Tony D

O.K., here is an informal poll: When the FSM tells you that the Rear Brakes are "Automatically Adjusted" and that routine adjustment is not required... Would you consider the brakes to be a "Self Adjusting" system? Having owned cars (and still own) that require religious, routine adjustment of the Star Wheel Adjusters to keep proper drum to shoe clearance, I consider the brakes on the S30 to be "Self Adjusting" and use the term interchangably with "Automatically Adjusted"... How about you guys? Kinda Curious on the 'terminology take'.... Note: this is not for the guys that refuse to use their parking brake as intended and have to manually adjust their brakes all the time....like some racers do! I am meaning in a normal operation as intended by the manufacturer in the Owner's Manual!

Oh, those are great! That's going to cause a stir. I see I have e-mail as well. Thanks Alan!

Chook isn't so bad. I get it when people say 'swarf' may not be a real word! Don't you people speak English?

Yeah, gotta wonder why he needs that sum now and is using it as justification for the sale. Any old port in the storm, eh? "I need it now, to give the money time to grow'

"I am seeling this car is because my daughter is getting married in May 08." Man, I wonder what takes a year to plan for with only $2800? Maybe this guy has an inside track on an IPO or something and wants quick cash to invest for a phenomenal return---like Hillary Cattle Futures or something.

If it's bog and hesitation that is your problem and not pinging under load or light loads, then I might think the issue with pump-gas -v- race-gas may be more in formulation. Many of the competition fuels are formulated to 'older' specifications with specific gravity more suited to carburetted use. ALL pump gases now are formulated for fuel injection so they lack the light aromatics that make carburetted fuel work in those systems. I had a smiilar problem here on the left coast when they went to reformulated gases in the early 90's. My high compression Corvair didn't necessarily ping, but it wouldn't cold start worth a damn, and stumbled and bucked like crazy unless I ran Chevron Gasoline in it. Come to find out talking with some engineers at Unocal in Brea, as well as some people at Chevron Technical Assistance that indeed the Chevron Premium I was finding ran so well still had the old formulation...and they told me a specific date that it would no longer be available. Right to the week they said, the car started stumbling on Chevron as well. I went to Union76 Racing fuel of the lowest octane I could get (I think it was 95) that was set up for carburetted race series, and the car would run like a top! I found that blending the race fuel by about 10-20% (depending on what brand I was pumping)was all I needed to make the car operate correctly with it's NOS Rochesters. And that was with 87 or 91 octane. I found with the stumbling and bucking and hesitation (which sounds like exactly what you are experiencing!) it was not so much Octane as formulation of the fuel. See if they have a lower octane race fuel that is specifically set up for carburetted racing series. I know the 104 I get at the pump (VP Racing Fuel) is set up for Fuel Injected Imports, and haven't really tried it in anything carburetted but my pit minibike, and occasionally the lawnmower if I'm getting a lot of pressure to cut the grass! If you're not pinging, and it's more a drivability problem, I think you are going to need to search for proper formulation, rather than higher octane. The 109 Octane you are running may be formulated for a carburetted racing series, and that is why it runs so well, not necessarily the Octane. Oh, and that's about highway robbery for that fuel! If you are buying it in a five gallon pail...and it's going to sound bad...buy it by the drum! Our driver Dave Richardson buys his Race Fuel by the drum, and gets it for about a DOLLAR LESS per gallon than what I can buy it for at the pump! We save because we have access to drums so we don't get tagged for the deposit. We sell the gas off to friends for a bit of a profit to defray the costs, but the more you buy, the cheaper it is, and that $9.50 a gallon is highway robbery! You also have to be able to store a drum of fuel....it's not a 'garage in the house' commodity, needless to say. Shop around, you should be able to get a better price than that, and like JM says, mixing is a viable option to really decrease your costs. With 11 or 12:1 compression you probably only need octane in the low 90's, and if your setup is like my Vair, you may get away with mixing 20% race fuel to standard pump gas to get enough aromatics in the gas to clear out the stumbles caused by the syrup they sell at the pump these days. Good Luck!

Yeah, what kind of compression ratio are you running that requires 109 octane? We ran 14.75:1 in the race car, and got along with 110 octane just fine. For anything 11:1 or less, 104 should be fine...and I can get that from the pump for $5 a gallon here. And when Premium is running $3.75, there is a certian 'what the hell factor' involved filling the car with 104 octane unleaded VP straight from the pump...

Looks like a firstgen RX7 Spoiler...

Nope, I am referring to rows of white fiberglass teeth that I cut out and screwed to the bottom of the FRP bumper on my car in 95 before the Denver Convention. Originally they caused so much airflow disruption that I ended up taking out every other one. This got my temperatures back down to normal, and without all the teeth, it looked much less 'Star Trek Ferengi" and more "Menacing Shark". I also noted that my fastlane compliance ratio went WAY up when I removed the every other tooth. Apparently seeing a semi-gloss black fully flared car with Green Glowing Headlights and a row of sharklike teeth on the front bumper convinces 'slower traffic yield the lane right'... Hence my name in some places is "Sharkie73Z".... it made it onto CNN World News Tonight when they covered the (SIC: Can't use Di*k as a proper name here apparently soooooo:)) "Richard" Clark's "25th Birthday of the Z Party" at the Petersen Museum that year. People called me and said "Dude, your car was on TV!" How do you know it was my car? "Who else has green headlights and shark teeth on the front?" Point made... Mr. K got a real kick out of it, as well. But no, my "Teeth" are not the airflow deflectors seen on the factory G-Noses. Not by a longshot. I took the spares that I removed, and affixed them to the underside of the bumper (with red RTV to simulate 'gums') on my Wife's 260Z---which promptly was named "Bride of Sharkie" by those in the local Club.

I've said that for some years, it was nice to have Alan mention it with photodocumentation to back it up. My thousands of words were really rendered moot when his photos showed exactly the differences. And the testing showed there is a functional difference as well...it's not just cosmetic! Lots of interesting information in those tests. Some stuff surprised me as well re: some parts. Hehehehe "Nebulosity"!

So that's what "F.E.T. Kyoukuto" means! I have a manifold I scavenged off an early Skyline that says that in Romanized Block Letters...I always wondered what "FET" stood for... That particular manifold has a removable cover on the balance tube section, and indeed is set up for 40mm Solexes. The throttle rod towers hit the hood on the Z, though, so it's a Skyline only setup. I still have it, maybe one day... Obviously they made more than one style of manifold, as I have one of each same as those shown in the two auctions as well. One that came with my 44 Solexes, the other (The FET) came with, and is still attached to the L26 with Dellorto 45 DHLA's in my 71 Fairlady Z

Follow it, I think 10% of the funds were mine! I will parrot Alan's comments RE the test in the tunnel. It was not a Nissan Nose, and I'm sure you saw my posts regarding that fact there Carl. As you can see from the discussion there, and being as nebulous as I can till the article comes out, they discovered 'other things' after testing the G-Nose that run in-line with the dissimilarities noted in both Alan and My comments regarding the nose they did use...this alone would explain the effects mentioned. "A G-Nose is a G-Nose" is not a proper commentary about parts available here in the USA. Aside from the Wind Tunnel Testing, the big thing the G-Nose does from my experience is keep the front end planted far better at speed. Reduced Drag is great, but if the front wheels are taking flight and have sketchy contact at 140+ it's pretty much useless. Nissan's testing revealed a top speed increase of 15kph with the G-Nose over comparable Non-G-Nose Equipped 240's---this does not jibe with the 'increased drag' contention. My Street 240 has had a G-Nose (With Teeth), Front Spoiler, and a Waletail for quite some time, all due to testing I did with static pressure probes and instrumentation in the early 90's. I was eager to support the tests to see if they supported my original conclusions. There were some interesting surprises for me in that testing (Article....Article....) and it has given me some verified items to attend to should we decide to run Sans-G-Nose at some point (Like In September) just to "prove a point". With the Appendix Alan E-Mailed me this morning (Thanks again, Alan!) I feel much better about the whole situation. Mr. monza might not like the documentation...but then again, he's the one that posted the $100. I only wish we got the money for a Beer and Pizza Fest afterwards.... Stewards always get the $$$....

I just reviewed the site, and I'll say if anyone has bought these parts from Japan Direct and had them shipped EMS Post (Trackable Air Freight) IMO these parts are VERY reasonably priced, and this looks to be a very close-margin setup compared to buying through Japanese Distribution. I can only hope the Distribution remains limited so the people providing the parts have enough margin to continues the terrific support tradition most Japanese Companies provide in-country. If you ship this stuff UPS Ground Track I will lay money it will arrive at a cost very close to what you would buy it for from a Japanese Distributor when you factor in shipping from that point. For all the extra effort and hassle, why bother---especially since you have a phone contact you can actually call and discuss the areas surrounding the purchase of parts without requiring a trasnlator or learning Japanese! I will be pointing more people to that site in the future. It makes it FAR easier than trying to set up the contacts in Japan to get some of these parts shipped. Bravo for taking the step of becoming a distributor on these shores! I haven't seen an electric 'idle up kit' for OER/SK carbs since 1989 when I left Japan! WOW!

Don't mention SUPPORT! Buy a Kameari part, and you get PRODUCT UPDATES. That cam tensioner had a revision, and amazingly one was shipped to me for an update without me ever requesting it! This was dealing directly with them in Japan via e-mail and fax, but for them to automatically upgrade the part was outstanding! I hope the fine service established by the Parent Company follows through to their Distribution Arm here in the USA. I have worked for several OEM's, and sadly this is not generally the case when dealing with US Distribution. ZCC-JDM I wish you well in the endeavor, keep up the Kameari Tradition and you will do very well! Keep a weather eye for counterfitters and pirates, they cruise these waters. Good Luck!

I'll go cruise Cajalco and 74 in Perris. There are 'dumping lojack' sites along there theives drop cars for 48-72 hours before moving them for further atrocities.

SCTA Rule 4.E Automobile Production. Any component which is offered for sale by a recognized automotive manufacturer to the general public as original equipment or accessory to a production automobile is considered automotive production. A production rate of at least 500 vehiclesof the same model and year is considered to meet the requirement of a production automobile. SCTA Rule 5.E Production Category This category is intended to represent typical transportation vehicles, which may be purchased from ANY automobile dealer. A production rate of at least 500 vehicles of the same model and available from dealers inventory for sale to the general public is considered to meet the requirement of a production automobile. In keeping with this intent, the cars are aerodynamically "stone stock" with no body parts allowed which were not parts of the manufacturer's production for the series of the vehicles involved. The engine used must have been available in the model of the vehicle used as purchased form ANY automobile dealer. modified body, body panels, spoilers, air dams, etc intended for and as accepted or sanctioned by NASCAR, NHRA, SCCA, etc are not permitted for use in this category unless specifically allowed. A manufacturer's part number does not necessarily imply that a part is an original, factory installed body part. Both interior and exterior panels are considered to be part of a production vehicle and must be mounted in their original relationship to each other. The S30 did have more than 500 produced in any given year, and the accessory of the G-Nose was also produced in those numbers acording to the FIA Documentation.... Since they clearly refer to "The Series" this means to me what is legal for an S30 from 1972 is legal for an S30 of 1976. And a Classifier like "GS" or "RS" does not change the fact that it is still the same series... What the guy is PO&B about is the fact that his IMSA stuff is specifically disallowed, and he thinks the G-Nose is the same thing---well you could never go to a dealer and buy a Monza or Pinto with the IMSA Spec flares. And we are not trying to use Group 4 Flares at all....jsut the plain old G-Nose as it came from the factory.... At least we have that going for us, it's pretty clear it DID come on cars to the general public. I'm feeling better now that I've reviewed the rules more, and gotten this feedback today!

<EDIT>I've confirmed that I do have the 3023-70 9/8V Supplement Pages. They deal with the "Aerodyna-Nose Model" I assume the verbiage for the 500 units is contained within the actual FIA Supplement J as noted---I take that the section has changed by now, and doesn't read the same...any archival documents available for e-transfer on that point would be greatly appreciated!

I've got the Group 4 Homogolation papers, I will review those sections in preparation for the argument. The Group 2 information was a good update, I'd not heard that., and that is good to know! Given that Nissan had to use something to prove it was a 'factory option' when the had the car classified in 1975 for SCTA-BNI Competition---I suspect the FIA papers would qualify for that purpose. I suspect they are contending the G-Nose never was available for the 2+2 as well. But I think the logical argument there is the swapping that occurs between Domestics in competition all the time. They have previously allowed Shaker Hoods on vehicles not originally equipped with them, but on models that are 'cloned' from another division of the same overall manufacturer. The next protest is that it was never available on "280Z's" but the obvious production run of S30 in the Japanese Market should quash that contention. We are still in the 'prospecting stages' of what the actual protest involves---all that will be written in due time I suppose, but it puts a big pall over going to Bonneville---especially with the spectre of having a real record run negated after a protest (which is what happened several years ago when we broke a "Fuel" record running only Gasoline...The rules stated 'fuel is open' so we chose to run standard gasoline, and broke the record by 14mph...the former record holder protested us and it was upheld as the rules were vague. Of course they changed them the next year to ALLOW the use of 'any fuel'...politics...) The base of it all is that this joker has been running in the 130 to 136mph range for the past three years against a record at 141.824 mph. Our first run was 141.336 (close to the record, but being on a rookie pass, was ineligible for the record in any case!), then subsequently in the high 140 ranges, all within 3% of the record... We're just waiting for the cooler weather in September/October/November like our rookie run last November... Your suspicions were along the same lines as mine, Alan: 482? Got to be some Wikipedia Search that shows that number someplace. I don't know WHERE he came up with it. Though for only $100 he can screw us up for a while jumping through hoops while our car is 'in limbo'... We actually went out Sunday and told the driver to just make an easy pass so we keep our points and run placement for later in the year. If we come in slower than they do, maybe they won't feel so intimidated. I'm so irate at this point, I'm willing to take the nose off and spank them just for spite!

Don't want to open the 'production-vs-sales' can of worms again, but I have need of some figures relating to ZG-Specific Production Data. We run a vehicle at Bonneville for Land Speed Records. Our entry has been protested citing a production figure of '482' ZG units produced. I have no idea where this die-hard Ford/Chevy Fenatic got his numbers, but he's posted the $100 protest fee, and effectively blocked us from Competing at the Speed Week Competition in August by this tactic. What I am looking for, is any documentation regarding the ZG option being produced. I am also interested in any JDM (or other country for that matter) sales brochures that show the ZG Nose as a option available on ANY other Z-Model. What this guys contends is that the ZG Nose is merely a 'Racing Part Option' same as the IMSA Bodywork available for Chevy Monzas and Ford Pintos of similar vintage---they had part numbers, and were available through parts distribution, but were not a 'real production item'... I have mentioned that you could buy a ZG off the showroom floor, and at least till 1972, in the USA you could get it as a Dealer-Added Option through Nissan Motorsports. In the meantime, we will probably have to pull our G-Nose off and run that way till the protest is adjudicated....but this tactic bothers me since I know it was a specific model available at any delership in Japan. I just need proof that at least 500 were sold through the available production run. Anybody know if the ZG nose was available as a factory option alone on run-of-the-mill JDM S30's after the shift to the later light/body style of the 260Z? I need to cover all the bases and blow the guy out of the water now, and not keep getting protested and blocked from competiton due to sour grapes. I mean, the guy has a Cosworth Four Valve head on his engine...and he's upset by our G-Nose! Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Coming back just to check, and the orifice I was referring to is NOT part of the Nissan Manual! I need to make that very clear. Reading the Nissan Manual will give anyone who wishes to undertake that modification a much better understanding of what goes on in those carburettors. The orifice I was referring to is (and lacking a copy of the manual sitting here in front of me for exact reference) involved with the idle speed circuit. The fuel for idle speed is metered from the front carburettor only. As a result, you have to open it up a bit to flow enough to allow a better transition to main circuitry. This added volume of fuel acts like a jet change in a Solex. Some people do this modification, some dont. I have found that by drilling it out, tuning of the idle mixture can be made...er...'outside the CO Parameters' of the stock setup. Basically the size in the few I have done was smallish for a performance engine to fuel it properly. On a STOCK engine you may be able to get it right without drilling this passage. But on something like a 3L, some tweaking of the passages might be a good idea. I'm not really clear when I post about it, because frankly I've moved on to EFI, and suggest others do as well! Anybody who says "Carbs Are Easy" simply hasn't spent enough time trying to get them working dead-on correct! My hat would tip to Darrel had I known him. He would make four the number of shops that didn't dismiss out-of-hand a Flat-Top. They do require EXACT settings, and melticulous attention to detail when setting them up. This was their downfall---a precise metering device pushed to the field without expertise to follow it up or maintain it properly. If you look to the Honda World, you will see SU-Derivative Carburettors with FAR more emissions junk on them that our "Beloved Boat Anchors" the Flat-Top Hitachi SU...and that is into the 80's that Honda used them!!!

Oh you guys are missing the ultimate sign. They took the 'Nissan' off the building in Gardena, just like they took the 'Dastun' off years ago. Wonder where those huge letters from above the 11th floor ended up?

My bet is for rich running, corrosion on thermal sensor in the thermostat housing. Car thinks it's cold out, runs on cold start circuit and smokes black. in some cases like mentioned above, the connector can work loose (hidden kind of beneath upper radiator hose) and cause the engine to literally flood itself with gas. I had it happen coming out of the top corner at Willow Springs, and the car just died. Rich is bad. Clean all connections and see what happens. Usually if an ECU goes out, you don't run at all---running rich is not a failure mode of a bad ECU.

No, I mean S30. I was relating what I have seen on the imported S30's as a matter of anecdotal historical reference. If others have Fairlady Z's that can pin the production switch down further to a closer range of VINS, e-mail me so I can add them to 'my list'. I kind of informally track S30's here in the USA. Anthropological disease, if you will. I find our US-Market versions slightly less fun than the Fairlady due to weight and lack of accessories. These I currently posess: S30-06223 HLS30-06330 GS31-XXXXXX (can't remember that one offhand) S130-002XXX (same there) Once owned S30-110661. Myself and Alan both are at a loss to explain that wierd amalgam of parts. No Nissan Restamps of the VIN on that one, though!

The swap from S30 with '240' style lamps, and the S30 with the later '260/280' style lamps and dashboard happened somewhere around S30-108000. That is the earliest VIN for a 'Late Dash' car I have seen here in the USA. I had earlier vehicles myself with lower VINS that were of the 'early lamp' variety. And of course, there was my S30-110661, which rusts in peace somewhere amalgamated and remelted early in 1989 when I left Japan. Notwithstanding the '180000' chassis switch, 110661 was an early car all the way, an unexplained "Build Out" car of strange pedigree, and which I lament not saving...other than on Ektachrome Slides. This is the one Alan discussed with me some long time ago with the 100L tank and dashboard, etc...

The JDM Equivalent is 2000 Valve Cover, like I have on my Early Fairlady. "ADM"? Archer Daniels Midland? I think the preferred term is "Export Model". Though the Fairlady 240Z did have the 2400 cover---they are indeed rare in Japan these days. To the topic: "EVA G-Nose Replica"