daddz

"kats": Many thanks for the information that you have been able to provide with regard to the S30 series (not that you haven't heard this before) as it has been sorely missed for many years in the United States. My first question is with regard to the last of the S30 production, namely the 1977 and 1978 models; is there any record of "special" models such as the "Black Pearl" from '78 or the "ZAP" edition of 1977? While I appreciate the early S30 I continue to have an affinity for the '77 and '78 models and yet there seems to be so little information available for these cars in terms of production data and specification (i.e. the number of '78's painted Wine Red Metallic #611). Alan: Thanks for the crusade to help us Yanks understand that the S30 was built and designed in Japan regardless of where it was "planned" to be sold. Not to bring a new argument but, with regard to Albrecht Goertz, it is hard to dismiss his influence on another fine and yet under-appreciated car, the Toyota 2000GT, which has at least a common familial tie to Nissan by way of Yamaha. What are your thoughts on this matter? Again, thanks to kats for all of his efforts for the S30 and thank goodness for Matsuo-san for keeping such fine records and photos.

My '78 has one of those damned things as well! I plan on cutting the roof off of my soon to be parts car (another '78). At some point in the future when I find a shop that I feel confident in, the sunroof will become history and in its place good old factory sheetmetal. The bitch about it is my sunroof doesn't leak (not bad since it was installed in '79 and weatherstripping replaced in '95) but, I just don't like it since the factory didn't put it there. If you are so inclined you could scout around in the junkyard or buy a parts car and cut the roof off of it or pay someone to do it for you. When I cut the roof off of my father's '77 280Z I was instructed to cut at the base of the A-pillar in the front and behind the lead filled seam at the rear (behind the top of the quarter window). The job took about 10 minutes with the air-powered saw and the roof is not that heavy (you can pick it up with two hands it is just a little awkward because of its size).

I too suffer from the same condition and I have compiled a list of cars that I have owned since 1990 when I acquired my first car (a Z of course): 1983 Datsun 280ZX 2+2 (only way I could get insurance) 1987 Toyota Celica GTS (compromise car) 1982 Datsun 280ZX (hardtop) 1978 Datsun 280Z (pearl white w/ goofy stripes) 1988 Toyota Supra Turbo (really fast at the time) 1978 Datsun 280Z (daily driver rust bucket) 1978 Datsun 280Z (parts car but still fast w/ 20k motor) 1978 Datsun 280Z (never owned a yellow car before) 1985 Mazda RX7 GSL-SE (13b engine, sneaky fast) 1978 Datsun 280Z (the infamous orange car) 1987 Mazda RX7 GXL (money pit, nice handling car) 1986 Mazda RX7 SE (really strong motor--beat a Lotus Turbo Esprit from Waldorf to Glen Burnie, Md.--the owner couldn't drive) 1982 Datsun 280ZX 2+2 (why?) 1976 Datsun 280Z (another money pit) 1977 Datsun 280Z (my father liked it so much it's now his) 1978 Datsun 280Z (bought from original owner for $480--my avatar) 1986 Nissan 300ZX (hardtop--another money pit) 1984 Nissan 300ZX A.E. (fun but scary w/ old suspension) 2003 Nissan 350Z (wow it's fast..) 1982 Datsun 280ZX (a hardtop like my first '82) 1978 Datsun 280Z (rescued from a junkyard...what makes a person do that?) 1978 Datsun 280Z (Ca. cars can rust too!) 1978 V.W. Scirocco (bought it for $25 because the owner wanted to take his wife out for dinner...the car was a big POS) 1982 Datsun 280ZX (sold it after a month because I had too many cars) 1987 Nissan 300ZX (another hardtop sold to a friend) 1987 Toyota Supra (owned it for a month and traded for the Celica...what was I thinking?) 1976 Datsun 280Z (it was a shame to call this a Z..big mistake) I can relate to having spent more than half of a paycheck buying parts for cars. I am now down to the following: 2003 350Z 1982 280ZX and two '78 280Z's 1976 280Z (should be coming back when a friend changes his duty station) 1986 Nissan 300ZX (the hardtop that continues to drain the account...damned Z31's)

Glad to hear that your Z is back home where it should be! Nice pic as well. Hope it doesn't stray from home ever again.

Z Kid, Part of that list was originally published in the Straightpipe back in '94 I think. Nice addition with regard to the 240Z!

I would say that my favorite year for the Z is 1978 and this is why: 1) I think it has more creature comforts (carpet as opposed to quilted Tijuana-look vinyl) which make for a pleasant cruise unit. 2) In the U.S. we had the five speed option by then which also makes for pleasant freeway flying. 3) I think better color choices by '78 and better quality paint as well (not necessarily better corrosion protection though) which allow us lazy owners who store the cars outside to not be faced with waxing as often. 4) Since they're newer they haven't had the chance to corrode as much as a '70. (always though it would be fun to own a 09/70 240Z so that we'd collect SSI at the same age :classic: ) Keep in mind I chose those factors as I am more likely to drive the I-95 corridor from D.C. to ? rather than autocross the Z and as such my criteria is different. Ideally it would be nice to have the '78 for daily use and a 09/70 240Z or better yet a '71 to '73 240ZG for weekend use.

Alan T, I have found the URL that is housing your article and the link is here: http://www.classiczregister.org/html/magazine.html I believe the following is your article: http://www.classiczregister.org/Article2.pdf I hope this doesn't present a complication for you as a professional writer. Thanks again for the background surrounding those two videos that were recorded onto one tape.

Absoloument! Yes. The two were indeed copied onto one tape as it turns out (after checking the video library upon arriving home this evening). The drivers are in fact Masahiro Hasemi (ex F1 driver?) and Kunimitsu Takahashi (some say a Japanese John Surtees due to the start on two wheels I imagine?) and yes the track is Fuji Speedway which I understand was purchased by Toyota! Damn! It wouldn't be so bad if they would produce a follow up to the wonderful Toyota 2000GT instead of those "fake" sportscars (I know I'll be flamed for thisLOL ). It's interesting that I remembered that tape as I had lent it to my mechanic friend (actually an old Nissan Master Technician from '75 to '92) and had been neglecting to get that copy (sorry Joe) back to its rightful owner for better than a year now:( It was while I was reading a write-up from the classiczregister.org website last evening that I remembered that tape. I believe that article was written by....Alan T (thanks for the window into that seldom experienced world) and the part about the 432R sparked the old brain cells. It's a shame really that all Z car enthusiasts don't have immediate access to that footage; especially this time of year when the cars are brought out of winter hibernation to be enjoyed by all. It's almost as good as getting in that old Z and imagining that one is behind the wheel of a right hand drive competition prepared car and easing out of the paddock onto the... you fill in the blank as to which racetrack an so on. Thanks Alan for the clarification with regard to that bastardized tape which brings so much joy and so much pain to my neighbors:D (thanks Joe for bringing that tape back from Japan)

Another great video regarding the Z series is from Japan. It was filmed in conjunction with the Fairlady ZG club in Japan. The first hour or so seeks to tell the story of the Fairlady Z and has some great action footage and in car footage without any stupid music dubbing. The driving sequence must take up about ten to fifteen minutes of tape in one section and the wonderful noises coming from the cockpit as the driver downshifts from third into second with the tachometer already registering about 4500rpms before the downshift is truly amazing! It also shows an L series inline 6 being assembled which is memorable as the mechanic slips the piston rings by hand while holding the piston assembly in his lap. The second hour of the tape concerns itself with telling the story of the old Skylines and again with great in car footage as well. In one sequence there are two older drivers that obviously raced these cars when new as a bit of a rivalry is detected once they are underway on the racetrack. The question becomes: how to get a hold of more copies of this tape? Hopefully someone on this message board will have some insight....

How difficult is it for one to emigrate to Japan? Finding a Japanese wife would be the way to go?

I have subscriptions to the following car magazines: 1) Sport Z and previously Z Car magazine 2) Grassroots Motorsports and their new spinoff Used to subscribe to but, now buy occasionally: Sports Car International Classic and Sportscar Practical Classics Straightpipe (when I belonged to the Communist run SCCA--too much of the poilitics for my taste) 2ManyZs help me out here: Do you have the issue of The Straightpipe where a list of cars was published with a one sentence comment about the likely driver of those vehicles? It went something like this: Datsun 280Z---"I only had one kilo in the wheelwells officer"

Just thought you folks would be interested in the following website as it deals directly with the problem at hand: http://www.gaspricewatch.com/ It does come in handy when the lowest price for a given grade of fuel is the ultimate target.

Alan T, GTA= Grand Theft AvatarROFL I will try to find your car's twin first:classic: ....there's always that 401K though:classic: In all seriousness I really need to acquire a garage first and then figure out what part of the globe to move the collection to:cheeky:

Alan T, Sorry about that avatar:classic: I was searching for HS30H pictures the other day and at the same time I was trying to pick out an avatar. My pictures weren't formatted properly at that time howoever, that issue has been dealt with. p.s. If you ever want to sell the HS30H??

George, Thanks for the article; I happen to own a 2003 350Z base model finished in brickyard red (maroon) and took delivery in January of 2003. The car has now covered 5600 miles since January 3,2003 with about 3600 of those miles attained on long distance trips from Washington,D.C. to Atlanta, Ga. and Tampa, Fl. respectively. The trip to Tampa saw average speeds of 70 to 80 with a couple of bursts to 100+. At 80 mph the car is very sure footed and doesn't require constant steering inputs to maintain a straight line in contrast to my '88 Toyota Supra Turbo. The car also will average 26-27 mpg on the highway and 22-24 in the urban cycle. She will gladly suck down 18 gallons of petrol from empty at a cost of about $32. I also own several S30 cars ('76 and 3 '78's) and this car is very comfortable on the long haul (drove straight through to Tampa and staying up all night to get it done and if the old eyes weren't so tired I could have stayed up the following day) just like the old Z's and this one's natural cruising range is about 80mph just like my old 280Z's with the 5 speed. The joy extends into the engine bay as well. Oil changes are a simple procedure and for all of you old Z car lovers this car's engine has a timing chain (no more of that timing belt b.s.) and a superbly located oil filter and oil drain plug. Another nice feature is the battery is isolated away from the rest of the engine bay as well as the brake/clutch fluid resevoirs (the two plastic covers at the stern of the engine bay hide those items). An interesting point with regard to the base models: the engine bay is painted a semi-gloss black as well as the underside of the hood (the upmarket models feature paint matched engine bays). As any racer will tell you the black engine bay is a plus for heat dissipation. I would urge anyone to drive this car and find out for yourselves. The car is a blast to drive and can hold its own with most of today's machinery. Z cars don't make much sense as life-sized Matchbox cars being stowed away in some musty garage; I drive mine sensibly (avoid snow or ice covered streets as these cars don't do well at all w/ factory issued tires--Bridgestone's in my case) and try not to let it sit for too long.

Brian, Two weekends ago I made a mad dash to Tampa,Fl. and back from Washington, D.C. in the 350Z (12 hrs 45 min going to Fl.) and the car averaged 26-27 mpg with speeds of 75-80 and the occasional burst to over 100mph The '86 300ZX likes to use about 22-26 mpg in a mostly urban cycle; the '82 280ZX averages about 23-25 mpg thanks to it having a 22 year old set of factory plug wires on it (that was the first thing to get replaced along with the rubber fuel lines leading to and from the fuel filter). The old warhorse '78 280Z now averages a lowish 20-22 mpg with a new set of Nissan injectors along w/ new NGK plugs, NGK plug wires, Nissan cap and rotor, Nissan fuel filter and fuel hoses. All coolant hoses were replaced as well. The only reason I can surmise is that @ 145k miles and a set of 15 X 7 ARE two piece mesh wheels and P225/50VR15 tires the car has alot of rolling resistance (it does need a front end alignment since swapping in the Tokico Illumina struts and Tokico springs from my old '78 Z) BTW: My father's '77 280Z (I used to own it) averaged 27 mpg from D.C. to Daytona Beach for the Rolex 24 of 2001 after installing an '81 280ZX 5 speed (.76:1 overdrive) on the stock 14" steel wheels and 195/70R14 crap tires.