HS30-H

Hi Gav, Sorry - I didn't see your question until now. I can confirm that the early consoles were made from FRP, and your console is absolutely correct for your car. I have three of them and they are all like that. I believe they were made by 'Kotobuki', the FRP specialists ( and office / stadium / train and bus station seating manufacturers ) who made the original 'sugar scoop' headlamp housings for the cars. The later consoles were injection-moulded styrene, I believe. Different process, and much better suited to high volume. Your console has come out looking really nice. The finish isn't strictly *correct* ( Kotobuki cleverly moulded-in that 'leather-look' texture for the sides ) but so what? I think it's a great result. I like the look of that Duplicolor Truck Bed Armor paint so much I'm going to see if I can get some over here. I can think of all sorts of things I want to use it on...

Last time I saw them, 'HS30-00013's firewall-engraved chassis number ( and about 6cm of sheetmetal all around it ) and engine bay VIN tag were hanging on the wall of a friend's garage......

WOW! Low number HS30 survivor! I'm very pleased to see this. Congrats! Probably late April / May 1970 production? Interesting to see the headlamp housings / 'sugar scoops' rusting out. Originals would have been FRP / Poly, so possible evidence of past repair? Seats look later type. I'm thinking 920 Gold / Safari Brown or possibly 918 Grand Prix Orange as the original factory colour, with normal black interior? I'll be cheering you on with this one. Good luck!

I think a lot of the "Euro" spec talk related to the early Z in North America is just a habit picked up from the early VW & Porsche scene in the USA. A good example is the nickname given to the plain vanilla ( no rubber strips / trim ) chrome bumpers of the S30-S ( 'Z-S' / 'Z-Std' ) Fairlady Z poverty spec model sold in Japan. They were also fitted to the PS30-SB ( 'PZR' ) Fairlady Z 432-R. They were never fitted to any car sold outside Japan - let alone sold in Europe - and yet the North American nickname somehow managed to become "Euro bumpers".... 'European' market model term is a bit of a catch-all really, and not strictly accurate. Whilst all LHD models sold in 'Europe' up to near the end of 1973 were 'HLS30' prefixed models ( and used the same sequential numbering series of the North American market 'HLS30' prefixed cars ), there was a list of differences seen on cars that were made for different markets. The Portuguese market cars for example ( imported and distributed by Entreposto ) were of a really high spec, had all the bells and whistles and even came with alloy wheels ( a version of the Kobe Seiko wheels seen on the 432 ) as stock equipment. I believe cars were officially exported to France, Germany, Belgium, NL, Portugal, Italy, Luxembourg, Switzerland and several of the Scandinavian countries. 'Euro' spec is 'HLS30' ( no suffix ) whilst 'North American' spec - USA / Canada - is basically 'HLS30U' model and sub variants ( it's all about the suffixes ). Whilst it's certain that HS30-00001, HS30-00002 and HS30-00003 were made in 1969 ( Nissan said so ), I'm not so sure that HS30-00004 can claim that too. It's possible that HS30-00004 was part-made in 1969, set aside and then finished off in early 1970 ( there was a lot going on in the Nissan Shatai plant at Hiratsuka around this time ). There was a decision made to delay the production of the HS30-prefixed cars in order to ramp up the HLS30-prefixed cars to max capacity, and this - arguably - benefitted the final specs of both the 'Euro' cars and the HS30-prefixed cars in the end. Nissan spent a lot of time testing the suspension and drivetrain of the cars to suit Export markets other than USA / Canada. More 'sporty' springing / damping / handling was the result. They developed the aero of the cars a little too. I think Nissan took the Australian & NZ markets seriously enough to not give them some sort of leftovers from the USA / Canada cars. They wanted to tune the car to suit the needs of the market and to comply with local rules and regs. The factory was flat out, working double and triple shifts to meet quantities required elsewhere, and something had to give. So don't be surprised if HS30-00004 was in fact made ( finished ) in early 1970. The key point - and something that a few people have had to fight to have accepted - is that the HS30 ( and of course all the other RHD models designed and made before the end of 1969 ) was NOT some kind of "afterthought", but was an integral part of the initial brief, the design, the engineering and the productionisation of the whole S30-series Z range. Some so-called experts out there would have us believe that the S30-series Z story is actually just the USA market 'Datsun 240Z' story ( even Canada gets short shrift ) and that everything else is no more than a note in the margin. Which is ridiculous.

Exactly that.

Quite simply, no cars made after the end of 1973 had the '240Z' ( S30, S30-S, PS30, PS30-SB, HS30, HS30-S, HS30-H, HLS30 ) style rear lights. So if the car was built between 1974 and 1978 and it has the early / '240Z' style rear lights, they are transplants. It's been quite popular in Japan for many years to do that, but even more common recently. What we think of as '260Z' style rear lights were used on the Japanese market models from late 1973 right through to the end of production in 1978, on S30, GS30, S31 & GS31 prefixed models ( with a handful of RS30s soon re-called and re-designated S30s ).

Indeed, Gav. It's a further annoyance when they start talking about "#51" ( Grrrr! ) as "#18" due to some spurious tot-up of "remaining cars" subtracted from "the Prototypes" divided by the number of cars on "The First Boat Load" multiplied by the square root of Mr K's birthday or some other old bollocks. It all starts getting really subjective. Yes, Early Chassis Number Bingo is a game that some of us enjoy and '1969 build' cars have that extra cachet of fascination and mystique for some of us too ( late December 1969 somehow feels like a whole year earlier than January 1970 ) but it's not an exact science and the earliest cars didn't necessarily emerge from the factory at Hiratsuka in a completely linear numerical order anyway. In fact, there is good evidence to suggest that the much-vaunted "#13" ( Grrrr! ) HLS30-00013 - the so-called "First 240Z" / "Lowest Chassis Numbered 240Z" ( Grrrr! ) seems very likely to have not been on the "First Boat Load" sent to North America, and that cars with much higher chassis numbers - and quite possibly less initial faults and problems - were the first to arrive in North America, whilst some of the cars that came down the production line earlier were being set aside for Quality Control 'snagging'. It's also interesting to remember that Nissan Shatai's records show that they made a total of 1,512 S30-series Zs in 1969. Of these, 543 were "Export" models and 969 were "Domestic" market models. It's also worth pointing out that those "Export" cars included a few 'HS30' models, and some 'HLS30' models that were NOT North American market models. So much of the "#13" / "#51" type talk seems to ignore the fact that HLS30-prefixed cars were not exclusive the the USA. If only one or two of that 1969 year build were HS30s and/or HLS30s for markets other than North America / USA ( Nissan's competitions department certainly had a few of them before the end of 1969 ) then it totally screws up their "First 240Z" / "240th 240Z" etc etc type counting.... There's also the '240Z Trumps All' type thinking to contend with. The term '240Z' means nothing specific on its own. When we are talking about production dates and figures, and indeed the concept, design and engineering of these cars, we should refer to the S30-series Z. That's the only way it makes sense as a whole. It's what the factory did, and it's what we should do. The largely USA-based conversations like you see on Bring A Trailer seem to exist in their own parallel universe, where the term '240Z' only means one model ( it doesn't ) and where other models ( like the S30, S30-S, PS30 and PS30-SB ) either don't exist or don't matter.

This is the kind of thing that just makes me despair. It goes against just about everything Nissan themselves did and recommended, and everything I have experienced myself in the cars that I've had in the past and the cars that I still own ( that's currently three of them with the vented MK63s and rear drums ). Whenever I've had a 'long' pedal in the past, it was always a case of air in the system or a shagged master cylinder, or the fact that the operating rod wasn't adjusted correctly. And can somebody please explain to me just how a 1" master cylinder is going to be "better" when you boil your brake fluid? Does it have some kind of magic way of circulating cooled brake fluid to the calipers, or does it simply squash the resulting ( hot ) air bubbles more effectively...? Seriously, I'm glad your brakes are finally working and you are pleased with the car. But if your 1" master cylinder solution becomes internet 'truth' I will probably just end up topping myself.

That doesn't sound right at all, and in fact it doesn't sound caliper-related at all either. My hunch is that it is something to do with the stock M/C not working correctly or indeed a problem with the Master Vac unit. As I said, I've used the MK63 4-pot calipers in both vented disc and solid disc guise, with the stock 7/8" master cylinder, on several of my cars and never had such a problem. The current setup on my KPGC10 is also vented disc MK63s on the front and Nissan Sports Option drums on the rear, and it has a high and hard pedal even with the tiddly stock KPGC10 Master Vac unit and 7/8" master cylinder. Stopping power is good. I can lock the fronts easily if I want, and modulation is easy once the pads are bedded in properly. On my 432R replica I'm deleting the Master Vac unit, fitting the 432R-type Master Vac delete plate, and sticking with the stock 7/8" master cylinder. Front calipers are MK63-20S with vented discs, with stock drums on the rear. I'm expecting a high and hard ( very hard! ) pedal, but I'm re-drilling the brake pedal to give a different motion ratio just like the 432Rs had. It should take more effort to stop, but I don't expect to have any problems with it. MK63s just don't need that much more fluid movement to work properly than the stock two pot calipers. There should be no difference between the vented and solid disc versions in this respect. If you think about it, the pistons only move a tiny amount in the caliper and there should be no difference between vented and solid disc type piston movement. That's a red herring. Fitting MK63s shouldn't give you a 'long' pedal. That sounds like something related to the Master Vac's operation, and/or a fault in the stock master cylinder and/or plumbing. Sorry to contradict the people working on your car, but I honestly don't think the 1" Wilwood master cylinder is the answer to this problem.

Sorry to disagree, but I think the solid phenolic ( heat ) insulators are just fine for the L6. Rubber soft mounts are more trouble than is necessary, especially linkage and balance wise. On some engines their natural harmonics can 'foam' the fuel inside the float bowls of the carbs. That's not the case with the L6, and Nissan themselves sold their Sports Option and Race Option triple carb kits with the solid phenolic spacers / insulators. They also used them on the factory Works race and rally cars without problems. They work just fine.

I don't understand the 1" master cylinder fitment. MK63s - in both vented disc and solid disc guise - are known to work just fine with stock sized ( 7/8" ) master cylinders. I have used them myself for years. Never had a problem. Nice high and firm pedal, and - with the right brake pads ( I recommend Endless ) - plenty of stopping power. Nissan themselves sold the MK63-20S 4-pot caliper as a 'Sports Option' and race part for many years. First of all they recommended that the rear ( drum ) brake slave cylinders be changed to 13/16" size ( 44100-E7200 and 44101-E7200 ), and then - a couple of years later - they recommended a 3/4" master cylinder ( 46010-E8710 ) be used as well. Nissan's works race and rally cars used the MK63-20S calipers in period. They never used a 1" master cylinder, even when they started fitting the MK63s on the rear as well as the front. I can't help thinking that the 1" master is too big, and that your brake problem was actually due to something else?

Gav, To be fair, that's something we have discussed - in some depth, with lots of photos - on classiczcars.com in the past. There's quite a lot of *early* car / early production stuff in the archives there. 'Kats' Endo brought a lot of early production ( and pre-production ) data - direct from Nissan Shatai - to the table. It cleared up a lot of USA-centric nonsense, but the people who want to see things one way still stick to their mantras. One of the things that the Nissan Shatai pre-production data clarified was this question of early HS30-prefixed cars. It turns out ( as expected by some of us, and not even wildly imagined by some... ) that the very first S30-series Z to be given a chassis number was a Japanese domestic market model: 'S30-00001'. This car was 'Factory Production Prototype 1'. This was in May 1969. 'Factory Production Prototype 2' was 'HLS30-00001' ( an LHD 'Export' market spec, but not necessarily a USA / Canada 'North American' market spec. This too was in May 1969. 'Factory Production Prototype 3' was 'PS30-00001', the first Fairlady Z 432 to be given a chassis number. This was in June 1969. Then in July 1969 a group of 4 'Primary Production Prototype' cars were made: These were 'HLS30-00002', 'S30-00002', 'PS30-00002' and 'HS30-00001'. This evidence of 'HS30-00001' being made so early in prototype / pre-production history was good news. It confirmed - irrevocably - what some of us had known all along; that RHD '240Z' models were part of the original plan and the design and engineering of the S30-series Z range took this into account. It wasn't some kind of 'afterthought', as the nay-sayers wanted us to believe. Of course it should go without saying that RHD S30-series Zs ( in the form of the Japanese market models ) were part of the plan from the outset, but some don't want to hear that either.... In August 1969 Nissan Shatai made a further 7 'Primary Production Prototype' cars and issued them with chassis numbers. They were 'S30-00003', 'S30-00004', 'S30-00005', 'PS30-00003', 'HLS30-00003', 'S30-00006' and 'PS30-00004'. By the end of 1969, Nissan Shatai had made a total of 1,512 S30-series Zs. Of these 1,512 chassis-numbered cars, 969 of them were Japanese 'Domestic' market models ( Fairlady Z, Fairlady Z-L, Fairlady Z 432 and Fairlady Z 432-R ), and 543 of them were 'Export' spec cars. It should be noted that this 'Export' spec included both LHD and RHD cars, and that the LHD cars were not all USA / Canada / 'North American Market' cars..... We are pretty sure that 'HS30-00002' and 'HS30-00003' were amongst those 543 'Export' spec cars built before the end of 1969, but they were almost certainly not released for sale to the general public.

Just to lay this "plastic hubcaps" ( as seen in at least one "definitive" book on the Z.... ) thing to rest, both the 'D' hubcaps and the 'Z' hubcaps that followed them are made from pressed steel. The emblems in the centre of the hubcaps are plastic, but the hubcaps themselves are steel.

Maybe you could cross-reference details on your car with some of the other Aus/NZ guys with 'early' cars and come up with some data that can be used as reference for the future? Maybe make a sticky / reference page? It's always a pain seeing everyone default to the North American market data just because that is the most plentiful in the books and mags and on the 'net. Shame really, as Nissan took the Aus/NZ markets seriously enough to make special models for them. We should try to understand, document and record them properly. I can easily imagine that a standard Heated Rear Window was not strictly necessary in Aus/NZ market cars. Local laws might not have insisted on a Hazard Flasher system being stock equipment too(?). And I guess it could easily be possible that the original headlamp units were Lucas items if the Japanese and North American market units / systems ( no 'side light' lamp inside the headlamp unit ) did not comply with Aus/NZ laws. Your seatbelts don't look like factory items to me ( Australian aftermarket? ) so I wonder whether the first OEM units complied with Aus/NZ laws too? Nissan soon changed them in other markets as well.

The original hubcaps / wheel trims were pressed steel. If they were plastic they wouldn't hurt so much when one falls off the shelf in the garage and lands on your head. You can guess how I know this.....

Upper one was originally left as a 'blank' indentation from the factory, with no switch installed. It was reserved as the location for the Fog Lamp switch, should the owner choose to specify the extra-cost option fog lamp kit. Original and genuine fog lamp switches are SUPER rare. Looks like a previous owner installed a switch for something else there. The lower one is usually the hazard flasher switch.

Yes, it's 918 - or a close modern match to it. Reason being that the original builder was briefed to make a stock 432 into a 432R lookeylikey, and all 432Rs sold to the general public were 918 Grand Prix Orange.

Hi Gav, Well, in terms of parts needed it's not far off. In terms of time dedicated to actually put it together properly, well.... I might actually have it up and running next year ( famous last words ) but other stuff has been getting in the way all the way through the project. Many times I've just simply lost my mojo with it, or had my attention taken by other things. It comes back now and then though! I've just come back from Japan with a different exhaust manifold for it ( a genuine and super rare original Nissan 'Sports Option' item for the 432R ) which I'm very happy with, and that might give me a bit of a boost. Before I went to Japan I ( finally ) managed to get the 100 litre fuel tank installed. Getting that made - and made as I wanted it - was a real saga. The car is actually a lot more complete now than it was in the above photos, and really only some fuel plumbing, system electricals and detail stuff to do. That's the kind of thing that tends to take ages to get done though. You are - of course - welcome to visit any time, as long as I'm around. Would be a pleasure to show you the cars. Don't expect too much! I'm not interested in concours quality for myself. I'm sure the cars don't look as good in the metal as they might in the photos. I think there's a real lot of work to be done on your car, but it's a great base to work on and it hasn't been messed about with too much by the looks of it. Do it nicely and the car will reward you long term. We sometimes talk about market values and all that and it can be a tricky subject. I don't really think of any of my cars as 'investments' ( that's not why I do it ) but - all things being equal - most of the time and money that you pump into your car should result in something that is an appreciable and worthwhile asset. Early HS30s are very thin on the ground, and there can't be too many such projects left to come out of the woodwork. Well done for taking the leap! You should not regret it. If you think I can help - in any way - please don't hesitate to ask. Good luck!

I need to pull my finger out, don't I...?!!

About chassis numbers, body colour and engine numbers: Cars went down the 'line' at Hiratsuka ( bare bodyshell assembly welded together, and then through the paintshop ) in sequential order at the start by default, because the chassis prefix and body serial number was engraved on the firewall on the line. Nissan Shatai had a rather unwieldy machine that lined itself up on the firewall of a bare bodyshell and the ( correct! ) chassis number was manually indexed into the settings on the machine. It then applied the inputted 'VIN' number to the firewall sheetmetal via an engraving tip. It wasn't stamped... So, you'd have seen batches of cars going down the various tracks and production lines in the factory in sequential or close-to sequential body-numbered groups according to type and/or market. When they were painted, it made economic and time/motion sense to paint groups of cars in the same colour. This explains why you will often notice cars that are close in chassis number ( where similar model/market variant ) and production date ( where different model/market variant ) are the same body colour. Apparently the painting could be in batches of several hundred cars at a time, but the variant/market type could be mixed. Close to HS30-00149, HS30-00150 & HS30-00151 and their siblings you would probably have found a large group of HLS30-prefixed bodies, a few S30-prefixed bodies and possibly even the odd PS30-prefixed body going through the paintshop. Further down the line they might get a bit more mixed up, especially if there were any parts supply snags or QC problems to correct. Engines blocks were numbered sequentially by type, but not necessarily built up in sequential order or installed in bodies in sequential order. First process was the casting of the engine blocks ( there's a date code cast into each individual block on the inlet side ) and the engine ( block ) number wasn't stamped onto the block pad until after a lot of machine work and assembly work was done. There would have been some natural jumbling up of engine numbers through the engine assembly process, so we will see that when we compare chassis numbers and engine numbers on different cars, but some rough semblance of order might inevitably be seen simply because there was a natural limit to how many engines would be 'on the go' at any one time..... The engine bay tags didn't get stamped up with the chassis number and engine number until the bodies - with engines installed - were further down towards the end of the production line. Some markets / variants didn't get the engine number stamped on the engine bay tag at all of course. Hope that gives at least some insight on the phenomenon. Cheers, Alan T.

Congratulations, Gav. Looks like a nice 'honest' car. Not hiding any real horrors, and well worth doing. Rare car! I like 920 'Safari Gold' too. Difficult colour to photograph well:

It's quite clearly wearing 'NISSAN' branding. All over it.

Early L20A head casting type was 'E30', which had nice small combustion chamber ( roughly same shape as E31 ) but small valves / ports, obviously. These were popular in the past as donors for performance builds, as there's plenty of meat in the casting that can be taken off in porting / flowing etc. There are better heads to start from of course, but the E30 was probably a better base to start from than some... Same situation as the earliest L24s, and you'd be 'lucky' to find one that early really. In any case, you'd probably want to upgrade con-rod bolts in any new build.

That's a strange way of thinking about it. The L20 ( and L20A )existed before the L24, and obviously before the L26 and L28, so they never "reduced" anything.... L20A stroke was 69.7mm compared to 73.7mm on the L24, so how was the L20A "long stroke"....? OP, If you were looking for a complete engine, it would be worth looking out for an early one rather than a late one. If the head doesn't matter or isn't needed, then a later one will be OK. I've got a couple here in the UK, but shipping costs would make it a waste of time I think.

Kerrigan, I tried to resist the temptation to ask if you if you spat it out or if you swallowed it, but.... Nine times out of ten in circumstances such as the one you describe, it turns out that the hard fuel lines are actually full of ( shards of ) rust from the fuel tank. It's the consequence of years worth of condensation in the fuel tank. If you eliminate the fuel pump as the culprit, it really only points to the fuel lines and the tank itself. I cut an early tank up a few weeks ago. It came out of a car with just the same symptoms as you describe. Peering down the filler neck with a torch I could see some discolouration, but when I cut the tank up the full horror was revealed. It was minging. Truly shocking. And when I chopped up the original metal fuel lines from under the car, it looked like a geological exhibit inside there. The rust shards were playing 'Jenga' inside the pipes.... I recommend you drop your tank and get it boiled out and reconditioned, and replace ALL of the metal fuel lines ( feed AND return ) with new Bundy tube / Kunifer pipe. I'll eat my hat if that doesn't cure it.