1:24 Nissan 430 'Cedric' Turbo; slightly tuned, late Eighties

[Dizzyfugu]

1:24 Nissan Cedric (430 Series), late Eighties (modified Aoshima kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr



Some background:
The Nissan Cedric (日産・セドリック, Nissan Sedorikku) was a large automobile produced by Nissan since 1960. It was developed to provide upscale transportation, competing with the Prince Skyline and Gloria which were later merged into the Nissan family. The Cedric name was inspired by the main character, Cedric, in Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel Little Lord Fauntleroy by the Nissan CEO at the time Katsuji Kawamata. In Japan, the Cedric/Gloria series was affectionately called CedGlo, and this long-running series finally came to an end in October 2004, replaced by the Nissan Fuga. The Cedric name is still in use, though, on the sixth generation Y31 series fleet vehicle traditionally used as a taxi in Japan.

The 430 series was the Cedric's fifth generation and produced from 1979 through 1983, its engines were largely carried over from the previous generation. This model was sold as a sedan or van in Japan until it was cancelled with the 1981 facelift. It was the first-generation Cedric with available four-wheel disc brakes, although drums all around were fitted to the cheapest versions. Styling was achieved with the cooperation of Pininfarina, providing a cleaner image than the previous generation. The rear suspension was upgraded to a rigid link coil system.

The fifth generation Cedric was the first serial production car in Japan that offered a turbocharged engine, the L20ET. This 2.0-litre powerplant was based on the L20E and first appeared in the Cedric and its sister car, the Gloria in December 1979, even though production actually began two months earlier. To receive official approval of this engine, Nissan focused attention on the energy saving capacities of the turbo engine.  In another first for Japan, the naturally aspirated 280E received electronic fuel injection and the ECCS engine management system. All of these firsts helped the 430-series Cedric/Gloria becoming named Japan's Car of The Year of 1979. The trim level of SGL-F became available with the turbocharged engine from April 1981, which was also when the range received a facelift. In parallel, the car was also offered with a more prestigious six-cylinder engine. At this time, power of this L28 engine climbed from 145 to 155 PS (107 to 114 kW).


1:24 Nissan Cedric (430 Series), late Eighties (modified Aoshima kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:24 Nissan Cedric (430 Series), late Eighties (modified Aoshima kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:24 Nissan Cedric (430 Series), late Eighties (modified Aoshima kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:24 Nissan Cedric (430 Series), late Eighties (modified Aoshima kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Beginning in August 1980, the six-cylinder 2.8-liter diesel was added to the Van and Wagon models in Japan. A lock-up torque converter was added to the four-speed automatic transmission, which was added in June 1982. This new transmission gave considerably better fuel economy but did necessitate altering the floor plate to provide a wider transmission tunnel. In February 1983, the "Excellence" trim was added to help sell the last 430 cars before the introduction of the new Y30, fitted with either the turbocharged or the fuel injected L20 engine. This model approached the top Brougham's trim, but in a lower tax bracket and with special two-tone paint.

The diesel engine that had been first introduced with the previous generation was complemented by a 2.8 L inline-six diesel, a first for the Japanese market. This, the LD28, was introduced in October 1979, somewhat later than petrol versions, and remained in production until September 1985. It was uncommonly quiet and comfortable for a diesel of this period and found a large proportion of private buyers. It was originally only available with an automatic transmission; a five-speed model arrived in February 1980 (Vans and Wagons only received the manual option three months later).
Mainly for taxi and fleet use the more frugal 2- and 2.2-litre four-cylinder SD-series engines also remained available. These lower-spec models received four round headlights, as did the LPG-powered models with the 95 PS (70 kW) L20P engine. The two-door coupé was no longer offered and was replaced by the Skyline-based Nissan Leopard luxury sports coupé. A four-door convertible version was made available in small numbers for special use. These were mainly bought by government entities for ceremonial use and was not offered on sale to the general public.

After only four years the 430 Series was replaced by the Y30 Cedric, which was sold from 1984 through 1987. It was also the last Cedric to be sold in many European markets, as the more compact (but still roomy) Nissan Laurel was now available with the same diesel engine and suited European needs better.


1:24 Nissan Cedric (430 Series), late Eighties (modified Aoshima kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:24 Nissan Cedric (430 Series), late Eighties (modified Aoshima kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:24 Nissan Cedric (430 Series), late Eighties (modified Aoshima kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:24 Nissan Cedric (430 Series), late Eighties (modified Aoshima kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr



General specifications:
    Body style: 4-door sedan/hardtop
                       5-door wagon/van
    Layout: Front engine, rear wheel drive
    Wheelbase: 2,690 mm (105.9 in)
    Seating: five passengers
    Length: 4,695 mm (184.8 in) sedan
                 4,825 mm (190.0 in) van
    Width: 1,695–1,715 mm (66.7–67.5 in), depending on engine/wheel combination
    Height: 1,430 mm (56.3 in)
    Base curb weight: 1.405 kg / 3,097 lbs

Powertrain:
    121.9 cu in (1,998 cc) L20ET 12-valve, six-cylinder, fuel-injected engine with a single chain-riven cam, turbo (non-intercooled) and non-crossflow head, delivering 145 PS (107 kW; 143 hp)
    at 5,600 rpm and 206Nm (21kgm) max. torque at 3,200rpm. Coupled with a 5-speed manual or a 3- or 4-speed automatic gearbox

Performance (manual 5-speed gearbox):
    Top speed: 180 km/h (112 mph)
    Acceleration: 0 - 60 mph 10.0 sec.; 0 - 100 km/h 10.6 sec.
    1/4 mile (402 m) drag time: 17.4 sec.
    Fuel consumption/mileage: 11 l/100km / 25.6 mpg (imp.) / 21.3 mpg (U.S.) / 9,1 km/l



The kit and its assembly:
A kind of distraction from my usual model topics. I am not a big fan of large-scale car models, but I had a more or less complete Nissan Cedric kit left over from the "Blue Lights" group build in March 2021.It originally is/was a police car, bought as a donor bank, and I used the extra police car parts and decals on a Daihatsu Move to create a kawaii police kei car. Since then, the stripped Cedric lingered in The Stash™, even though I had a vague idea of what I wanted to create from it.

I liked the Cedric 430's baroque lines, with lots of chrome and its boxy shape, and already had the plan to build it later as a slightly tuned sedan. Since I do not have many parts for car conversions at hand, not much was changed. I used the police car's front grille with four round headlights (instead of the standard US-style square front grille and headlights), and from certain angles the car looks like a 1st generation BMW 7 Series with them. The rear also has a certain BMW-ish look? However, the kit revealed a real flaw: What's a little odd is the fact that the bonnet has a slight kink at the upper front, and with the police car grille a small gap is left above the grille? Not certain if that's "real" or some kind of bug? It's only apparent in a direct frontal view – I just recognized it during the photo session! But there are no parts in the kit to fill this gap, and pictures of the real car also do not show it. The grille's chrome frame also seems to be a little too low, since it left 1mm gaps on the fender's edges. I cannot help it, but I think that the model was packed with the wrong bonnet? To make the model visually presentable, the gap was edited away in the frontal shots - it still looks awkward and "wrong". 

As a mild tuning measure I procured an aftermarket set with Japanese 15" "RS Watanabe" alloy wheels in gunmetal grey from Fujimi, which replaced the original, unsophisticated 14" steel rims with hubcaps. The bigger and slightly wider wheels had to be adapted to the suspension (which can apparently be built in a lowered position, even though the suspension parts for this stunt appear to be missing in this boxing of the Cedric kit), they make the car look a little more aggressive, but rather subtly. The oval chromed exhaust is an OOB part.

The interior was taken OOB, too, and I opted for a manual gearbox and retained the RHD steering, together with a somewhat sporty three-spoke steering wheel.


Painting and markings:
I wanted a simple and rather unobtrusive overall metallic tone that would complement the dark wheels as well as the masses of chrome. Finding a suitable paint was not easy, though – I had preferred a more subdued grey-green (classic Jaguar XJs became a kind of inspirational benchmark), but I did not want to use a metallic car paint on the model because the mica flakes in car paints is much too coarse for a model kit. The result would rather look like a "disco flakes" paint job.
Eventually I settled for a rather bright green metallic tone from Tamiya, TS-60 (Pearl Green), which is actually not a classic metallic paint but rather a pearlized opaque teal tone, with suitably small mica particles.


1:24 Nissan Cedric (430 Series), late Eighties (modified Aoshima kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:24 Nissan Cedric (430 Series), late Eighties (modified Aoshima kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:24 Nissan Cedric (430 Series), late Eighties (modified Aoshima kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:24 Nissan Cedric (430 Series), late Eighties (modified Aoshima kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The car body and the platform received a matt black primer coat, which was in the interior accentuated with various shades of matt and semi-gloss black and anthracite. The Pearl Green was then generously applied to hull, bonnet and bumpers, plus a coat of glossy clear acrylic varnish. The chrome parts were attached with Clearfix and super glue. The grey alloy wheels were taken OOB and not painted at all, because their finish looked just fine.

The few decals came from the OOB sheet, and the aforementioned Daihatsu Move also provided some typical Japanese stickers.




1:24 Nissan Cedric (430 Series), late Eighties (modified Aoshima kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:24 Nissan Cedric (430 Series), late Eighties (modified Aoshima kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Not my home turf, and the bright tone looks more garish than originally planned – but sometimes you have to make compromises, and the grille pitfall somewhat prevents a satisfying outcome. However, I am still happy that I eventually gathered enough mojo to tackle this "leftover" project and finish it with a more or less presentable result. The stunt with the different wheels worked better than expected and I like the slightly lower and aggressive stance of the otherwise rather boring car. This, together with its twin front lights and the wide black grille, look pretty serious, despite being a rather lame and mediocre Eighties sedan. Style over substance!

[Hobbes]

Very nice! I'll admit I have a soft spot for the more unusual Japanese cars.

[McColm]

Great work 

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you very much! 

[PR19_Kit]

Considering that's WAY off your usual track Thomas, that's turned out very well indeed. 

The issue about the missing lowering parts is quite common among those Japanese 1/24 car kits. They tend to include special parts only in certain issues of the kits, but put the same instructions in ALL of them.

I still think it's a funny name for a car though. 

[su27rules]

 

[zenrat]

Nothing wrong with Disco Flake.

Good job Dizz.  Looks great.
I have an Aoshima Cedric 330 in the stash.  No ideas for it though.

[Steel Penguin]

a right proper job there, i admit when i first half glanced at the pictures i clocked it as a real car     so you certainly got it looking right.

[Dizzyfugu]

 

[Wardukw]

Am i getting old because thats the only reason i can think of for missing this .
Beautiful build Dizzy ..the wheels are prefect for the look of the car and works even better with the colour
Ive worked on the real thing quite a few times over the yrs ..they were quite common here yrs ago and i helped a friend put a RB30 turbo into his one.
The Nissan RB30 Turbo engine was out of a Australian Holden VL Commodore which came from the factory with this engine ...we modded this car quite seriously 
One thing for sure is alot of the cars i worked on didnt look as good as yours Thomas 

[zenrat]

So would a Cedric with a Skyline donk from a Commodore be a Cedmorline?

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you, glad you like it. With a Skyline engine, it's a "family transplant", after all. Should be a real "sleeper", I like the concept! 

[Wardukw]

  Fred and ummm yeah i guess it would be 
It didnt stay RB30 for long tho..we put a RB25 twin cam head on it ..custom intake for a much bigger turbo and so thr turbo sat nice and low .
Yeah i had to mod the oil journals a touch and another couple of mods i dont remember now but its pretty easy stuff.
Now heres where its not Nissian..had a Toyota Supra 5 speed put behind it but he killed that with his launches so i convinced him to put a Turbo 400 auto in there which fixed all his issues 
Everything else got upgraded ..brakes are Brembo..rear end was cut out and a 4 link set up built (not my work ..pros did that) struts for the front are Tein coil overs as is the rear shocks.
17in Enkei wheels with god knows what tires and heres where this car shined..dark metallic mint green paint ..beautiful in the sun ...i also installed a full sound system upgrade to...components speckers in the front and back doors .those are 6.5in speckers with tweeters and crossovers..6/9in in the parcel tray and twin 12in subs with 2 1600watt RMS amps.
Now heres where it get strange..he had the car for i think 5 yrs like that then sold it..to a Japanese guy who took it home to Japan with him 

[zenrat]

Fred and ummm yeah i guess it would be 
It didnt stay RB30 for long tho..we put a RB25 twin cam head on it ..custom intake for a much bigger turbo and so thr turbo sat nice and low .
Yeah i had to mod the oil journals a touch and another couple of mods i dont remember now but its pretty easy stuff.
Now heres where its not Nissian..had a Toyota Supra 5 speed put behind it but he killed that with his launches so i convinced him to put a Turbo 400 auto in there which fixed all his issues 
Everything else got upgraded ..brakes are Brembo..rear end was cut out and a 4 link set up built (not my work ..pros did that) struts for the front are Tein coil overs as is the rear shocks.
17in Enkei wheels with god knows what tires and heres where this car shined..dark metallic mint green paint ..beautiful in the sun ...i also installed a full sound system upgrade to...components speckers in the front and back doors .those are 6.5in speckers with tweeters and crossovers..6/9in in the parcel tray and twin 12in subs with 2 1600watt RMS amps.
Now heres where it get strange..he had the car for i think 5 yrs like that then sold it..to a Japanese guy who took it home to Japan with him 

I wonder how easy it is to import and register a car like that in Japan?

[NARSES2]

I wonder how easy it is to import and register a car like that in Japan?

Legally or by nefarious means ?