HS30-H

See - I told you it wasn't from a Z..................

Just to show the bewildering array of variants on the C110 Skyline range, here's a scan of a page from the Factory workshop manual for the KPGC110 GT-R. Remember - this does not even show the "Export" models!.......... Alan T.

Hi Ben, The KPGC110 GT-R had the "C" for 'Close' ratio version of the "B" type box, and the others had the "W" for 'Wide" in a 4 or 5-speed version ( or Auto ) then. Those 'Close' and 'Wide' ratios were offered as "Option" box ratios for the Z in the USA through Datsun Competition, and these are often confused with the more serious Direct Drive Option competition boxes with the 'Dogleg' shift pattern. Its easy to see why this confusion came about. If they had given the USA / North American market cars the 5-speed from the very beginning it probably would have been better for everybody! I didn't know the "A" type 5-speeds and the two-piece props were scarce in Australia. We have what seems to be a fair few knocking around over here in the UK ( usually liberated from scrapped cars or discarded after the installation of a "B" type box ). Ben, I'm still trying to gather more info on the GT-X E.S for you, but its taking a lot of tracking down. My Nissan / Prince car spotters manual only gives it a very basic mention, but I know I've got something else on it somewhere. I'll keep looking. Glad you like the video. Good stuff isn't it? Gee - I'm still not clear what those rear "bolts" are ( ? ) - any chance of an update? If the guy has had the car 15 years it sounds better than if he was just giving up on something he bought recently, but I guess you have to judge the car from what you see. All the best, Alan T.

Hi Gee, Sounds like this particular car is no. "HS30-00131" - which makes it the 131st "HS30" ( RHD "240Z" - in this case Australian market ) to be assigned a body number. Please remember that the "HLS30" VIN prefix cars ( most of them were the USA / North American market LHD "240Z" models ) had their own set of build numbers, which run quite seperately from the "HS30" / "PS30" / "S30" series cars - which all had their own set of numbers. That means that theoretically there would have been the following cars with the following numbers: *"S30-00131" *"PS30-00131" *"HLS30-00131" *"HS30-00131" ( "your" car ). So it doesn't mean its the 131st of ALL early Z cars, it means its just 131st of the "HS30" VIN prefixed cars. Australia got most of the first few hundred of the "HS30" series cars ( although #33 and #34 were brought to the UK for publicity / show purposes ) - so this particular car is one of the first batch of Australian imports. When you go to see the car, I would recommend that you still have a good look at the VIN number on the firewall and make sure it says "HS30-00131" as the vendor seems to be implying. Like Z Kid pointed out above - anything could have happened in the last 30 years and another car could have donated parts or even its whole shell to this car. Z Kid's advice to check, check and check again is very sound. Is "bolts" a local Australian term for the rear hatch struts? The only thing I could think of last night was exhausts or exhaust pipes, but Z Kid's suggestion makes much more sense now. If it has lost its original "vented" rear hatch ( which would have had a single gas strut ) it could be replaced - but it might be a good bargaining point. Gav, when I said "dual exhausts" I meant the twin-pipe system that ended in the one-up-one-down rear box as fitted to all S20-equipped Z cars from the Factory, and offered as a Sports Option part in Japan for all other models. This was two separate pipes right from the exhaust manifold exit, and the two pipes only rejoined in the rear box. I didn't mean the full straight-through twin pipe system with megaphones as fitted to the early Works Rally and domestic circuit race cars. Sorry to be vague and cause confusion. Gav - I think you were probably thinking along the same lines as me when Gee wrote a description that sounded like a 432!................. Gee - if you want info / pics of the Japanese market Fairladies ( including the 432 & 432R ) then send me a Personal Message from this site with your e-mail address and I can send some pics direct to you. Otherwise, there are a few pics in my Members Gallery section that might be of interest. Do let us know how you get on. If you end up not getting this particular car then maybe you could pass on its details to other Australian members here who might be interested. All the best, Alan T.

Sorry Gee - I meant to say that YOU were in Australia as well as the car ( its well past my bedtime and I've probably stopped making sense! ).................. Yes I'm in London, England, UK. You'll find the VIN number stamped on the firewall sheetmetal inside the engine bay. Its situated above the brake booster and master cylinders, but you might have to push some wiring and the screenwasher hose out of the way to find it ( its up quite high ). Give it a rub to make sure you read it right. If it says "HS30" then a number, you know you are dealing with a right hand drive "240Z" ( which will most likely / almost certainly be an Australian market car, and therefore not made in 1969 ). If it says "S30" then a number, its a Japanese market car ( and therefore possibly 1969 ). If its says "PS30" and then a number, send me a PM and don't tell anyone else about it! ( it would mean it left the factory as a 432 with the S20 twin cam engine ). I'll get the first plane out there. Not very likely, that one. If this was a bet, I'd have my money on it being an early ( possibly very early 1970 ) Australian market car. I think this would explain the vendor saying it had the "high compression" engine ( actually because the very early cars were fitted with the "E31" cylinder head. You can check the engine spec by looking for the block number ( stamped on a raised pad towards the rear of the block on the spark-plug side of the engine ) and the head casting type ( cast into the head near the front of the engine, in the area of the fuel pump ). There should also be an aluminium tag riveted to the inside of the engine bay ( near the base of the driver's side strut tower ) which also has the VIN number on it, but may well be missing. Maybe the owner is talking about the "rear box" ( muffler / exhaust box ) being non standard? That's the only thing that makes sense to me being two instead of one ( two pipes or two boxes maybe? ). A cracked dash is probably par for the course, I'm afraid. However, I know people who have spare early consoles if you ended up needing one. These are minor details in the grand scheme of things. Its the body that needs to be a good building block to start out with. Interesting that the clock has been replaced with what the vendor thinks is a "non-standard" item ( I'm now going to go to bed thinking it MIGHT be a PS30-SB Fairlady "432R" with dual exhausts, no centre console and the Rally clock - eek! ). If you have any questions on VIN numbers and other trivia, then don't hesitate to ask. There's a few of us on here who are "anoraks" and love that sort of thing. Good luck, Alan T.

Hi Sean and Mike, Sorry - I didn't spot this the first time round. Some markets insisted that the VIN numbers on imported cars be "tamper-proof", and I think France was one of these back in the early Seventies? Hence the stamped "X" at the beginning and end of the VIN. On some makes and models of car, its quite easy to "upgrade" to a better spec VIN with an extra prefix letter ( theoretically increasing value ) or adding a number or two to the build number ( making it a bit "younger" ). I think these stamps were put on by European authorities at port of entry ( not by the Factory ). And you are right Sean - the UK market "HS30" cars did not have them ( typically lax of the UK authorities ). I've been quite tempted to stamp a "P" in front of the "S30" on my 432R Replica project car ( for a little extra fun ). However - this would certainly be seen as fraudulent, and I'm trying to make a replica not a fake. I think that's the kind of jiggery pokery the French authorities were trying to avoid. Does this mean you finally found a car then Sean? I thought you were getting one in from the States? All the best, Alan T.

Hi Gee, That's interesting. I take it you mean you are in Australia too? If its an original Australian market RHD car with an "HS30" VIN prefix, then it would have come with a 5-speed "FS5C71A" -"straight stick" transmission ( later ones had the "B" type "bent stick" box ). I think you already know this, right? As to it being 1969 build date, I think you will find it hard to get anyone to agree that any "HS30" VIN prefixed cars were made in 1969. Most people seem to accept that the first "HS30" cars were made in Jan. and Feb. of 1970. Some WERE made in late 1969, but not released to the general public. This is not to be confused with "S30" and "PS30" prefixed RHD Japanese "Home" market cars that were very certainly being made in 1969. So, this car that you are going to see might be a 1969 Japanese market car ( check the VIN number ) or a very early 1970 Australian market car ( check the VIN number ). Either way I would be very interested to hear what the VIN number is! To be honest, if I were you I would not be so concerned about the transmission situation. A good used "A" type 5-speed, mountings and propshaft could surely be found quite easily ( I know its a bit far away - but I've got these parts spare in my garage ). Whatever you get, I doubt that it would be 100% as-it-left-the-factory anyway. You are talking about a car that is well over 30 years old and went through a very deep trough in value during the 1980's. Let us know how you get on, and good luck with it ( don't forget the VIN number check ). Alan T.

Hear Hear, Having had the pleasure of a ride in this car, I can vouch for its almost uncanny condition. Its almost too good to be believed, and I have to keep going back and taking another look to make sure that my eyes were not deceiving me. It was most odd to see an "HLS30" in such good condition in Japan. Weird to think that this car was made in Japan, sent to the USA, and then repatriated to the land where it was made. It then took a short "holiday" back in the USA and returned to Japan - so its been away and back twice.................... Kats is now on the trail of some original tyres for it - so if anyone has any likely candidate in their spare wheel well, please let him know. Hats off to Kats! Alan T.

Sorry Gav, I'm not sure what ratios the Australian market "240K" actually had........... All the different Japanese home-market Skylines are confusing enough without the export versions thrown in! Amongst Japanese street tuners of days gone by, the hot tip for a nice home-built close ratio gearbox was to Frankenstein up a selection from all the different cars that had either the "A" and "B" boxes - depending on what type you were building ( the internals are not interchangeable between "A" and "B" type ). As far as I remember, it was the First and Third gear ratios that were particularly useful. Sorry I can't remember more. Maybe if you could find out the ratios of that particular box it might help you to decide whether the parts would be of use or not. Although I do not really have the space to keep it all, I tend never to chuck anything away these days............... Victor, I totally agree about the FS5C71A straight stick boxes. When they are set up right ( after a proper and full rebuild ) they are just fantastic aren't they? Unfortunately, it seems that not many people have experienced one in tip-top condition ( I've driven lots of early Z cars with totally worn-out transmissions that the owners think are "normal"! ). They don't know what they are missing! I would love to be able to experience a drive of a "brand new" Z to see what it was like................ Gee, Whereabouts are you? Is this 1969 car you are going to view a USA / North American market car? If it is then it would have originally come with the "A" type 4-speed. The "Skyline" box might not be a bad thing as far as driveability is concerned, but possibly undesireable to you if total originality is your aim. All the best, Alan T.

Steve, Maybe this box is from a C10 series or C110 series Skyline. Some C10 series Skylines ( notably the GT, GTX and GT-R ) used both the FS5C71A ( "A" series "straight stick" ) and FS5C71B ( "B" series "bent stick" ) boxes, and I think as far as I recall the C110 series Skylines used just the "B" series in 4 and 5-speed form. If this Z got a Skyline box I would have thought that it might have been a 5-speed "upgrade" - hence one of the above. As far as I am aware, they will fit into an S30-series Z with the appropriate Z mountings. I think the cases are the same as the equivalent Z boxes, and they look outwardly the same? There was, however, a big difference in gear ratios depending on model type and year ( some of the Skyline ratios are quite useful when building a close-ratio gear set from standard parts ). Sometimes stuff gets mis-described by vendors, and I'm wondering if this is the case here. If the car originally came with an "A" type 4-speed, and was upgraded with either an "A" or "B" type 5-speed from a Skyline, then that might be the answer. Quite often its forgotten that most RHD S30-series Z cars were offered with the "A" type 5-speed right from the beginning of production. I have heard these boxes mis-described as "Motorsports" or "Option" boxes when installed in early cars. I wonder if any of the above might apply to this particular car? Whatever, if its a 1969 build date then it has got to be of interest and I would not let a non-standard transmission put me off - as its easy to change back to standard spec. Good luck Gee, Alan T.

Can't be from a Z. Not even the Japanese L20E equipped Z was lumbered with a single downdraught. Come on Zvoiture, put us out of our misery! Alan T.

Yes, they were plastic on the early "HLS30" USA / North American market version too. Interestingly, there does not seem to be a reliable cut-off date or changeover VIN number for them suddenly becoming steel. Some people have tried to identify when this switch happened, but I think it was more chaotic than a simple switchover from plastic to steel. I have experience of cars with one side plastic and one side steel that definitely came from the factory that way. Seems they might have used both for a little while during the changeover period. Its another one of those funny little anomalies that sounds most unlike the Japanese character................. I'm with you all the way with regard to your sentiments on colours for these cars. I too think Silver looks just fantastic on a good straight and bodily stock early car. Hope yours turns out just how you want it to. Good luck with it, Alan T.