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I collected a few parts again, recently. Some stuff which is required to complete the car: First of all, one of those beautifully crafted S30.world reproduction fuel tanks and tank insulation rubbers. I sold mine at the recent japanclassic show, so I had to get a new one for my project. Secondly, I got a NOS euro spec front lower center valance (with the additional installation holes for the euro front spoiler): This means i can finally replace the crappy old one with the one that actually belongs there. Huge thanks to Alan for helping me with this! Then I got one of those original printed Datsun competition parts catalogues. I already have the Japanese versions and had this one digitally, but I always prefer to have the original printed stuff. For those who don't know the competition parts catalogue, it's basically a "sports option" and racing parts catalogue by Nissan themselves: I also got another issue of the "Nissan Star" magazine. It was a Swiss Datsun / Nissan customer magazine, which always has cool insights at how Nissan (Switzerland) operated back in the days. I also randomly came across this "Nissan 50th anniversary" catalogue from Switzerland. It's completely unrelated to my project, but since I have all the original "50th anniversary" badges, I thought it would be cool to have the fitting catalogue to it with the same logo on the front. Things are a bit crazy at work at the moment, so progress is slow, but I hope to jump back in the project soon. I made a major decision to have the car completed by some professionals, otherwise the project will drag on for another decade. But I still need to complete some tasks by myself, and more details on that topic soon.

Hey @HS30-H, thanks for sharing! Big thanks go out to @kats. Without all of his relentless research, none of my article would have been possible. I hope you all enjoy the read. It's really a topic often overlooked in my opinion, as these cars are quite special.

Recently, a friend and I were working on the 240Z Original R180 differential and we both were not happy with neither the state of the original factory-installed differential strap belt, nor with the replacement options. None of the available replacements look anything close to the original belts. After a b it of research, my friend found this one on AliExpress, which is some sort of V-belt or something: https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005006145171328.html make sure to order the 12ribs pk560 type. NOTE: We realized all original belts had different lengths (probably due to wear and tear), so make sure to measure your original one (best done with a piece of tape) before you order. I also cannot guarantee that this will fit perfectly and was not able to install it yet. But so far it looks pretty good: The only problem: the replacement belt has some pretty colorful markings on the outside and is quite shiny. I tried different things, but the best to get rid of it was simply to sand it off with some 80-grit paper: After some manual attempts, I chose the belt-sander to get rid of the rest. Be careful to sand off a minimum only, if you remove too much material, the woven white threads inside the rubber will become visible. Not what you want. And here is the result: Left AliExpress replacement original, Center: Aliexpress sanded down. Right: Original Nissan Belt. I'm quite satisfied, and so far it looks like the most OEM-looking option I have seen so far. Somewhere in future, we'll see how well it fits, too :-)

You're of course right. The FS5C71A transmission (from my cars), have the Porshe style Servo synchros. If you look at the mixed bag of synchros you can see there are all kind of synchros (Brass and Steel synchros) So we were hoping that something might fight my transmission, or at least we figure out what car / transmission they belong to.

Recently, I collected a lot of cool, rare or needed Datsun / Nissan parts and documents again. Let's have a look: First, i got gifted this lovely 510 / bluebird Die cast model from my Lovely lady Myrtha. Big thanks again! She also brought me one of those famous green Datsun Switzerland folders. This one has all the spec-sheets of all Datsuns sold in Switzerland at that time. The specification goes quite deep. These folders were given to dealerships and were in the HQ for a quick check and comparison of technical specifications of all cars: So far I only had copies of the single Z-specific sheets, but now, finally, I have the missing folder in my collection. Very cool. And big thanks gain to Myrtha! Additionally, I got various random bits and pieces from Alibaba, thanks to some tips from my man Urs. Two different sized rubber plugs for the drum brakes (It seems that not all drums have the same hole-diameters?) And various Nylon washers. I will try to see if one of those fits the rear hatch strut damper. Since my original washers are either broken or damaged: My man Stefan also gave me a box of what appears to be Brass synchro gear wheels. We still have to figure out if they'd fit the Z, as they all came without part numbers or description, included in a big Datsun Parts lot. From my Man Dan at Japanese Allstars, I got this starroad Poster. Dan is an official starroad dealer in Switzerland, and he got this during his last visit. Although I'm not a huge fan of the Starroad creations, these days, I really like the photo on this large one-page calendar: After Months of searching, I finally found this 1994 NISMO 10th anniversary parts catalogue. I will put it on display with my NISMO 10th anniversary collection of Accessory catalogue, sticker, steering wheel and shift knob :-) The cool thing is, this catalogue came with an invitation flyer o the NISMO 1995 New year's garage sale at Nissan KN's factory: And even better, a two-page flyer invitation to the founding of the NISMO "club Le Mans". You can read more about that on the official NISMO page. And last but not least, I found this original printed Datsun 240-Z one-page flyer from Datsun Italy. Something very rare, which I've never seen before. Generally, 240Z information from Italy is very sparse, so I had to get it, when it came up for sale: I had some physical work done on some Z-parts too, so I will post another update of a little project soon, too.

I've been busy dealing with life recently, but that doesn't mean I forget spending money on more or less useless automobilia :-) First, the Japanese L-series Service manual. I have it in various language, but never had "the original" one from JP. And since it popped up for a reasonable price, I had to have it. Then i got another Datsun Switzerland price list. This time from April 1980. As usual, you can find all of them scanned in high-resolution for free download, here Some may know my List of various Japanese L6 Intake manifolds, carb kits and Turbo / Surge tank kits. And thanks to a hint, I recently acquired this lovely Japanese printed ad from the very first FET / HKS Turbo Kit. You can read a lot about it in my Intake / Turbo surge tank post, here. Thanks to a hint from Mymechanix, i got a beautiful Differential strap. The originals are usually worn out, and this replacement belt from Aliexpress has the perfect fitments and dimensions. All other alternatives come either in a leather look or rubber, this one is much closer to the original design. Unfortunately the surface is glossy and has some prints on it (see the one on the left) so i will try to sand it down, to get as close to the original look as possible.

So, I have been busy test-fitting various parts on my Z again. To set the alignment of the hood and fenders properly, I had all the hood hardware spacers, dampers and rubbers installed. Next on the to-do list was the rear hatch damper, so I can work on the hatch without having that temporary wood rod as a not-so-safe hatch holder. Wile both dampers I had were still working nicely, the mounting brackets were worn out on both and both had missing or cracked plastic / Teflon spacers. So after I got everything straight and assembled a temporary setup (I still need to find a good set of those plastic spacers). I finally had it all installed. Works perfect. It seems like that little-bit of extra-tension from the damper is required to have the hatch aligned properly with the roofline. I didn't expect the damper itself would already fix the alignment, but I'm happy it does. Now I only need to finalize sanding on the trunk spoiler and bring back the holes for the spoiler emblems. I also need to find a good rear bumper to test fit it. Mine both had a decent hit and are way too wonky to use them for test-fitments. Then, some people were suspicious about that extra sheet metal on my transmission tunnel (I have the updated body version from 1972, but still the early A-transmission, so I suspect they added that sheet metal to cover the hole?). Even though it's the original transmission of this car, it made me want to test fit it, just to be sure it all fits, before i paint the shell. So i had to assemble parts of the transmission first. Mainly the gear selector with the shift rod mechanism. For simplicity, I only used the center section of my FS5C71A five-speed transmission, because that's fine to test fit it. So I added the transmission bracket with the rubber insulator to it. And installed (Bolts only temporary, as usual - please ignore). And here we go. I can shift in all directions without hitting anything. But it's still a bit close to the front. I need to check if I put the directional insulator between the transmission and the mounting bracket in the right direction. And since I had an original center console lying around from my recent center console comparison i put it in there, just for fun's sake. Even though it's all only temporary test-fitting, it's really fun and nice to see all the bits and pieces come together nicely. I have already prepared some next steps on the interior, so stay tuned for another update soon.

Yesterday I got another bunch of NOS parts for my project, straight from the Nissan Stocks: Fuel tank sensor / sender Mounting ring and O-ring, plus the timing cover gasket. Front and rear bumper rubbers, Inspection lid foam rubber pieces and rubber seals Various spark plug wire brackets Hood bumpers, Hood stoppers and inspection lid rubber bumpers Window crank fasteners, Engine tube hose clamps and some heater panel knobs And last but not least, I also got a Swiss 260Z 2+2 brochure, which i for whatever reason didn't have in my collection yet: I also did some actual work on the car again, so stay tuned for another update, soon.

I've collected some parts again recently, so it's time for another update full of random bits and pieces. Reader RIP260Z pointed out that the Pump diaphragm is missing in the American Mikuni rebuilt kits which I got recently, but are included in the Japanese Mikuni rebuild kits. Luckily, I was able to find a guy in Japan who sells all OEM Mikuni / Solex parts individually, and I ordered plenty of parts, that were still available - Including the Pump diaphragms and many wear and tear parts like springs, etc. Speaking of Mikunis, I also found an original Japanese Solex NPHH44 service manual. I had a Copy of it before, but this is an original one, which is very nice to have :-) And on the left side, you can see an original German PHH44 manual. This is a completely different manual for the original Solex PHH44. Those were used on the NSU TT and TTS and the BMW E10, 2002, etc. if I'm not mistaken. The manual is quite useless, as the NPHH44 Mikunis / Solex don't have too much in common with these, but nevertheless it's cool to have a reference to the "original" design of these, with some German explanations. The explanation of the working principle in the German book is really cool, with all those hand-drawn graphics. The biggest part of the various deliveries was this Center console: It's made by VintageDashes in the USA. After he explained how he made it and so on, I decided to give it a try, despite the big price-tag. So far it looks very promising, but i have to check the details. I will compare it with the OEM console and the one from ResurrectedClassics which i also have in stock, soon. I found another Datsun Switzerland pricelist. This time from February 1978. As usual, I scanned them all in high-resolution, and you can download my whole collection here, for free. And then another useless, but cool part. The Eaglemoss-spareparts box. Which belongs to the kit, but sadly was missing in my set. If you want to know more about the eaglemoss 1/18 Fairlady set --> read here, and here. Aside from 2 empty binders (for the magainzes) and the original tool-pouch, my set is pretty much complete, now :-) I already have the next bunch of parts waiting in Japan, a delivery from Nissan directly, and I've worked a bit on the car too and did some research, so you can expect more updates again in a few days. Oh, and I also got a free heavy-duty grinder for my workshop, and cleaned / restored it a bit this week. If this is your kind of thing, then read the full story here.

I'm having a good pace currently and making some small progress almost daily. Currently, I'm test-fitting all the items so that they can go back to the bodyshop for final adjustment and panel-gap correction etc. The first thing I wanted t install were the rear quarter windows, but I quickly realized that some areas needed rework. Some time in the history of this Z, someone bent one of the mounting brackets heavily, so I had to get it straight again... And after spending 2 hours or so fixing various small details, the rear quarter windows finally went in, and fit perfectly: While working on it, i noticed the doors didn't fit properly. The reason? The door locking mechanisms were not installed. So the door was either not closed properly, or pushed too much inside. Before: And after. To get the mechanism in, i had to remove the upper door window frames out again. But that was a quick task. And on the opposite side, the locking counterpart went in. So now the doors can lock secure, are in the correct position for panel gap and body-line adjustments and are also safe for transportation and moving around, without the risk of the doors open by themselves. Next i got a bunch of O-rings and circlips for the rear differential, stub axles, handbrakes, etc. which were recommended to me by @Mymechanics (Great YouTube channel, if you haven't checked it out yet!) The next steps are already in preparation, I got some upgrades for my Workshop and have some more parts on the way, so stay tuned for another update soon

I spent some hours in the Garage again and got some tasks checked off my to-do list. First, I started to test-fit the taillight panels: So I was able to get the installation holes back into the replacement rear panel: Where the plastic rivets go. Luckily, I have a few for reference: It took me a while, but in the end, all worked out. I have to say, after studying a bunch of original, unrestored cars, those Panels are quite poorly aligned from the factory, and with a few adjustments to the rear hatch lock panel, they could have made this much more appealing, but at the end I wanted to have it looking OEM. After that, I installed the taillights too, just to see if it all lines up. Which, luckily, it does. Note that the panels are not properly locked into the brackets here, why it all looks "wobbly": While at it, I decided to also install the hatch locking mechanism, so that the hatch has the correct height. I own a set of NOS locks. But decided for testing the old ones will do. As usual, bolts / nuts are only temporary and might be the wrong ones, so please ignore those. The lower one was a bit tricky. I realized the space in the aftermarket panel is not big enough for the lock to fit through it. After a bit of hammering, though, it fits now. Still needs a bit of adjustment, though, as it seems the punches are not lined up properly with the bracket: While working in that area, I realized that this corner is also not straight. So I got that straight too. (Picture shows "before" state): In the end, I'm quite satisfied with how things fit. It's still all just temporary and needs a bit of adjustment and proper fitting here and there, but for the first mock-up, things at least fit, without discovering major issues: You might have noticed that the "chrome" (I think it's stainless steel?) taillight panel trim is missing. I had them removed before paint strip dipping, because the previous owner painted them black. Luckily, the paint could easily be chipped off with a carpet knife: And then I gave it a bit of polish with my "Metarex" metal polish wool: It still needs a bit of work here and there, but the first results after a few minutes of manual work are promising: Then I had to test-fit the door steps (or whatever you call those) back, as the replacement panels came without the holes to install them: So I had them test-fitted: And then got the holes and screws back in. Note it might look crooked, but that's just the reflection of the protective plastic i left there to avoid scratches on the new panels: I hope I can keep up the current pace. It's really nice to see things coming back together, even if it's only temporary.

Thanks for the input. No, those were not included in the kit and from what I know those are prone to wear and tear, so I guess i have to source them separately. Let's see where I can find them 🙂

I Just came back from the workshop (more on that in the coming days), and realized I never posted about my recent purchases. Firstly, a set of L-series Factory Service Manuals in German language: The Lot also included a German training manual for Nissan OEM Register carbs. Mainly of the A-series and L4 Engines, but also of the L6 of the C230, etc. Not relevant to my project, so I'm going to sell it. The Lot also included the Service bulletin N0. 201 "modification of the 260Z 2+2, One which was missing in my collection of S30 bulletins yet: I also got the last piece of the puzzle to complete my Datsun Special tool wall. The Kent-moore ST-351-00000, for the front axle. I had it before, but the handle was missing, and now i found a complete one: Then I also got a bunch of Mikuni Performance Carburetor gasket rebuilt Kits Z70-1044, which should be the correct ones to rebuild my recently acquired PHH44 S5 Carbs Today I also got the US Market 1972 FSM, which should be the almost correct one for my model. I recently realized I had only a very early 1969 version and then later S30 generations ones, but never one close to my actual build. And then you can never have enough Factory documentation 🙂 The seller also had a bunch of OEM parts, so while buying anyway, I decided to throw in a set of NOS Hood bumpers in the order: I've been busy working on the car myself in the recent days, so expect more updates on the project soon.

I did not only buy plenty of stuff for the project recently, but also spent some time tinkering around on the actual project itself. The first task was to install the S30.World fuel tank together with the recently acquired S30.world fuel tank installation kit. To prevent the shiny tank from scratches, I wrapped everything in plastic. And after finding the right technique to hold up the tank while installing the mounting straps, i finally had it installed. Fitment is just like the original one, and it looks great together with the NISMO / Competition electric fuel pump and bracket: Next on the list was to install the fuel filler neck protection plate in the RH rear fender arch. The fitment of this reproduction item was somehow not right, so I had to bend it a bit, first. After a bit of trial and error and drilling some holes, I'm quite happy with the results (As usual, the used bolts are temporary for mock-up only!): Another test fitment was required for the front under panel / splash guard thing: I have to admit it fits really well. The only problem i discovered is that on the replacement NOS frame rails on the RH side, the threads / holes to install the under panels are missing. Most probably because they came from a later 260Z or something. Overall, I'm happy with the progress and my to-do list gets smaller with every day. Unfortunately, with every bit of work I carry out, I find one or two small problems that need to be corrected. So while my list gets smaller, the body shop list gets bigger. Nothing that can't be fixed, and I think I have a good plan for the next project. Recently, i also bought a collection of original (mostly european) Datsun / Nissan Colour and fabric sample charts. I scanned them all in High-resolution and you can download them all for free, here. they include all random type of Datsun / Nissan cars from the 70ies and 80ies, but also the Z's and ZX's.

In the recent days, I picked up various items again, which I bought recently for my project: The elephant in the room is obviously the all original KM1520-ZC AM / FM Radio. It's a bit rough around the edges. Just perfect for a restoration. In case you don't know. Restoring old audio systems, including Car HIFI, from that era was my profession for many years, so this one will be fun for me to get nostalgic. It's said to be in working condition and complete. Let's see. Then i also got an original June 1972 Datsun Switzerland dealer price list. I had it scanned, and you can download it HERE among many other price-lists from that era. One delivery also included an original NOS 240Z rear drum brake cylinder. I had several from the other side, but this side was somehow always missing. Now I have a complete pair: I also aqcuired a bunch of Japanese "Car graphic" Magazines from the early 70ies, when the Z was new, and those issues include a few nice details of the Fairlady Z and Z432 development. On the right side, you also see a Nismo accessory catalogue and sticker from the 10th anniversary, which I will put next to my 10th anniversary steering wheel and shift knob: And then i got something cool, which is a bunch of photos and two CD's full of Photos from a nice bloke. Some photos will be very cool, and I'll post the story about a certain barn full of S30's from Switzerland in the coming weeks on this blog. If you read the story about Aerotechnik. A Swiss Datsun parts dealer that quickly became one of the countries biggest wholeseller for wheels and exhausts, you might remember this photo. Now i even haven an original of that Schaffhausen-plated (SH) red 300ZX. Read more about that story here I have some more cool deliveries pending, so stay tuned for some nice stories and parts here. and oh, i also had some progress on the Car itself, which i'm going to show you soon! Today I was finally able to close another big gap in my documentation archive. The Nissan L-Drive and R-Drive Parts catalogues: There are various versions of the Parts catalogues, the L-Drive (Publication No. C-0010L) is for the Left-Hand-drive cars and the R-Drive (Publication No. C-0010R) is for RHD cars. Totally, I have no three versions. From what I understand, the dealerships once got the original Binder in the early years and then constantly got updated sheets to add or replace. That's why you can see varying years and models on the back of the binder. The Left one and center one are new, the R-Drive on the right is one I bought from the UK a while ago. I have seen other versions, which are probably even rarer, but for me, this will do. So what is it exactly? Well, it's basically the early print versions of the parts catalogue, which were later also available as Microfiches, in smaller book form, or as digital version on Nissan FAST / E-FAST disks, etc. Today these are all available online. But in my opinion this is still the best readable version due to its size and quality of print, and the most detailed version of them all. The cool thing is that I now have one of the versions with the original seat leather samples on it, which only was in specific versions of the manual, and is something quite cool, if you ask me. So, again another year-long search for something very specific comes to an end, and I'm happy to close that task too. These books will again help me to clarify some details and to do my research on the various topics. Also, the pages are easier to scan to show on different topics here on the website, since the pages can be removed individually from the binder. So sooner or later, all you readers will benefit from this, too :-). Now on to search the even rarer stuff...