HS30-H

Hi Nick, Basically, what I'm describing as unsuitable is ( yes ) the amount of wheel rim that 'sticks out'............. On these particular wheels ( his 6J on the front - not the 6.5J on the rear ) the offset is either zero or 'positive'. That suits the smaller Nissan models, but not really the Z. I'm sure they would fit - but they just would not look as good as a wheel that has a bit more 'negative' offset. Its only my opinion, and should not put anyone off making a bid of they want to. Its only a visual consideration. In my opinion ( and take that for what you will ) the R.S.Watanabe 8-spoke ( "Hachi-Spo" ) design looks better on an early Z when it starts getting a little wider than 6J. Watanabe made a bewildering amount of sizes and offsets in this design over the years ( yes - they started making wheels in the Sixties ) and have altered the design slightly for some sizes down the years too. I think a nice size for the early Z is 7J or 7.5J - and 15 inch is probably easier to find tyres for than 14 inch these days. 8J x 14 & 15 look tough, and once you get up to these sizes the 'negative offset' starts becoming more apparent. They really do look more deeply 'dished' - as we used to say. The Minilite style changed over the years too, and some of the very early ones looked almost 'flat' too - with quite fat and round spokes. The ones they are making now look quite different to that. The Panasports are not my specialist area ( ask one of our American friends about those ) and I think the Superlites look rather 'heavy' with their 10 spokes and wide centre casting. These days you can also get the Compomotive "ML" design ( made in UK ) which, as its name suggests, is rather like the Minilite. The Watanabes have a spoke profile that is slightly peaked, and it helps it to look lighter and more airy ( I think so, anyway ). If you look at different sizes and offsets, they sometimes change the way and position that the spokes join the outer rim. As long as you keep them in pairs ( per axle ) then all is usually OK. There have been a fair few other similar-looking Japanese wheels over the years too. Enkei made a very similar 8-spoked design in the mid-Seventies, and Black Racing ( BR ) also made a very similar design in the mid-Eighties while R.S.Watanabe were technically out of business. The Watanabes have been made in both Aluminium alloy and Magnesium. Most of the time you tend to find the Aluminium ones for sale rather than the Mag ones. The Mag ones are immensely strong but brittle, whereas the Aluminium ones tend to bend and are easier to repair. Mag is probably not the best choice for everyday use. Watanabe have gone bust and come back at least once to my knowledge ( maybe more than that ), and I'm pleased they are still making wheels. They are also pretty well in-touch with their heritage - which is good to see. If you need more info then drop me a PM and I could try to put together some detail photos for you as reference? To sum up ( and try to answer your main question ) - the more 'negative' the Offset - the more the wheel rim looks 'deeper' to the eye. 'Offset' and 'Backspacing' are essentially the same thing, and they are a measurement of the distance between the true centre line of the wheel and the hub mounting face at the rear of the wheel. Hope that makes sense. All the best, Alan T.

They are packed up in their original boxes ( a bit ragged ) and stashed in one of my garages. I'll be going over there tomorrow. I'll take some digital photos and some measurements and e-mail them to you. They are the old "Adjustable-D" ( or was it "D-Adjustable" ) that I don't think you can get any more ( not sure about that ). They are not gas though - they are oil type. You have to set them BEFORE they are on the car, by pushing the rod all the way to the bottom and then turning it. Know the ones I mean? I'll ship them to you gratis if you want them. I'll get photos and measurements to you tomorrow. Alan T.

Mr Camouflage posted a link to these and the sellers' other set a couple of days ago. I think the 6J size is not going to look too good on a Z, as the offset / backspacing is not really suited. The 6.5J would be OK though, as the offset backspacing in that width is ideal. I have a set of 6.5J x 14 RS Watanabe 8-spokes, and they used to be fitted to my old everyday-driver Z. You can see what they looked like on the car here: 6.5j x 14 Watanabe on 73 240Z Alan T.

IMPERIAL sized studs? What on earth were you thinking of!? You are now officially OFF my Christmas card list......... Seriously though, I can see that they make a lot of sense. You get a whole new world of wheel nuts to choose from in that size too. Don't they do a 6 inch version? You could be like Queen Boudicca of the Iceni - rolling through the Roman army with sword blades on the wheels of her chariot. You could cut the tops off the cones on the Auto-X course. She did suffer from terrible unsprung weight problems though, and had trouble finding performance tyres for her 36-Inch twelve spokes..................... Like 2Many I'm a little concerned about your springs jumping off the perches on full extension. I've had this happen to me and it ain't funny. Mashes up spring perches and sounds really nasty too. I've seen suspension legs wired-up to limit extension as a cure for it. Some of the later Works Z rally cars used a system like this. Hopefully you won't experience a problem but with such a short spring combined with a damper that will extend a LONG way from where the spring is seated, you might have it happen to you. What dampers / shock absorbers did this BRE setup originally use then? Alan T.

One of them is a Pirate copy. HAAAAAAARRRRRR! Either that or these are the very rare Neck-car versions for a staggered ride height. Just put the short one on the left side of the car and make sure you keep turning left. I've got a little-used set of KONI D-Adjustables that I'll GIVE you to stop you using the pegleg Tokico. Please tell me you won't be tempted to fit it........... Alan T.

Hi Nate, I'd like to see you with a Z after all this time without one, but do be careful. Don't want to see you with a lemon, even if its a cheap one................ If there is rust in the floors then you can bet it will be elsewhere too. Make sure you have a good idea of what you are getting into. Probably the best replacement floor panels ( and other parts ) are made by Zedd Findings in Canada: Zedd Findings There will be others better-placed to give you advice relating to your specific needs for welding and repair shops in your local area - but I just wanted to give you a bit of encouragement mixed with a word of caution. Good luck! Alan T.

I AM the dishwasher in our house. A few years ago an automatic dishwasher would have been seen as something relatively unusual here - but perhaps not quite so much now. One thing that irks me about money issues here in the UK - and London in particular - is the huge rise in the value of property ( real estate ). I actually can't afford to buy even an apartment here in my own home town. There are people making enough of a living from renting out just one or two properties in London that they do not need a proper 'job'. That's crazy. Bus drivers, street sweepers, teachers and nurses are forced to live way outside the central area and have to travel large distances to get to and from their workplace. For the money that I pay out in renting my home, I could probably buy a relatively large house in a beautiful green area with lots of space - but I would have trouble finding work. I'm pretty-much painted into a corner. The same money would probably buy an even bigger place in the USA, and a bloody ranch in Australia. I probably earn a fairly good wage - but it just does not go far here in central London. Apparently, London is currently one of the most expensive places to live in the world. What has happened to my home town? Alan T.

Well, it certainly looks about the same. The original Tail Light trim panels were, however, in that unusual 'match striker' textured finish that's so difficult to look after. The hubcap paint, grille paint ( certainly on the mesh grilles ) and all those other little areas definitely look like the Anthracite colours mentioned above. However, I have no idea what the original colour name or its code were. I have a little pot of original Nissan paint that was given to me by a fellow ZG-owning friend in Japan. Its the correct gunmetal grey metallic for the rear bumper, front bumper, front lower valance and Overfenders of the ZG. The BMW and Vauxhall / Opel colours mentioned above are a near-as-dammit match for the original Nissan colour. Alan T.

Electric windows were an option on the Japanese-market Fairlady Z range from mid 1976, on the C-S31 and C-GS31 models. Technically, these were S30-series Z cars ( pre S130-series ). These models got a fair few electrically-operated gizmos, such as remote-operated fender mirrors. However, if this car is in the USA then I doubt that it is one of these - or has had the electric window parts retro-fitted onto a '73 model. They probably would not fit in the early doors. Alan T.

As Z Kid said, the old BMW colour called "Anthracite" is a good match. There is also an old GM ( UK Vauxhall / Opel range ) colour called "Anthracite" which is a good match. Colour code was "81L". If you can't find these colours, then look at old Porsche colours and you should be able to find something suitable. If you are looking for the "real" ZG colour, then make sure that you are looking at pictures of REAL ZG's. Most of the pictures you will find on the Net are of replicas, and who knows what colour they have painted them? The correct colour is a dark metallic gunmetal grey, and it originally had a gloss top coat. They should be 'shiny'. Good luck, Alan T.

Guus, Surely you don't believe that the blue car was a Works or even ex-Works car? If it was, then I'd eat my shoes. As I mentioned before, some drivers got the use of Works and ex-Works cars for certain events which they entered either personally or in the name of their sponsors. Mehta's drive in the Acropolis was a case where he used a Works-built car but under a non-Works entry. The SEARS tyre sponsorship was clearly part of this deal ( as it was when he used the tyres on the RAC Rally ). I would not believe that the blue car was a Works-built rally car because it just does not seem to have any of the little identifying details that so many of the Works-built cars had. Even when Works-built cars passed on to different ownership they tended to keep many of these little visual clues, quite apart from the known history of each chassis. Nissan's Works rally cars were ALWAYS painted red as a base colour, even though some of them later changed colour or had other colour patterns / sponsorship added on top. The blue car just 'feels' to me like it was painted in a Factory colour. That's why I think it started its life as a standard road car. I'm with Rolf on this one. Guus, do you concur? Alan T.

Yes 240znz, I agree with abas that it looks as though a previous owner decided to update the car by cutting out a gap in the round pressed holes of the rear deck, and installed some of the later style toolbox lids and hinges. On the early cars, this space was effectively a 'dead' boxed section, and I would guess that the designers decided later on to make better use of it by making it an accessible storage area. Looks like the PO installed the correct fine diamond padded vinyl lining too. All the parts are from a later car. 240znz - can I see from the photo that your car has CLOSED pressings in the vertical panel behind the rear seats? ( I mean the sheetmetal that effectively forms the side of your 'new' toolboxes that is immediately behind the seats ). Mostly you tend to see the square pressings 'open' ( ie - you can see into the box section that now forms your toolboxes, as the squares are actually punched out of the sheetmetal ) and not closed. This section is covered by diamond-stitched trim normally - so most owners would not necessarily know if the panel was punched out or not. Anyway, I have seen both punched and non-punched panels on early cars. From what I can see, your car seems to have been the plastic toolbox type with NO square punched holes before it was modified. Interesting that this too is a detail change to the bodyshells of early cars that is pretty-much never discussed. Frankly I would not worry too much about the toolboxes. Think of it as an interesting piece of character for your car, and don't lose sleep over it :classic: Alan T.

Does this help? The plastic lids are nos 32 & 33 on the diagram. Alan T.

I think I need to sleep too - I'm obviously falling into too many holes in this story! The black and white photo is supposedly of Raudet & Sausset on the 1972 Bandama. I don't have any info that points to that car being ex-Works ( which is the main point that interests me ). I have a report of the 1974 Bandama that says that Mehta and Billstam were in an ex-Works ( Safari? ) Z - starting no.7 - and registered TKS 33 SA 4081 ( interesting car, that one ). Let's look into it further when we are wide awake. Alan T.

So there were two 240Z cars in the 1973 Bandama according to our pictures ( they are definitely different cars - agreed? ) and I think Raudet must have been in the car in the black and white picture ( presumably red and ex-Works ). So who was in the blue car? Was that actually Raudet? If so, who was in the other car ( obviously not Mehta if he was in a Bluebird? ). This is a difficult one.

Guus, Do you think Raudet might have been in the blue car? As far as I have read, Raudet was in an ex-Works car ( ex-Safari ) but I have not seen a clear picture of it so I was doubtful. Lots of cars were ( and still are! ) claimed as "ex-Safari" when they never even went near Africa........... You are doing the right thing by looking so very closely at the details of the cars in the photos. A lot can be deduced from this. However, I've been tripped-up many times by pictures being mis-captioned or even being from a completely different event. The usual problem is race reports and features that use pictures from the previous year's event to illustrate the latest news! Most misleading. Our mystery deepens I think................. Alan T.

Good points Rolf, Shekhar Mehta ( and some other 'Works' drivers ) sometimes entered rallies using Works cars that were on loan to them, or were entered by the local Nissan / Datsun dealers. These entries were not classed as full Works entries, but they sometimes used Works cars or Works-supplied equipment. Sometimes this allowed them to use equipment from their own private sponsors. I remember one case where Mehta used 'Sears' brand white-band tyres on an ex-Works car. The blue car is immediately suspectable as a non-Works car because of its colour. It looks like a standard Nissan colour rather than a respray. The prominent Cibie sponsorship is also suspect, and I don't see any tell-tale details on the car that would suggest that it is ex-Works or carries Works parts. Can't see the wheels in Guus's photo. What with the Bandama having so many French connections, your suspicions of a French privateer entry could well be accurate. As far as I was aware, the car that Mehta and Billstam used on the 1973 Bandama was red, and was an ex-Safari Rally Works car. Has Guus discovered an interesting privateer entry? Alan T.

Hi Guus, That's an interesting photo! The only photo I have seen of the Mehta / Billstam 1973 Bandama Rally Z shows slightly different details. Biggest difference is that in your poster photo the Cibie Oscars on the front of the bonnet are very easy to spot. On the ( black and white - and not so clear ) photo that I have seen, these lamps are just not there. I can't quite make out the race number on the door of the car in the black and white photo - but it looks different. The front spot lamps ( four of them ) look like they are higher ( behind the cow catcher ) and spread out further. I guess there is a great possibility that they could have moved the lamps during the rally. Maybe because of damage or function issues? I'm wondering whether these photos are of the same car on the same event, or of the same car on different events, or of different cars on the same event, or of different cars on different events. My head hurts.:stupid: Alan T.

OK Fred - since you invited me.............:cheeky: I don't understand about the word "offer" in the phrase. What is on offer? Who is offering? Anyone looking at that page already knows that they are there to have something offered to them. No? If I were a customer who was looking for the logistics services of this company, then I would have thought the phrase "Our logistics will move you" or "Our logistics services will move you" would be a nice pun that still gets the point across. But then, as an Englishman, what would I know about English? Alan T.

Go for it Guus, I'm sure you can make a really accurate replica. You should be able to gauge the size and shape from referencing your pics and mine. The aluminium plate is quite thick ( maybe 1.5mm? ) and not as thin and easy to bend as you might think. I'm sure you can buy sheets of the silvery-white reflective background to stick on it, and the black border and letter are probably easy to get computer-cut and carefully stuck on. Bury it at the bottom of your garden for a few months and then dig it up. A quick wipe, and it'll look just like the real thing!:classic: Alan T.

Hi Andrew, Ah, Bournemouth. The English Riviera. I've had some good times down there. Its a bit closer than 3000 miles that's for sure! I've always found that the Bournemouth and Poole area had a real lot of serious car freaks. Lots of really good Rods and Rod builders. Is Dorset the British California?!........... I can understand your sentiments for wanting to keep the original engine in the car if possible. Its such an early car ( in comparison to the average UK car ) that it has to be worth thinking along these lines. However, you can still pep it up a little and have something that's very satisfying to drive but still tractable and relatively docile. I always think that its worth taking advantage of this country's so-far lenient laws with regard to modification of old cars. This will free up your options on the spec. of the engine. I'll PM you my direct e-mail address and we can take it further. I'm sure I have some parts that you might be able to find a use for. All the best, Alan T.