kats

I have finished my ZG engine bay cosmetic refresh project. I am quite happy with the results, even though it looked very un professional outcome. Please enjoy pictures! Kats

Hi Gavin, Yes that is another correct way to have right Nissan blue I think. I did it like you before! Kats

Hi, Yours is for the later ‘U shaped’ lower cross members which can be seen on 280Z and Fairlady Z(S31 model). Just FYI, I recently refurbished my pan for my Z which is the earliest style, no-hole version (late 1969 to late 1972 in Japan). Kats

Sorry for my poor English skill, I was trying to say the same like you. The only thing I would like to tell you is there is no difference between Japanese S30 and all the other export S30 in terms of the opening of the tunnel. I don’t know what kind of 5 speed Patcon is going to install, so all I can say for now is if it is a FS5C71A then he doesn’t need to cut the tunnel. FS5C71B or FS5W71B, he needs to cut the tunnel like you said. Kats

Hi Patcon, Are you going to put the automatic transmission back to the car? If so, you just don’t need the metal ring. Just bolt the base plate for the automatic shifter on to the opening of the tunnel. The opening shape and size, and location is just the same as the opening for F4W71A/FS5C71A. This is also true for the late 1971 model and later. Even when Z got the new center console for F4W71B/FS5C71B the opening for the automatic transmission remains the same as F4W71A/FS5C71A. I think Nissan was cleaver to utilize and minimize the cost and labor at the production line. Or if you are going to put an F4W71B or an FS5C71B, you need the ring to bolt on the tunnel. Great work, a lot of progress! Kats

Hi Bart, I thought about it before. But I don’t know how to ship the spray can to overseas! Kats

Thanks Patcon! I am enjoying to see your restoration of your 240Z, keep good work! Kats PS Nissan blue is still available from local dealership or some internet vendors. You can order with the parts number 10128-90026. Or in Japan only?

Painting the block, masking is always fun to do. I couldn’t stop my self to paint the bolt fixing the engine mount bracket. If I had extra genuine marked ‘7’ bolts I would have re-plated it. The outcome is so so, I sprayed fluorescence green over metallic yellow. Finally I put just a little bit of metallic purple. Please see the engine mount bracket, it has over spray of blue, is is original? And the date shown on the center muffler and the rear muffler ‘72 07’ they make the car so proud as a survivor. In Japan so many people wanted to replace it with a dual exhaust pipes. I think it looks odd to see some very bright parts in the non restored engine bay. Kats

Hi, I have been doing some work for my 240ZG. I felt I should take care for my ZG because it looked dirty and old. I don’t have money to do full restoration for it so I decided to do easy job by myself like painting and cleaning. Also I have my parts re-plated by a professional shop. Did you know here in Japan most of plating shops don’t do gold zinc plate for the local environmental regulations. I found one very far from my town, they do great but very very expensive compare to a several years ago. I couldn’t separate each of the exhaust components because they are all rusted and melted each other. So it seemed to me the only choice was taking off the exhaust manifold with all the components together. I tried to take the front pipe from the manifold apart, I snapped off the stud bolts. The rusted bolts annoyed me a lot. Please see the original unique nut for fixing the exhaust front pipe. I want to use it again. I saw orange paint brushedat the left front of the block, is it a factory marking? I see ‘ 2-6 ‘ on the bonnet catch and the door lock mechanism as my ZG seemed left the factory on June or July 1972. As well as matching date shown on the heater box decal, the seat belt tag and the coding on the glass. Kats

I’m feeling the same Alan. I have been curious about the same thing happened to other parts like the choke and throttle cables, export emblems ‘chrome solid back side Z’ etc. I can’t remember exactly but even some parts started at E4101 or 4601 from the beginning of the production. Apparently those things were well before the test ride in US & Canada from October to December 1969. Body styling had finished in 1968, but development chassis and all the other things would have still been in progress in Japan? Kats

Hi, we will have some new point of view about the seam for the C-pillar joint. Mr.Miyazaki told me about interesting story about the issue of cracking around the C-pillar. It is a new thing for me, I have never heard of it. I will report it soon. Kats

Hi Alan, the wrong side Z432 mount is what we have been waiting for! You posted a picture for a several years ago, a ‘Fairlady 260Z-E’. It has a mirror image Z432 air filter box next to the left side of the head light. I am so excited about seeing this front center rail, this proves Nissan was about to sell Fairlady 260Z-E not just making a prototype but preparing for full production for the coming new model for 1974. And also I have seen a Z432 wrong side air box on Yahoo Japan auction some years ago. I just didn’t get it what it is. But yes it existed! Kats

Hi Gavin, I probably know the owner. We had a good conversation at ZCON last year. He seems to have some good friends in Japan. I am interested in seeing the car gets back on the road. Kats

If our decoding method works, the engine block was casted on 9th of January 1975. “5109I” 5=1975, 1=January, 09=9th, I=alphabet /ai/. Does it make sense to the number L28-005521? Kats

It could be, I am also interested in it. Seeing 1969 Z432, for example PS30-00055 has pressed down dents. And the car has December 1969 seat belt tag, ordinary firewall thick pad. So I assume some November or December 1969 export models have pressed down dents without tar mat. Higher chassis number for the year 1969 like HLS30-00476 doesn’t have tar mat on the rear deck. Application of the tar mat on the rear deck could be later than that of pressed down dents. Kats

Wow!! I really like your green 1969 240Z. Thanks for sharing a lot of pictures. A tiny dent caught my eyes, which is on the rear deck floor, near the frame rib. The dent was pushed upward from underneath of the floor, that is a good sign of the super early cars. I don’t know why, the later dent was pushed down from above the floor. This is true for all the other dents in the rear deck floor and maybe for the firewall. I have been talking about this with an enthusiast Chris in Netherlands. He has been doing extensive work for his a lot of 1969 240Z. This leads me my curiosity about “which model is earlier than others in 1969.” I am not talking about the Nissan official report of the first 14 cars strats from S30-00001. I am talking about cars like made in October, November, December. HLS30-00051, HS30-00051, PS30-00051, S30-00051. I guess they would be like this (starting with the earliest) S30-00051, HLS30-00051, PS30-00051,HS30-00051. We don’t argue about HS30-00051 is a 1970 made. But other three are fun to discuss. (I know most of the people are not interested in talking about S30 and PS30) Anyway, PS30-00051 was not made in October like S30-00051 and HLS30-00051. I don’t know why, looks like Z432 was taking a rest for a while in October then re- engaged in the assembly line in November or even December. We can tell it by the dents on the floor. Even PS30-00028 is not made so early. I would say not in October. According to the data from NIPPON JIDOUSYA KOGYO KAI, 72cars were made as Z432(including Z432-R) in 1969. Most of them would have been made in November or December. Do you remember Nissan Shatai reduced production of export models (DATSUN 240Z) in December? I would guess it could be because of the test reports from the team ‘test ride in US & CANADA’. They reported steering kick back and rear axle vibrations. Nissan Shatai would have decided to make more PS30 cars in December instead of export models. Kats

Hi, I didn’t know there is a tab! It is interesting. I want to check it if some proper early cars are in the middle of restoration in progress, but it is very hard to see those super early cars in person. So we get together here, I will wait someone shows up and posts pictures of the tab in question. Kats

Japanese People don’t care about cars which were sold outside of Japan. My US 240Z has never been invented to Nostalgic Hero magazine. I know some people still think it is a fake of S30. The average sales price is backing up what I am saying. A Fairlady-Z 2/2 is now pricing double or triple of an US 240Z. Am I sad looking at those things? Maybe. But anyway I have my beautiful US 240Z which makes me so proud. People living in overseas don’t care about Japanese Fairlady Z cars. I have seen a lot of people don’t like G-nose because simply it looks ugly to them. Also people don’t like 2- liters cars, Z432 is not an exception. People don’t need information because they don’t use it for their cars. That is why I am here, and my friends here. I want people to know whole range of our cars. I believe looking into various types of our cars make us fun to enjoy better. Kats

Hi, I would like to share this, Alan made a great post in another thread. I have always wanted people to know why our cars had been going to have a six-cylinder engine at some point in the development process. That was because of S20, Prince oriented way advanced technology for the time. One more thing. Uemura san includes a quote of some paragraphs from Teiichi Hara's own book (recommended, BTW). Hara san was manager of the First Design Department at Nissan and Uemura san quotes Hara san because he relates a KEY stage in Nissan's Go/No Go stage of the Maru Z project. Without passing this stage, Nissan's senior management simply would not have given clearance for the engineering and styling work to proceed. What was the deciding factor? The deciding factor was the inclusion of the road-going version of the Prince GR8 twin cam engine (the Nissan S20 two litre 24v twin cam six) as an option in the engineering and styling of the Maru Z project. Hara san described this as "A complete victory". Without it, they would not have got the go-ahead for the whole family of variants. It is a very revealing anecdote, the kind that automotive journalists and marque/model scholars set great store by. Thanks Alan! Kats

I want to explain what Uemura san is saying about our cars but I can’t do it in English. Motomura san did great job and he is the perfect interpreter for the book but no one can tell better than Uemura san does. With my poor English skills, but I can see some words need to have deeper additional explanation for English speakers to understand as much as what Uemura san originally intended. Kats

Hi Alan, I read it just like you read. Japanese people write it like that and read it like that. Kats

Hi, I am always enjoying reading this thread, thank you so much. Today I have a question about an air intake system of those works rally cars. Maybe for Safari cars, not for your car. An old interview with Mr. Namba and Mr. Wakabayashi they said “Our rally cars are designed sucking air from the cabin. It prevents engines from sucking heavy sand dust or water”. Did that mean works rally cars had ducting system on the firewall acting as a corridor between the cabin and the engine room? Was the engine room sealed enough for isolating it from the outside? And they said “when cars need to across the river, mostly a few seconds, cars have to have ability to go through”. It makes me think the huge duralumin under cover would help the cars float a few seconds over the water, wouldn’t it? Kats

I can’t tell “how” with my poor English skill but I am sure we can tell the difference if we have both in hand. I see the difference on the surface of the rubber, it looks different and feels different in touch. But some reproductions are useable without serious problems I think. Kats

Congratulations on your hunt! Me too bought the complete set. I wanted to have the series of magazines and the DVD, they are so interesting and rewarding, highly recommended. I am not interested in the model car so I still let all the pieces un opened, properly never will be assembled. Because I have 1/1 cars to play. Kats

Super fascinating Alan!! I wish I could have either type of roll-bar, it is a long way to achieve it. Thanks for the pictures JDMjunkies.ch and Alan, I am (I am sure we! ) looking forward to seeing the both car when complete. Kats