New to website and my first Z Fairlady 2/2, JDM

TimFZ

Club Member
Hi All, I have just joined the Z club as I have purchased my first Z. It is a 1975 JDM Fairlady Z 2/2 in blue. Very little history before it was imported in 2017 and then treated to a serious restoration and new paint etc.

Its actually in good nick and they did a good job overall including the interior although there is some confusion in the auction houses and dealers as to what it capacity actually is. It is a GS30 and has the L20 (A) engine block, matching numbers on the car also but it comes with a claim it has been "upgraded" to 2.4 litres. I am still investigating this and will get back when I know but it would have been possibly rebored and a preferred piston size would have to be used but I also understand to achieve a true 2.4 litre status, it would also need a new crank to change the stroke.... and bigger carbs possibly.

I can measure the stroke through the spark plug hole I think but it will be difficult to accurately measure the bore without taking off the head (that can wait until the HG need changing one day). I have thought about using oil to fill the piston on the BDC position and then slowly turning by hand, seeing how much is displaced to calculate 1/6th of the capacity. Let me know if you can think of a better way to measure the capacity without causing issues.

It doesn't seem to burn any oil and I will be doing a compression check soon to investigate it state after the claimed 47,000 miles (all in KM still...)

Thanks and looking forward to an interesting club.
 

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
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TimFZ

Club Member
Hi - yes, strictly it is not a 260z 2/2, only a Fairlady Z 2/2 from Japan and this follows on the GS30 code but has the twin carbs. It sounds lovely with a slightly lumpy idle around 800 rpm but very smooth over 1000 rpm. This adds to the retro classic car feel where modern cars are so boring at idle! The cam could have been changed I suppose and the lobes have very little wear indicating a well looked after 47k miles or a replacement.

It didnt take a lot of research to end up questioning the auction house and dealers so I am surprised they thought it was a 260. As JDM kept the 260 going longer than the export market which changed to 280z, it does have a later serial number so not a prototype unless it was a 280 prototype of sorts.... Yes, I have the mirrors in the boot which will be cleaned up and re-fitted as they should be. I plan on keeping this car original and going to a few shows etc next year.

I see that if the next bore size had been used, (increasing from 3.07 inches to 3.27 inches) but if the stroke remained at 2.74 inches this would be the equivalent of an L23 engine. As I said, I will investigate but pleased the original block remained with the car for the matching numbers.

Tim
 

richiep

Club Member
Congrats on your purchase and good to see you are aware of and embracing its JDM nature - we had quite a discussion on here about the vendor’s laziness and lack of sense about calling it a 260Z, and even flagged it to them. It miffed me in particular as I own a 71 S30 Fairlady Z-L, and get the hump about misinformation and laziness around the JDM cars!

You have to think of the Japanese market models as a thing of their own - don’t equate them to export market cars and especially North American market models like a 280Z. There may be certain overlaps that roughly equate to the evolution from 240Z to 260Z (rear lights, shell construction, basic trim etc.) but there’s a lot more to it than that. Also don’t sell it short and say it’s “only a Fairlady Z 2/2” - it’s a far rarer car outside Japan and worth quite a bit more than any 260Z 2+2. It’s one of only four JDM 2/2s in the U.K. that I can think of. The Japanese market had a much wider range of variants and options than any export destination for the Datsun-branded cars.

If you want to understand the evolution of the JDM cars relative to the global models, the best English language resource is the Brian Long book ‘Datsun Z: Fairlady to 280Z’, which charts the evolution of the S30Z.
 

TimFZ

Club Member
Thanks for your comments and suggestion for reading. Yes, when I got to the dealer and realised it was not a 260Z I did a little coffe break research pointed it out to them. I actually got money off because it was not what they had advertised.... very happy with my purchase and its rarity which encouraged me to purchase even more. Depending on the condition of the other three 2/2 JDMs, this may be the best condition one in the UK and no doubt the only blue one anyway. I'm looking forward to some 2021 shows and may catch up with a few of you on a stand soon. So much to talk about!
 

richiep

Club Member
The other three that I've seen are all in good condition too actually. One (white one) is owned by Farmer42 here on the forum. There is another white one that I saw at Silverstone Classic last year. Hedgehogdodger also here on the forum has a very nice red one that he personally imported, although he was looking to sell so not sure where that is up to.
 

TimFZ

Club Member
Thanks. So looks like mine is the only blue one. I'm not sure if my blue is the original colour but it is all sprayed in very nicely and I cannot find any areas which were missed so I think the body shop did a good job of the underseal and then spraying (there is a little blue overspray on the black underseal underneath from where the sills were done). However, I would guess whoever did the body and paint was not the owner as the latches etc were not polished up to the same standard but would come up lovely with a bit of time and polish. That's where I come in.... the hard work is done, bit of detailing required for a show to make it near perfect!
 
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