HS30-H

There's no "mystery" here, unless we include the mystery as to why certain people won't listen to established fact and common sense. The car in question was built after one of my own cars, which was built in mid/late 1970. Nissan Shatai's own records - quoted by me in one of the previous posts on this thread - tell us what S30-prefixed chassis numbers were built on 1969 and 1970. This is a 1970 build-dated car and a mid to late 1970 build date at that. "Stone throwing"? Get a grip.

Congratulations on your new purchase. What was the chassis number of this car again? I don't recall it being a 1969 car from previous discussions elsewhere... I'm also interested in those rear arches. Not to pour scorn on the story, but what were Nissan Aomori doing installing custom (metal?) flared arches on a customer car (unusual...) and surely they could have fitted the 432-R Sports Option rear overfenders instead? I'm interested to hear more. For the record (you may not agree...) it makes my teeth itch to see an early Japanese market car being referred to as a "Series 1". I can understand why such terms have become vernacular in efforts to distinguish between major production date changes on Export market models, but they don't apply to the Japanese market models in the same way and in any case Nissan themselves certainly never used the 'Series 1/2/3' etc terms themselves. Sorry I can't help you with the valve cover, but watch this space for early Japanese market 'Z' quarter emblem repros in the pipeline. I might have some other RHD-specific parts you need, so don't hesitate to ask.

Above snipped, bolded and underlined for clarity. Sean, you have no way of knowing what the chain of supply involves. Having the best part of 30 years experience in import/export to and from Japan under my belt (it's what I do for a living) I would personally avoid making any assumptions about the links between Fujitsubo and the people who are retailing their products outside Japan. There could be any number of scenarios and chains of contact/trade involved, and if you are imagining some kind of ideal situation where Fujitsubo curates each individual product sale to the end user via the retailer then you are probably eating too much cheese before going to bed. It's simply not possible for a company of their size to do that. Once again you are pointing the finger of blame at Fujitsubo - even after saying that you are not - and yet Fujitsubo themselves never claim to anybody that their Legalis R fits the USA market HLS30 'Datsun 280Z' model. They don't even claim it fits a USA market HLS30 'Datsun 240Z' model, although it seems that it will fit that model as long as it is still fitted with an R180 differential and is not modified in a way that interferes with exhaust system fitment. Clearly Whitehead Performance's literature is wrong, and I'd not blame Fujitsubo for that. One last thing; your 'Z Story' Facebook page specifically mentions NISMO ("Collecteurs/echappement type NISMO") which NISMO themselves might take issue with (that's what I was referring to earlier). Copying/cribbing/replicating the shape of an exhaust manifold is not a problem but using the NISMO name in your description could be misleading and could also attract attention from NISMO themselves. As your business becomes bigger and more well known you might find yourself being put under the same scrutiny as you are putting Fujitsubo. I don't see how you would be able to vet every single end-user installation once you start getting into volume sales through multiple distributors, agents and re-sellers. I'm not telling you to "shut up", I'm just advising you to let your own 'Z Story' product speak for itself and to look after your own business. Taking vicarious exception to somebody else's problem and blaming it all on an unwitting and oblivious foreign manufacturer rather than the retailer and the end-user (who - clearly - bought the parts without realising they were not designed for his model) when you yourself are a competitor is most unseemly and I think it reflects badly. You seem to be keeping people happy with your product, so your attention would probably be best spent maintaining that and refraining from the temptation to throw stones at glass houses.

I don't know why Jason, but he just doesn't seem to read them.

You know Sean, you REALLY don't want your own products subjected to the same scrutiny as you are putting Fujitsubo's to. You might find some people in black suits knocking on your door and asking about your use of the 'NISMO' copyrighted brand name, and - for example - your claims to have a "JDM" system which is nothing of the sort (a single pipe into a rear box with two exits doesn't cut it as a 'twin pipe' system either). That spotlight you are standing behind could easily be switched back to shine on you... The story here is quite simple. You have a horse in the race as you are making and marketing your own brand of exhausts. I have no real horse in the race as I don't own a Fujitsubo system nor am I likely to, and I'm simply sticking up for common sense and fair play. Fujitsubo - I will say it AGAIN - do NOT market their Legalis R system for the S30-series Z outside Japan, do NOT claim that it fits the USA market HLS30 'Datsun 280Z' and clearly state in their (Japanese!) literature that the fitment ends with cars made before September 1975 for the Japanese market. If you have a modified car or a car that differs in any pertinent way to a Japanese market car then you would - clearly - be well advised to research the product a little more deeply before claiming it has "fitment issues". If the people you buy it from have misinformed or misled you, then the buck stops with them. Strangely I seem to be the only one who is pointing at them rather than Fujitsubo. Why is that? One last thing, Sean. I think you would be WELL advised to let your own product speak for itself, and to keep away from dissing the likes of Fujitsubo and any other actual manufacturers. You are - in simple terms - a one man village shop in comparison to them.

Sean, really. When your company is the size of Fujitsubo you can come back and make the same claim. Let's see how that pans out shall we?

Just you wait until you've got a few more cretinous customer claims under your belt for Z Story exhausts. Your caveat list will look like something dreamed up by the European Court of Human Justice.

What was "it's an important market for them" meant to mean then? If Fujitsubo are making any exhaust system it will be an important market to them. You frame it to make it sound like it's been revised to suit another market/model, when it's simply to package it tighter for lowered cars. As is the whole point of this discussion, FUJITSUBO DO NOT MAKE A SYSTEM THAT CATERS FOR CARS WITH R200 DIFFS. It seems to me that you are pointing the finger at Fujitsubo rather than dunderhead re-sellers and unwitting end users (who themselves would be advised to understand their own cars and the significance of '50-9' a little better...).

This is starting to feel like I'm pulling my own teeth out. This is classiczcars.com for Christ's sake. How many people here need to be reminded of the shape of their differential crossmember? THE WHOLE POINT is that the original car was designed and engineered to accept the factory twin pipe exhaust either as stock equipment or as an option. Late, single cut-out diff crossmembers and R200 diffs ARE THE WHOLE PROBLEM HERE.

What? Have you missed the point AGAIN? The whole point of the NEW Fujitsubo system - ie, the one that this thread started in order to discuss - is that it has been modified to give extra ground/road clearance for use on lowered cars. As Jason pointed out a few posts back, that means it is even MORE unlikely to fit a 280Z or any S30/S31 fitted with an R200 diff. This revision isn't aimed at the late model export market any more than the previous version was. I'm gobsmacked that anyone can not see that...

Missing the point (again). The above was posted in reply to the comment that the diff crossmember on a US market 240Z was not suitable for twin pipes, to wit: "Even on a bone stock US 240z differential support crossmember only has a small u shaped cut out to route the exhaust pipe... not twin pipes." It's not the case. Clearly.

Stock Nissan twin pipe system for reference:

Sean, in several of your posts on this thread you've been pointing the finger at Fujitsubo. This issue is clearly nothing to do with Fujitsubo, or their product. Far from saying the same thing, I've been trying to point your way to understanding the issue here. Has the penny finally dropped? Distributor schmistributor. As I said before, better to talk to the organ grinder than his monkey. The Whitehouse Performance sales literature is wrong, not Fujitsubo.

Addressing the above I highlighted in bold: This is the KEY issue. Fujitsubo don't carry a Fujitsubo Legalis R system that caters for R200-equipped cars. If you've been misled by your supplier, take it up with your supplier. Addressing the above I underlined: The stock US 240Z differential support crossmember - in common with all the contemporary differential support crossmembers for other markets and models - had TWO exhaust-fitment cutouts in them, along with the potential for two exhaust pipe hanger mounts. This was designed to cater for the factory twin pipe exhaust which was stock fitment on the S20-engined models and an extra-cost showroom option on the domestic L20A and L24-engined models. The pipes exiting the resonator diverged and routed either side of the diff, one lower than the other, then turned and merged again to enter the rear box one above the other. Twin pipe systems were an original design and engineering consideration on the S30-series Z cars.

Yes. That's the whole f***ing POINT....! No compatability with R200-equipped cars, as per Fujitsubo's advice.

Probably a stock, factory replacement exhaust. Like the majority of those 250,000 (LOL) '280Z' owners did... If going aftermarket, I'd suggest that any '280Z' owner takes the time to ensure that the manufacturer makes an exhaust system which is appropriate to that specific vehicle. Did you spot the GS30 system listing on the Fujitsubo applications page snippet I posted? Just double checking, as you appear to have overlooked a fair bit of the data presented to you thus far...

It's all there in black and white (and red):

I think you really ought to be able to see when I have my tongue planted firmly in my cheek. They do cater for the spawn of the devil. I don't understand why you think they don't. Perhaps - like other people - you are not reading the literature from source? That seems to be one of the big problems here. Try talking to the organ grinder, not his monkey.

Because they are the spawn of the devil, perhaps? In Fujitsubo's case, they clearly cater for the GS30 model. It's in their literature. I know other manufacturers do too. You just have to ask them. Just make sure you keep your voice down when talking about the 'Limo Version'...

Sean, are you actually on another planet altogether? I just can't get my head around your way of thinking on this. What responsibility have Fujitsubo themselves got in any of these reported fitment issues? How can you expect a company of their size to curate every single sale through a foreign re-seller? Their contract is with the re-seller, not with the re-seller's customer. It's not within the realm of Fujitsubo's responsibility to stop people buying items which are inappropriate to their vehicle through each re-seller, and every time. If your exhaust business gets big enough you will experience the very same issues. It's the nature of international trade. The long, tall and short of all this is the simple fact that Japanese market S30-series models didn't receive the R200 differential until after September 1975, and that's why it is Fujitsubo's cut-off date for correct fitment. If anyone doesn't realise the significance then they simply haven't asked the right questions.

If anyone actually wants to buy a Spirit Garage system, I recommend they contact Spirit Garage direct - in Japanese - to get the best price. Good discount available.

I did read through the whole thread before commenting. You seem to be missing my point. Fujitsubo - as far as I am aware - do not claim the exhaust you bought as suitable for fitting to a USA market '280Z'. They market that system (the system you bought - not the latest system that is the subject of this thread) as fitting Japanese market cars. I don't care what 'Whitehead Performance', 'RHD Japan' or any other re-seller claims, Fujitsubo themselves do not claim the system fits a car with an R200 differential. That's the key point here.

Take that up with the "suppliers" then. Personally I'd rather converse with the designer/manufacturer/brand owner to make sure I'm buying the right part in the first place, and I'd reach out in the Japanese language if that was necessary. Presumably if you get an enquiry from Japan regarding your exhausts, you'll answer it promptly and fully in Japanese? You'll need to be able to tell them that your exhausts are not JASMA certificated, you are not a JASMA licensed manufacturer and that using your exhausts on Japanese roads is illegal.

Also recommended: Close one eye and stand on one leg whilst rubbing your head clockwise and your belly anticlockwise. I tried squinting at your S30 and S130 'Z' images, but still don't recognise them.

I'm curious as to why you purchased a Fujitsubo exhaust system in the first place? Who told you it would fit a 1975 280Z without needing to be modified?