# Looking for information on the R30 Skyline.



## O 16581 72452 5 (Oct 4, 2005)

As of 2006 i will be able to import one of my favorite generation Skylines, the R30. However, i've noticed that some have a very hideous louvered grill and others have a flat hood with two vents.


















What determines which front end is on the car? Is it trim level, or is it later in the generation it was switched to the second picture?

I plan the RS with the FJ20E, i'm reading it's a pretty "bullet proof" motor in the later part of the generation as a turbo motor, but is the N/A as "bullet proof?", i'm looking for around 300whp with stock internals, turbocharged of course.

What sites can i look at that would sell and export Japanese cars this old?


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## Shwyn510 (Oct 3, 2005)

that 4dr skyline looks like it would be a later gen,i think r31, because the headlights are different than the one above. i've seen an r30 skyline, in l.a., at the japanese calssic car show, and the owner said that the r30 fj20et, is pretty bulletproof. the fj series were made to compete in the F1 racing series, so there is no doubt of the reliability and bulletproofability, if thats a word, between the turbo and N/A version


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## O 16581 72452 5 (Oct 4, 2005)

Shwyn510 said:


> that 4dr skyline looks like it would be a later gen,i think r31, because the headlights are different than the one above. i've seen an r30 skyline, in l.a., at the japanese calssic car show, and the owner said that the r30 fj20et, is pretty bulletproof. the fj series were made to compete in the F1 racing series, so there is no doubt of the reliability and bulletproofability, if thats a word, between the turbo and N/A version


I would've thought it were a different generation too, but it's not.










If you look at the lines between the first and second picture i posted, you can see that the front ends appear to be completely swapable.


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## Joel (Jun 11, 2003)

its called an "iron face"
You will find it hard to get parts for an FJ20 in the US but its a great motor


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## O 16581 72452 5 (Oct 4, 2005)

Not sure what happened, refer to next post.


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## O 16581 72452 5 (Oct 4, 2005)

Joel said:


> its called an "iron face"
> You will find it hard to get parts for an FJ20 in the US but its a great motor


"Iron Face" being the non-louvered? I've heard the term and people talking about liking the "Iron Face", i highly doubt they're talking about the style of the first one.

Yeah, i know finding parts will suck, but so long as i can get an oil filter and spark plugs, i should be good to go.

Is the 200SX an FJ20ET? I saw a turbo one in a junkyard a while back, but didn't really check it out, i just thought "Huh, that's rare as hell" and walked on.


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## Shwyn510 (Oct 3, 2005)

the 200sx?, american 200sx? S12 chassis? i'm pretty sure the american 200sx is a CA20e, not much to brag about, but maybe you saw a 200sx with a CA18et? those motors are jdm only, but the fj never made it to the states.


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## O 16581 72452 5 (Oct 4, 2005)

There was a turbo version of the S12 in America, i just didn't know what it was, assumed the FJ20 because i'm seeing it around on various sites in 200SXs, must've been swapped or stock in other countries. I don't know, new to Nissan.


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## GTES-t (Jan 2, 2004)

The "tekkamen" aka Iron Face, is the front end of the RS. 
The other R30s are often refered to as Newman's due to the fact that Paul Newman was used in the advertising campaign.

As far as finding an RS, good luck. If you do find one, which is not so easy a task anymore, if it's in a good enough condition that you only have to worry about oil filters and spark plugs, you will be paying a lot for it. The RSs are rarer then you would think. 

I looked at the stock lists of exporter's that I know of, and none of them have anything prior to the R32 listed. Anything prior you'll have to arrange a special order or find one by yourself.


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## '71 Hakosuka (Dec 18, 2004)

You will first need to pick which type you want. While you are correct in that the R30 will be eligible next year, not all R30's will be. The first R30's came with an L20e or L20et. These are the six cylinder L20's. The FJ equipped ones were not released until early '83 I believe. So obviously they won't be legal for a couple more years. I have had some experience with the FJ. I had installed a carb'd one in my Roadster several years back. They pull like a freight train from idle all the way to redline. The first one I had did have the notorious chain rattle. It is quite common apparently. Parts are the main problem. Nothing at all is shared with U.S. issue engines. I had purchased four engines over a couple of years just to have spare parts. This is what eventually led me to sell them off and install an SR20det in it's place. Now, if you are keen on an engine swap, the early L series cars are a good idea. They are cheaper, and an RB can be swapped in place of the L. As for getting one, I can help you with that. I can get pretty much any older car from Japan. It took four months for me to find my '71 Skyline, so I doubt an R30 would be any more difficult.
Brian


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## Shwyn510 (Oct 3, 2005)

hey brian, could you find me a 68-73 bluebird sedan? it would compliment my american 510...haha, anyway brian you should come to doheney state park, there is a datsun BBQ on the 16th of october. me and my friend would like to speak to you about importing a bluebird. thanks


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## O 16581 72452 5 (Oct 4, 2005)

[QUOTE='71 Hakosuka]You will first need to pick which type you want. While you are correct in that the R30 will be eligible next year, not all R30's will be. The first R30's came with an L20e or L20et. These are the six cylinder L20's. The FJ equipped ones were not released until early '83 I believe. So obviously they won't be legal for a couple more years. I have had some experience with the FJ. I had installed a carb'd one in my Roadster several years back. They pull like a freight train from idle all the way to redline. The first one I had did have the notorious chain rattle. It is quite common apparently. Parts are the main problem. Nothing at all is shared with U.S. issue engines. I had purchased four engines over a couple of years just to have spare parts. This is what eventually led me to sell them off and install an SR20det in it's place. Now, if you are keen on an engine swap, the early L series cars are a good idea. They are cheaper, and an RB can be swapped in place of the L. As for getting one, I can help you with that. I can get pretty much any older car from Japan. It took four months for me to find my '71 Skyline, so I doubt an R30 would be any more difficult.
Brian[/QUOTE]

The FJ20 was available in the RS of 1981, however, the FJ20ET wasn't available until 1983. Thanks for your input, it's a future plan to buy one, i've been looking in to it for the past year, but it's currently just a "dream" that probably won't happen for quite some time if ever. The more i'm finding out about them though, the more i want one.


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