HS30-H

Yeah, it's a tiddler! Doesn't matter though, as I hardly get the chance to use it any more...... I only bought the 11's in an extended moment of fantasy.They were there, I had the money, and my judgement got the better of me. I haven't put them on the car yet ( they were destined for the ZG ) as the whole front and rear suspension is off at the moment and the car is sitting on jackstands. I've got to pull my finger out and get the Bilstein set-up on it, but the weather has been putting me off. I think I've mentioned before that the wider I go with the tyres on the ZG, the worse it seems to perform. Even with several changes to suspension geometry ( it's got camber and castor adjustability on the front and back ) I find that the car is fighting me and I just can't get it to 'float' through the fast corners on the tracks like Goodwood and Castle Combe. Its scary. It seems to have loads of grip and then suddenly nothing at all. I prefer a more progressive feel, and I really can't afford to crash the ZG - so I'm probably not relaxing and giving it the freedom it might want. I think I'll have to take it to less track days in future and not try to keep up with the better drivers and faster cars... As anyone who has actually searched for very wide tyres for 14 inch wheels will tell you, there ain't a lot out there. There is an Avon Turbospeed fitting for Aston Martin that will fit ( 265 / 55 ), but I've already got the 225 / 60 x 14 CR65 Turbospeeds on the car and they are crap in the wet, whilst being very grippy in the dry. There is a B.F. Goodrich tyre that will fit ( I think they are 265 too? ) but I have no data on how good they are. I might use Dunlop race tyres on them and keep them for track-days and 'showing off'. Of course, that won't be road legal. I have a pair of 8.5j that I will probably put on the rear of the car, and leave the 7.5j on the front. That will make it 'look' about right, but I would still prefer to find some more 'vintage' looking rubber for them - something with a high profile like 70 or 80. I might even investigate bias-belted stuff for the 'right' look. I'd prefer the car to look like time stopped around 1973, if possible. All these problems would be solved if I went up to 15 inch, but something inside me has been resisting it. The Sports Option wheels for the S30-series cars in Japan were all 14 inchers, so it seemed 'right' to stick with them and not make the car look too modern. Actually, I'm determined to put the Factory-original 5j steels and hubcaps on for at least a couple of events in 2004. That should be a laugh. The ZG looks incredibly funny in its skinnies, so I'm going to track down some tall full-section tyres and go for it. I'll post pics when I do. Alan T.

Another view:

Whoops, The wheel is so bloody heavy it fell off my post...........

Here's what they look like bolted onto a Bilstein rear leg:

More silly wide ones. I've got two of these 11j x 14 and don't really know whether to use them or not...........

James, Call me a cynical old git ( you'd probably be right! ) but are you sure that they are indeed the "original" Nissan moulds? I'm always sceptical when I hear stories like this. In the case of the Overfenders used on the 110 GTR I can tell you that Nissan never made them in the first place, as they farmed the job out to their specialist FRP moulding sub-contractors. Several years ago I was chasing up a set of moulds here in the UK that were *allegedly* the "original" Works rally door moulds ( the ones used to make the doors on the 1970 & 1971 240Z rally cars, before the regulations changed and they were forced to use steel ones again ). I was told no end of times that they were the real thing. To cut a long story short, they turned out to be a set of moulds that were made ( very roughly! ) in the UK from a pair of stock steel doors, and they even had the moulding shop's name on them. So much for them being the "real thing"....... There's always the chance that the moulds this guy has COULD indeed be the real thing, but I'm at a loss to think how and why they could have ended up in Australia when you'd think that they would really be more useful in Japan. Cynical old git signing off......:classic: Alan T.

Hi Mr C, "Factory fitted" is the sticking point here, as this kind of implies that the wheels would be on a standard model available to buy in the showroom, rather than available as a "Sports Option" part. The problem with proving stuff to the authorities that decide whether you can legally use them or not, is that they often seem to disallow parts and specs that were only offered in the Japanese home market. The guys that race early Z cars in our English historic circuit race classes are not allowed to use virtually any of the parts that were available as "Sports Option" parts in Japan, which is pretty unfair really. If you only count showoom models, then there's not much that was all that wide. The extra-cost Kobe Seiko magnesium wheels on the 432 were only 5.5J x 14, and the Kobe Seiko "Works" rally mags ( never sold to the general public ) were made in 6j and 7j x 14. The standard alloys for the RS30 / RLS30 and S31 were 6j x 14 as far as I remember? If you can count official Nissan "Sports Option" parts, then there is a little more width available. The Sports Option list for the 432 and 432R offered magnesium 8-spokes ( of the classic Minilite / RS Watanabe shape ) also made by Kobe Seiko, in 8j x 14 from 1970. The Sports Option lists for the HS30 and RS30 models offered even wider magnesium Kobe Seiko 8-spokes in 10j x 14 ( with a 25mm negative offset ) and these were for use with the extra-wide "Type A" & "Type B" Overfender sets that attached to the race version of the G-Nose. They were never shown in the Sports Option parts lists ( and therefore were not available to the general public ) but Nissan's Works Group 4 & 5 "240ZR" racecars sometimes used the extra rare Kobe Seiko-made 4 spokes. On the Z they used ( I think ) 10j x 15 on the front and 12j x 15 on the rear. You can see these on the 240Z that ran at Le Mans in 1975 & 1976, which was an ex-Japanese Works circuit race car ( not an ex-Works rally car ). Here's a pic of one of the 12j x 15 4-spokes that belongs to a friend of mine in Japan:

For f%&*@s sake! I'm very sorry to hear this Victor. I've been in that situation - knowing that the car was probably only a few minutes away - and the frustration with wanting the police to get ON THE CASE straight away was terrible. However, there is always the chance - as others have said - that it may have been a "joyrider" or somebody looking for a ride home. An 'opportunist' theft like this is rarely pre-planned, and there is still hope that it will turn up intact. I'll keep my eyes peeled and ears open ( all the way over here in London ) just in case it turns up as an involuntary export... I wish you the very best of luck, Victor. Alan T.

Hi Michael, Ah, that explains the cheap price. I thought they were coming from Japan, and were not already in NZ. I've got to say, even if they were indeed not the ideal offset for your car, it would be hard to turn down genuine Watanabes at that price! I'm always cautious of quoted currency exchange rates, as I deal with them on a day-to-day basis for my work ( especially the £STG to JPY rate ). You might find that what you pay on a 'real world' transaction is rather more expensive than these rate converters would lead you to believe. In any case, you seem to be paying in NZD - so you can forget about exchange rates :classic: Good luck with the deal:classic: Alan T.

That's a very low price, in my opinion. Watch out for offset / backspacing though; you might find that they have more positive offset than you would like ( more suited to an '80s / '90s "modern" car than your '70s Skyline ). In my experience, used but decent condition A or B-type 8-Spoke Watanabes in that size tend to sell for anything between 10,000 and 30,000 Yen EACH in Japan ( which is, of course, where most of them are to be found ). You can see this kind of price in the Japanese used-wheel shops, as well as on Japanese internet auctions. Quite often they are sold in pairs rather than sets of four, and I would not expect to see a pair of 6x14 for less than 15,000 Yen - let alone a set of four... Of course it CAN sometimes be possible to strike it lucky and find a set in a used-wheel shop in Japan for a very low price, but the average used market price is higher than the prices you have quoted. If you are shipping from Japan you might find that the shipping for these wheels actually costs a fair bit more than the price you are paying for them. If the condition / offset looks good then it will be a very good deal at the prices you quoted. However, I'm a little worried by your exchange rate comparisons. The rate you are quoting for the £STG to JPY is way out of date, and makes me wonder if you are working on old information for your NZD comparison? Be careful and check out the latest and most up to date rate you can find. Good luck:classic: Alan T.

Hi Ben, Did you know that the Japanese home-market cars had re-positionable seat mounting brackets on the floor? They were L-shaped pressings that extended the FRONT bolt-down position, and were spot-welded to the floor and the front seat-mounting crossmember. These made it possible to unbolt the seat runners / sliders from the floor and to re-position them further forward ( nearer to the wheel and pedals ) if necessary. Interestingly, I believe that most "Export" market cars did NOT have these - although they DID have the "extra" set of holes for the REAR mounting. Effectively, this meant that the two extra rear mounting bolt holes on the Export cars were redundant. This was probably down to cost-saving; having rear mounting crossmembers that were universal, but front mounting crossmembers that were different only for the home market. Despite the "Export" cars having the added labour of two extra but useless holes being drilled into them, it's very likely that this would be offset by the cost-saving and time-saving of keeping things as simple as possible. I don't think the 3-piece Takata seatbelts on the Japanese home market cars were any longer than the "Export" versions - despite the fact that the seats could be moved something like 3 or 4cm further forward than on the "Export" versions. Maybe I should measure them for comparison? However, I'd have to say that by modern standards the stock belts are not really ideal in the mount position for the shoulder strap; they seem VERY far away - leaving a very long shoulder strap necessary. I feel OK ( and relatively "safe" ) as long as I tighten the belts up to the point where they are noticeably restrictive ( ouch ) - but even then I bet they'd be much less effective than a modern belt system in a crash. I've had passengers who thought the belts in my car were most uncomfortable, but they were probably more used to modern inertial-reel systems. Alan T.

I've got mine to look forward to ( not! ) later today. Everything left to the last minute, as usual. Metal G-Nose. Not that old chestnut! Bah humbug. Merry Christmas to you too.:classic: Alan T.

Ah, that explains a lot! Its one of those strange South African local-market specials. It was like the Galapagos Islands over there in the Seventies and Eighties........... Not a proper 'Factory' edition then. Alan T. ( ps - shouldn't you Aussies be out doing your Christmas shopping? :classic: )

Ben, Do you think this "140Z" name is for a locally-made special? I would have thought it was more likely to be either a local-territory dealer special or a porting / cam / carbs / paintjob 'special' like the "Samuri" was in the UK? If its a genuine Factory-built derivative then its one I've never heard of. Certainly never heard of any Factory-built cars with Dell'Orto carbs! Cheers, Alan T.

Hi symon, Wow, Henri Toivonen was one of my rally heroes. It was a real tragedy that he and Sergio Cresto were killed on the Tour De Corse in their Lancia. Those Group B cars were starting to get really crazy, and it was always bound to end in tears. The fuel tanks were under the driver and navigator's seats on that car, and I believe they were also running fuel through the actual tubing of the chassis and roll cage?........... I was in Corsica in 1994, chasing the Tour De Corse around the island with a Japanese journalist. That's a crazy place with a really heavy vibe, and many of the drivers at the time didn't like it. I can't imagine what it was like to drive in Corsica with a Group B car. It was crazy enough in our little hire car. We went up to see the memorial to Toivonen and Crespo which is on the side of the road that they crashed off of. There were fresh flowers and little notes from fans. It was like a little shrine. Very moving. Thanks for your story. All the best, Alan T. ( ps - what was the name of your father's garage? The name Skip Brown brought back lots of memories! ).

Maybe there was a 140Z, but I don't think it used the same classic 'Z' emblem as our cars. I think he's made his own version of the emblem. Reminds me of a story. My friend was looking for a 280ZX ( I know :cheeky: ) and he found a "ZX" in the local paper. We zoomed round to see it, only to find that it was a little white saloon with funny details. Turns out it was a "Sunny ZX":stupid: Did you know that the 432 nearly became the "160"? They were going to name it after its horsepower ( PferdeStarcke ) rating, until they decided to call the HLS30 and HS30 the "240", and then realised that it would make the "160" sound as though it was actually LESS powerful than the 240.......... Here's a pic of the prototype emblem:

No, there was no speeding up of the film. If you watch it you can see that from the speed of the other cars, buses, people walking and the pigeons taking off.............. The big 'cheat' is the sound. This is half of what makes it all seem so fast. If you watch it with no sound you can see that the car is going pretty fast - but not as fast as the soundtrack would have you believe. As far as I am aware, Lelouch filmed it with no sound and then dubbed the sound on afterwards. This is most apparent when the engine seems to be at around 7000 rpm in fourth gear and the car takes a 90 degree turn with no problems! Obviously this is not correct. The engine sounds are from something with a very hot engine and a very close-ratio transmission. Its probably still a Ferrari V12, but probably not Lelouch's car's engine.............

I've found the company that have re-mastered and re-released "C'etait un Rendezvous" on video & DVD. You can see a clip on their site: SPIRIT LEVEL FILMS Turns out they are based just a couple of miles down the road from me here in London. I think I'll order a copy and let you know how I get on. Cheers, Alan T.

Robert, I think you could actually find a genuine Factory-built ZG ( HS30-H model ) for as 'little' as 2,000,000 Yen if you are prepared to buy privately and overlook a few details in originality and condition. However, after that there are plenty of extra costs to put on top. You would have to take into account just where the car is located, and if its in 'heartland' Japan then its going to cost you money to get it transported to a port where it can be shipped from. Shipping costs can vary depending on what method you use ( containerised or roll-on roll-off etc ) and there are lots of other small charges that mount up. Above all, you need to have someone there on the spot that you can TRUST and who knows their job. De-registration and stuff like that needs to be done properly, and if you are not there to inspect the car yourself then again you would want to be putting your faith in somebody who knows what they are looking at. Ultimately I think the relatively low market value of an S30-series Z in the USA ( in comparison to Japan ) - combined with the unfavourable exchange rate - is what stops a general drain of this type of car from Japan to other markets - and the USA in particular. The thought of RHD will be enough to put off plenty of people too I would imagine. You will hear of, and see, some ex-Japanese market models that were brought back by armed forces personnel that were stationed in Japan. The fact that they were able to do this is largely due to the fact that they could get relatively cheap ( free? ) transport back to the USA, and assistance with registering and legalising the car at the other end. Some of the more common models ( later S31 two seaters and 2by2's ) can be had for much less money if you are in the right place at the right time, but in general no early Z in decent to fair condition or better is getting cheaper these days. If anything the prices are going up to a level and stabilising, and the creme-de-la-creme cars are changing hands for as much money ( or more ) as they ever did. Language and communication difficulties are major obstacles that still exist even with translation software and the access that Yahoo Japan gives you to the market. However, as with Ebay ( in my opinion ) the very best stuff very rarely makes it on to the web auctions................. Alan T. ( just my own personal views, of course!:classic: )

Brian, Give me a shout if you want any more info on the real ZG's. I'll be happy to try and be of help. There are a few things to watch out for with regard to replicas and fakes, and how to identify 'real' Factory-built ZG models. You never know, your dream might come true one day. Mine did. Of course, once it comes true then you start aiming even higher:cheeky: Alan T.

Nick, Can you read the casting date? It might be a clue. That blue-painted inner rim might be a clue to somebody too. That's unusual. It makes me think of the "BR" ( Black Racing ) wheels, which used to come in a kind of French Blue and Bright Red colourways as well as black. Would be nice to identify them. I'm off to Japan agin on 28th so I might ask the wheel shop guys about them. That blue paint might mean something to them. I'll see what I can come up with. Fingers crossed for a positive identification:classic: All the best, Alan T.

Yes - the interior of the genuine Factory-produced ZG was exactly the same as the Fairlady 240 Z-L, and the seats would have been exactly the same as the Export HS30 and HLS30 seats of the same month / year. This particular car has a lot of interior changes from 'standard' spec: the steering wheel, shift knob, audio, seats and three pod gauges are all 'aftermarket' items from the modern period, along with other bits and pieces. I should imagine that the vendor expects these to be attractive to a prospective purchaser ( along with the big engine spec and the wheels - are they 16 or even 17 inchers? ) and he may well be right. You can see many cars like this in Japan, although there is always a small group of enthusiasts who prefer originality and / or period-correct modifications. Personally speaking, that's what I prefer. The original seats are very often the first thing to be changed over there. The very hot and humid Summers, and the lack of side-support, often make the original seats uncomfortable to use and impractical to look after. 3.5 million yen is strong money for a car with this amount of modification, especially for a private sale. A specialist dealer might ask this kind of price or slightly less - but they would have to supply the car with some form of warranty and a new 'Shakken' test certification, which is worth a fair amount. You can find good ( genuine ) ZG's in Japan for around 2.5 million, but even these probably would not be very original. There are lots of replicas and indeed a few fakes around at 2 million or less, but every car has to be judged on a case-by-case basis. Location, condition and level of originality / modification are just as important in Japan as they are anywhere else. There is an upward trend for the BEST cars, and I have heard of a couple of the very best and most original ZG's changing hands for over 4 million Yen in the past couple of years. Alan T.

Hi Nick, I don't recognise them from those markings, but maybe somebody else here might? One thing I would say is that they don't look all that old, at least not to my eye. They look like they are good quality - which some of the older ones can't claim! The fact that they are marked "Japan" might well be a clue to the intended market for the wheel being non-Japanese. Most of the older Watanabes that I have seen do not have any "Made in Japan" or anything like that cast into them, and the older Japanese race-use and Works / Sports Option wheels had virtually nothing on them at all. I wonder if this might have been a wheel that was INTENDED for export markets? Do you think they might be Panasports, or a close relative? The only other Watanabe / Minilite clone that I can think of offhand is the "Black Racing" rim - which usually has a "BR" monogram cast or stamped into the front face. If they were Enkeis they would be clearly marked with the Enkei logo. Are they 9.5J? I would have thought that the "95" stamp was what this signified. Can't help with any of the others I'm afraid, although I can't make out the characters from the casting marks in the bottom section of your picture. Can you make them out? It might be a casting date from the foundry. Sorry I can't be of more help. Cheers, Alan T.