S30 Series Buyers Guide

[gav240z]

Hi Everyone,

I've been meaning to write this for ages, but haven't got around to it. Having started I now know why, I'm wondering what I've got myself into here.

 

Anyway I plan to include pics of differences and tidy up the article eventually. I hope this can reduce alot of the same questions we get about buying a Z.

 

http://datsun-240z-blog.viczcar.com/nissan-datsun-s30-buyers-guide.html

 

Feedback welcome. I had to stop writing, as it was getting late here and I already spent a couple of hours on it. Will pick it up again soon.

[V8Datto]

I had a quick read, very nice and very helpful for anyone buying a zed.

[gav240z]

I had a quick read, very nice and very helpful for anyone buying a zed.

 

Good to know, I guess keep in mind also that its incomplete and just a start. I'm hoping photos will make it alot clearer. Especially helping people understand the differences.

[C.A.R.]

Might need to amend the RS30 body/chassis info, Gav.

Early RS30 body shells are vertually the same as the later model S30 bodys (well there are the same), but the later (post '76?) RS30 bodys have taller rear strut towers - they are actually left over US-spec 280Z bodys...

[FLEXZED]

Gav - awesome

 

i am looking for a Z as i type so the info proveided will help me out heaps

 

thanks

 

[68GTCS]

This was the best guide I've found...

 

http://www.practicalclassics.co.uk/buyingguide.php?page=1&sid=540

 

Found it exceptionally good as I was uninitiated at the time of buying this zed and got a gem as a result of having this handy.  Would love to hear what the combined knowledge here thinks of it.

 

Good work on yours but it is beyond what I could've comprehended or applied when inspecting a car the first time.  Great resource for the second, third, fourth.... and zedth zed!

 

Thanks Gav - great work!

[sexual_sushi]

Nice work Gav, only had a quick read cause I'm at work atm. You might have covered it in the content, but maybe a quick reference list for some of the good things to look for in the cars would also be useful? Things like round top su's, electric dizzy, rear discs, uncracked dash etc. I was just thinking some of the more common mods people do to the cars or hard to find/repalce bits. Although I suppose some "good" things are a bit subjective depending on what you are doing with the car.

 

Anyway, just an idea

[HS30-H]

....... (post '76?) RS30 bodys have taller rear strut towers - they are actually left over US-spec 280Z bodys...

 

With all due respect, where did you get that from? Do people imagine there was some warehouse with several thousand 'left over' bodies, or tens of thousands of body panel pressings in it?

 

I've also seen people saying that cars were assembled using "left over" parts from the USA market - which is just daft. Nissan were completely on top of 'just-in-time' component manufacturing at that time, and none of their subsidiaries or contracted suppliers were pumping stuff out willy-nilly to the point where Nissan were forced to make up cars from 'left over' parts, Dr Frankenstein style......

 

Some of the legends that grow up around these cars really make you scratch your head in wonder 

[Lynton]

Gav when I bought my 75 260Z coupe new it was not supplied with air-conditioning, however the 2+2 had two models one with out air and normal AM/FM radio, the other luxury model with air and a radio/casette player and a choice of auto or manual transmission, wheels were with hubcaps and seat belts were inertia reel no bonnet vents.

In 1976 they moved from vinyl covered transmission tunnel including under the door kick plates over to plush carpet, I think air-cond became an available factory option supplied during this period with factory mag wheels, a different horn button to earlier models. In 1977 the centre console had a lid. Lynton

[C.A.R.]

I was hopeing you'd bite somewhere, HS30-H

Thanks for the correction - though I do wonder why the change in rear strut hight was made?

 

With all due respect, where did you get that from? Do people imagine there was some warehouse with several thousand 'left over' bodies, or tens of thousands of body panel pressings in it?

 

I've also seen people saying that cars were assembled using "left over" parts from the USA market - which is just daft. Nissan were completely on top of 'just-in-time' component manufacturing at that time, and none of their subsidiaries or contracted suppliers were pumping stuff out willy-nilly to the point where Nissan were forced to make up cars from 'left over' parts, Dr Frankenstein style......

 

Some of the legends that grow up around these cars really make you scratch your head in wonder 

[gav240z]

I was hopeing you'd bite somewhere, HS30-H

Thanks for the correction - though I do wonder why the change in rear strut hight was made?

 

 

Mike (Nzeder) told me it was due to Nissan's experience with rallying and the lower strut towers "punched through" on big jumps and hard abuse. I'm sure Mike will correct me if I heard him wrong, but that's my understanding of it.

[gav240z]

Just some quick notes, there are some errors in my article that I will need to correct and tidy up. I was pretty tired when I was typing it up last night and there's some typo's and other inaccurate data. Thanks everyone who has so far contacted me with corrections.

 

Also I'm considering I might break this article up into bits and several different articles that are all linked to each other. At the time I thought I should really plan how I'm going to write this article, but instead decided to just blurt out what came naturally.

 

keep checking for updates.

[NZeder]

Mike (Nzeder) told me it was due to Nissan's experience with rallying and the lower strut towers "punched through" on big jumps and hard abuse. I'm sure Mike will correct me if I heard him wrong, but that's my understanding of it.

You know that might be just another nasty internet rumour that I heard years ago I believe a more truthful reason is as follows.

 

When Nissan designed the 2+2 the rear end was resigned to provide more strength for the extra weight that having 2+2 configuration would require. The 2 seater shell was later modified to take the same rear struts - why would Nissan make 2 different components for the same purpose.

[chris240]

1977 models also have a little bit more stiffening in their shells. There is also a nice gusset brace in the engine bays of 77's. Ive only seen it in 2 seater 77 models , but I assume it also applies to 2+2's..

[NZeder]

1977 models also have a little bit more stiffening in their shells. There is also a nice gusset brace in the engine bays of 77's. Ive only seen it in 2 seater 77 models , but I assume it also applies to 2+2's..

Got a pic showing this gusset?