ASC and converted 240SX's

[honeybus]

Here it is from the FAQ:

Production TotalsPreviously unavailable to the general public, ASC has been kind enough to provide us with the EXACT numbers of how many 240sx cars they converted.A HUGE special thanks goes out to Mr. Foully for doing the legwork on this.Mr. Foully, 240sxConvertible.com owes you a hearty THANKS!

Check it out:1992........23271993........46021994........1391

Total.......8320

* * * ** *** * * * ** *

OK, if ASC does (did) conversions from hardtops to convertibles for the 240SX, what happened in 1994 with these 1391 conversions??

I mean, I thought 1994 was the year of 240SX convertibles ONLY??

So, maybe this FAQ post does not relate to conversions from hard tops to convertibles.

Barry - still searching for the elusive number (42??)

[kc240guy]

in 1994 they had leftover shells of coupes so they used them to make the verts. i think 1994 was the last year for s13 silvia.

[GoinTopless240]

I think 1994 was the last year the s-13 was imported to the US.. they made the 200sx (our 240) in Japan until 1998 I believe... (black top and red top s-13 chassis... I think red top was until 1994 and black top - non notch back - until 1998). The US Vert was modified coupe (by Nissan) and sent to ASC. Numbers you found are for the US model. Japan had the Vert in 1989 (?) and had a production run of about 600 units (if you thought ours were rare imagine that run) and Autech did their conversions... and yes much better top set up, but vinyl top not stayfast fabric... if you find the Vert FSM supplement (on this site.. just search) you can look in the back pages and see what Nissan modified on the car and what ASC did after... pretty well thought out conversion... and as we have seen - sadly - they hold up pretty well in accidents... neat cars and still usually some well kept ones out there, considering the age..

sorry just re-read your posts.. Nissan never made the convertible... ASC made ours for Nissan... and Autech did the early ones... Nissan never actually made the convertibles, they were ALL converted... hope that helps clear that up for ya...

[Eikon]

Just to clarify...

Nissan didn't make any specific '94 'verts. The ones sold in 94 were leftovers from the coupes made in '93.

So there wasn't specifically a '94 production run for the 240sx in the US.

One guess I have is that they intended to bring out the redesigned S14 model in '94, but for some reason couldn't bring it to market quickly enough for that model year. So, in order to keep the 240sx brand on the market fresh for the consumer, they sold a small run of 'verts that year.

[GoinTopless240]

What you said...

[honeybus]

sorry just re-read your posts.. Nissan never made the convertible... ASC made ours for Nissan... and Autech did the early ones... Nissan never actually made the convertibles, they were ALL converted... hope that helps clear that up for ya...

and

Just to clarify...

Nissan didn't make any specific '94 'verts. The ones sold in 94 were leftovers from the coupes made in '93.

So there wasn't specifically a '94 production run for the 240sx in the US.

This brings up another convertible type question:

Was there a 'convertible' supplement to the owners manual for 1992 and 1993. (I know of the recent postings on the convertible FSM )

With only a few convertibles for 1994, was there even an OWNERS MANUAL for 1994 240SX ! ! ! THAT has got to be a rare bird ! ! ! ! I'm using a 1993 owners manual for my 1994.

[Eikon]

Sure.. they made a 'vert supplement for 94. It was the exact same as 93.

[honeybus]

Sure.. they made a 'vert supplement for 94. It was the exact same as 93.

Thanks. You answered my question: "was there a 'convertible' supplement to the owner's manual for 1992 and 1993." And it was probably used for all three years. I imagine, not seeing one, that the year of production / manufacture would not be on the three years of issue.

My other question: How about an owner's manual for 1994.

Since the 1994 was convertible ONLY, I would consider that it would be very unprofessional to put any reference to hatch backs or even standard transmission in the 1994 owners manual. But it might be too much to expect for marketing only 1391 cars.

Heck, if they were a only a CMMI Level 2 certified organization or division, or non-ISO 9000, they might have had a sticker that said 1994 to put over the 1993 references in / on of the 1993 owner's manual.

Hey, this IS still 240SX convertible related!!

Barry, having fun before work....

[Eikon]

Ah.. my mistake.. I didn't read your question properly.

I don't know the answer to the owner's manual question.

Does anyone have an original owners manual from a '94 model year?

If I were to guess.. i'd say they did a small run of 93 owner's manuals and put a '94 on the label. The reason the supplement exists is because they didn't make enough 'verts to justify putting all the 'vert specific info in the coupe/hatchback owners manual. Because 90% of the car (engine, drivetrain, most electical, suspension, brakes, etc...) is the same across all three variants, it was more convenient to leave the standard manual alone and simply make a supplement for those few 'vert owners. Now applying that same train of thought.. I'm sure they wouldn't create a completely new owner's manual for a run of less than 1500 cars. They would simply adjust the cover and the mentions of 1993 to say 1994 and send it to the printers.

Again.. the above is just an educated guess.

Hope it helps Barry.

[honeybus]

Just to clarify...

Nissan didn't make any specific '94 'verts. The ones sold in 94 were leftovers from the coupes made in '93.

So there wasn't specifically a '94 production run for the 240sx in the US.

Thanks, Eikon...

Now realize I am just having some fun here, but I hope I am touching on some topical things.

Eikon, I noticed the few times I went to the parts place, there may be some differences between the '94 and the '93. Particularly, if my memory serves, the spark plugs.

By your assertion, there should not be any difference between a '93 convertible and '94 convertibe related to parts. Yes, the '93 hatch ABS brake pads would be used on the '94 non-ABS convertible, but are there any other subtle distinctions which would show the '93 convert different that the '94 convert. Or should I just water my camel, close up my tent and go home.

Barry

[ishkabibble]

Many car manufacturers make subtle changes from year to year. The only significant change that I am aware of from early 1993 to 1994 should be the switch from R12 to R134a for the A/C.

If you are wondering about obtaining correct parts, rockauto.com is a good resource. Just put in your car's year and model, and it shows you the proper parts.

There are variances in the vert supplements, but I'm not sure what all of them are. Mine is marked as a 1992 vert supplement, but has some updated pages pasted over the originals. I've seen other supplements the had an "updated information" sticker pasted over the model year, but am not sure if there are any differences between that edition and the "updated" 1992.