPECTION LH (from 05-72) A little battered (they must have been on a shelf in the local dealer for the best part of 40 years before I got them) but intact and usable.

The yellow paint marks were applied to certain fastenings that were part of the production line process at Nissan Shatai's Hiratsuka plant. Since the differential wasn't assembled at Hiratsuka - same as the engine and transmission - the guys on check duty at Hiratsuka would most likely not have been tasked with checking & marking them. As for self-locking nuts, I should imagine the guys tasked with checking and marking them were making sure they were (A) present and correct and (B) torqued to spec.

Well, it's a nice thought ('23' being significant to Nissan...) but the tank will have been made in a different Nissan-related facility and then trucked - most likely as part of a batch of similar parts - to the Nissan Shatai factory in Hiratsuka. I very much doubt that would have been possible on the same day that the car was 'finished'. I'd say a few days, maybe a week or so, more likely? Most of the component parts on these cars usually seem to show production date/QC check stamps within a few weeks to a couple of months before the completion of the car.

In fact that is Takeuchi san's Z432-R, as used as a muse through the whole genesis of the RZ34 project, and debuted today on Nissan's Fairlady Z-themed stand at the 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon, paired with the RZ34 'Customised Proto' concept car:

The '46 6 23' date stamp translates to 23rd June 1971. '46' = 46th year of Showa = 1971 (First year of Emperor Showa's reign was 1925). '6' = Month of June. '23' = 23rd day of the month.