Replacement braking system for 240z - options?

Graeme - CZ

Club Member

Graeme - CZ

Club Member
For anyone looking at this thread in the future, you can source discs in the UK for around £170 - £190.


Did a quick price comparison with RockAuto, selecting the best discs they had. Landed in the UK was £170, so price from Conceptua is not bad. Think i'd go with the EBC ones as i'm familiar with that brand.
 

Graeme - CZ

Club Member
Next update. Oh dear, the new discs are not going to fit. At least I can hopefully send them back to U.K. supplier.

So, a 1973 240z. Doesn’t fit discs that came for a 1973 240z. Bit of a head scratcher now…

(You can see it will not drop over the hub)

C21FB41D-EFCC-4C14-B2C3-6A3139FFF8A7.jpeg
 

toopy

Club Member
Next update. Oh dear, the new discs are not going to fit. At least I can hopefully send them back to U.K. supplier.

So, a 1973 240z. Doesn’t fit discs that came for a 1973 240z. Bit of a head scratcher now…

(You can see it will not drop over the hub)

View attachment 57249
They are for a different vehicle entirely i would say, the threaded holes for securing screws that S30's don't have for starters.
 

Graeme - CZ

Club Member
My fault. Who'd have known there were 2 different rotor sizes during 1973. This is what i ordered, but are from the back half of 73. My discs are bigger, so an earlier disc. What i ordered (incorrectly).
Screenshot 2023-04-17 at 11.14.11.png
 

Graeme - CZ

Club Member
Definitely feeling a bit of a newbie. So my V5 says car is Jan 1973, i guess making it early 73 car. Discs ordered were totally wrong, but i'd made mistake in ordering discs for a late 73 (post august 1973 car) which have different parts. Might explain why neither of the clutches i ordered a couple of years ago fit.

My spec:
Screenshot 2023-04-17 at 12.41.59.png
 

Albrecht

Well-Known Forum User
So my V5 says car is Jan 1973, i guess making it early 73 car. Discs ordered were totally wrong, but i'd made mistake in ordering discs for a late 73 (post august 1973 car) which have different parts.

August 1973 is effectively the production switchover from HS30/HLS30 to RS30/RLS30 etc. (a.k.a. 240Z vs 260Z).

For brake rotors/discs, the difference is in the hub offset. The way to tell the difference at-a-glance is to look at the wheel mounting surface of the hub. If the hub circumference is 'scalloped' then it is pre-August '73 type. If it is non-scalloped (plain round edge) then it is post-August '73 type. Different hub offsets require matching rotors/discs.
 

Albrecht

Well-Known Forum User
So my V5 says car is Jan 1973, i guess making it early 73 car.

Your V5 will usually give the date of first registration in the UK rather than the actual production date in Japan, which is what counts when it comes to identifying the parts on the car.

A car first registered in the UK in January 1973 will have been made towards the end of 1972 for sure. For the UK, average shipping time varied (depending on sailing schedule, route, loading/unloading stops en-route and weather affecting the ship) but there would have been a couple of months between manufacturing sign-off 'OK' sticker and registration in UK at the absolute minimum.
 

Graeme - CZ

Club Member
Your V5 will usually give the date of first registration in the UK rather than the actual production date in Japan, which is what counts when it comes to identifying the parts on the car.

A car first registered in the UK in January 1973 will have been made towards the end of 1972 for sure. For the UK, average shipping time varied (depending on sailing schedule, route, loading/unloading stops en-route and weather affecting the ship) but there would have been a couple of months between manufacturing sign-off 'OK' sticker and registration in UK at the absolute minimum.
Hi - the car is a US import, so not sure what implication that has. I also note the number on the dash is actually HLS30 - which would actually suggest it's a late 1973 car right? But I do have the 'scalloped' hub, suggesting it is pre-August '73 type. Feeling a bit less dumb, in that I had technically ordered the correct part, but for some reason, my car is pre-August '73 hubs.
 

Albrecht

Well-Known Forum User
Hi - the car is a US import, so not sure what implication that has. I also note the number on the dash is actually HLS30 - which would actually suggest it's a late 1973 car right? But I do have the 'scalloped' hub, suggesting it is pre-August '73 type. Feeling a bit less dumb, in that I had technically ordered the correct part, but for some reason, my car is pre-August '73 hubs.

Sorry, didn't realise your car is a US market model. 'HLS30' prefix for USA/Canada market variants ran from late 1969 through to August 1973 and then switched to 'RLS30'.

The Federally-mandated production date tag on the left hand door jamb (presuming it is still in place) would tell you the stated production date for a USA/Canada market variant. They are not necessarily 100% correct for earlier production cars, but by late 1972/early 1973 they were pretty close. Should give you the month and date of production for the car.

Yes, 'scalloped' hubs indicate the pre-August '73 type so you'd need to buy rotors/discs to suit their particular offset. Either that or switch to post-August '73 non-scalloped hubs and buy rotors/discs to suit.
 

Graeme - CZ

Club Member
Thanks. Not sure why i hadn't thought to check that - doh! Says June 1973.

I'm assuming the pads are universal, so will fit either variant?

IMG_1116.jpeg
 

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
Well I would take them off and save them.

Is that solid brake pipe just 'floating' like that? It should be supported with a bracket on the strut. If you don't have a bracket now then perhaps go braided all the way to the caliper. However that can complicate caliper removal (have to undo the other end of the hose) but I've seen it done.
 
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