HS30-H

Hi Gee, I have two "Option" boxes ( one is an 'Option 1' direct top, and the other is the 'Rally' option direct top ). What you have described seems to be quite popular now. The later Warner type synchros last much longer and are cheaper too. In some cases, the parts for the early Option boxes are no longer available. A friend of mine has just rebuilt his 'Rally' Option box with the Warners, and he reports that it feels great. He was expecting that it might not be as good as the original Porsche type synchros ( he was expecting slower shifts ) but he says that it is just as good as it ever was. I don't know about 'stronger' - but the Warner synchros should not have the teeth fall off them like the Porsche ones sometimes do. It will probably stand up better to punishment. I've got this type of rebuild to look forward to ( not! ) in the near future on my Option 1 too. Good luck! Alan T.

This is curious. Like most Japanese domestic market models, my ZG had the Splash Pan fitted from the Factory. The Factory actually called it "BOARD-splash" part no. 78410-E4100. I took it off to paint it last year, and took it back to bare metal. It had a very Factory-looking coat of semi-gloss black paint on the inside, and somebody had hand-painted the outside at least once in the past. The inside paint was covered with a nice layer of accumulated oil and dust residue that had protected it. There was an original Factory part number sticker still attached to the inside, and it was attached OVER the layer of semi-gloss black paint. When I got my first early Z car ( a 1971 UK-market HS30 ) it too had a VERY scruffy Splash Pan on it, and that was also semi-gloss black painted. Something about that paint looked "Factory" to me. It just looked like a nice thin protective layer in the 'correct' colour. I don't know if anyone will grasp what I mean when I say it LOOKED Factory / original finish - but that's what I am trying to get across. When you buy Nissan parts as spares, I have noticed that they are often supplied in a different finish to how they were when they came attached to the car. When they were putting cars together at the Factory, they did not have to worry about how the parts would fare in storage; they just put them together and painted them with the rest of the car. Parts that went into the spare parts network were sometimes painted or plated to protect them in storage. I would cite bonnet hinges and tailgate hinges as an example of this; when you buy new bonnet hinges from Nissan they come in the gold-passivated Zinc finish that so many other parts come in. When they were originally attached to a car on the production line I BELIEVE they were NOT plated - and were just painted on the car. Maybe they had a thin layer of primer at the point they were manufactured, but I don't think they were electroplated. So, what I am saying is that I think the situation for parts bought over the spares counter, and parts that were originally attached to the car on the production line, is different on a case-by-case basis. I think this must confuse the situation as regards to what is the correct "Factory" finish for an assembled car? Having said all the above, its curious that Joseph's story details a different ( opposite ) case to what you might expect. I would have expected that a part coming through the official Nissan spares system would have been protected in some way whilst in storage / transport. It would not surprise me to learn that Nissan put the Splash Pans on the cars at assembly time without painting them ( seems they did a fair bit of that ) but I would have expected a spare one to be at least primed or phosphate coated like the Factory replacement body panels were? Another conundrum! Alan T.

Robot voice:"I have already made my position quite clear with regard to this piece of audiovisual entertainment". I think we did it to death ( and I made enough enemies ) last time we disgusted - er sorry - discussed it. Wasn't the conclusion that it was an American production and therefore it would naturally reflect the American viewpoint? I think its always a missed opportunity when they make these kinds of films. The researchers naturally refer to books and magazine articles, and you get the same stuff being repeated until it becomes truth. If anything, I would have thought that a film about Yukata Katayama and his life would have been just as valid. NHK in Japan did a similar film as part of their "Project X" series a few years ago, and to their credit they did at least bring a few more relevant people into the story. However - they still cocked it up by making lots of gaffes. Shame. Nobody's immune. When I went to the "Sports Car Graffiti" event at Nissan's Ginza showrooms a couple of months ago, I saw that whoever had written out the show placards that accompanied some static displays had gone and copied the oft-repeated spelling mistakes that you see in many books and mag articles ( and on the web ). The worst was the wrong spelling of the name of "Kaishinsha" as "Kwaishinsha" - which you see EVERYWHERE. If Nissan can't even get it right themselves then what chance does anyone else stand? Everybody's eyes have glazed over already and its time for my medication, straight-jacket and padded cell. So I'll stop. Alan T.

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.