26th-Z

"The Stainless Steel Carrot"; Sylvia Wilkinson would be the best insight to the quote, Alan. Not so much a fact check but rather an insight to the man who said that.

Technically speaking, the brakes on the S30 series are "vacuum assisted". There is no hydraulic pump power assist that is common today. But, yea, you could call them "power brakes". S30s never had power steering.

Yes you do. I have been celebrating my 50th birthday for the last ten years.

And of course you know what today is. Top of the 49th to you Alan!

It has more to do with the people who like to see things described properly. The title of the thread piqued my interest only to find out that the car isn't. I'm happy that you inherited a low mileage early car, and it's a very pretty car, but I would encourage you, jakay11, to learn a little more about your car and appreciate what you have. BTW, the interior is not leather.

Interesting. Numbers seem to be quite jumbled. According to Carl's inventory, HLS30-14886 was built in November 1970, HLS30-15647 was built in October, and HLS30-15652 was built in December. I would imagine that the car was ordered six months before it was built. Furthermore, it would be a 1971 model year.

That never should have happened, motorman7. Sorry. I'm happy to hear everyone enjoyed talking with Matsuo san. I recommend; "DATSUN 240Z Engineering Development" by Hitoshi Uemura.

I'm sorry to hear that. Were you in the second round of judging for a gold medallion or something? I have posted these pictures a number of times...

Yep. That's why there is a patch on the side of the oil pan.

Several thoughts here... Nissan (Datsun) was not aware of the overwhelming response that the newly introduced 240Z would have in North America. Looking at how popular the car became is hindsight; not the foresight present when the specification was determined for the North American export. What we got was the stripped down, basic S30 model. For instance, the 240Z originally came with rubber floor mats. Carpeting was originally added at the port of destination; manufactured by a North American company. 5-speeds were not very common in North America at the time. There seemed no need to 'jazz up' a car which was going to have questionable sales results in spite of Mr. Katayama's influence. Once the popularity of the 240Z took off, there was no custom ordering with an optional 5-speed. People stood in line for the 'opportunity' to purchase one. Whatever car was delivered to the dealership was what you got. If you didn't like the color, you lost you chance to purchase as there were several people in line waiting for anything. My 26thZ was initially ordered in white. It arrived green. It was the first and only car delivered to the dealership (Campbell Datsun in Sarasota, Florida) and the dealer wanted the car to sit in the showroom for some time as it was the only example they had.

Bare Metal. Paint would be a contaminant.

Cannonball Baker Sea to Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, 1975, Jack May and Rick Cline, 35 hours: 53 minutes in a Ferrari 246 Dino. Nice Ferrari. Nicer HS30-H, Kats!

For the uneducated, a "red-dot" mirror is what came with the very earliest imports and had a red dot in place of the symbol for the common day-night adjustment knob on the windshield mirror. It is listed in the North American parts book as 96321-E4601; assy - inside back mirror. "red-dot" mirrors have been discussed here before along with a great thread about replacing the glass in the mirror. If we go all the way back to Japan, the E4601 is listed for 1972 model years on. The earliest mirror is listed as E4100 which is probably not a day-night adjustable as it is specified for the ZS and PZR models. Now, the North American imports were very similar in specification (at least the early imports) to the ZS model. The "red-dot" is probably the E4600 version listed for the ZL, ZA, and PZ. E4601 is listed from 9-'72 on. $40 huh...? sounds pretty dogon good.

This car is many things not more than an issue of rust.

doesn't

You will need a gauge needle puller.

I don't think anyone has ever done a chemical analysis of the metallurgy. "was the hardware..." is too general a question. The hardware on the S30 is many different electroplated finishes. Chrome, black zinc, silver zinc, and zinc chromate come to mind. Or at least that's what I call them. When people refer to cadmium, I think they are talking about zinc chromate. Here's an example.

A good source would be the parts book. 27320-E4125 RECEIVER RADIO AM AUTO-TUNING was the first Hitachi radio through late 1971. The E8800, E8825, and N3600 are the later AM/FM 5-button Hitachi radios. There was also the optional AM 8-Track Stereo; 27350-E4126 and E4128.

Finally home in front of my parts book and photo files. Thought I would throw a little info out there. Nissan lists this antenna as 27350-E4125 KIT-AERIAL AUTO TUNING (RADIO) it would coincide with 27320-E4125 RECEIVER RADIO AM AUTO-TUNNING The E8800, E8825, and N3600 are the AM/FM 5-button radios. The antennas associated with them would be 27350-E4127 and N3600. There are optional antennas that coincide with the optional AM 8-Track Stereo; 27350-E4126 and E4128. Here's some antenna porn from my files. I don't know anything about the black coil antenna. It has a different tip as well. The Harada antenna is the one shown in my parts book and the tip is the blunt topped version with the black ring.

The mast tip is different from the earliest versions. We discussed this years ago. The very earliest versions had a pointed tip where as this version has a flat tip. I don't know about the length. It IS the original manufacturer and I believe will fit all S30 models. Sorry for the rotated picture.

So speaking of anal retentive, let me point out that the 1970, 1971 and 1972 owners manuals were reprinted in 1997 for the Vintage Z program. The printing date for all the manuals is on the rear cover. If it says 1997, it's a reprint and there is no difference from the original printing.

What's considered an early car, where's the line? Manufactured in '69 or double digits, triple digits? I would consider the first 500 as Carl Beck has previously noted however as time marches on, we see fewer and fewer (and appreciate more and more) of the 1970 and early 1971 model years. We make reference and distinction between the "Series I" and "Series II" builds quite often. I would have to suggest that a "Series I" car is considered an early car. To me, if the car has hatch vents, it's an early car.

Lexan is the stuff that yellows with age. https://www.acplasticsinc.com/informationcenter/r/lexan-vs-acrylic

The archives have many threads about this topic including discussions about patterns for cutting the material. I gave up a long time ago trying to find original material. Best of luck!

Oh, if your'e thinking of buying a tumbler or a vibrator; they both work the same, I just happen to prefer the tumbler. I have the one I linked. I fill the canister about half full with hardware and media.