What are your cars?

[SeanDezart]

Gimme an Aries any day, they're so much more maleable

I know you love the L series but I wouldn't dare lump your S20 into the same group so for the purposes of this poll, it must class as a hybrid - sorry !

See next weeks' poll for modified S30/S31s

Did all Z432s and Z432Rs have 'plastic bonnets and perspex windows or just the 'R's ?

Great idea about the flavour of the beast but after having costed it all out (as you no doubt have done) could you not have found one over there and brought it home ?

And who is the period driver you're gonna get to take it 'round Goodwood and avoid the gravel ?

Seriously, what you're saying about all the 432 parts just bolting in without mods. is genuienly amazing - Nissan developed this car for all versions (RHD of course ?) right from the start !
Niaive question, but do other manufacturers do this , And as a supplementary, did the rallye cars need much new hole drilling etc to mount their special bitz ?
Does this mean that any S30 (S31 ?) has it's shell homologated for competition ?

 

[Albrecht]

Did all Z432s and Z432Rs have 'plastic bonnets and perspex windows or just the 'R's ?

Just the PZR. Windows were all plexiglass except front screen, which was clear ( no tint ). Bonnet was FRP.

Great idea about the flavour of the beast but after having costed it all out (as you no doubt have done) could you not have found one over there and brought it home ?

A 'normal' 432 was perhaps within range ( although a bit of a stretch to say the least at around £20,000 to £25,000 for a half decent one ) but I really wanted the 432-R look and flavour, so it would be hard to buy a 432 and then make a 'fake' PZR out of it. That would make it neither fish nor fowl: still not a real PZR, and no longer a proper PZ either.

With the few real PZRs that have come up for sale over the last few years fetching more than £50,000 ( and generally on the up ) a 'replica' seemed both do-able and viable as long as the appropriate base material came along. The mid-1970 Fairlady Z rolling shell I found was just that, and made a good platform to start a PZR replica build from.

And who is the period driver you're gonna get to take it 'round Goodwood and avoid the gravel ?

That'll have to be me. I'm growing into the part ( fatter and balder by the day ). Might even be able to avoid binning it, but certainly looking forward to some gravel rash and honourable stone chips ( for a little period-looking patina ).

Seriously, what you're saying about all the 432 parts just bolting in without mods. is genuienly amazing - Nissan developed this car for all versions (RHD of course ?) right from the start !
Niaive question, but do other manufacturers do this , And as a supplementary, did the rallye cars need much new hole drilling etc to mount their special bitz ?

Think of the bodyshell as many sections welded together. Some of those sections were 'hermaphroditic' ( if you like ) and could be utilised on both RHD and LHD final production versions, and some of them were specifically 'male' or 'female' ( RHD or LHD ) oriented. Yet more swung both ways ( oooh ).

Different sub-models of the series group were taken into account at the design stage, and productionisation was cleverly handled to minimise the effects of 'design concession', although it has to be said that some design concession was made on the LHD models - particularly due to the natural RHD-bias orientation of the drivetrain - and most noticeably on the positioning of the handbrake lever. The way that all the sub-componentry bolted onto these base shells was remarkably well handled when you consider the potential differences between the different LHD models ( both USA / North American and 'Euro' versions ) and all the different RHD models ( Fairlady Z, Fairlady Z-L, Fairlady Z432 & 432-R and the 'Datsun 240Z' Export models ) that were launched at the same time in late 1969.

For sure other manufacturers were doing this at the time, but you'd have to say that the job Nissan did on the S30-series job was a good one.

The Works rally cars were specifically built as such from the panel pressings stage. Naturally there were lots of additions and hand-fabricated mods to the cars as they were built ( by the very nature of the process ). Don't forget the re-location of the handbrakes on the LHD Works rally cars, which necessitated a dedicated mirror-image trans tunnel pressing not seen on the standard production LHD cars. Big job that.

Does this mean that any S30 (S31 ?) has it's shell homologated for competition ?

Well, yes. The JAF and FIA homologations of the basic models allow that, and it does not really have much to do with the way the cars were built. Competition eligibility is all down to conforming to the regs of the race / series in question, and if these call for close adherance to the original homologation you just have to make sure you have the right type of VIN prefix. No good trying to turn an HS30 into a PS30 in that case.

 

[grolls]

Bloody good and informative post Albrecht, giss some more pics please!!!!!!!

 

[Wyn]

4.0ltr 240zvr ....

74 Limited edition.

240bhp, full power UK spec (Special order)

 

[GTR-240Z]

73 240Z with R33 RB26DETT from a Skyline GTR.

 

[grolls]

73 240Z with R33 RB26DETT from a Skyline GTR.

Pa, is that all!!!

 

[GTR-240Z]

Stop spending all your money on those gold plated nuts and bolts and you could do the same grolls

 

[SeanDezart]

4.0ltr 240zvr ....

74 Limited edition.

240bhp, full power UK spec (Special order)

hangon, you've done all that to get only 240 bhp ? And I'm looking to get 40 more from 900cc less ? I don't understand, it must be the challenge that gets you out into the back garden or the comfortable garden furniture in the rain

GTR-240Z - I don't want to meet you on the road on a dark, wet night !!!

 

[Wyn]

hangon, you've done all that to get only 240 bhp !!!

When you hear it in the flesh, tell me it wasn’t worth it

 

[SeanDezart]

Ok (I hear ya - or I will later) but wait 'til you hear mine - kinda like comparing a grizzly with a tiger ! All roads lead to fun !

 

[grolls]

And compare torque figres. 3.1 six pot vs 4.0 v8

 

[SeanDezart]

Grolls - you'd be surprised - the last (just 3.0ltr) produced 238bhp at the wheels !

 

[grolls]

Grolls - you'd be surprised - the last (just 3.0ltr) produced 238bhp at the wheels !

I'm not doubting that Sean, I know he does a good job, but Bhp is nothing without a good torque curve. any figres?

 

[SeanDezart]

Nope and I've already said too much - he'll kill me

But Grolls, this isn't about any particular person, we're just comparing d**k, I mean engine sizes right ?

 

[grolls]

It would be nice to see all the little bits of information, you never know others may follow the 3.1 route or is it that after 20 years or so its still all one big secret.

 

[SeanDezart]

Grolls - may I ask you to move the chat to another thread please or email me ?
Thanks
Sean

 

[ben240z]

the trouble with the 3.1 engine in finding a block that will take the 89mm bore and still leave enough wall thickness to hold it all together. The 3.1 engine is a doddle to build once that hurdle is overcome. as for torque and bhp, the bhp is as you say irrelevent to a certain extent but the torque curve that you can get from a good 3.1 is astounding. I know from driving it. There is still a great deal of developement to do with my engine but once it is completed and running to it;s full potential then I will do a break down of the speck and build.