Z432 Grille

[Albrecht]

RADIATOR GRILLE 432Z SOLD

Now that it is sold, I'll comment.

There's no such thing as a "432Z" specific grille. The PS30 Fairlady Z 432 shared the same grille as its contemporary S30-S Fairlady Z, S30-D Fairlady Z-L and later HS30-S Fairlady 240Z-S and HS30-D Fairlady 240Z-L models.

Same situation with your rear spoiler. That design is a copy of the PS30-SB Fairlady Z433-R's stock rear spoiler. On other - contemporary - models it was an extra cost accessory. The factory part number tells us so.

 

[SeanDezart]

There's no such thing as a "432Z" specific grille. The PS30 Fairlady Z 432 shared the same grille as its contemporary S30-S Fairlady Z, S30-D Fairlady Z-L and later HS30-S Fairlady 240Z-S and HS30-D Fairlady 240Z-L models.

Really Alan I'm stunned ! Maybe I've missed it but upon every Z432 I've seen photos of and especially those for sale, they've all had this 'honeycoombe' front grill.

 

[Albrecht]

@SeanDezart

Read my post again. I said there was no such thing as a "432Z" (sic) specific grille.

The point is that the PS30 model Fairlady Z432 was fitted with the exact same (diamond mesh) grille as the Fairlady Z and Fairlady Z-L models sold alongside it in the showroom. Same part number.

 

[SeanDezart]

Duh....so all JDM S30s had the mesh grille.....('cept the HS30-Hs) ?

HS30-S Fairlady 240Z-S and HS30-D Fairlady 240Z-L (and HS30-H) :

please, did these cars have the letters 'S' and 'D' and 'H' stamped on their bulkheads or under-bonnet plates ?

 

[Albrecht]

Duh....so all JDM S30s had the mesh grille.....('cept the HS30-Hs) ?

Yes. Stock equipment on all 2-litre S30-series cars (right through to 1978) with rolling updates and supersessions to do with mount tab type and location. Mesh gauge also changed across the years of production. Most of the OEM mesh grilles you will see being sold are actually 'late' type.

The exceptions were the PS30-SB Fairlady Z432-R, which had a finer mesh grille with a different part number and the HS30 Fairlady 240Z-L and HS30-S Fairlady 240Z, which actually had a slat type grille to differentiate them from the 2-litre cars between late 1971 and late 1973.

HS30-S Fairlady 240Z-S and HS30-D Fairlady 240Z-L (and HS30-H) :

please, did these cars have the letters 'S' and 'D' and 'H' stamped on their bulkheads or under-bonnet plates ?

Katashiki suffixes were not present on the cars themselves. Only in the paperwork.

Same situation with Export variants, hence you won't see the HLS30-UV or HS30-QU suffixes on the cars unless they happen to be found chalked under the glovebox liner during dash production.

 

[SeanDezart]

Yes. Stock equipment on all 2-litre S30-series cars (right through to 1978) with rolling updates and supersessions to do with mount tab type and location. Mesh gauge also changed across the years of production. Most of the OEM mesh grilles you will see being sold are actually 'late' type.

The exceptions were the PS30-SB Fairlady Z432-R, which had a finer mesh grille with a different part number and the HS30 Fairlady 240Z-L and HS30-S Fairlady 240Z, which actually had a slat type grille to differentiate them from the 2-litre cars between late 1971 and late 1973.

Katashiki suffixes were not present on the cars themselves. Only in the paperwork.

Same situation with Export variants, hence you won't see the HLS30-UV or HS30-QU suffixes on the cars unless they happen to be found chalked under the glovebox liner during dash production.

Really, thankyou for that, as the French say 'I will go to bed less ignorant' (well, in fact they say less stupid.....). I believed, from the limited number of L-gata engined JDM Zs in photos I've seen that their mesh grilles had been added after-market of were factory/showroom options.....as per the twin vertical exit exhaust ! Any reason, please, why 'U' and 'Q' or merely type code-letters in a long series of prototype and model types ?

The exceptions were the PS30-SB Fairlady Z432-R, which had a finer mesh grille with a different part number and the HS30 Fairlady 240Z-L and HS30-S Fairlady 240Z, which actually had a slat type grille to differentiate them from the 2-litre cars between late 1971 and late 1973.

Oh, the slat-type frille being that which we see on the early export models ?

 

[Albrecht]

Any reason, please, why 'U' and 'Q' or merely type code-letters in a long series of prototype and model types ?

I don't understand the question.

 

[SeanDezart]

sorry - missed out two words :

Any reason, please, why 'U' and 'Q' or ARE THEY merely type code-letters in a long series of prototype and model types ?

Oh, the slat-type frille being that which we see on the early export models ?

 

[Albrecht]

That's an increasingly complicated topic that you start digging into at your peril. The bottom line is that the true significance of the prefix and suffix codes was not for civilian use. It was mainly for Nissan's own, internal use and they only gave us partial explanations (in FSMs and FPMs) and they were also a constantly moving target. Some of the letters were given different meanings over the years of production, and some changed meaning/significance depending on what they were paired with.

There are some rogue explanations out there in the ether. One is that the 'U' suffix (as in HLS30-UV) signifies 'USA'. That's easy to refute (as in HS30-QU, which never went anywhere near north America, let alone the USA) and it seems more likely that - at the time it was first used - it was phonetic shorthand for Japanese 'Yushutsu' ('Export'), but I wouldn't necessarily place money on it as it is not present on HLS30 'Euro' models. The 'V' in 'HLS30-UV' is easy though, as it stands for 'Vapour' (recovery). These sub variants were fitted with the locally mandated fuel Vapour Recovery emissions system seen on early cars.

Like I say, big topic. Research it at your leisure.

 

[SeanDezart]

Thanks Alan - I think I'll step back from that one !